Doctors press Boehner to stop mandated insurance code switch

The American Medical Association opposes implementation of the coding system known as ICD-10, saying it would require physician offices to deal with an estimated 68,000 insurance codes -- five times more than the current 13,000.

Modern Healthcare: AMA Chief Asks Boehner To Stop ICD-10
Dr. James Madara, executive vice president and CEO of the American Medical Association, has asked House Speaker John Boehner to stop the federally mandated implementation upgrade in October 2013 of the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision of diagnostic and procedural codes "and to call on stakeholders to assess an appropriate replacement for ICD-9" (Conn, 1/26).

The Hill: Doctors Lobby Urges GOP To Hault New Insurance Codes
The largest physicians lobby has sent House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) a letter urging him to halt a federal requirement forcing doctors to switch to new insurance codes in 2013. The American Medical Association (AMA) says switching to so-called ICD-10 coding will require doctors' offices to deal with some 68,000 codes, more than five times the current 13,000. The change will cost medical practices anywhere between $83,290 and more than $2.7 million, depending on size -; at a time when Medicare payment rates face an almost 30 percent cut (Pecquet, 1/26).

Also in the news, the American College of Physicians urges Congress to fix the Medicare physician payment formula -

National Journal: Physicians Oppose Budget Cuts
Internal medicine physicians issued a detailed report on Thursday registering concerns about the political climate for health care. The American College of Physicians says looming budget cuts and political discord are likely to undermine successful programs that ensure people can get the medical care they need. The group has asked Congress to undo the mandatory budget cuts established last year, and to fix the longstanding but flawed pay formula for Medicare that perpetually threatens physicians with reimbursement cuts (Sanger-Katz, 1/26).

Medscape: ACP Annual Report Decries 'Broken Political Culture'
The American College of Physicians (ACP) discussed progress in healthcare, and called on Congress to reach bipartisan agreements to reduce the costs of healthcare by addressing the true drivers of healthcare costs, in its annual report. During a webinar on January 26, 2012, Robert Doherty, senior vice president of governmental affairs and public policy for the ACP, made 5 specific proposals to address rising healthcare costs (Barber, 1/26).