Despite tremendous
opposition, the US House of Representatives has passed a bill that
would delay the implementation of ICD-10-CM/PCS for one year. The bill, H.R.
4302 – Protecting Access to Medicare, mainly covers the Sustainable Growth
Rate (SGR) for Medicare payments, but also include a seven line section that
states that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cannot implement
the ICD-10 code set until October 1, 2015, a year later than the current deadline
of October 1, 2014. The focus now shifts to the Senate, which must consider the
bill before it finds its way to the President’s desk.
How would the delay impact the healthcare organization
and the providers?
AHIMA officials has said
that a one year delay in ICD-10 implementation could cost between $1 billion to
$6.6 billion, which is roughly 10-30% of what has already been invested by
providers, payers, vendors and academic programs. The impact of another delay
in ICD-10 would be far-reaching across the healthcare industry, according to
AHIMA. Many healthcare organizations have already invested time and money in teaching
ICD-10 programs to students and staffs.
In contrast, the physician
groups have been opposing the ICD-10 since its inception— saying the
implementation of huge number of codes causes an unnecessary burden—can
breathe a sigh of relief with the passing of the bill.
Although,
ICD-10
implementation has been delayed, it should not put a stop to your
preparation. The delay has provided the much-needed time to tie-up the loose
ends. Don’t be slack. Carry on with your ICD-10 preparations/training
at AudioEducator.com
