The MedSafe Compliance Corner

• HHS Proposes Delay in Deadline for ICD-10 Coding System
• FDA and ISMP Collaborate to Prevent Medication Errors
• ERs Customizing Emergency Rooms for Elderly Patients
• Hospital Pharmacies Diluting and Rationing Drugs in Response to Drug Shortages
• FDA Releases Two Guidance Documents to Stop Tobacco Epidemic

HHS Proposes Delay in Deadline for ICD-10 Coding System

As most health care providers are painfully aware, the date of January 1, 2012 for transitioning to Version 5010 transactions is getting closer by the minute. Although the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid recently delayed enforcement to the end of March, the compliance date remains January 1^st, and practices are urged to be up and running when the clock strikes midnight. Any complaints associated with compliance will be accepted by the Office of E-Health Standards and Services, and covered entities that are the subject of complaints must produce evidence of either compliance or a good faith effort to become compliant. Hopefully by this time, your efforts to convert to the new system are well underway, but below is a checklist that may be helpful.

If you are a health care provider who submits transactions electronically, such as checking a patient’s eligibility, filing a claim, or receiving a remittance advice, either directly to a health insurance payer or through a clearinghouse, the version of transactions currently in use will soon be outdated. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on January 16, 2009 that updated versions of HIPAA transactions will be required for use by physicians and others by January 1, 2012. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is the agency within HHS responsible for overseeing compliance with these standards.

Good Thursday morning,