CMS announces ICD-10 testing, guidance
As of now, ICD-10 is a go for Oct. 1, 2015, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is helping stakeholders get ready, announcing an end-to-end testing period for providers and guidance for testing.
The new testing period will involve a second sample group of providers and run from April 26, 2015, through May 1, 2015. Other testing dates include Jan. 26-30, 2015, and July 20-24, 2015. A total of 850 volunteer submitters will participate in the April testing which also will include claims clearinghouses that submit claims for multiple providers.
The testing has three goals, according to CMS: To ensure that providers can submit claims with ICD-10 codes to Medicare; to ensure that CMS' software changes result in properly adjudicated claims; and to ensure the creation of accurate remittance advices.
To participate in the testing, providers must fill out a form available on their Medicare Administrative Contractor's (MAC) website by Jan. 9, 2015.
The guidance offers providers, clearinghouses and other stakeholders advice for preparing their test claims and explains the difference between end-to-end testing and previously announced acknowledgement testing.
"While acknowledgement testing is open to all electronic submitters, end-to-end testing is limited to a smaller sample of submitters who volunteer and are selected for testing," CMS says.
Protected health information, according to CMS, can be used for the testing, as "all the same security protocols will be followed" by MACs. The agency also makes clear that ICD-9 codes cannot be submitted on the same claims as ICD-10 codes.
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.