The Department of Health and Human Services issued a rule setting Oct. 1, 2015 as the new compliance date for health care providers, health plans, and health care clearinghouses to transition to ICD-10, the tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases
A statement from HSS said that the new deadline allows providers, insurance companies and others in the healthcare industry time to ensure their operations, systems and business processes are in compliance for Oct. 1, 2015.
The new ICD-10 codes will have far-reaching effect. Like ICD-9 codes before them, the new codes will be used on a claim to classify diagnoses and procedures on not only claims submitted to Medicare but private payor insurance, as well.
The reason for the switch? The new coding system should enable more detailed patient history coding to help better coordinate a patient’s care across providers and over time. ICD-10 also aims to improve quality measurement and reporting; facilitate the detection and prevention of fraud, waste, and abuse; and improve accuracy of reimbursement for medical services.
The new, more detailed code set is also designed to improve data capture and analytics of public health surveillance and reporting, national quality reporting, research and data analysis, and provide detailed data to enhance healthcare delivery. Moreover, that level of detail that is provided for by ICD-10 means researchers and public health officials can better track diseases and health outcomes.
Also, ICD-10 should help doctors capture more information to better understand details about the patient’s health. ICD-10 reflects improved diagnosis of chronic illness and identifies underlying causes, complications of disease, and conditions that contribute to the complexity of a disease. Additionally, ICD-10 captures the severity and stage of diseases such as chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and asthma.
“ICD-10 codes will provide better support for patient care, and improve disease management, quality measurement and analytics,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. “For patients under the care of multiple providers, ICD-10 can help promote care coordination.”
For additional information about ICD-10, visit http://www.cms.gov/ICD10. A pdf version of the Federal Register filing is available here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2014-18347.pdf.