The Massachusetts Health Data Consortium, which is a stakeholder collaborative made up of providers, payers, associations, vendors, and government agencies, will offer ICD-10 testing to those affected by the switch to the code-set.
The testing will aim to time, costs, and risks associated with ICD-10 compliance, which is set for Oct. 1 of this year. To conduct the testing the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium is teaming with Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative and Edifecs, a Bellevue, Wash.-based provider of ICD-10 testing services.
“It’s essential for plans and providers to test their ability to send and receive ICD-10-affected information successfully, but the switch to ICD-10 entails risks to operational efficiency and financial stability as well,” Denny Brennan, the executive director of the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium, said in a statement. “MHDC’s partnership with the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative and Edifecs provides plans and providers a complete testing solution that balances collaboration and confidentiality to minimize the technical, operational and financial risks of ICD-10.”
Various groups, such as the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) have implored the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to initiate end-to-end ICD-10 testing with physician practices and other stakeholders.