Statement attributable to:
Joseph Heyman, MD
Board Chair, American Medical Association

"If CMS' new ICD-10 proposal goes into effect, physicians and their office staff will have to contend with 155,000 codes - an almost ten-fold increase from the current 17,000 codes. This is a massive administrative undertaking for physicians and must be implemented in a timeframe that allows for physician education, software vendor updates, coder training, and testing with payers - steps that cannot be rushed and are needed for a smooth transition.

"CMS' efforts to go full-steam ahead on the transition to the ICD-10 coding system without first pilot-testing the newest HIPAA electronic transaction form (5010) that will be needed to process claims boggles the mind. HHS' own advisory committee proposed that CMS implement and test the new transaction system prior to moving ahead with ICD-10 in order to avoid disruption to the payment system. The timetable of just three years for simultaneous implementation of these two new major systems is woefully inadequate, and CMS is setting the stage for major implementation problems.

"It is troubling that CMS would directly disregard a White House directive that explicitly states that "except in extraordinary circumstances, regulations to be finalized in this Administration should be proposed no later than June 1." The directive goes on to state that "agencies should provide adequate time for necessary analysis, interagency consultation, robust public comment and a careful evaluation of and response to those comments." It is hard for the AMA to see how CMS plans to conduct these thoughtful actions in the short timeframe of August to January."

Ed note: AdvaMed supports the action. Read their statement at:
AdvaMed's site

Read the HHS release and get links at:
this site

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