Medicare has made life easier for clinicians considering using a qualified clinical data registry (QCDR) to submit their merit-based incentive payment system (MIPS) information. For the first time there’s a compendium of specifications of QCDR measures.
And there’s more: All of the information is on one filterable spreadsheet. The entry for each measure contains detailed information provided by the QCDR, including the denominator, numerator and applicable reporting methods.
QCDRs gather and submit data for quality measures that are not on CMS’ official list of 275 quality measures, 248 of which may be reported through a traditional registry. The list of QCDR measures is a much heftier 896 measures for specialties ranging from allergies to wound care.
But don’t worry; the spreadsheet’s filters make it easy to create a manageable set of measures for the clinician’s consideration.
For example, if you’re looking for measures for a pain management doctor, use the filter in column A to select physical medicine/pain management to create a list of 16 measures. Column B allows you to select one or more categories, such as pain management, substance use/management or surgical/procedural care – spine.
Much of the information matches up with what you’re used to seeing in the regular measures specification files -- for example, measure titles, denominators and numerators. But you should pay close attention to column M, which contains the data source used for the measure. Many measures may be reported by conventional means: Claims, electronic health records or registry. However, some measures require attestation, patient surveys or medical record review.
So give some thought to how much extra work you – and your clinicians – would be willing to do, and make sure you understand the QCDR's requirements and deadlines from the outset.
Editor's note: Still have questions about MIPS? Get MIPS Answers, a new book from DecisionHealth. The book contains scorecards for quality measures, advancing care information measures, and improvement activities to help you determine your easiest path to success. You’ll also get a clear understanding of the specific MIPS requirements you must meet with step-by-step guidance.