CMS Calls on HBMA to Present at ICD-10 Vendor Conference May 12

HBMA was recently called on by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to present at the ICD-10 Vendor Conference in an effort to explore readiness, barriers to success and testing. The one-day conference took place at the Capitol Hilton Hotel in Washington DC, and attracted attendance from a broad range of healthcare industry stakeholders including software vendors, billing companies, clearinghouses, payers and providers.

Among the featured speakers, Holly Louie, chair of HBMA’s Ethics and Compliance and ICD-10 Committees, and Randy Roat, immediate past president and past chair of HBMA’s Government Relations Committee provided third-party billing company perspectives on ICD-10 and Version 5010. Participants in the conference discussed diverse issues related to implementation such as:

· The problematic effect of commercial payers using proprietary programs, and the resulting differences in reimbursement guides for each system;

· The compelling case for remaining committed to established deadlines;

· The role of CMS in helping industry participants who may find it difficult to meet deadlines;

· How companies can test without reciprocal companies with whom to test; and

· The issue of payers who are exempt from ICD-10 and Version 5010 guidelines.

HBMA’s executive leadership continues to play an integral role in discussions and conferences hosted by the CMS and other legislative and regulatory bodies in order to best advocate on behalf of our membership base. Be sure to check back here on upcoming activity!