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AUA to Deliver Testimony on ICD-10 to House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health

LINTHICUM, MD, February 11, 2015-On Wednesday, February 11, the American Urological Association (AUA), a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, will deliver oral and written testimony to the House of Representatives' Energy &, Commerce Subcommittee on Health in support of delaying the implementation of the ICD-10 coding system.Dr. W. Jefferson Terry, a urologist, AUA member and a leading AUA advocate on this issue, will deliver statements on behalf of the AUA at the hearing.

The transition to ICD-10 is a significant issue for the healthcare community, and the AUA shares the collective concerns of many groups, including the American Medical Association, regarding its impact on physicians, their practices and their patients. While proponents of the transition argue that the data gathered by using the coding system will provide granular information on the prevalence of certain medical classifications, the AUA believes that providers working under ICD-10 face significant administrative, financial and implementation burdens, including the following:

  • Physicians should plan on an increase of 3-4 percent more time per patient encounter to accommodate enhanced documentation requirements.
  • The cost to convert to ICD-10 ranges from $50,000 to $250,000 for small practices and $2 million to $8 million for larger practices.

Additionally, we are concerned that user "end-to-end" testing conducted by the Centers for Medicare &, Medicaid Services (CMS) was designed to accommodate primary care practices with little available for specialty practices. As CMS finalizes this testing, the AUA is concerned that the results may not paint an accurate picture of provider readiness as it pertains to the full healthcare community.

"Simply put, physicians are not prepared for this change," Dr. Terry said. "We urge Congress to delay implementation of the ICD-10 code set and, if a delay is not possible, we urge the Congress to consider legislating a dual ICD-9/ICD-10 option so that physicians will have time to transition to the new coding system."

For more information about the AUA's position on ICD-10 implementation, or to speak with Dr. Terry, please contact AUA Communications at 410-689-3932 or ,communications@AUAnet.org.

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, and has more than 19,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it ,pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.

Contact:
Wendy Waldsachs Isett, AUA
410-689-3789
wisett@AUAnet.org