They were released last summer, and in September we and the AMA began to train physicians and others in their use. Despite the extensive input from and vetting by physician groups before the revised guidelines were released, physicians in the field found them unworkable. In hindsight, everyone agrees that they are simply too cumbersome. That's why we delayed implementation of these guidelines from January to July, 1998. Until the new guidelines are final, our contractors have been instructed to review claims using either the old version or the new version, whichever is most advantageous for the physician.
Specialists are most likely to be helped by the revised guidelines.
We are continuing to work closely with the AMA and medical societies throughout the country to refine the new version of these guidelines before they go into effect. We believe we can make them easier to use. We can simplify the charts. We can make the procedure for determining the complexity of decision making by the physician easier to understand. And we can sharpen the focus so that only documentation directly related to the care provided is required.