Final Regs Cleared by OMB - And So It Begins

The final regulations that set the compliance dates and policy issues regarding the adoption of ICD-10, X12 version 5010, and NCPDP version D.0 were cleared by OMB yesterday. I would expect final rules to be on display this week at the Federal Register web site, with publication a couple of days later.

It will be interesting to see how CMS has modified the proposed rules based on the comments they received, and their justification for making or not making changes. Industry reaction is expected to be swift. If CMS has extended the due dates per most of the comments, I would guess there will be support and the beginning of the implementation movement. If dates were not changed, look for opposition and protests to the new Adminstration and to Congress. Let's hope that CMS has listened to comments and has set reasonable compliance dates and associated policies. We need to move forward on 5010 and D.O to assure better information flow for providers and health plans.