Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Monday, April 9th, a proposed rule that would establish a unique health plan identifier under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
THE PROPOSED RULE DELAYS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ICD-10 BY ONE FULL YEAR.
The new compliance date is October 1, 2014. Many provider groups have expressed serious concerns about their ability to meet the Oct. 1, 2013, compliance date. The proposed change in the compliance date for ICD-10 would give providers and other covered entities more time to prepare and fully test their systems to ensure a smooth and coordinated transition to these new code sets.
ICD-9-CM 2012 & 2013 NOW MORE IMPORTANT
This delay means all provides must continue to use ICD-9-CM codes from October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2014. The revisions to ICD-9-CM for 2013 are likely to be more extensive due to this delay. If you are not already using ICD-9-CM 2012 and/or ordered ICD-9-CM 2013 you should do so immediately to protect yourself from potential payment and compliance problems.
