ing to prepare for ICD-10 and for the timelines that indicate when the tools to achieve the transition will be delivered and installed,” Mr. Barnes said. He adds that you should rely on EHR vendors for resources for the transition and to educate you and your staff on the functionality and clinical and reimburse- ment benefits associated with the new coding set. He says the new codes are “a way to better manage patients and im- prove reimbursements” while providing clinical flexibility. “The move to ICD-10 … is meant to accommodate performance-based mea- sures and quality reporting while also improving the depth of clinical diagno- sis and care. Physicians will benefit from the flexibility within ICD-10 coding. The new code set gives them the ability to use a single code to report a disease and its current manifestation, for example,” Mr. Barnes said
“We don’t love everything about ICD-10”
TMA delegates convinced the American Medical Association House of Delegates in November 2011 to go on record op- posing ICD-10. At TMA’s insistence, AMA approved a resolution urging CMS not to adopt ICD-10 because of its “bureau- cratic and financial burden on physi- cians.” The resolution also warned ICD- 10 would force many small practices out of business. But CMS delayed implementation for only one year; thus, barring some unforeseen circumstances, ICD-10 will become a reality next October. AMA and TMA are not giving up, though. At the AMA House of Delegates meeting in June, delegates directed AMA to support federal legislation to “stop the implementation of ICD-10 and remain with ICD-9 until ICD-11 can be properly evaluated.”
TMA and AMA also sent letters to Rep.
Ted Poe (R-Texas) in April to support HR 1701, known as the Cutting Costly Codes Act of 2013. The resolution prohibits the secretary of Health and Human Services from replacing ICD-9 with ICD-10. “TMA is greatly concerned that adop- tion of the ICD-10 data code sets would introduce great cost in disruption and
practice implementation without a cor- responding benefit. TMA has urged the Department of Health and Human Ser- vices to forego adopting ICD-10 and in- stead implement ICD-11, when that be- comes appropriate and possible,” wrote then-TMA President Michael Speer, MD. At press time, HR 1701 had been
referred to the House Energy and Com- merce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health. Although TMA opposes the transition
to ICD-10, it is committed to helping you get ready for the new coding system, should CMS persist in its current trajec- tory. TMA, AMA, and coding experts recommend you plan now, as ICD-10 promises to affect every aspect of your practice. (See “Prepare for ICD-10 Now,” pages 28–29.) Mr. Barnes says Greenway doesn’t an- ticipate CMS will push back the ICD-10 implementation deadline again. “We’ve made it clear to our customers
that the Oct. 1, 2014, transition date is very solid and is not anticipated to be extended any further. Our customer base understands that having the conversion in place about six to nine months out is an industry best-practice goal we’re meeting,” he said. Dr. Spencer says the ICD-10 conver-
sion represents a “difficult and cumber- some management process for practices,” but he recognizes the need to get ready now. “We don’t love everything about ICD-
10. We’re embracing ICD-10 for surviv- ability and sustainability, not because we think it’s a great thing. Physicians need to get ahead of this and not fall behind it,” he said.
It’s not too late Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) research suggests the health care industry’s overall readiness to meet the Oct. 1, 2014, ICD-10 compliance
17th
Annual Mayo Clinic Endocrine Update
February 26 – March 1, 2014 Westin Kierland Resort & Spa • Scottsdale, AZ
Gain the knowledge you need to improve the outcomes of patients with endocrine and metabolic disorders.
www.mayo.edu/cme/endocrinology October 2013 TEXAS MEDICINE 25
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