AMA accepts the (nearly) inevitable, prepares for ICD-10

The American Medical Association (AMA) requested a two-year grace period for ICD-10 in July, but is working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services CMS “to make sure physicians and other providers are ready ahead of the transition to ICD-10 that will happen (emphasis added) on October 1.” “We appreciate that CMS is adopting policies to ease the transition to ICD-10 in response to physicians’ concerns that inadvertent coding errors or system glitches during the transition to ICD-10 may result in audits, claim denials and penalties under various Medicare reporting programs,” Dr. Steven J. Stack, the AMA president, said in a news release last month. “The actions CMS is initiating today can help to mitigate potential problems. We will continue to work with the administration in the weeks and months ahead to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible.” Dr. Robert Wergin, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said in an interview that the AMA recognized there would be no further delays with ICD-10 “and appropriately chose to move forward in the best interest of their members with resources to prepare them.” Read more