During a brief press call Sept. 24, CMS provided some last-minute encouragement that it is ready for the ICD-10 transition scheduled for Oct. 1 and would not be deterred even by the government shutdown being discussed in Congress.
 
Patrick Conway, CMS’ principal deputy administrator, reminded reporters that provider claim filing and contractor review are not immediate and it would take at least “a full billing cycle” to know how the transition is going.
 
He suggested providers who had issues should appeal for help first to their electronic health record and billing system vendors and clearinghouses, then to their Medicare Administrative Contractors and finally to CMS’ ICD-10 ombudsman, William Rogers, M.D., who was also on the call.
 
Asked about the anticipated shutdown, Rogers admitted that “we don’t have a lot of experience with this … people who aren’t in this room are deciding what we can and can’t do.” But Conway insisted that “we will continue to process claims and to implement the ICD-10 transition” regardless of Congressional action.