An eleventh hour passage by the House of Representatives of a one-year ‘doc fix’ bill, which includes a contentious provision to delay ICD-10 for at least a year, has sparked outcry from health groups.

After Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Marilynn Tavenner told HIMSS14 attendees that the transition to ICD-10 this year is a done deal, get on with it, this week brought an eleventh hour attempt to delay the switch yet another year.

As of last week, hospitals operating in Washington state face new requirements to obtain a Certificate of Need from the state before affiliating with other hospitals. In addition, they must disclose their policies on admissions, nondiscrimination, end-of-life care and reproductive health care to the state.

Financially troubled North Adams Regional Hospital, the primary health care provider and employer in rural northwest Massachusetts, abruptly announced plans to close this week, setting of strong union and community protests.

With just a few days left in the enrollment period, the White House reported that more than six million individuals have signed up for private insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a one-year ‘doc fix’ bill, “Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014” (H.R. 4302) by voice vote. The bill would preserve physician compensation levels and avoid a steep 24 percent physician pay cut set to kick in on March 31.

Another one-year delay for the implementation of ICD-10 has been added into the sustainable growth rate bill going to vote later today.

Most healthcare organizations are at or below budget for the transition to ICD-10, according to the early results of an ICD-10 readiness survey conducted by consulting firm The Advisory Board Company.