New survey results illustrate the lack of ICD-10 preparedness.

This month, the Healthcare Billing and Management Association (HBMA) surveyed industry members to investigate progress towards ICD-10 readiness.  

Highlights of the survey findings are:

• Respondents have an increased confidence in their ability to handle both ICD-9 and ICD-10 concurrently.
• 23 percent of respondents report that system updates aren’t complete and it appears that internal testing is still lagging.
• Only 27 percent report successful end-to-end testing.
• 83 percent expect that end-to-end testing won’t be available until sometime in 2015.

For more details on the survey respondents and results, visit HBMA.org.

CHIME 2014 Fall CIO Forum featured concerns over Meaningful Use / MIPS.

2015 is two months away, which means we’re getting closer to the the start of Meaningful Use / MIPS penalties. At the Fall CIO Forum, CHIME VP for Public Policy, Jeff Smith, called attention to the fact that a low number of healthcare providers have achieved Stage 2 Meaningful Use / MIPS.

He also noted that physicians are in an even less prepared position, suggesting that “even if thousands more doctors meet and attest to Stage 2 before the end of the year, the vast majority of the more than half-million eligible providers are at risk of being penalized.”

Some measures have been taken to lighten the attestation load, such as the Flex IT Act which would allow for a shorter reporting period in 2015. Additionally, CMS has widened hardship exemptions and added a “modifications rule” addressing the unpreparedness of EHR vendors. While these measures assist some providers, they don’t help everyone. With Stage 3 on the horizon, it’s a stressful situation for many healthcare providers.

DeSalvo will remain at the ONC.

Last week, we announced that Dr. Karen DeSalvo was stepping down from her role at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to serve as Acting Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This week, the plan changed. According to a post on the Health IT Buzz blog, DeSalvo will maintain her leadership at the ONC while also serving in her role at HHS. To assist DeSalvo, ONC COO, Lisa Lewis will manage the day-to-day activities of the ONC.