CMS Announces Partial Freeze of ICD-9/ICD-10 Codes

Today, CMS released a notice regarding a partial freeze of ICD-9-CM/ICD-10 Code sets prior to the ICD-10-CM implementation on October 1, 2013.

According to the ICD-10-CM notice, the freeze will be implemented as follows:

The partial freeze will be implemented as follows:

                        • The last regular annual update to both ICD-9 and ICD-10 code sets will be made on October 1, 2011.

                        • On October 1, 2012 there will be only limited code updates to both ICD-9- CM and ICD- 10 code sets to capture new technology and new  diseases.

                        • There will be no updates to ICD-9 -CM on October 1, 2013 as the system will no longer be a HIPAA standard.

Transcripts of the ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting can be found at: http://www.cms.gov/ICD9ProviderDiagnosticCodes/03_meetings.asp.

Although we expect that CMS will provide a ICD-9 to ICD-10 crosswalk of the CMS-HCC model at some point, we don’t know when that will happen. 

You can read the CMS notice here, on the Tools Page at HCCUniversity.com.