Ever since the ICD-10 delay last year, there’s been a lot of speculation about whether ICD-10 would be delayed again or not. I’ve even asked the question “What would make us not delay ICD-10 in 2015?” From my view, all of the arguments for and against ICD-10 are the same in 2015 as they were in 2014.
However, it looks like a GAO report that recently came out says that CMS is better prepared for ICD-10 than they were previously. With this as background, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said the following in this article:
“As demonstrated by this report, the provider outreach and responsiveness to stakeholder concerns from CMS have kept the agency on track to upgrade to the next level of healthcare coding,” said Hatch said in a statement. “While additional testing will be needed to ensure its success, the transition to the new system will streamline the management of healthcare records and improve patient care. I will continue to keep a close eye on this issue but see no reason for any delay past the October deadline.”
Seems like he doesn’t see a reason to include another ICD-10 delay in the next SGR Fix bill. We’ll see if he keeps that stance and if the other members of congress agree. Plus, let’s not underestimate the power of the AMA lobby which could argue that their constituents (doctors) don’t want ICD-10 and there should be another delay.
I don’t think the battle is yet over in ICD-10, but having Senator Hatch on your side is a big deal and could be a sign that ICD-10 will go forward this year and not be delayed again. Much like Senator Hatch, I’ll be keeping a close eye on other remarks from other senators to see if they agree with him.
I’ll also be watching this list of ICD-10 jobs to see if a bunch of new jobs get posted as organizations start to prepare for the transition. What do you think is going to happen with ICD-10?
