Thursday, March 12, 2015

How the changes in ICD-10 have more to offer than ICD-9?

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have set October 1, 2015 as the deadline for the implementation of a new and better International Classification of Diseases (ICD) set of codes, commonly referred to as ICD-10. What this will essentially do is, replace the existing 30-year-old codes commonly referred to as ICD-9 which practices are currently using. Why? Because the system has become obsolete, does not have room for expansion and is not in line with international standards of healthcare being followed by other countries.

The implementation of ICD-10 is a long and tedious process. The CMS has emphasized that the deadline is October 1, 2015. On average, small-to-medium practices will require approximately eight to ten months if they are going to implement this new system. It will require extensive training of support staff in the classification of new rules and the way diseases are also classified. What happens when the ICD-10 deadline expires? Well, the CMS promises to implement heavy fines and penalties on those practices which do not adhere to the new rules.

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