The evermore increasing question: Do I have an ICD-10 successful transition or an ICD-10 nightmare? The healthcare community is just a few short months (4 months, 1 week, & 3 days at the time of this posting) before ICD-10 becomes either the biggest success in your 2015 calendar year or the biggest nightmare. Surprising as it may sound, there are still many medical practices that have yet to begin the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10. According to a timeline put out by CMS, a practice should at least be testing externally and doing some comprehensive training with documentation and coding. This training is of course ongoing from the beginning of the year.

If you feel you may be behind, download our FREE mini ebook on a Successful ICD-10 Transition. It includes some information about ICD-10, money saving tips, and the CMS Timeline mentioned above. If you’d like some FREE advice about your practice and the direction you need to go in regard to ICD-10 transition, please don’t hesitate to call or email us at Medical Management Services.

A new bill introduced in the House would require end-to-end testing of the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 by the Health and Human Services Department, and would provide an 18-month transition period to the new code set.

The Increasing Clarity for Doctors by Transitioning Effectively Now Act (ICD-TEN Act), proposed by Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.), would not stop or delay implementation of the coding system, according to an article in the Journal of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
However, Black’s bill would require HHS to offer the testing to all providers participating in the Medicare fee-for-service program. In addition, the agency would have to submit to Congress certification on whether the system is working, according to AHIMA. If HHS finds that the full transition is not occuring, it would need to take additional steps to ensure completion.

During the transition period, reimbursement claims submitted to Medicare could not be denied due to “use of an unspecified or inaccurate subcode.” What is the status of your practice readiness for ICD-10? It isn’t too late to get the needed help to be successful. This bill has little likelihood of passing; but your practice can still meet the deadline and increase your expectations for success. Medical Management Services is poised to take your practice to best in class standards. Call us and find out how you can benefit from our proven strategies.