As part of ICD-10 Readiness the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will provide “end-to-end” ICD-10 testing. This will be available to a limited number of providers. This came about after receiving pressure from industry groups that previous testing plans from CMS were inadequate.
Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) have been asked by CMS to identify a small number of practices, 32 to be exact, to volunteer to conduct the testing. The testing will be held from July 21-25. The testers will represent a broad range of provider, claims and submitter types. Interested practices can contact their regional MAC by March 24 and will be notified on April 14 of the opportunity. Practices must complete a form to participate.
Initial testing was only to measure the setup and functionality of transmission of ICD-10 coded claims. This next round of ICD-10 readiness will include expansive testing with remittance advice. Most importantly, it will provide information on whether the claim was paid and for how much! Participating providers will need to submit claims using up to 50 different ICD-10 codes.
You can assume that testing won’t be perfect the first time through. But getting started on ICD-10 readiness now and continuing to adjust going forward is important. Another next step is getting an outside perspective from Outsource Receivables on your practice. Visit ORI’s www.ICD-10Readiness.com to request your complimentary assessment.