House bill would delay the switch

A recently introduced bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would delay the switch to ICD-10 until October 1, 2015 (instead of the currently mandated October 1, 2014).  Section 212 of the bill states “The Secretary of Health and Human Services may not, prior to October 1, 2015, adopt ICD-10 code sets as the standard”.

This language is part of a larger bill that would adjust how Medicare pays doctors, something that Congress has passed every year since 1997.  The bill is expected to pass easily in both the House and Senate and go to the President for signature.

There could be relief from the switch, albeit temporary.