More than half of healthcare organizations are disappointed in the one-year delay of ICD-10, according to a recent poll by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.
On April 1, President Barack Obama signed into law the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 to patch the sustainable growth rate formula for Medicare physician pay. Section 212 of the law delayed ICD-10 implementation until at least October 1, 2015.
The poll surveyed 1,250 healthcare professionals during a live DCHS webcast about the decision to delay the compliance date. It found that 58 percent of respondents expressed disappointment, as their organization wanted the shift to ICD-10 to occur as planned on October 1, 2014. Eleven percent felt relieved, as their organization was not ready for the deadline, so now they can focus on other projects.
Additionally, the poll found that 59 percent of respondents believe the delay will result in a loss of momentum or will cause their organizations to get off track with their ICD-10 planning, while 30 percent said they will continue to plan to keep their original schedule; 26 percent said they will stop and reassess the situation. When asked where the delay would most affect their organization, 58 percent expect resources and funding to be impacted most, 14 percent said systems and technology, and 12 percent said business and clinical processes.
In related news, the Coalition for ICD-10, a broad-based healthcare industry advocacy group, signed a letter on April 11 urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to announce October 1, 2015, as the new implementation date for ICD-10 as soon as possible. “While the transition to ICD-10 remains inevitable, it is extraordinarily difficult for organizations to make the proper preparations and investments without knowing the implementation date,” Lynne Thomas Gordon, CEO of the Chicago-based American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), a Coalition member, said in a statement. “The announcement of the new implementation date will give the industry the clarity necessary to prepare in the most cost-effective, prudent and strategic way.”
In the DCHS poll, when asked what the optimal scenario would be now for their organization, 49 percent of respondents said setting the deadline for October 1, 2015 would be best, 30 percent said find a way to restore the original deadline, and 6 percent said extend the deadline beyond October 1, 2015
In the letter to Marilyn Tavenner, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Coalition for ICD-10 explains why the transition is needed quickly: “By allowing for greater coding accuracy and specificity, ICD-10 is key to collecting the information needed to implement healthcare delivery innovations such as patient-centered medical homes and value-based purchasing. ICD-10 will enable better patient care through better understanding of the value of new procedures, improved disease management, and an improved ability to study and understand patient outcomes, yielding benefits to patients far beyond cost savings.”
In addition to AHIMA, the signatories for the ICD-10 coalition letter included: the Advanced Medical Technology Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, American Medical Informatics Association, BlueCross Blue Shield Association, College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, Health IT Now Coalition, Medical Device Manufacturers Association and 3M Health Information Systems.
