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ICD-10 Information

Implementation Timeframe Update
On January 16, 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued two final rules to move to the next generation of HIPAA electronic transaction standards (5010) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Both of these rules reflect the recommended implementation dates of January 1, 2012, for 5010 and October 1, 2013, for ICD-10.

Background
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced a new regulatory requirement for health plans and providers to transition from the currently used ICD-9 to the new ICD-10.

Under the current proposal, health plans and providers will be required to fully implement ICD-10 by October 1, 2011; however, due to the extensive changes providers will need to make to their business practices to accommodate this requirement, several efforts have been made to demonstrate the need for an extension of the implementation date.

We, along with the American Medical Association (AMA) and nearly all state medical societies, have urged HHS to give the industry more time to transition to ICD-10 in its final regulation. Specifically, we support the timeframe as recommended by the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS), a key advisory body to HHS. The NCVHS timeframe allows two years to complete the second generation of nine HIPAA transactions (“5010”) — a prerequisite to ICD-10 — before beginning work on ICD-10 (not simultaneously) and an additional three years to complete ICD-10. If the NCVHS process were followed and started now, the soonest ICD-10 could be completed is late 2013.

A coalition of provider organizations in Washington, D.C. has worked closely with HHS officials to request the need for a workable timeframe for this transition. In addition, the AMA, along with a majority of state medical societies, has urged the HHS to give the industry more time to complete this transition. We support this recommendation.

Please visit this site frequently for updated information on ICD-10.