Massachusetts Group Launches Statewide ICD-10 Testing Program

The Massachusetts Health Data Consortium (MHDC)—a statewide consortium of health care providers, health plans, industry associations, government agencies, and health technology services companies—recently announced the launch of its ICD-10 Collaborative Testing Program to reduce the significant time, costs, and risks associated with ICD-10 compliance for the state's health care industry.

The Collaborative Testing Program, conducted in partnership with the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative and Edifecs, provides a structured, effective, and low-cost ICD-10 testing solution to the state's health care payers and providers.

"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," says Denny Brennan, the executive director of the MHDC. "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."

"Teaming with MHDC and Edifecs has created a governance, technical, and management foundation for statewide collaborative testing that will benefit providers, payers, and patients across the Commonwealth," says Micky Tripathi, CEO of the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative. "We are delighted to provide management and implementation support to the statewide ICD-10 Collaborative Testing Program."

"The success of any large-scale, complex technology initiative depends upon meticulous planning and testing," says Sunny Singh, Edifecs CEO. "The immense scope of ICD-10 demands even greater preparation. We're honored to partner with the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium and its Collaborative Testing Project to ensure that participating health plans and providers have the tools to meet the October 1 deadline with minimal risk, and successfully position them for the post-transition period."

 Source: Massachusetts Health Data Consortium