The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) convention is in full-swing in Orlando this week, and many medical practitioners have their ear to the ground for rumors about the upcoming ICD-10 deadline. Currently, all health care professionals are expected to switch over to the new coding system by October 1, but many industry leaders have spoken out against the viability of this date. 

Following an all-day symposium on ICD-10 on February 23, attendees speculated that the powers that be may announce an extension of the deadline in response to mounting concerns. Modern Healthcare reports that a representative from the Office of E-Health Standards and Services at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) intimated on Sunday that relief measures may be rolled out during the conference. However, HIMSS vice president of government relations Tom Leary has said there were no expected announcements from the federal government regarding ICD-10 compliance adjustments.

Signifying the first change in medical coding language in 30 years, ICD-10 has always been poised for some pushback. The deadline also coincides with the onset of meaningful use stage 2, which will also impose a new stream of documentation requirements on this industry. Both of these advancements are intended to improve the quality of care physicians provide while essentially cutting the fat in terms of administrative hours and delays in accessing patient information, but these long-term benefits can be hard to appreciate when you're scrambling to adjust to such drastic changes. 

ICD-10 is certainly a hot topic at HIMSS, with many forums focusing on how physicians can make this transition as painless as possible while harnessing the full analytical capabilities of healthcare IT. To simplify this shift, it's important to find the best chiropractic EHR software available. The right chiropractic management software should be equipped to work with ICD-10, and paired with extensive training and post-sale technical support.