News: ICD-10 implementation date officially October 1, 2015

October 1, 2015, will be the new ICD-10 implementation date, according to the final rule, Administrative Simplification: Change to the Compliance Date for the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD–10–CM and ICD-10-PCS) Medical Data Code Set, published in the August 4 Federal Register.

In the final rule, HHS said that while it considered other implementation dates, choosing the earliest date possible would incur the least cost on the industry and allow providers to sooner reap the benefits of ICD-10's increased specificity.

Although HHS originally planned to release an interim final rule with the new compliance date, which does not allow comments.

After a successful first round of acknowledgment testing in March, CMS announced additional testing weeks in November, March, and June 2015. The testing will give submitters access to real-time support and will allow CMS to analyze test data. Registration is not required to participate, but providers should contact their Medicare Administrative Contractors (MAC) for information.

CMS is also planning three end-to-end testing periods in January, April, and July 2015. Approximately 2,500 volunteer submitters will be able to submit claims to Medicare and receive feedback from CMS, including Remittance Advices. More information on end-to-end will be released soon, according to CMS.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on JustCoding.com.