Bye Bye ICD-10

Physicians, including the AMA, appear to be finally rebelling against tedious, questionable HHS coding rules which favor HHS, insurers and other HIT stakeholders more than patients. If the ICD-10 mandate fails because of lack of cooperation from doctors who are already overwhelmed with regulatory busywork, imagine the threat common sense presents Obamacare.

 

“New Bill Aims to Block ICD-10 Mandate,” by Adele Allison, Jun 27, 2013 http://info.successehs.com/blog/bid/301074/new-bill-aims-to-block-icd-10-mandate?source=Blog_Email_[New%20Bill%20Aims%20to%20Blo]

“The anti-ICD-10 camp, which includes the American Medical Association (AMA), the Medical Group Managers Association (MGMA) and 82 medical societies and organizations, argues against ICD-10, saying it is too burdensome and costly for physicians, and frustrates current efforts to adopt health IT. Those in the pro-ICD-10 camp, which includes the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), say delays in the changeover would lead to additional costs and system inefficiencies, would rally efforts to stem fraud, abuse and waste, and cite the potential of ICD-10 to expand the field of medical research. Additionally, HIMSS and AHIMA argue that the changeover is timely since adoption of health IT and practice redesign is underway through programs such as Meaningful Use.”

And we all know how swell Meaningful Use is going.

What does the ADA think about ICD-10? Dental leaders’ fear of dentists and patients makes it hard to tell. It is as if the dental profession has no leadership at all.

D. Kellus Pruitt DDS