All Entries Tagged With: "October 2013"
CMS seeks feedback from the industry on a potential code freeze
On May 19, CMS hosted a conference call during which it addressed the use of General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs). A transcript of the call is now available on the CMS Web site.
CMS representative Pat Brooks, RHIA, senior technical advisor for the hospital and ambulatory policy group highlighted an important agenda item that will be discussed at the September 16-17 ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance meeting.
Many in the industry have expressed to CMS that they feel it is important for CMS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to consider freezing updates to the ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 coding systems prior to the October 1, 2013 implementation. Many have said that freezing the codes would make it easier to develop educational materials for the implementation without worrying about updating them each year. Many people also said that they felt this kind of freeze would help vendors develop products.
In the ICD-10 final rule, CMS said that it would take this issue to the ICD-9 Coordination and Maintenance Committee and seek input from various providers and vendors and others on what they thought about this suggestion. CMS will pose the following questions at that September 16-17 meeting:
- Should there be a freeze?
- If so, should it be of both ICD-9 and ICD-10 or one or the other?
- When should the freeze begin? For example, should October 1, 2012 be the last time ICD-9-CM codes and ICD-10-CM and PCS codes are updated? Or should a freeze be established as early as 2011?
“These are the kinds of things we need to know from the industry,” Brooks said during the call. “We’ll be actively soliciting input from you to speak about whether there should be a freeze, and if so, when should the freeze be? Come to the meeting and discuss this.”
You can register for this meeting beginning August 14. Or write to CMS after the meeting, and provide your own input. Be sure to answer the following questions:
- How important would this freeze be to your organization?
- Should ICD-9-CM and/or ICD-10 be frozen prior to ICD-10 implementation?
- When should the freeze begin?
AAPC shares perspective on coder training
Since the Department of Health and Human Services’ January announcement on the final rule for the implementation of ICD-10, many questions have popped up. Some in the industry feel that if they do not contract a trainer or a consultant to provide training right now, they will fall behind and not meet the October 2013 compliance date.
However, the American Academy of Professional Coders’ (AAPC) emphasizes that now is not the time to begin training. Will you really remember everything you’re learning in 2009 four years later in 2013? Chances are that you will not, and to make the implementation as seamless and efficient as possible, the AAPC recommends holding off on training for the time being.
Our plan is unique in that our trainers will undergo an intensive “Train the Trainer” program, which we are not opening to the general healthcare population to ensure consistency with correct information conveyed to the healthcare community.
I must reiterate that now is not the time to begin learning the ICD-10 code set. The best time to begin is late in 2012 or early 2013. The AAPC has streamlined its training curriculum into different phases, starting this summer, when the association will give a three-part, free introduction to ICD-10 implementation Webinar. For more information, visit the AAPC’s ICD-10 Web page.
News Alert: ICD-10 will go live October 1, 2013
The date’s official: October 1, 2013! On January 15, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the long-awaited ICD-10 final rule, which sets implementation for two years later than what HHS originally proposed.
But please don’t think this gives you time to put ICD-10 on the back burner. While their strategies and tips might differ, all the experts agree on one thing: Start planning for ICD-10 now.
“The extra time should be used wisely and the industry needs to start now and not wait,” said Linda L. Kloss, CEO for the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) in an AHIMA press release
To access HCPro’s e-blast covering this breaking news, click here.
To access the ICD-10 final rule, click here.
To view a fact sheet describing both rules, click here.
To view the press release, click here.
