Press Release
| Embargoed Until | Contact | |
| March 21, 2012 | Sue Ducat |
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From Health Affairs
The Case for Delaying the Implementation of the New ICD-10 Coding System |
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Bethesda, MD -- “American health care has a love-hate relationship with the venerable International Classification of Diseases (ICD),” begins a new Web First commentary, released today as a Web First by Health Affairs. Since 1977 the United States has relied on the ICD, Ninth Revision, for both research and billing, and has planned to adopt the ICD, Tenth Revision (ICD-10-CM), this coming October, well behind many other countries. Recognizing that many providers are ill prepared for this major overhaul, the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently announced that her department would explore postponing mandatory compliance. “Some industry groups reacted with dismay, and many providers with relief,” noted the authors. With medical practices now adjusting to the “meaningful use” of electronic health records, “simultaneously requiring the full adoption of ICD-10-CM imposes an unsustainable burden on many.”
In their commentary, the authors provide rationales for the delay, and they recommend a one-to-three-year postponement, because “it would be less costly and less resource intensive than extending a sanctioned dual-use period.” The next revision of the ICD, to be published in 2016, will depart from “one size fits all,” and the authors say it “has the capacity to create ‘linearizations’ from its core of cross-linked disease renderings and permits more natural classifications.” To avoid repeating the current situation when planning the conversion to ICD-11, they recommend policy makers give “careful thought to the full impact of the information processing challenges ahead.” |
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| About Health Affairs | ||
Health Affairs is the leading journal at the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Published by Project HOPE, the peer-reviewed journal appears each month in print, with additional Web First papers published periodically and health policy briefs published twice monthly at www.healthaffairs.org. You can also find the journal on Facebook and Twitter. Read daily perspectives on Health Affairs Blog. Download weekly Narrative Matters podcasts on iTunes.
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