WASHINGTON, DC - The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA), today held a hearing on “Examining ICD-10 Implementation." The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is a standardized coding system used by health care providers for identifying illnesses and treatments, as well as for reimbursements and other purposes. ICD-10, the most recent iteration of that system, is to be implemented in the United States on Oct. 1, 2015. Witnesses discussed the importance of this implementation and the readiness of stakeholders for the upcoming October implementation. The committee continues to closely monitor implementation efforts and listen to the concerns of all stakeholders as Oct. 1, 2015, approaches.
Full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) said, “The United States is one of the few countries that has yet to adopt this most modern coding system. Australia was the first country to adopt ICD-10 in 1998. Since then, Canada, China, France, Germany, Korea, South Africa, and Thailand - just to name a few - have all also implemented ICD-10. In the United States, Congress, through one vehicle or another, has prevented the adoption of ICD-10 for nearly a decade."
Pitts added, “ICD-9 is more than thirty years old and does not capture the data needed to track changes in modern medical practice and healthcare delivery."
ICD-10 implementation is an important milestone in the future of health care technology in the United States. Kristi Matus with Athena Health said, “There is simply no reason for the United States, a world leader in information technology outside of healthcare, should lag so conspicuously behind the rest of the developed world when it comes to our ability to track, document, and analyze the many millions of diagnoses made each day in this country."
Carmella Bocchino with America’s Health Insurance Plans commented, “The ICD-10 code sets provide substantially more specificity and precision in defining a diagnosis or procedure. … This greater specificity, in turn, will support efforts to gain a deeper understanding of diseases, causes of death, and ways to make significant improvements in health care quality."
Rich Averill with 3M Health Information Systems underscored, “ICD-10 - We need it - we’re ready. This is the message I want to make sure that I convey to this Committee today." Averill explained, “ICD-10 is a long overdue replacement for the outdated ICD-9-CM system for reporting diagnosis and procedure information. If we are to rate hospitals and physicians based on their outcomes, we need ICD-10. If we are to better assess what procedures, technologies, or approaches best aid improving patient care, we need ICD-10."
Read all witness testimony and watch a complete recording of today’s hearing online HERE.
