government
AMA calls on HHS to halt ICD-10 rollout
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 13, 2012
The American Medical Association has urged Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to stop the mandated upgrade of the ICD-10 diagnosis code sets.
AMA Executive Vice President and CEO James L. Madara, MD, wrote a Feb. 2 letter to Sebelius calling on the Obama administration to examine the administrative and financial burdens the transition to ICD-10 would have on physician practices. All physicians would be required to use the new diagnosis codes by Oct. 1, 2013.
"In the wake of this onslaught of overlapping regulatory mandates and reporting requirements, HHS has an opportunity to ease the burdens on physician practices by halting the implementation of ICD-10 and calling on appropriate stakeholders -- including physicians, hospitals, payers -- to assess an appropriate replacement for ICD-9 within a reasonable time frame," Dr. Madara said.
The new code sets would impact various administrative functions in a doctor's office. These include verifying patient eligibility, obtaining pre-authorization for services, documentation, public health reporting and submitting claims.
Dr. Madara wrote a similar letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R, Ohio) on Jan. 17 that urged Congress to enact legislation providing physicians with regulatory relief from the ICD-10 mandate.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/02/13/gvbf0213.htm.
