The extended deadline for ICD-10 implementation has drawn mixed responses from healthcare providers. The article looks at the Pros and Cons of ICD-10 delay.

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Pros and Cons of ICD-10
Implementation Delay
The Department of Health and Human
Services’ (HHS) decision to extend the
proposed date for ICD –10 implementation till
October 14, 2015 has generated mixed
responses of relief and frustration from
healthcare industry professionals.
HHS cites certain valid reasons for the delay.
Large healthcare organizations, hospitals and
other medical practices that had actually
invested a significant amount of time, effort
and resources for the ICD –10 transition are
quite annoyed with this new deadline. On the
other hand, small medical practices that were
not fully equipped for this transition are
breathing a sigh of relief.
The implementation of ICD-10 codes this year
would have resulted in many medical records
and claims having inappropriate codes and
inaccurate medical documentation. Moreover,
there are many healthcare organizations that
had not performed sufficient testing to
evaluate whether the new coding system would
fetch them those benefits as anticipated.
Hence, this delay would give them additional
time to test and alter their processes.

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Certainly, the transition to ICD-10 medical
coding system is advantageous from the
clinical point of view as well as from the point
of view of reimbursement. While ICD- 9
involves lesser number of codes and provides
limited patient care information, ICD – 10 has
more specific codes and the ability to grow
with the medical industry.
ICD-10 Deadline Extension – Points in
Favor
ICD-10 implementation can prove to be a
costly investment for any organization. The
changes and specificity in codes involved in
ICD-10 has a significant role in identifying
diseases. This will also enable experienced
coders to become familiar with several new
codes. Below mentioned are some benefits of
ICD-10 delay –
• Learn more about ICD-10 codes - The
proposed delay will provide an opportunity
for healthcare providers and their staff to
learn and gather more specific information
about the new code set. The transition
from ICD-9 to ICD-10 codes will require
more time for providers to become fully
proficient in the same. This will also help
to improve clinical documentation and data
integrity.

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• More time for training – Those
healthcare providers who have not yet
started or completed their ICD-10 training
or updating their billing and EHR
processes, will get additional time to
continue their training process and to
adapt to the new insurance coding
process.
• CMS end-to-end testing – Prior to the
announcement of ICD-10 coding extension,
CMS was planning to conduct an end-to-
end testing on the new code sets till
August before going live on October 1,
2014. With the new deadline, there will be
more time and opportunity for healthcare
providers to get ready for CMS testing to
evaluate the benefits of the same.
Moreover, the testing can be more
systematic and precise ensuring success
for the future October 2015 deadline.
• Extra time for financial preparations –
The ICD-10 medical coding system
involves increased complexity, specificity
and volume of codes that will significantly
impact the total revenue of a medical
practice. The extended deadline will
provide healthcare providers extra time for
financial preparations.

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Cons to the ICD-10 Extension
• Transition momentum will vanish –
With one more year for ICD-10
(International Classification of diseases)
implementation, many healthcare
providers may lose transition momentum
and may not use the extra time in the best
possible manner.
• Continued use of outdated ICD-9
codes – The new deadline will require
healthcare providers to continue the usage
of ICD -9 codes itself.
• Additional training cost – Healthcare
practices that are ready for ICD-10
implementation will face a significant
financial impact. These providers might
have already invested enough time and
resources in upgrading their systems and
training workers to prepare for the ICD-10
transition. A further delay will mean real
loss of valuable time and money.
Experts in the healthcare industry believe that
stalling the ICD-10 preparations will not do any
good to medical practices. Rather, they should
continue with their ICD-10 education plans and
training initiatives. They need to take a careful
look at where they stand (in terms of

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preparation and training) and then recalibrate.
With the new timeline, practices can decide
how to spread their resources over a bigger
amount of time.