Ways & Means Committee calls for ICD-10 contingency plan

In the June 1 letter to CMS’s acting administrator, Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas and 12 members of the House Ways and Means Committee recommend CMS make public a contingency plan for how Medicare will process claims in the event it is unable to do so under ICD-10 diagnostic codes that go into effect Oct. 1. They call for a period of time under which less specific codes are accepted. The Administration needs to take steps to instill confidence for a smooth transition, to avoid cash flow problems among providers and physicians that could lead to patient disruptions, and providers need to be aware that fallback options are available if they experience problems with their billing systems,” the letter states. CMS should also coordinate with non-Medicare payers as feasible. The letter also calls upon CMS to make public a description of how ICD-10 codes would be applied to incentive payment programs for reporting quality of care and other metrics.