ICD-10 delay finalized

It probably seemed like an April Fools joke to many in healthcare, but this week another ICD-10 delay means the transition won’t happen until at least Oct. 1, 2015.

After Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Marilyn Tavenner’s forceful statements at HIMSS14 proclaiming that there would be no further delays, the turn-around was unexpected. It took numerous industry associations by surprise when it was added to the sustainable growth rate bill at the eleventh hour.

John Halamka, MD, CIO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, told Clinical Innovation + Technology right before the vote that a delay would undercut the time, training and dollars providers already have invested in compliance. “ICD-10 may have questionable benefits, but the train has left the station. In delaying by a year now--it’s too late. We will lose our training and readiness. Let’s just get it done and move on.”

The American Health Information Management Association said that hospitals, healthcare systems, third-party payers and physician officers already have made “enormous” investments in ICD-10 preparedness, and the bill would impact 25,000 students in health IT programs who only have learned to code ICD-10.

We also covered the State Health IT Connect Summit this week which involved representatives from across the country sharing their experiences, successes and lessons learned from trying to modernize their data systems. I hope you gleaned some valuable insight from their stories.

Beth Walsh

Clinical Innovation + Technology editor