Dive Brief:

• House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX) issued a statement that reiterated their support for the new ICD-10 implementation date of Oct. 1, 2015. 
• The Energy and Commerce Committee has been working with CMS to ensure that implementation is achieved by deadline and is prepared to have a hearing on the issue in the New Year.
• "Following the most recent delay of ICD-10, we heard from a number of interested parties concerned about falling behind or halting progress," said the statement. "We would like to acknowledge and thank these organizations and individuals for opening up this dialogue and expressing their thoughts and concerns regarding this issue." 

Dive Insight:

Upton and Sessions acknowledged concerns about the (again) delayed code set, and that they have heard from several stakeholders who have expressed concern over the industry's readiness to comply with ICD-10. 

"It is our priority to ensure that we continue to move forward in healthcare technology and do so in a way that addresses the concerns of all those affected and ensure that the system works," they said in a statement. 

Physicians and healthcare organizations need all of the help they can get. While hospitals seem to be making big strides, a February survey from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) revealed that only 4.8% of responding practices said they had made significant progress toward ICD-10, or were implementation-ready. 

Want to read more? You may want to read this story on the likelihood of another ICD-10 delay by Congress.