New bill aims for ICD-10 ‘transition’ period

Tennessee Republican Rep. Diane Black, introduced a House bill, the ICD-TEN Act, that would essentially institute an ICD-10 transition period. The text for H.R. 2247 is not yet available on Congress.Gov, which posts proposed legislation a couple days after it gets introduced, but the entry for it states Black’s intention. An important point is that the bill does not push back the Oct. 1, 2105 compliance deadline but, rather, calls for an 18-month transition period wherein “HHS would be required to submit a report to Congress certifying whether or not the ICD-10 standard is fully functional and not hindering the fulfillment of provider claims,” according to an article in The Journal of AHIMA. “HHS would need to prove that it is processing and approving at least as many claims as it did in the previous year using ICD-9.” In addition to the testing, Black’s bill would prohibit CMS from denying claims submitted with unspecified or inaccurate subcodes.” We must ensure the transition does not unfairly cause burdens and risks to our providers, especially those serving Medicare patients,” Black wrote in a letter to legislators. “During the ICD-10 transitional period, it is essential for CMS to ensure a fully functioning payment system and institute safeguards that prevent physicians and hospitals from being unfairly penalized due to coding errors.”