Delay in ICD-10 Implementation

The Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 delays the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 by at least one year. The language in the legislation signed into law last week by the President is very simple: “Section 212. Delay in transition from ICD–9 to ICD–10 code sets - The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) may not, prior to October 1, 2015, adopt ICD–10 code sets as the standard for code sets under section 1173(c) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320d–2(c)) and section 162.1002 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations.”

The Secretary of HHS is now required to promulgate details on how the delay will be implemented, including whether Oct. 1, 2015 will be the new official deadline.

While the delay is welcome news in terms of providing additional time to prepare for the transition, it also creates the potential for some confusion as many providers, software vendors and payers were already well into the process of testing and implementing their transitions. 

LeadingAge NY recommends that members stay in close contact with their business partners to ensure that everyone is on board with this latest development. As always, LeadingAge NY will provide members with all the latest developments. In addition, members should also refer to updates and information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the New York Medicaid eMedNY ICD-10 resources. 

Contact: Patrick Cucinelli, pcucinelli@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8827