Providers, Payers and CMS Gear Up for ICD-10 Implementation, but Will They Be Prepared for Launch by October 1, 2014?
Pathologists and medical laboratory managers have only nine months to prepare their labs for ICD-10 implementation
Most clinical laboratory managers and pathologists know that October 1, 2014, is the date for implementation of ICD-10. After that date, each Medicare claim submitted by a medical laboratory must include the ICD-10 code provided by the referring physician.
This is a unique reason why clinical laboratories and pathology groups have keen interest in a smooth transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10. Medicare will reject clinical laboratory test claims that either don’t have an ICD-10 code or have an incorrect ICD-10 code. Thus, labs hope that their client physicians make a smooth transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10. (more…)
