HHS Proposes Delaying ICD-10 Compliance to October 2014

After announcing in mid-February that it was going to push back the compliance date for ICD-10, HHS has published a proposed rule that would push the date to Oct. 1, 2014 -- a full year beyond the current compliance date.

A CMS news statement provides additional details about ICD-10 compliance and a brief history of the issue. In the statement, HHS said it proposed a delay because many organizations representing America's physicians have said physicians won't be ready to use the new code sets that will replace the ICD-9 diagnosis and procedure codes.

"Some provider groups have expressed serious concerns about their ability to meet the Oct. 1, 2013, compliance date," said the statement. HHS added that concerns about readiness for ICD-10 were based, in part, on problems physicians have encountered with compliance with the version 5010 code set standards for the transmission of electronic health information.

"Compliance with version 5010 is necessary prior to implementation of ICD-10," said the statement.

The rule also includes a proposal to implement a national health plan identifier as required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. According to HHS, the health plan identifier is another step toward administrative simplification and will save money for both health plans and physicians.