The Obama administration has given healthcare providers, including those in long-term care, an extra year to become compliant with a set of disease diagnosis codes.
The rule for the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition codes, known as ICD-10, was scheduled to be enacted for Oct. 1, 2013. The rule instead will hit on Oct. 1, 2014, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Monday. The administration had said in February that the deadline would be delayed, but providers had not known how long they would have to become compliant.
The new deadline will give providers more time to prepare and “fully test their systems to ensure a smooth and coordinated transition to these new code sets,” according to a release from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
In March, CMS said providers also have received more time to complete their intermediate (5010) upgrades (). The new deadline is June 30, 2012. The 5010 upgrades are an integral part of moving to ICD-10.
The ICD-10 delay is part of a proposed rule that includes other changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on April 14.
