On October 25, CMS announced new opportunities for clinicians to join Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs) developed by the CMS Innovation Center to improve care and potentially earn an incentive payment under the Quality Payment Program created through the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). CMS announced that it expects to re-open applications for new practices and payers in the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) model and new participants in the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model for the 2018 performance year. In addition, CMS announced that the Innovation Center's Oncology Care Model with two-sided risk will now be available in 2017, which will qualify the model as an Advanced APM beginning in the 2017 performance year.
For more information, see the Quality Payment Program Fact Sheet. See the full text of this excerpted CMS press release (issued October 25).
On October 21, CMS announced the inclusion of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital performance data on Hospital Compare. The VA tables include data for quarterly timely and effective care measures, VA satisfaction survey results, outcomes measures including mortality and readmission rates for selected conditions, behavioral health measures, and measures of patient safety. Visit the Veterans Health Administration Hospital Performance Data webpage for more information.
See the full text of this excerpted CMS press release (issued October 21).
CMS awarded 20, two-year Special Innovation Projects (SIPs) to 12 regional Quality Innovation Network -Quality Improvement Organizations (QIN-QIOs). The SIPs offer QIN-QIOs the opportunity to address critical health care issues important to their constituency in the areas of quality improvement that may be underutilized. These represent a significant opportunity if spread locally, regionally, or nationally. A complete list of 2016 SIP awardees is located on the QIO Program website.
See the full text of this excerpted CMS blog (issued October 20).
On October 19, CMS hosted a Rural Health Solutions Summit, as part of our efforts to improve access to care and health outcomes for people living in rural America. Sponsored by the CMS Rural Health Council, the Summit brought together nearly 700 stakeholders from all sectors of the health care community, to discuss ways to improve access to care in rural America, support local solutions, and spur innovations in care delivery. The Summit website features highlights of the day, including remarks delivered by CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt, video links to the sessions, presentations of local solutions, as well as a report released by HHS on Rural Hospital Participation and Performance In Value-Based Purchasing and other Delivery System Reform Initiatives.
Only successful submissions will count toward your Annual Payment Update requirement. Verify all facility information prior to submission, including your CMS Certification Number (CCN) and facility name.
In June 2016, the Home Health Change of Care Notice (HHCCN), Form CMS-10280 was revised and approved by the Office of Management and Budget. The HHCCN is used to notify Original Medicare beneficiaries receiving home health care benefits of plan of care changes. Send questions or comments to the ABN Resource Mailbox at RevisedABN_ODF@cms.hhs.gov.
More than 200 outpatient dialysis facilities have not designated a Facility Point of Contact (FPOC) in the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP) system. Facilities should maintain their accounts and make sure that FPOCs have access to reporting documents. CMS is preparing ESRD QIP end-of-year documents for release in December, including the Payment Year 2017 Final Performance Score Reports and the Performance Score Certificate. For help with the ESRD QIP system, including reviving a deactivated account, contact the QualityNet Help Desk at qnetsupport@hcqis.org or 866-288-8912.
CMS published updates to the 2016 CMS Quality Reporting Document Architecture (QRDA) Category I Schematrons for Hospital Quality Reporting (HQR) and Eligible Professional programs on the Electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQM) Library and the Electronic Clinical Quality Improvement (eCQI) Resource Center websites. This updated Schematron applies to QRDA Category I submissions for Inpatient Quality Reporting, Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), and the Electronic Health Record Incentive programs. Schematron version 2.3 addresses an incorrectly generated error message when users submitted codes other than Logical Observations Identifiers Names and Codes for several eCQMs that use Diagnostic Study Performed and Laboratory Test Performed QDM data types.
No earlier than April 2018, CMS will start mailing Medicare cards with Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs) to people with Medicare. Please help us make sure your Medicare patients get their cards. If the address you have on file is different than the address you get in electronic eligibility transaction responses, ask your patient to change it, so it is correct when CMS mails the cards.
Follow CMS on our new LinkedIn page and stay up to date. Our LinkedIn page gives you access to CMS updates, news, videos, policy changes, and helpful resources. The current CMS LinkedIn page will be removed on December 31.
Learn how the Social Security Number Removal Initiative (SSNRI) will impact you. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) requires CMS to remove Social Security Numbers (SSNs) from all Medicare cards by April 2019. A new randomly generated Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) will replace the SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) on the new cards for transactions like billing, eligibility status, and claim status.
Join us for a discussion of the comparative billing report on Subsequent Hospital Care (CBR201615), an educational tool for Medicare providers who submit claims for subsequent hospital care visits. During the webinar, providers will interact directly with content specialists and submit questions about the report. See the announcement for more information and find out how to participate.
CMS will use this data to set Medicare payment rates effective January 1, 2018. For more information, visit the PAMA Regulations webpage.
Target Audience: Clinical diagnostic laboratory industry.
CMS recently marked the one year anniversary of the CMS Equity Plan for Improving Quality in Medicare. This webinar highlights new resources developed under the plan, including tools to help you better collect and analyze your data. You will also hear about programs and initiatives across CMS that have the potential to improve the equity of care for beneficiaries.
Register for this event. For questions about the webinar, contact omh@cms.hhs.gov.
Target Audience: Medicare Part B Fee-For-Service clinicians, office managers and administrators; state and national associations that represent healthcare providers; and other stakeholders.
An MLN Matters Special Edition Article on Further Information on the Implementation of Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Based on Specific Clinical Criteria is available. Learn clarifying information on LTCH services provided to Medicare beneficiaries.
An audio recording, transcript, updated presentation, and post-call presentation clarification are available for the October 13 call on the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act): Data Elements and Measure Development. During this call, find out how information from assessment instruments is used to calculate quality measures.