On-again, off-again ICD-10 is on again
Implementation starts Oct. 1, 2015
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) now say that Oct. 1, 2015, is the new compliance date for healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses to start using ICD-10.
Implementation of ICD-10 was scheduled for Oct. 1, 2013, but HHS postponed it for a year to give providers more time to prepare. But just six months before the Oct. 1, 2014, deadline, Congress delayed implementation again as part of a bill to postpone cuts to Medicare physician payments.
The new deadline means that all claims submitted on or after Oct. 1, 2015, to any payer covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for services provided in all healthcare settings, must use the ICD-10 codes for medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures. Otherwise, the claims may be rejected and providers will have to resubmit them using the ICD-10 codes.