Monday Morning Rounds with CMS

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Posted By: HHS/ONC/CMS Communications June 20, 2022

ICYMI, here is recent communication from CMS.

Events

Reminder: Register for the June 21 Cost and Quality Performance Categories Webinar – Tomorrow!
When: Tuesday, June 21, 2022  2:00 – 3:30 pm ET
Register for this event.

CMS is hosting a webinar to provide an overview of the requirements for the cost and quality performance categories for the 2022 performance year of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System. MIPS eligible clinicians, groups, and virtual groups planning to participate in traditional MIPS for the 2022 performance year should plan to attend for information on the cost and quality performance categories.

During the webinar, CMS subject matter experts will provide information on:

  • Participation basics for the cost and quality performance categories
  • Reporting and scoring requirements
  • Resources and support

CMS will answer questions from attendees at the end of the webinar, as time permits.

Please note, if you can’t attend the webinar, CMS will post the webinar recording and transcript on the QPP Webinar Library, within 1 to 2 weeks of the event.

Reminder: Register for CMS Web Interface and CAHPS for MIPS Survey for 2022 Performance Period
Registration is open for the CMS Web Interface and Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System Survey for the 2022 performance period.

How to Register
If your group, virtual group, or APM Entity (other than a Shared Savings Program ACO) would like to submit quality measures for traditional MIPS using the CMS Web Interface and/or administer the CAHPS for MIPS Survey (for traditional MIPS or the APP) for the 2022 performance period, you must register by 8 p.m. ET on June 30, 2022. You may edit or cancel your registration at any time during the registration period.

To register, please log in to the Quality Payment Program website. You’ll need to have the Security Official role in order to register your organization. Please refer to the QPP Access User Guide (ZIP) for information about obtaining a Security Official role for your organization. You can register by:

Signing in to QPP.
Going to the Manage Access page.
Clicking “Edit Registration” by 8 p.m. ET on June 30, 2022.

Deadlines

Public Comments on the Draft 2023 CMS QRDA III Implementation Guide and Schematron for Eligible Clinicians Programs
The draft 2023 CMS Quality Reporting Document Architecture Category III Implementation Guide and Schematron for Eligible Clinicians Programs are available for public comment from May 31, 2022, and closes at 5 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on June 22, 2022. The 2023 CMS QRDA III IG outlines requirements for eligible clinicians to report electronic clinical quality measures for the calendar year 2023 performance period. Visit the ONC Project Tracking System (JIRA) website to submit public comments.

News

Now Available: Revised eCQM Specification for CMS156, Use of High-Risk Medications in Older Adults for 2023 Reporting/Performance Period for Eligible Clinicians
CMS has revised the electronic clinical quality measure specification for CMS156v11, Use of High-Risk Medications in Older Adults, for the 2023 reporting/performance period for Eligible Clinician programs. CMS revised the age criteria from the previously published specification on May 5, 2022, to better align with clinical guidelines. Please note, measures will not be eligible for 2023 reporting unless and until they are proposed and finalized through notice-and-comment rulemaking for each applicable program.

Reminder: 2022 Call for MIPS Promoting Interoperability Measures and Improvement Activities is Open
CMS reminds you to submit Promoting Interoperability measures and improvement activities for consideration for future years of MIPS. The MIPS Annual Call for Measures and Activities process allows clinicians, professional associations and medical societies that represent clinicians, researchers, consumer groups, and others to identify and submit measures and activities.

Performance Period 2022 Eligible Clinician Electronic Clinical Quality Measure Education and Outreach Webinar Series
CMS developed and published webinar content from the Performance Period 2022 Eligible Clinician Electronic Clinical Quality Measure Education and Outreach Webinar Series. PDF slides and links to the webinar video recordings are available to review on the eCQI Resource Center (under “Get Started with eCQMs – Implementing eCQMs Eligible Clinicians”).

CMS Releases Analysis on 2022 Medicare Part B Premium Reexamination
CMS released a report that recommends cost savings from lower-than-expected Medicare Part B spending be passed along to people with Medicare Part B coverage in the calculation of the 2023 Part B premium. Earlier this year, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra instructed CMS to reassess the 2022 Part B premium amount in response to a price reduction for Aduhelm™, a monoclonal antibody directed against amyloid for use in treating Alzheimer’s disease. Given the information available, it is expected that the 2023 premium will be lower than 2022. The final determination will be made later this fall.

Quality Payment Program

Nomination Period Open for MACRA Wave 5 Clinician Expert Workgroups
CMS and its contractor, Acumen, LLC, are seeking nominations for Wave 5 of the Clinician Expert Workgroups that will provide input on the development of 3 episode-based cost measures for potential use in the Quality Payment Program. The nomination period opened June 3rd, and stakeholders are invited to submit nominations between now and July 1, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Visit the Quality Payment Program (QPP) Resource Library to Access 2023 MIPS Performance Period Self-Nomination Materials
This message is notification that the 2023 MIPS Performance Period Self-Nomination Materials (ZIP), including the below files, are now posted on the Quality Payment Program Resource Library:

  • 2023 Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) Fact Sheet
  • 2023 Qualified Registry Fact Sheet
  • 2023 Self-Nomination User Guide for QCDRs and Qualified Registries
  • 2023 QCDR Measure Development Handbook

Open and Close Dates
As a reminder, the 2023 MIPS Performance Period Self-Nomination Period will take place from 10 a.m. ET on July 1, 2022, to 8 p.m. ET on September 1, 2022.

Promoting Interoperability

The Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program Hardship Exception Application for Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals is Now Available
On May 1, CMS opened the Hardship Exception Application period for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals that participated in the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program in Calendar Year 2021. For the CY 2021 reporting period, CMS required that all eligible hospitals and CAHs use (1) existing 2015 Edition certification criteria, (2) the 2015 Edition Cures Update criteria, or (3) a combination of the two in order to successfully meet the program requirements, as finalized in the CY 2021 Physician Fee Schedule final rule (85 FR 84818 through 84828). CMS mandates that downward payment adjustments be applied to eligible hospitals and CAHs that were not meaningful users of CEHRT and score below the 50-point minimum requirement and failed to report two self-selected calendar quarters of eCQMs data on four self-selected eCQMs.

Now Available: Updated eCQM Specifications and Implementation Resources for 2023 Reporting/Performance Period
CMS has posted the eCQM specifications for the 2023 reporting/performance period for the Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals, Hospital Hybrid, Outpatient Quality Reporting, and Eligible Clinician programs. CMS updates the specifications annually to align with current clinical guidelines and code systems so they remain relevant and actionable within the clinical care setting. Measures will not be eligible for 2023 reporting unless and until they are proposed and finalized through notice-and-comment rulemaking for each applicable program.

Administrative Simplification

Updated Compliance Review Program Findings Now Available
The National Standards Group (NSG) has released an updated Compliance Review Program Findings report identifying the most common violations of standards and operating rules from compliance reviews. This report expands on the Compliance Review Program Findings report released in July 2020 and includes insights from 19 additional reviews.

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