Hurry up and wait--again
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.
Late Tuesday night, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The ICD-10 provision set off a flurry of protest, as numerous associations quickly issued strong statements criticizing the bill, and some launching social media campaigns to push House members to oppose the ICD-10 provision. I have to admit, I was shocked that this could be a possibility so late in the game.
Larger hospitals and health systems already have put so much money and effort into this project but many can cite small practices that have done nothing to prepare. Will another year really get them start remediation efforts? It’s doubtful.
However, when you think about the rocky rollout of the federal insurance exchange, it’s understandable that the administration would like to avoid another large-scale opportunity for criticism so soon after.
As John Halamka, MD, CIO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, told me yesterday, “What we really need is a delay in Meaningful Use Stage 2.”
Unfortunately, that’s doubtful as well.
Beth Walsh
Clinical Innovation + Technology editor
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.