Texas doctors, through the Texas Medical Association, submitted comments to HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) recommending HHS scraps the implementation of ICD-10 completely. (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Edition).
Original article: Healthcare business news and research ModernHealthcare Article – Texas Suggests Scrapping ICD-10
The Texas Medical Association makes some really good points.
- ICD-10 has been around since the mid-1990?s and the US is just now getting around to ?officially? adopting them. Given that that ICD-11 is due in 2015, and the costs/benefits of going to ICD-10 are minimal vs. going straight to ICD-11, it?s just makes sense to go straight to ICD-11.
- ICD-11 is being revised using Web 2.0 principles and designed specifically for incorporation into electronic medical health records.
- Given that it?s taken more than 20 years to move from ICD-9 to ICD-10, this makes even more sense. Why adopt ICD-10 just in time to be replaced with a better standard?
Another great point, ?HHS should recognize that the costs of going to ICD-11 directly are less than incurring the remaining costs of implementing ICD-10 in 2013 and then implementing ICD-11 sometime soon thereafter.”
TMA is not alone as the American Medical Association, a host of state medical groups and medical specialty societies, submitted their own comments calling for at least a one-year delay in ICD-10 implementation.
One can always hope for common sense to prevail, can?t they? In any case, the implementation deadlines are looming and the US will be moving to a new standard; are you ready?