Rounds NEWS FROM AMERICA’S BEST MEDICAL SOCIETY
A 2008 AMA-commissioned report by Nachimson Advisors estimated a typical small practice with three physicians and two administrative staff would spend about $83,000 on ICD-10 implementa- tion. Nachimson updated its cost pre- dictions in February and now says the same small practice could spend up to $226,000 transitioning to ICD-10. The cost to a midsize practice with 10 physicians, six administrative staff, and one full-time coder ranges from $213,000 to $824,000, and the cost for a large practice with 100 physicians and 10 full-time coders could reach up to $8 million, Nachimson predicts. To read the Nachimson report, visit www.texmed .org/nachimson.
Given testimony on such outlandish
Houston pain medicine physician Brian Bruel, MD, a graduate of the inaugural class of the TMA Leadership College, urged his fellow delegates to work to delay implementation of ICD-10 in favor of ICD-11, set to be completed in three years.
TMA advocates permanent delay of ICD-10
Ratifying a position the Texas Medical Association has pushed in Congress and at the American Medical Association, the TMA House of Delegates adopted a resolu- tion directing TMA to “work to permanently delay the implementation of ICD-10” at TexMed 2014. One delegate tweeted, “If they want our data, then they should pay us for it.”
The majority of the testimony at the Reference Committee on Socioeconomics was in opposition to the resolution. Those against adoption testified physicians had spent a lot of time and money preparing for ICD-10 thus far, and delaying imple- mentation would further increase physician cost. The ICD-10 transition does indeed come with a hefty price tag.
cost estimates, the reference commit- tee recommended the resolution not be adopted, sparking passionate testimony among delegates on the house floor. Austin plastic surgeon and TEXPAC member Edward Buckingham, MD, spoke on behalf of Travis County Medi- cal Society before the House of Dele- gates in favor of the resolution. “The amount of money physicians
have spent so far on preparing for ICD- 10 has no bearing and shouldn’t be the reason for adopting a terrible policy like ICD-10,” he said.
Houston pain management physician Brian Bruel, MD, representing Harris County Medical Society, agreed, calling a permanent delay “appropriate.” “ICD-11 has a similar platform. We should delay implementation of ICD-10 and have time to work on platform 11,” he said. According to the World Health Orga-
July 2014 TEXAS MEDICINE 7
PHOTOS BY JIM LINCOLN
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