Long-term care providers can refer to newly released materials about looming ICD-10 testing and the overall transition to the new coding system, but they should not expect any delay in the Oct. 1 transition date, according to the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The 10th edition of the International Classification of Diseases codes greatly expands the current set, and providers have said they need more time to prepare. CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner said Thursday that the date is firm.

“Let’s face it, guys, we’ve delayed this several times and it’s time to move on,” she said at the annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society convention in Orlando, according to news reports.

A recent memorandum described the four-part testing approach that will lead up to full implementation. One part, acknowledgement testing, is set to begin March 3. Yesterday, CMS issued a revised memorandum providing further details about this testing.

The relevant modules — the Common Edits and Enhancements module and the Common Electronic Data Interchange module — do not support future-dated claims, so those submitted during the testing period must have dates of service between Oct. 1, 2013, and March 3, 2014, according to the memo. Also, Medicare administrative contractors will confirm claim acceptance or rejection as appropriate, and MAC staffing will be increased during the testing period.

Providers also can refer to a new webpage with ICD-10 resources, CMS said. The “eHealth University” webpage includes transition guides, checklists and fact sheets.