Developments and Trends in Digital Health, eHealth and Health IT
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced an expected ICD-10 implementation deadline of October 1, 2015. HHS plans to release an interim final rule “in the near future” that will set the deadline and require HIPAA-covered entities to continuing using ICD-9-CM through September 30, 2015.
As we…
Continue Reading HHS Plans to Require ICD-10 Implementation by October 1, 2015
Congress has delayed by at least one year the requirement that certain HIPAA-covered entities implement ICD-10, the code sets for coding diagnoses and inpatient hospital procedures. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) required the Secretary of Health and Human Services to adopt transaction standards and data elements for electronic health information exchange. Among those standards are “code sets” for coding diagnoses and procedures. Currently, health plans, health data clearinghouses, and health care providers transmitting health information electronically must use an older version of the “International Classification of Diseases,” ICD-9. However, ICD-9 is over thirty years old and has an insufficient number of procedure and diagnosis codes. In contrast, the ICD-10 code sets are more up to date, include more possible codes, and allow for greater detail within the codes.
Continue Reading ICD-10 Implementation Deadline Delayed Until At Least October 2015
