ICD-10 & Coding

Most physician practices are now convinced that the ICD-10 transition will finally happen on Oct. 1, 2015. But just 21 percent say they're on track with their preparations for the switchover.

Nearly 95 percent of health IT professionals say complying with regulations is the chief driver of their decision-making, according to a new poll. Worse, a majority say too many government mandates are having an adverse effect on their work.

One takeaway from the ICD-10 hearing on Capitol Hill this Wednesday? The majority of healthcare stakeholders called on federal lawmakers to issue no more delays for the code set implementation start date, which is set for Oct. 1.

The U.S. lags other countries in adoption of ICD-10, and it should end the delay for adoption, speakers at a Capitol Hill briefing Feb. 10 told members of Congress.

For physicians in small practices, it turns out the cost of moving from ICD-9 to ICD-10 is much less than anticipated, according to a new study released today by the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management.

It looks like the stars could at last be aligned for ICD-10. After years of angst and multiple delays, a new government report indicates that CMS has done the necessary testing to move forward.

It was, as always, an eventful year for the health information technology industry, everywhere from hospitals to physician practices, vendor headquarters to the halls of Congress. 2014 was marked by big stories about ICD-10, privacy and security, patient safety, interoperability and more. We spotlight some of them here.

There's no love lost between the American Medical Association and ICD-10, of course. But a recent speech by AMA's chief has led to a war of words between nation's largest physician association and a coalition of 19 industry stakeholders pushing for no more delays in ICD-10.

"Please tell Speaker Boehner, Chairman Fred Upton, and Chairman Pete Sessions that you want to add the ICD-10 delay to a must-pass piece of legislation during the upcoming 2014 lame duck session," is the most recent call to action put forth by opponents of ICD-10.

As we head into Congress' lame-duck session, the national policy agenda for healthcare CIOs will revolve around meaningful use, cybersecurity, ICD-10 and patient safety. At the CHIME 2014 Fall CIO Forum, Capitol Hill insiders offered strategies for managing the multitude of rules.