Although many in the healthcare industry were anxiously anticipating the October 1 deadline for ICD-10 implementation — an upgrade that many clinics and practices were reportedly behind on — President Obama's signature on a law that pushed this date back for at least a year actually elicited more groans than cheers. With so practitioners and providers alike gearing up for a 2014 launch of the new system, a year-long delay has undercut what had been a building momentum and, according to a new poll, disappointed the majority of healthcare providers.

Health Data Management reports that a recent survey conducted by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions found that 58 percent of respondents were concerned that the ICD-10 delay would negatively impact their resources and funding going forward. Additionally, 59 percent of the 1,250 healthcare professionals who were polled expected their ICD-10 preparation timelines to lose momentum, if not fall off schedule entirely, due to the delay. Only 30 percent of those surveyed reported that they would be able to stick to their original plan.

"To many in the healthcare industry, this delay falls into the category of unexpected news," the Deloitte blog wrote in an April 14 post. "After two previous delays, many were operating under 'full steam ahead' plans."

The majority of the poll's respondents said they believe the best scenario for moving ahead would be to set a firm deadline for October 2015, but the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have yet to address the matter.

In the meantime, clinicians and practitioners can make the best of a less-than-ideal situation by equipping themselves with the best chiropractic EHR software available, ensuring ICD-10 compatibility with minimal workflow disruptions.