The American Medical Association has repeatedly called on the feds to delay for another year the scheduled Oct. 1, 2014 compliance deadline for ICD-10. Meanwhile, the AMA is evaluating a proposal to leapfrog from the ICD-9 codes now in use to ICD-11 codes, which are under development and may be released by the World Health Organization as early as 2015.
Getting ready for ICD-10 was at the top of the mind for many survey respondents this year in questions about their IT priorities.
In this year's Modern Healthcare/Modern Physician Survey of Executive Opinions on Key Information Technology Issues, though, Modern Healthcare also asked healthcare leaders if they support the AMA's position, and 65% of those responding indicated, “Yes.” Just 15% said “No.” The remaining 20% were “Unsure.” Among the “Top 10 Hot Button issues,” achieving ICD-10 readiness was the No. 1 selection, chosen by nearly 45% of survey respondents.
One leader who supports a delay is Tom Hoffman, manager of information services at Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale, Pa.