ICD-10 transition date finalized for October 2015
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that the final deadline to comply with the ICD-10 implementation requirement is Oct. 1, 2015, according to the National Association of Healthcare Access Management (NAHAM). The 10th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is widely viewed as a significant change in the way claims that are submitted to Medicare and private insurance payers are classified.
These changes enable providers to coordinate patients care over distance and time, improve the accuracy of patient records with more detailed patient history coding, and reduce fraudulent claims. CMS leaders also believe that the ICD-10’s granular classifications will improve the data and analytics related to public health research, surveillance, and reporting. The more specific classifications found in ICD-10 represent the evolution of diagnosis and developments in medicine and technology.
CMS released an online resource designed to help providers in small practices make a timely transition to ICD-10. The "Road to 10" is an online resource available at http://www.roadto10.org. The Road to 10 allows providers to select a profile based on their expertise that is specifically tailored to each speciality’s common codes, clinical documentation procedures, and clinical scenarios. Additionally, the Road to 10 gives physician groups the opportunity to create an ICD implementation action plan specifically suited to the needs of their small practices. Go to: http://www.roadto10.org/action-plan/get-started.