Government’s ‘Mixed Signals’ on ICD-10 Concerns AHIMA

In response to the recent announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Marilyn Tavenner that she would “reexamine” the ICD-10 implementation timeframe through a rulemaking process, the Chicago-based American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) encouraged the healthcare community to continue to prepare for the ICD-10 transition and not delay or suspend efforts to meet the ICD-10 current compliance deadline of Oct. 1, 2013.

 “But government officials are sending mixed signals that many in the healthcare community will interpret as a reason for delay. This concerns AHIMA and our constituents as any delay in the transition preparation for ICD-10 will both increase actual costs and may diminish the value of other Health and Human Services (HHS) programs, including Meaningful Use,” Dan Rode, vice president for advocacy and policy at AHIMA said in a statement.

AHIMA has promised to provide comments to the CMS Administrator focused areas of concern especially as it relates to the investment that has already been made by many healthcare providers, health plans, public health and quality organizations as well as HHS itself.