CHIME Wants New ICD-10 Date

A prolonged delay to ICD-10 implementation, or “more specifically, prolonged uncertainty about the timing and details of a delay, will create more problems than it would solve,” stated CHIME in a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

“Everyone in the healthcare IT world is working against numerous deadlines,” said George Hickman, EVP/CIO at Albany Medical Center. “But it’s vitally important for those of us planning, budgeting and implementing these projects to know when that deadline is coming. This announcement has introduced an unnecessary level of uncertainty into our lives.”

CHIME encouraged HHS to remain committed to ICD-10, “because many healthcare provider organizations have made, or are planning for, substantial investments in technology, training and education.”

The Secretary’s announcement indicated a possibility that different segments of the healthcare industry would be subject to different compliance dates. CHIME cautioned against this approach, urging HHS to keep the same compliance date for both physicians and hospitals. “For the ICD-10 conversion to go as smoothly as possible, all segments of the provider community need to be in lockstep,” the letter said.

To help HHS develop an appropriate path for ICD-10 moving forward, CHIME offered its assistance and expertise in order to optimize the positive impacts of ICD-10 and make the transition as smooth as possible.