eCQMs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Measures Inventory and the Measures under Development (MUD) list have been updated and publicly posted on the CMS website on July 6th.  The Inventory includes 30 programs, 2,180 unique measures - including the addition of the eCQMs, and is accompanied by the CMS Measures Inventory User Guide.  The MUD List contains 30 programs and 535 unique measures.  The next public posting will be in February 2018. 

For any questions regarding the Inventory or the MUD List, please contact MMSSupport@battelle.org.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published the 2017 CMS Quality Reporting Document Architecture Category III (QRDA III) Implementation Guide (IG) Version 1.0 (7/07/2017) for Eligible Clinicians and Eligible Professionals (EPs) Programs with Schematron and sample files. This version replaces the 2017 CMS QRDA III IG for Eligible Clinicians Reporting v0.1 (12/29/2016).

The 2017 CMS QRDA III IG for Eligible Clinicians and EPs provides technical instructions for QRDA III reporting for the following programs:

• Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)
• Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+)

The 2017 CMS QRDA III IG for Eligible Clinicians and EPs contains the following high-level changes compared with the reporting specifications in the 2016 CMS QRDA IG:

• The 2017 IG is based on the Health Level Seven (HL7) QRDA Category III R1, Standard for Trial Use R2.1
• For MIPS, Advancing Care Information measures and Improvement Activities can be reported using the two new section templates: Advancing Care Information Section and Improvement Activity Section, respectively
• Performance period must now be specified using the Reporting Parameters Act template that is contained within each section template for Quality (electronic clinical quality measures), Advancing Care Information, and Improvement Activity 

The 2017 CMS QRDA III Schematron provides rules that enforce the conformance statements of the IG. QRDA III submissions to CMS for the 2017 performance period will be submitted through the new Quality Payment Program submissions API or via file upload on the Quality Payment Program website. CMS will provide immediate, clear, and actionable feedback at the time of submission which will enable submitters to be confident that they successfully submitted their data. If there is a problem with the submission, submitters will get the issue specifics right away – and be able to address them immediately. Exact validation feedback provided by the Quality Payment Program may differ, but this Schematron file will validate that a QRDA III file is properly structured and will help with file submission through the Quality Payment Program submission system.

The new Schematron and sample files for this IG replace the 2017 CMS QRDA III Schematrons and Sample Files for Eligible Clinicians Programs v0.1. For more details regarding the changes, visit the “Change Log” sections of the IG.

Additional QRDA-Related Resources:

You can find additional QRDA related resources, as well as current and...

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has the following open funding opportunities for eCQI activities:

Proposed rule aims to simplify reporting requirements and offer support for doctors and clinicians in 2018.

Today (June 20, 2017), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a proposed rule that would make changes in the second year of the Quality Payment Program as required by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). CMS’s goal is to simplify the program, especially for small, independent, and rural practices, while ensuring fiscal sustainability and high-quality care within Medicare.

“We’ve heard the concerns that too many quality programs, technology requirements, and measures get between the doctor and the patient,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “That’s why we’re taking a hard look at reducing burdens. By proposing this rule, we aim to improve Medicare by helping doctors and clinicians concentrate on caring for their patients rather than filling out paperwork. CMS will continue to listen and take actionable steps towards alleviating burdens and improving health outcomes for all Americans that we serve.”

The Quality Payment Program, updated annually as part of MACRA, is meant to promote greater value within the healthcare system. Clinicians who participate in Medicare serve more than 57 million seniors. Clinicians can choose how they want to participate in the Quality Payment Program based on their practice size, specialty, location, or patient population.  

The proposed rule would amend some existing requirements and also contains new policies for doctors and clinicians participating in the Quality Payment Program that would encourage participation in either Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs) or the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Additionally, CMS has used clinician feedback to shape the second year of the program. If finalized, the proposed rule would further advance the agency’s goals of regulatory relief, program simplification, and state and local...

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Annual Call for Measures and Activities for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) track of the Quality Payment Program (QPP) is open until June 30, 2017. CMS is encouraging clinicians, measure stewards, organizations, and other stakeholders to identify and submit measures and activities to be considered for the Quality, Advancing Care Information, and Improvement Activities performance categories of MIPS in future years. Review the Annual Call for Measures and Activities fact sheet to learn more about the process for submitting measures and activities for the MIPS performance categories. For questions, contact the QPP Service Center.