OASIS Alert

Other groups still pushing for a postponed implementation.

The American Health Information Management Association wants quick implementation of the ICD-10 coding system -- despite other groups' hopes to derail the system.

Heavy-hitting provider organizations have urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to postpone ICD-10 implementation, but AHIMA thinks it should stay on track for its 2011 debut. "The time for moving forward is long overdue," AHIMA says in an Oct. 28 letter to legislators. "If we do not move forward with implementation now, vendors and users will continue to build and buy products -- including electronic health records systems-- that cannot handle the upgraded ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS coding system. Those systems will be much more expensive to modify and retrofit in the future."

• CMS Services has added one code and dropped one code from the list of supplies bundled under PPS. Home health agencies are now responsible for covering A6545 (Gradient compression wrap, non-elastic, below knee, 30-50 mmHg, each) under their PPS payments. "This is a new code that does not replace any prior code on the list," CMS notes in Nov. 7 CR 6262 (Transmittal No. 1633).

Agencies don't have to worry about A6413 (Adhesive bandage, first-aid type, any size, each), however. "This code is being removed because it is non-covered by Medicare statute," the transmittal says. The changes take effect Jan. 1.