ICD 10 Coding Alert

Here's why CMS will ignore the AMA's endorsement. Last month, you checked out the ICD-11 possibility in "AMA 'Evaluating ICD-11' As ICD-9 Alternative" in the Volume 2, Number 7 ICD-10 Coding Alert -- but others are scoffing at that idea. Despite endorsement of a direct move to ICD-11 from the American Medical Association and others, don't be surprised to see CMS ignore that advice. "It took the U.S. eight years to adapt the WHO version of ICD-10 and create ICD-10-CM for use in this country," the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) counters in a recent article. "Regardless of the benefits of ICD-11, the U.S. would need a national version to allow for the annual updating required by Congress and U.S. stakeholders. Assuming that the development timeline for a national version or clinical modification of ICD-11 could be cut in half down to four years, it would then take an additional [...]