Emergency Summit Called By WEDI To Discuss ICD-10 Delay
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
HHS health information technology advisers to develop an industry action plan on April 30
In response to the recent decision by CMS to delay implementation of ICD-10 transition, the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) has announced an April 30th ICD-10 Summit: Developing an Industry Action Plan for ICD-10 Implementation.
According to their press release, this emergency industry summit is designed to provide an action plan for the industry to continue its progress toward implementation. An interactive summit, it is designed to provide members of the healthcare community the opportunity to share their unique perspective and discover the best way to continue to stay on track with ICD-10 implementation plans.
In an interview with Government Health IT, Stanley Nachimson, co-chair of WEDI’s ICD-10 Testing Work Group and its Timeline Initiative said, “I am looking for a major industry reset with CMS as a partner. I don’t know if CMS is willing to listen to major changes, or is just looking to figure out a new date,” adding that exact event details are still being ironed out. “I hope we can have a thoughtful discussion.”
“Based on WEDI’s October 2013 ICD-10 Readiness survey, we found the healthcare industry had slipped further behind key ICD-10 compliance milestones suggested in the WEDI/NCHICA timeline. Now that ICD-10 has been delayed for at least an additional year, it’s essential the industry takes advantage of the extra time,” said Devin Jopp, Ed.D., WEDI President & CEO. “As industry remains unsure of how to move forward, WEDI will continue to provide stakeholders with programs like the ICD-10 Summit to provide guidance and enable collaboration."
The one-day summit will take place at the Hyatt Regency Reston in Reston, VA. Government employees may attend the summit at no cost. WEDI will accept registrations on a first-come, first-served basis. In order to reserve your space, please register here.
The summit is sponsored by the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management (PAHCOM), Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). Summit supporters include the American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management (AAHAM), the Cooperative Exchange, National Association of Community Health Centers, the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and DecisionHealth.
WEDI also will be offering a members-only town hall on April 18 and a number of webinars for implementation success. In addition, there will be an entire day of ICD-10 education at the 23rd Annual WEDI National Conference. Learn more about WEDI’s ICD-10 efforts, including the WEDI ICD-10 Workgroup, at wedi.org.