AMA and CMS announce new efforts to assist in ICD-10 implementation

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Medical Association (AMA) today announced actions that CMS will take to mitigate potential problems that practices may face after the October 1, 2015 transition to ICD-10.  This includes clarification that Medicare review contractors will not deny claims based on the specificity of the reported ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes so long as the claim includes a valid ICD-10-CM code from the right code family.  The same flexibility will be applied when determining whether eligible professionals are satisfactorily reporting Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), Value Based Modifier (VBM) or Meaningful Use (MU)  measures that include ICD-10-CM codes.

Note: This AMA-CMS announcement does not change the October 1, 2015 implementation date for ICD-10.  Physicians and other healthcare providers will need to use ICD-10-CM codes on claims for services provided on/after October 1, 2015 

For more information, please see:

ASA’s Payment and Practice Management Team: ICD-10-CM Mapping Guide

ASA's ICD-10-CM Resources

Press Release: CMS and AMA Announce Efforts to Help Providers Get Ready For ICD-10

CMS and AMA Announce Efforts to Help Providers Get Ready For ICD-10 Frequently Asked Questions