It was announced via email by AHIMA that the government (House and Senate) is going to vote on a bill that is supposed to adjust the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) and amend the Social Security Act to extend Medicare payments to physicans and change the other provisions of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and is also includes a seven line section that would delay ICD-10 until October 1, 2015. It was delayed one time before and it is supposed to be implemented on October 1, 2014.
ICD-10 or a clinical modification of ICD-10 is the classification system currently being used by the majority of the world. The US is the only industrialized nation not using an ICD-10-based classification system.
There are two main reasons that the transition to ICD-10-CM/PCS is necessary:
Payors cannot pay claims fairly using ICD-9-CM since the classification system does not accurately reflect current technology and medical treatment. Significantly different procedures are assigned to a single ICD-9-CM procedure code. Limitations in the coding system translate directly into limitations in the diagnosis-related groups (DRG).
The healthcare industry cannot accurately measure quality of care using ICD-9-CM. It is difficult to evaluate the outcome of new procedures and emerging health care conditions when there are not precise codes. Most importantly, we have a mission to improve our ability to measure health care services provided to our patients, enhance clinical decision-making, track public health issues, conduct medical research, identify fraud and abuse and design our payment systems to ensure services are appropriately paid.
So if there is another delay of ICD-10 how will it effect us all. Well current students taking medical coding and billing will have a harder time finding a job if they graduate, because they are all currently learning ICD-10. Hospitals and other medical places that have already spent the money changing to ICD-10 will feel like they wasted the money.
Why are they wanting to delay it again I feel like it is due to the cuts the doctor's will see from getting paid for Medicare and Medicaid. Under the new system doctors would get pay for their performance instead of how many times they see the same patient.
Even though I am no longer going to school for Medical coding and billing I feel for my former classmates if this gets stalled again for another year.
While it has taken the US forever to come to ICD-10 the rest of the world that has been on ICD-10 before us is now getting ready for the swap to ICD-11 in the next few years.
"Greed destroys progress and prevents us from moving forward".
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