I admit that I am procrastinating writing today's column because I really want to write about the new ICD-10 implementation deadline.

Since I predicted last week that there would be an announcement this week, this could be my last chance to look like I know what I'm talking about.

Hold on one second. Let me check Twitter.

Nope. Still no announcement.

There still time. Michael Arrigo predicts an announcement today.

So why are we saying this?

• First, an official from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) confirms they will announce a proposed ICD-10 deadline change in April. We're going to call that a reliable source.

• Second, talk around the water cooler (social media) is that a delay will be announced this week. I admit, not so reliable.

• Third, there's a lot of inaction happening since mid-February - which is not what the CMS wants when it talks about deadline extension. Otherwise it's just delaying the unreadiness. There are healthcare providers who won't do anything until there's a deadline. So sooner in April will be better than later.

It's possible that the announcement is going to happen late this afternoon as a way to bury the story. (Wait for it..... Nope. Still no announcement) The best time to announce something you don't want to is Friday afternoons. The media is trying to start the weekend as are the audiences. Things are kind of quiet until Monday then. But I'm  not sure this is the kind of announcement that calls for damage control. Unless....

No, nevermind. I already am on the record for one unsubstantiated prediction. Let's not add another.

While we're waiting for the announcement, here's what you need to know about what happened this week in the world of ICD-10 development:

HIPAA 5010: CMS explains why medical claims are rejected

CMS released a pretty useful fact sheet that explains some reasons behind medical claim rejections tied to HIPAA 5010 compliance. Also read "Keep a watchful eye on 5010 claims denials while stepping toward ICD-10 readiness" (PhysBizTech) to get a better handle on speeding up your reimbursements. (ICD10 Watch)

Survey shows ICD-10 deadline delay is not welcome news for hospitals

It’s easy to miss a new survey because they all sound the same. But VitalWare  surveyed 500 healthcare organizations and “released” the results this week. It’s a strange release with only two numbers:

• 64 percent of respondents said they will continue working toward the transition.
• 74 percent of respondents said not getting a decision soon about a new deadline is the worst-case scenario.

The press release then quotes several respondents talking about how this unknown delay messes up their ICD-10 transition plans. The quotes are about as compelling as you can get when you talk about healthcare information management.

Other than that, there’s not a lot there. Those quotes may be representative of what hospitals are saying. But there are no numbers to illustrate that. (VitalWare)

CDI: Why clinical documentation improvement is so important to hospitals

I interviewed Mark Morsch to get some insight on how CDI can be improved to help hospitals recover productivity before and after ICD-10 implementation. (ICD10 Watch)

Clinical Documentation Improvement CDI: How and Why Your Practice Could Benefit

Lisa Eramo has three reasons why medical practices should train someone on staff in CDI. (Kareo)

Converting to ICD-11 codes will be a matter of semantics

Not even the guy in charge of developing the ICD-11 code set believes it's a good idea to leapfrog completely over ICD-10 implementation. But we can prep ICD-10 coding to transition into ICD-11 coding. (ICD10 Watch)

Tweet of the Week

“Maybe CMS/HHS needs a ‘National Extension Center’ (NEC) to handle all the 5010, ICD-10, EHR appeal & other extensions being granted! :’)” (@ShimCode)

ICD-10 Benefits: Research

Ann Frischkorn Chenoweth explains how all the specific injury information in ICD-10-CM will improve research. (3M Health Information Systems)

The ICD-10 Delay

Delaying the ICD-10 implementation deadline could be a good thing for laboratories. Not because they’re not ready. But Bill Malone sees it as a chance for healthcare payers to get their acts together. (April 2012 Clinical Laboratory News)

Mental health in the Hundred Acre Wood

Michelle Leppert is on to something. Using cartoon characters to illustrate ICD-10 coding examples is pretty good fun. (ICD-10 Trainer)

ICD-10 Application Integration Testing Considerations & Tips

Steve Sisko wants to take the time created by delaying ICD-10 implementation to properly assess all the applications and processes that will be affected. He lists some tips you may not have thought of. (ICD-10 Impact to Health Care Payers & Providers)

ICD-10 Will Lead to Better Patient Outcomes and Reduced Costs. Really

Stephen Stewart argues that the data captured by the ICD-10 code set will provide data that leads to better healthcare outcomes. (H&HN Daily)

Benchmark Business Metrics to Support a Smooth ICD-10 Transition

Jim Denny has three tips for managing the business impact of an ICD-10 transition:

1. Look to the data.
2. Examine the most common first.
3. It’s never too early to start.

(ICD-10 Hub)

ICD-10 Neutrality: How will you use your deadline extension?

Mike Berard has some thoughts on handling the ICD-10 transition and delay. (Perficient Healthcare IT Solutions Blog)

Press Release Roundup

• Elsevier / MC Strategies Updates ICD-10 eBook on Education, Training and Announces Spring Schedule of Roadmap Releases: Elsevier/MC Strategies, a leader in providing eLearning solutions to more than 1,300 healthcare organizations, today announced its continued commitment to the ICD-10 transition and the introduction of a major revision to its eBook, “A Guide to Education and Training for ICD-10 Implementation”.
• Contexo Media and Primal Pictures Partner to Provide Anatomy Training Tools to Medical Coders Preparing for ICD-10: Primal Pictures and Contexo Media have announced plans to provide a complete package of offline and online information to medical coders preparing for new government-mandated ICD-10 medical coding requirements.