Don’t slack on ICD-10 preparations, CMS says

Even if the compliance date for the ICD-10 transition is posponed, providers shouldn’t be lax about their preparations for the shift to the new system, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid urged in a news release.

Healthcare facilities need to continue planning for the shift and educating their employees on what needs to be done, CMS suggests. A good communication plan should outline the responsibilities of everyone in the care chain, including third-party partners. It should also include a timeline of actions than need to be taken and who will be responsible for them.

CMS requested a one-year extension to the ICD-10 deadline because too many providers said they wouldn’t be ready by the original October 2013 compliance date.

The ICD-10 transition is expected to involve more than 68,000 codes, compared to the 13,000 codes used in the ICD-9 system.

The American Medical Association offers a fact sheet summarizing the differences between the two coding systems.