The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has confirmed that it will stick to its October 1, 2014, date for implementation of the new International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition (ICD-10) codes, with no rollback of compliance dates and only limited “hardship exemptions” from the requirement, according to a news release from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). The announcement was made by CMS administrator Marilyn Tavenner during a February 27 meeting.
The APTA news release notes that the ICD-10 codes will replace the ICD-9 codes used to report diagnoses and inpatient procedures. The changes will affect all entities and providers covered by the Health insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA). To prepare for the change, CMS has requested all Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) to participate in a week of testing the new codes from March 3 to 7. Registration is required to participate in the testing week.
APTA encourages all physical therapist facilities and practices to register and participate in the testing week, as indicated on the APTA news release. CMS has indicated that there will likely be future testing dates for providers who are not yet ready to test the ICD-10 claims, though presently no dates have been released.
APTA will host a March 27 webinar on the move to ICD-10 for physical therapy professionals. For webinar details and registration information, visit http://learningcenter.apta.org.
Source: APTA
