2022 CMS Quality Data Submissions - It’s Time To Get Excel In Electronic Reporting
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has entirely shifted to the Electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs) or MIPS CQM reporting paradigm. The Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) will either submit the 10 CMS Web Interface metrics or the three eCQMs/MIPS CQMs for the performance year 2022. The eCQMs assists in measuring and tracking the quality of healthcare services provided by Eligible Professionals (EPs), Eligible Hospitals (EHs), and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), as recorded by a care provider's Electronic Health Record (EHR). CMS has modified the following eCQMs: 1. Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program in Hospitals. 2. Medicare Interoperability Promotion Programs for Eligible Hospitals and CAHs.
3. The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative Payment Models. Both are part of the Quality Payment Program (QPP). 4. Advanced APM: Focus on Primary Care First (PCF). These eCQMs will be utilized to electronically transmit clinical quality measure data for CMS quality reporting programs beginning in 2022. This means that ACOs must install software that helps them to shift to an Electronic Reporting technique and also allows them to submit all patient data irrespective of insurance payer. Electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs) employ data electronically derived from electronic health records (EHRs) and/or health information management solutions to assess the quality of healthcare provided. CMS incorporates eCQMs in a range of high-quality reporting and valuebased procuring initiatives. The eCQMs Specification: The eCQMs serve as a one-stop store for many stakeholder groups involved in electronic quality improvement. Electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs) are developed in the Measure Authoring Tool (MAT) and produce human and machine-readable files. Front-line clinicians or Measured Entities utilize eCQMs to offer feedback on their care systems and to create opportunities for clinical quality improvement. Purpose of eCQMs:: The CMS Patients Over Paperwork initiative is backed by the eCQM Strategy Project, which helps in analyzing and streamline policies to decrease clinician burden, boost efficiency, and keep improving the beneficiary experience. The initiative gave CMS a better knowledge of eCQM implementation and reporting load, as well as recommendations for improving the use of eCQMs in CMS quality reporting programs. Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP): The MSSP is a long-term, voluntary ACO program that enables ACOs to select from a variety of risk and reward choices. For performance year 2022, if an ACO reports 10 CMS Web Interface measures and achieves a quality performance score equivalent or above
30%, the ACO would meet the quality performance standard used to determine shared savings and losses. The ACO would meet the quality performance standard if it meets the three eCQM / MIPS CQM measures (meeting data completeness and case minimum requirements).