At the urging of IDSA and a coalition of organizations, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has delayed by two years the implementation of new ICD-10 codes. The ICD-10 classification system, currently being used outside of the United States, is a more complex system than the current ICD-9 codes. Physician groups requested the delay due to the cost to medical practices of putting the new system into effect. All physician offices will have to start using the new system by October 1, 2013 pending approval by the Obama administration, which has placed a temporary freeze on all federal regulations. 

Other advocacy work incudes:

• IDSA, HIVMA, and the Infectious Disease Center for Global Health Policy and Advocacy submitted a proposal to Senate leaders urging that the economic stimulus plan include investments in public health infrastructure for infectious diseases. IDSA also submitted a separate proposal emphasizing the crises of antimicrobial resistance and emerging infections.
  
• With an epidemic of antibiotic-resistant infections growing, IDSA has warned grocery-store pharmacies that antibiotic giveaways are an unhealthy promotional gimmick.  If grocery stores want to help customers and save them money during cold and flu season, IDSA says, they should offer free influenza vaccinations instead. See Free Antibiotics: The Wrong Prescription for Cold and Flu Season
  
• IDSA and HIVMA submitted comments on the final rule of the 2009 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. The comments addressed: 1) efforts to apply the Hospital-Acquired Conditions Payment Policy to other settings, 2) the decision not to finalize the claims- and group-based reporting options for the four HIV/AIDS measures included in the 2009 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI), 3) cost and time estimates for providers who choose to participate in the PQRI and E-Prescribing Incentive Program, and 4) plans to publicly release physicians’ quality and efficiency scores.