Looking Forward to Electronically Reporting Clinical Quality Measure Data? Not so Fast…

By Sanin Rahman

I think we have all gotten a bit used to seeing the “Final” rule for Stage 1 of Meaningful Use getting modified in small ways since it was released late last year.In a somewhat recent decision, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has decided that the previous Meaningful Use requirement for electronically/automatically submitting Clinical Quality Measure (CQM) data from certified EHRs in 2012 no longer applies. Why? Because the specifications (i.e. PQRI 2009 Registry XML Specification) that CMS had originally taken into consideration for this requirement is no longer deemed generic enough to accomplish the task.

Notable in the revised regulations is the availability of a pilot program for eligible providers (EPs) who still want to electronically submit CQMs. EPs who successfully participate in the pilot would qualify for additional Physician Quality Reporting System incentives. For those EPs who cannot or do not want to participate in the pilot, CQM numbers must instead be submitted via attestation, just like it is required in 2011.

So, if you were thinking about using a temporary work-around to extract the numerators, denominators and exclusions for CQMs and be done with it for 2011, I might recommend revisiting that notion as you will have to do it once again in 2012, and possibly even in future years.It all depends on how the e-reporting pilot pans out.

Best of luck, whichever path you decide to take.