CMS conducts imaging efficiency measures dry run
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is now conducting a 30-day national dry-run of reporting data for four Outpatient Imaging Efficiency (OIE) measures included in the Hospital Outpatient Quality Data Reporting Program (HOP QDRP).
The trial period, which will conclude on March 18, is intended to familiarize hospitals with the OIE measures, test the measure production process and allow hospitals to provide CMS with questions and feedback on the measures and the Hospital Specific Report (HSR), which consists of OIE rates calculated from calendar year (CY) 2007 Medicare fee-for-service claims, said the CMS.
Both the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the American Roentgen Ray Society will submit comments to CMS, and encourage their members working with or in their hospital’s outpatient radiology department to coordinate with the hospital in submitting feedback to CMS.
The hospitals that are paid under the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System, report on 11 standardized measures of hospital outpatient care. According to the ACR, hospitals meeting participation requirements will receive the full annual update to their Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) payment rate, effective for payments beginning in calendar year (CY) 2009.
Hospitals that do not meet the HOP QDRP requirements will not be eligible for the 2 percent annual inflation update factor.
An overview and discussion of the logistics of the national dry run will be made available for HOP QDRP participants on March 1 via a WebEx presentation on QualityNet, as well as a mock HSR to provide an example of OIE measures and the reporting process.
The CMS is slated to report the OIE measures on the Hospital Compare web site in June 2010, in addition to data on seven other measures in the HOP QDRP, using CY 2008 data, but the information gathered in these initial reports will be used for educational purposes only, said the ACR.
The trial period, which will conclude on March 18, is intended to familiarize hospitals with the OIE measures, test the measure production process and allow hospitals to provide CMS with questions and feedback on the measures and the Hospital Specific Report (HSR), which consists of OIE rates calculated from calendar year (CY) 2007 Medicare fee-for-service claims, said the CMS.
Both the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the American Roentgen Ray Society will submit comments to CMS, and encourage their members working with or in their hospital’s outpatient radiology department to coordinate with the hospital in submitting feedback to CMS.
The hospitals that are paid under the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System, report on 11 standardized measures of hospital outpatient care. According to the ACR, hospitals meeting participation requirements will receive the full annual update to their Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) payment rate, effective for payments beginning in calendar year (CY) 2009.
Hospitals that do not meet the HOP QDRP requirements will not be eligible for the 2 percent annual inflation update factor.
An overview and discussion of the logistics of the national dry run will be made available for HOP QDRP participants on March 1 via a WebEx presentation on QualityNet, as well as a mock HSR to provide an example of OIE measures and the reporting process.
The CMS is slated to report the OIE measures on the Hospital Compare web site in June 2010, in addition to data on seven other measures in the HOP QDRP, using CY 2008 data, but the information gathered in these initial reports will be used for educational purposes only, said the ACR.