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CMS Pushes Digital Data Collection for New Quality Metrics

Analysis  |  By John Commins  
   December 23, 2020

The latest annual List of Measures under Consideration is part of a broader "Meaningful Metrics" initiative launched in 2017 to reduce red tape for providers.

Most of the 2020 quality and efficiency metrics proposed by the federal government would be collected digitally, cutting the hassle for providers to retrieve the data manually, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Tuesday.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma said the List of Measures under Consideration is part of a broader "Meaningful Metrics" initiative launched in 2017 to reduce red tape for providers.

"We launched Meaningful Measures because too many providers were wasting precious time and resources reporting on quality metrics, many of which were barely relevant to their specialty," Verma said.

"Over the last four years, this initiative has delivered better, less onerous metrics that are actually useful to those who use them. The measures we are announcing today represent more of the same," she said. "They prioritize health outcomes, reduce burden, and give providers more time to do the work they entered medicine to do: treat patients."

The proposed list of metrics will be sent for stakeholder review to the independent National Quality Forum's Measure Applications Partnership, which is expected to provide feedback by February 1, 2021.

The 2020 list – which includes new measures and updates – features:

  • Five outcome measures, such as the rate of health care-associated infections requiring hospitalization for residents of skilled nursing facilities;
     
  • Five process measures, such as conducting kidney health evaluations or implementing interventions for patients with pre-diabetes;
     
  • Three process measures for the coronavirus vaccine, including vaccination coverage among healthcare personnel, vaccination by clinicians, and vaccination coverage for patients in End-Stage Renal Disease venues;
     
  • Five cost/resource use measures – including episode-based costs associated with addressing diabetes or asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;
     
  • Three composite measures, which summarize overall quality of care across multiple measures using one piece of information;
     
  • Two patient reported outcomes measures. 

Only three measures under consideration rely "pen-and-paper" data collection.

Of the non-digital measures, two assess COVID-19 vaccinations among healthcare workers and patients in ESRD facilities. The other acts on patient-reported health outcomes.     

“Over the last four years, this initiative has delivered better, less onerous metrics that are actually useful to those who use them. The measures we are announcing today represent more of the same.”

John Commins is a content specialist and online news editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.


KEY TAKEAWAYS

The proposed list of metrics will be sent for stakeholder review to the independent National Quality Forum's Measure Applications Partnership, which is expected to provide feedback by February 1.

The 2020 list features five outcome measures, five process measures, and three process measures for the coronavirus vaccine.

Only three measures under consideration rely "pen-and-paper" data collection.


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