CTG Health Solutions Launches ICD-10 Testing Service

CTG Health Solutions, a health information technology (IT) consulting firm and a business unit of CTG, an IT solutions and services company, today introduced a comprehensive, structured ICD-10 testing service to help health systems, hospitals and health payers comply with the new coding system and to mitigate financial risk as the industry switches from ICD-9 to ICD-10 before the October 2014 deadline. The offering employs a proven testing methodology, tools, consulting and comprehensive testing of information technology (IT) systems.
 
"Providers and payers are finding that preparation for ICD-10 is more complex and time-consuming than many previously encountered IT challenges," said Ted Reynolds, vice president of CTG Health Solutions. "Conversion to ICD-10 affects nearly every business, operational and information technology process across an enterprise. We are providing the expertise, experience, resources and robust test processes providers and payers need now to ensure that they do not experience reimbursement disruptions."
 
The service leverages CTG Health Solutions' proven Exemplar methodologies and tools that have contributed to the success of hundreds of health IT projects for more than a decade. Having participated in close to 400 testing contracts in the last 22 months, CTG has found that successful testing cannot be guaranteed when only utilizing standard off-the-shelf testing tools. Our significant testing experience has confirmed that sound methodologies ensure consistent, cost-effective, and optimized testing results. Key CTG Health Solutions ICD-10 testing project outcomes include:

• Validation and documentation of the ability of the IT systems to retain reimbursement levels
• Compliance with regulatory requirements
• Mitigation of ICD-10 operational, clinical and financial risks
• Minimized impact on clinicians, staff and workflow
• Maintenance of information integrity

In addition to CTG's experience and expertise as a leader in IT testing, its ICD-10 testing solution leverages deep clinical workflow and ICD-10 impact knowledge; broad provider and payer revenue cycle management experience; a proven, successful track record of managing large scale enterprise-wide structured testing projects; and broad healthcare vendor application experience. This exceptional expertise and experience in testing and healthcare operations, coupled with a strong health IT consulting organization, enable CTG Health Solutions to provide an affordable, scalable, flexible, efficient and effective testing methodology that addresses the full spectrum of ICD-10 lifecycle testing including:

• Establishing an ICD-10 Testing Center of Excellence to implement effective governance and defined responsibilities for complex ICD-10 decision making
• Comprehensive core and non-core claims system ICD-10 operational testing
• Validation of financial neutrality
• ICD-10 functional mapping validation testing
• Comprehensive system integration testing
• External trading partner testing

Other differentiators that set CTG Health Solutions apart from other organizations performing ICD-10 testing include:

• Healthcare IT systems experience with more than 600 applications from over 200 vendors
• Pre-existing test scenario libraries that have a high impact on revenue and cash flow to accelerate the testing process
• A seasoned, multi-disciplinary team of "onshore" testing and ICD-10 specialists, clinicians and IT application analysts.
• STBoX, our proven testing approach employing an extensive proprietary set of structured, workflow-driven testing tools and methodologies developed over many years of practical experience and designed based on industry standards. STBoX accelerates ICD-10 testing, reduces testing risks and can be tailored uniquely to the client environment to address the three major project components-process, people and technology.
• ISO 9001-certified quality management processes and Exemplar project management methodologies use industry-standard best practices that yield projects "on-time" and "on-budget" consistently resulting in the highest quality service and client satisfaction

"We are excited to offer a compelling service that fills a critical need and significantly reduces testing costs," said Mr. Reynolds. "We look forward to helping our clients comply with the ICD-10 mandate quickly, efficiently, and in a more cost-effective manner than they could on their own."
 
About CTG Health Solutions
CTG Health Solutions is an information technology consulting firm dedicated solely to helping healthcare institutions, physician practices, payers, and related organizations achieve clinical and financial goals through effective technology and business solutions. Over the last 26 years, CTG Health Solutions has provided health care IT, and operational and strategic consulting support to more than 600 healthcare organizations. More information is available on the Web at www.ctghs.com.