The ICD-10-CM/PCS final rule requires a major transition in academic programs as well as in the field. Institutions currently teaching ICD-9-CM in baccalaureate, associate, and certificate programs must transition their curricula to ICD-10-CM/PCS in coordination with the industry’s transition to the new coding systems. Educators will be among the first in the country who need to learn ICD-10-CM/PCS.

The April practice brief “Transitioning to ICD-10-CM/PCS—An Academic Timeline” outlines how and when HIM academic programs should begin integrating ICD-10-CM/PCS education into their curriculum. The article lays out the academic transition into three phases: preparation, hybrid, and full implementation. The countdown to integrating ICD-10-CM/PCS begins on August 1, 2010, when educators should start expanding curriculum content on courses affected by ICD-10-CM/PCS changes. (more…)

There won’t be a delay on the ICD-10 final rules, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The final rule for implementing ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS will go into effect March 17.

The policies in the final rule are considered to be officially adopted on that date. The regulations for the HIPAA electronic transaction standards—published the same day in a separate rule—will go into effect at the same time. The HIPAA transactions must be updated to accommodate the use of the ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS code sets. 

Before becoming official, the rules had been subject to a regulatory review by the new presidential administration, as well as a 60-day hold for Congressional review required by HIPAA. The final rules were published January 16, 2009.

ICD-10-CM/PCS must be implemented by October 1, 2013; the HIPAA electronic transaction standards must be operational by January 2012 and January 2013.

For more on the preparation for the ICD-10 transition, visit AHIMA’s ICD-10 Web site for analysis, tools, training, education, resources, and information.

AHIMA mailed the first issue of ICD-TEN today, a free e-newsletter on preparing for the transition to ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS. You can subscribe with just an e-mail address.

Each issue contains news, practical coding information, the steps for implementation, educational resources, and more. The newsletter comes out monthly.

AHIMA also offers a wide range of ICD-10 information on its Web site.

AHIMA has posted a 13-page analysis of the final rule on the implementation of ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS. The summary is a good overview of the lengthier final rules published in the Federal Register.

The final rule was published January 16. It designates ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS as medical data code sets under HIPAA, replacing the 30-year-old ICD-9-CM set. There is a single compliance date of October 1, 2013.

In the final rule, the Department of Health and Human Services states that the greater detail and granularity of ICD-10-CM/PCS will enhance the ability to measure quality outcomes and provide more precision for value-based purchased initiatives such as the hospital-acquired condition payment policy. (more…)

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a final rule for implementation of ICD-10-CM and -PCS this morning, with an implementation date of October 1, 2013.

The new code set will replace the 30-year-old ICD-9-CM set. CMS had originally set a 2011 deadline in its notice of proposed rule making last year. The final rule summarizes the varied industry response that proposal received.

A second rule sets implementation dates for HIPAA transaction standards necessary to support ICD-10. Upgrade to the X12 version 5010 standard has a deadline of January 2012. Implementation of NCPDP version D.0 is required in January 2013.

HHS offers a fact sheet summarizing both rules.

(This story was updated 1/16/2009 with links to the published rules.)

AHIMA has submitted official comments on the adoption and implementation of the ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS classification systems. In part, AHIMA:

• Recommends that the implementation of the two classifications and the related HIPAA transaction updates should occur over a three-year period, with the date of final compliance no later than October 1, 2012
• Supports a single compliance date across the entire US healthcare industry and recommends that the compliance date, once designated, not be extended, which would cause confusion and add costs (more…)
  

AHIMA has posted an analysis of the ICD-10 Notice of Proposed Rule Making. The analysis is a summary, offered to the healthcare industry as an aid when considering the proposal. It is not AHIMA’s position on the adoption of ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS. AHIMA will publish its comments and recommendations prior to the close of the public commenting period on October 21. (more…)

On Friday, August 15, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a notice of proposed rule making (NPRM) to replace the ICD-9-CM code set.

The announcement, issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, indicates that display copies of the anticipated NPRMs have been filed. The official NPRMs–one related to adoption of the ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS classifications and the second related to upgrades of the HIPAA claims-related transactions–will be published in the Federal Register on Friday, August 22, 2008. Additional information will soon be available on the CMS Web pages.

The CMS announcement specifies an October 1, 2011, compliance date for the two sets of changes.  Comments on the proposed rules are due no later that October 21, 2008.

AHIMA will offer a free 90-minute Webinar on the NPRM on Tuesday, August 26, 2008. AHIMA staff will also publish an analysis of the proposed rule.

Preparing for ICD-10 barely made the top 10 in the Journal’s July coding challenges poll. That’s largely a reflection of the more immediate challenges coding professionals have on their desks right now. Without an implementation date, preparing for ICD-10 is likely to take a back seat in many organizations.

However, transitioning successfully to the new code set will take a lot of preparation. AHIMA has been preparing ICD-10 materials for several years now. They are available from a special ICD-10 page on the AHIMA Web site and in the FORE Library: HIM Body of Knowledge (accessible through the MyAHIMA member log-in on the home page).

In particular, the practice brief “ICD-10 Preparation Checklist” outlines a multiyear plan divided into four major phases. The article “Why ICD-10 Is Worth the Trouble” frames the high-level case for healthcare’s need for a contemporary coding system.