New ICD-10 bill would provide two-year grace period

Attempts to impact the ICD-10 transition keep coming with a third attempt in about a month now aiming to provide a two-year grace period for providers submitting claims.

Proposed by Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., along with 35 co-sponsors, Protecting Patients and Physicians Against Coding Act of 2015 (HR 2652), would give physicians and healthcare providers a little more leeway when submitting claims using the new ICD-10 classification, set to take effect this October. One of the concerns regarding ICD-10 put forth by healthcare stakeholders is around payments.

This bill would ensure that providers would not be "penalized for errors, mistakes and malfunctions relation to the transition to such a code set," the bill reads. The legislation also requires a study to be conducted on how the ICD-10 transition has impacted the healthcare industry, specifically physicians practicing in rural areas.

The transition from ICD-9 to 10 denotes a five-fold increase in coding, Palmer pointed out. This "threatens to hurt productivity, increase mistakes either from human or technological errors, and create confusion and difficulties as a result," he said in a release. "Current law could prevent them from being reimbursed by the government because of simple coding mistakes or systemic failures."

This particularly affects physicians who practice in rural hospitals or small medical practices--providers who "are less likely to have sufficient resources to fully prepare for the implementation of ICD-10."