Another ICD-10 bill calls for 2-year grace period
Latest law proposed in the House of Representatives would keep physicians or other healthcare providers from being penalized for coding errors.
Latest law proposed in the House of Representatives would keep physicians or other healthcare providers from being penalized for coding errors.
U.S. Rep. Gary J. Palmer, R-AL, on June 4, introduced a bill to allow for a two-year grace period for doctors and other healthcare providers in submitting claims for reimbursement, the latest attempt at legislation to deal with the Oct. 1 rollout of ICD-10.
The bill H.R. 2652, called “Protecting Patients and Physicians Against the Coding Act of 2015” has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
[Also: ICD-10 bill surfaces, calls for delay, more study of rollout disruptions]
ICD-10 is scheduled to be implemented on Oct. 1, with no transition period for the current billing codes under ICD-9.
The bill proposes to give coding errors a pass for two years, meaning no claims submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid would be denied based on the use of ICD-9 codes.
[Also: New ICD-10 bill asks for transition period, but not a delay]
Other recent bills calling for a delay or transition to ICD-10 have gone nowhere, to date.
Palmer said rural and smaller physician practices are not ready for ICD-10.
Twitter: @SusanMorseHFN
