Earlier this month, a final rule from HHS officially confirmed Oct. 1, 2015 as the compliance deadline for U.S. healthcare providers to begin using the ICD-10 coding system.
The American Health Information Management Association has applauded the release of the final rule. "As a long-time supporter of ICD-10, AHIMA is pleased that patients and other stakeholders will soon experience the benefits of a modern and robust coding system with greater specificity about diagnoses and procedures," said AHIMA CEO Lynne Thomas Gordon, MBA, RHIA, CAE, FACHE, FAHIMA.
CMS has estimated the one-year delay of ICD-10 will end up costing hospitals between $1 billion and $6.6 billion, according to AHIMA.
More articles on ICD-10:
WEDI releases ICD-10 readiness survey
CMS: More end-to-end ICD-10 testing opportunities coming
HHS confirms ICD-10 transition date of Oct. 1, 2015