All the efforts paid off. On July 6,
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) answered organized medicine’s call to help doctors dodge disaster by providing some flexibility as physicians shift to the new ICD-10 medical billing and coding system. While CMS didn’t adopt the two-
“A giant burden was slightly eased for physicians today with news of an ICD-10 transition grace period.”
year, penalty-free grace period TMA and other medical associations re- quested, the agency did take steps to alleviate some of the potential bur- dens physicians may face in October. The announcement from CMS
and AMA says the organizations are “working to make sure physicians and other providers are ready ahead of the transition to ICD-10 that will happen on October 1. Reaching out to health care providers all across the country, CMS and AMA will in parallel be edu- cating providers through webinars, on-site training, educational articles and national provider calls to help physicians and other health care pro- viders learn about the updated codes and prepare for the transition.” TMA President Tom Garcia, MD,
said in a statement, “A giant burden was slightly eased for physicians to- day with news of an ICD-10 transition grace period. Having a year to convert our medical practices — and the entire American health care infrastructure — to this gargantuan new coding system without as many penalties for errors will allow us to spend more time prac- ticing medicine and focusing on our patients.” He added that he is “concerned
that one year will not be sufficient for all of the doctors in communities large and small to overhaul coding practices that have been in place for a generation. I’m worried that the soft- ware vendors, government, and other links in this complex chain will not be ready, and if so, physicians and their patients will suffer the consequences. I hope CMS will extend the one-year penalty-free and audit-free grace pe- riod if we need more time.” A frequently-asked-questions
guidance document issued from CMS states that:
Eddie Patton, MD, a TMA Leadership College graduate and Young Physician Section delegate to the AMA House of Delegates, speaks before AMA’s governing body.
14 TEXAS MEDICINE August 2015
PHOTO BY TED GRUDZINSKI
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