Last Minute ICD-10 Items

Despite our best efforts, ICD-10 will be implemented Oct. 1, 2015.

No more delays. It’s going to happen next Thursday, Oct. 1, ready or not. Here comes ICD-10. While the Medical Association has been and remains an opponent of the forced switch to ICD-10, we fought it and in 2014 got a one-year delay. We continued fighting the mandated ICD-10 changeover in 2015, but when it became evident it would be implemented we worked diligently to soften the landing as much as possible.

In short summary, regarding ICD-10, the Association:

• Worked with the Alabama Congressional Delegation and chiefly Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL 6) on his legislation to delay implementation even though the powerful forces of the tech, software and data processing industry overpowered us;
• Provided testimony to Congressional committees about the real world effects on medical practices through our late anti-ICD-10 champion Dr. Jeff Terry of Mobile, where Dr. Terry was often the lone voice opposing the mandated switch;
• Successfully ushered a joint resolution through the Alabama Legislature asking Congress for delay of or funding for medical practices in order to implement ICD-10;
• Worked with the media to raise awareness of the public to the unnecessary switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10 at this time;
• Successfully petitioned several health insurance entities including Medicare Part B, Alabama Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama and VIVA HEALTH to provide some form of grace period for ICD-10 physician coding errors; and,
• Provided CME opportunities on ICD-10 to help medical practices prepare for the transition.

Additionally, the Medical Association has compiled significant amounts of useful information on the ICD-10 transition. For more information about ICD-10 preparedness, check out the ICD-10 Physician Resources in the NewsCenter.