Volunteer for a Quality Reporting Program Focus Group on the Disparity Methods

In Spring and Fall 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provided facilities with Facility-Specific Reports (FSRs) and Hospital-Specific Reports (HSRs) for measures in the Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) and Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) programs. Within these FSRs and HSRs, CMS also provided facilities with confidential information, for some measures, on their performance by patients’ dual eligibility status and/or race and ethnicity, by applying the CMS Disparity Methods.

The CMS Disparity Methods are designed to highlight differences in the quality of care received by different groups of patients, so that facilities can improve care and achieve higher equity amongst patients. These methods are not used for payment determination under the OQR or IQR program at this time.

As there is interest in expanding the application of the CMS Disparity Methods to other measures, CMS would like to solicit stakeholder feedback on facilities’ ability to interpret and action the disparity information provided in their FSRs and HSRs, and identify reporting improvements facilities are interested in.

To solicit stakeholder feedback, CMS, via its subcontractor, the Yale Centers for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE) will hold a 1-hour Focus Group session later this year. Stakeholders interested in voluntarily participating in the Focus Group, are asked to register here: Registration for Disparities Focus Group.

CMS will reach out to stakeholders who volunteer to confirm additional details about the Focus Group session.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact cmsconfidentialreporting@yale.edu.