The Medical Group Management Association has urged the Medicare program to reverse a decision not to conduct ICD-10 end-to-end testing with external trading partners.
Failing to carry out ICD-10 testing could result in a "catastrophic" backlog of Medicare claims following the October 2014 implementation deadline, MGMA President and CEO Susan Turney, MD, wrote in a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Physicians could also face cash flow disruption, and Medicare patients could experience reduced access to care if testing isn't performed, Dr. Turney wrote.
"ICD-10 will be one of the most significant changes the physician practice community has ever undertaken — impacting both the clinical and administrative sides of every care delivery organization," Dr. Turney wrote. "End-to-end testing between trading partners is absolutely critical to measure operational predictability and readiness, and also to identify any roadblocks well in advance of the compliance date."
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