AAPC sends letter to HHS Secretary

After the testimony of Rhonda Buckholtz, CPC, CPMA, CPC-I, AAPC’s Vice President of ICD-10 Education and Training, among others at the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) meeting in June of this year, Jason VandenAkker, CEO of AAPC, sent a letter to HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell. The letter requests that AAPC be included as a Cooperating Party on the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee. The Cooperating Parties are responsible to develop the Official Guidelines for coding and reporting of ICD-10 in the United States and currently include: the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the American Hospital Association (AHA), and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

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Brad Ericson

Director of Publishing at AAPC

Brad Ericson, MPC, CPC, COSC, is a seasoned healthcare writer and editor.He directed publishing at AAPC for nearly 12 years and worked at Ingenix for 13 years and Aetna Health Plans prior to that. He has been writing and publishing about healthcare since 1979. He received his Bachelor's in Journalism from Idaho State University and his Master's of Professional Communication degree from Westminster College of Salt Lake City.

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AAPC sends letter to HHS Secretary was last modified: September 4th, 2014 by Brad Ericson

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About Brad Ericson Has 394 Posts

Brad Ericson, MPC, CPC, COSC, is a seasoned healthcare writer and editor. He directed publishing at AAPC for nearly 12 years and worked at Ingenix for 13 years and Aetna Health Plans prior to that. He has been writing and publishing about healthcare since 1979. He received his Bachelor's in Journalism from Idaho State University and his Master's of Professional Communication degree from Westminster College of Salt Lake City.

4 Responses to “AAPC sends letter to HHS Secretary”

1. L. Kelley says:

   September 12, 2014 at 7:57 am

   I’m in agreement, as coders, we know the grassroots of coding. And with experts in all fields present, the committee would be a comprehensive group.

2. M. Jenkins says:

   September 15, 2014 at 7:16 am

   I am in agreement that AAPC MUST be included as a Cooperating Party on the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee. It is essentail that the Professional (Physician) side of coding also have a voice and AAPC is that voice.

3. Cheryl Bouschor says:

   September 16, 2014 at 9:02 am

   I agree. It seems outrageous to me that only the hospital coding associations were included in this committee from the beginning. I am not sure of the exact percentage of claims are hospital/facility-based vs. professional/private physician, but the professional physician has clearly been left out in regards to a voice in this committee, which in itself speaks volumes.

4. Anthony Drozd says:

   October 3, 2014 at 8:09 am

   I agree, but am mystified that this wasn’t addressed sooner.