CMS Seeking Public Comment On ICD-10 Readiness Assessment

CMS is seeking public comment on its readiness assessment for the ICD-10 conversion, according to a notice published in the Federal Register, Modern Healthcare reports.

Background on ICD-10

U.S. health care organizations are working to transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 code sets to accommodate codes for new diseases and procedures. The switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10 code sets means that health care providers and insurers will have to change out about 14,000 codes for about 69,000 codes.

In April, HHS released a proposed rule that would delay the deadline for complying with ICD-10 standards by one year, to Oct. 1, 2014. HHS said it decided to push back the compliance date partly in response to health care providers’ concerns that they would not be able to meet the initial deadline.

The final rule on the delayed ICD-10 compliance date is expected to be released soon. CMS recently sent the final rule to the Office of Management and Budget for review, which is one of the last steps before a rule can be published.

Assessment Details

The readiness assessment will target 1,200 private businesses and not-for-profit groups. It will be used to determine organizations’ progress toward ICD-10 compliance and the types of communication and education efforts that could help organizations achieve ICD-10 compliance.

CMS said it will use the assessment only for educational and outreach purposes, not for informing policy decisions.

Source: www.ihealthbeat.org; August 13, 2012.