The changeover to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, (ICD-10) coding set has a new deadline, but after several such delays, uncertainty continues about the permanence of this deadline.

On Thursday, CMS issued a statement clarifying that yes, Oct. 1, 2014, will indeed be the new deadline for the implementation of ICD-10. This is the earliest date possible for the switch per the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, which also delayed the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for calculating physician payments for another year.

Moving the ICD-10 deadline out a year moves it away from this year’s mid-term elections. However, if the election changes the majority party in either the House or the Senate, the ICD-10 deadline could be pushed out again.

Indeed, at the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) conference in Washington, D.C., Denise Buenning, acting deputy director for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of E-Health Standards and Services, had urged members upset about continued delays in implementation to do their part and lobby legislators against signing on to additional delays.

“Work through your national associations. There’s strength in numbers. These folks work with the Hill on the daily basis and know what can be done,” she said according to the Journal of AHIMA.

The continued delays in ICD-10 implementation may help smaller providers navigate the change by allowing more time for more pre-implementation testing and minimizing reimbursement disruptions once the change is made. However, the delay also pushes up costs for hospitals, health systems and payors that have already invested millions in extra staff and training in preparation for a deadline that now will not come until late next year.