AAHKS and 99 other medical societies signed on to a March 4 letter to CMS urging the agency to come up with contingency plans to address the potential negative impact of the ICD-10 transition.
The concerns expressed to CMS Acting Administrator Andrew Slavitt include insufficient contingency plans in place to avoid serious disruptions that could occur on or after the October 1st ICD-10 implementation deadline. Without contingency plans the code switchover could result in a backlog of millions of dollars in unpaid Medicare claims.
“By CMS’ own analysis, one of the most significant risks to moving to ICD-10 is the likelihood for claims processing and cash flow interruptions,” the letter states. “It is therefore vitally important that CMS is prepared with extensive contingency plans in the event that these feared disruptions occur.” Full text of letter.
