The Colorado Quality Payment Program Coalition (COQPP) has released their May 2019 Fast Facts, giving you all of the information you need to know for just five minutes of your time. This month’s Fast Facts include the following.
The Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program Hardship Exception Application for Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals is now available
The federal CMS requires that all eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) use 2015 Edition certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) to meet the requirements of the Promoting Interoperability Programs. The agency mandates downward payment adjustments be applied to eligible hospitals and CAHs that are not meaningful users of CEHRT.
Eligible hospitals and CAHs may be exempt from Medicare penalties if they can show that compliance with the requirement for being a meaningful EHR user would result in a significant hardship. To be considered for an exemption, eligible hospitals and CAHs must complete a hardship exception application and provide proof of hardship.
The application for eligible hospitals and CAHs is now available online as a web-based application and can be found
here.
Developments in the QPP Look-up Tool for APM entities
The federal CMS has added secure access to the Quality Payment Program Eligibility & Reporting page for Alternative Payment Models (APMs). Alternative Payment Models (APM) entities have requested the ability to download a participant list of their clinicians. APM entities are the organizations that participate in the Alternative Payment Model and are not always the billing organization.
The new capabilities will allow APM entities to download a list of their clinicians. The APMs supported are the Shared Savings Program, Next Generation ACO, and Comprehensive Primary Care Plus models.
Updated eCQM Specifications and eCQM Materials for 2020 reporting now available
The federal CMS has posted the electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) specifications for the 2020 reporting period for Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals, and the 2020 performance period for Eligible Professionals and Eligible Clinicians. The agency has updated eCQMs for potential inclusion in the following programs:
- The Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program
- The Medicare and Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Programs
- Quality Payment Program: The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs)
- Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+)