ICD-10 debuts October 1

Editor's Note

The healthcare industry transitioned to the ICD-10 system October 1, expanding procedure codes from 14,000 to 70,000 for providers and from 44,000 to 72,000 for hospitals.

Medicare officials say they won’t deny claims to providers solely for lack of specificity for the first 12 months, but that doesn’t apply to hospital procedure codes, and most commercial insurers aren’t offering a grace period, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Doctors, hospitals and insurers are bracing for possible disruptions on Oct. 1 when the U.S. health-care system switches to a massive new set of codes for describing illnesses and injuries. Under the new system, cardiologists will have not one but 845 codes for angioplasty.