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The required Oct. 1 conversion to the ICD-10 coding system will be worth the costs and headaches, supporters say. With up to seven alphanumeric characters in ICD-10 compared with a maximum of four numeric digits in ICD-9, there will be lots more room for the codes to accommodate new medical conditions and procedures. With ICD-9, “we've just run out of space,” said Lynne Thomas Gordon, president of the American Health Information Management Association. (Conn, 9/12)

Ready or not, the U.S. healthcare industry is poised to flip the switch from the ICD-9 to the ICD-10 diagnostic and procedural coding system on Oct. 1, significantly changing how billions of dollars in medical claims are calculated and billed every day. Experts predict most large hospitals and health systems and most large physician groups will weather the federally required conversion just fine, though they could experience temporary cash-flow squeezes because of ICD-10-related payment delays. The organizations most likely to have trouble, however, are smaller providers, particularly smaller physician practices. (Conn, 9/12)