Just 86 days before ICD-10 coding will become the national standard, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Medical Association (AMA) announced their combined efforts to assist health care providers in observing the looming deadline. On Monday, July 6, 2015, CMS issued a press release promoting the collaborative efforts of both organizations to provide webinars, on-site training, educational articles, and other services to prepare health care providers across the nation for the transition away from ICD-9.

According to the Acting Administrator of CMS Andy Slavitt, the impending implementation of ICD-10 will “modernize our nation’s health care infrastructure”, by improving the identification of illness and epidemics, as well as the claims audit and quality reporting processes.

AMA President Steven J. Stack, M.D. praised CMS’s collaboration as a positive response to physician concerns about the upcoming compliance date.

The top question on the minds of many providers is: will my claim be denied if I use the wrong ICD-10 code?

According to the FAQ recently released by CMS: For the first 12 months of ICD 10, as long as the provider uses a valid ICD-10 code from the correct family, Medicare will not deny claims.

You can read more at the following links:

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Frequently Asked Questions

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Provider Resources

American Medical Association: ICD-10 Code Set to Replace ICD-9

CMS also stated its intention to establish an ICD-10 communication and coordination center to identify and resolve issues as they emerge throughout the transition.

All providers are encouraged to prepare for the upcoming transition to ICD-10. Medicare claims with dates of service after October 1, 2015 will not be accepted in ICD-9 format.