Proposal released for quality reporting
Proposal released for quality reporting
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released proposed guidelines for Medicare's new ASC quality reporting program, available by the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) on ASCA Connect at http://bit.ly/K6OM1O. According to the ASCA, the proposal provides the following information:
- Using quality data codes on a claim will indicate that a facility is part of the quality reporting program. No additional action is required.
- Any ASC that is a Medicare-participating facility as of Jan. 1, 2012, will need to begin reporting Oct. 1, 2012, to be eligible for the full Medicare payment update in 2014. Those that are designated as open by Oct. 1, 2012, will need to begin reporting Jan. 1, 2013. Although CMS has not clearly indicated how this schedule will affect ASCs that open in the future, ASCs that open by October of a given year could expect to be required to begin reporting on Jan. 1 of the next year. ASCA will seek clarification on this point.
- The proposal sets a completeness threshold of 50%, which means ASCs will be considered successful reporters and won't face financial penalties if 50% of Medicare claims contain quality data codes. This threshold will increase in the future.
- CMS will not seek to validate what ASCs report through any means beyond the usual claims validation process Medicare contractors conduct.
- If an ASC believes that CMS has erred in determining that the ASC has failed to adequately report data, that ASC will have access to the same reconsideration process available to hospitals.
- ASCs that are unable to report quality data due to extraordinary circumstances will be able to avail themselves of an extension/waiver process.
- While CMS noted that it is "proposing that any and all quality measure data submitted by [an] ASC" could be made public, the agency did not specify what data it will use for public reporting. ASCA will continue to advocate for CMS to begin by posting on its web site those ASCs participating in the program. This transition would be followed by CMS posting each facility's performance on the measures.
- ASCs will be required to designate a QualityNet administrator to serve as a point of contact between the ASC and the QualityNet web site. ASCs will use this site to report data on their use of a safe surgery checklist and the surgical volume they manage beginning in summer 2013. ASCs will need to have a QualityNet administrator in place by then. ASCs should allow two weeks to complete registering a QualityNet administrator.
CMS also released the manual for the quality reporting program. According to the ASCA, the manual indicates that ASCs that used a safe surgery checklist based on accepted standards of practice at any time during 2012 can answer "yes" when they report whether they used a safe surgery checklist during the year. Previously, CMS had indicated that ASCs would be able to answer "yes" only if they had a safe surgery checklist in place on Jan. 1, 2012.
For more information, go to http://bit.ly/Kb9hKd. To download the manual for the ASC quality reporting program, go to http://bit.ly/IBQ5eh. ASCA will be offering free webinars about quality reporting. Register at ascassociation.org/webinars.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released proposed guidelines for Medicare's new ASC quality reporting program, available by the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) on ASCA Connect at http://bit.ly/K6OM1O. According to the ASCA, the proposal provides the following information:Subscribe Now for Access
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