No. Higher scores are not ALWAYS better for PQRS measures.
When assessing and choosing measures to report for PQRS do not always assume that higher is better. Be careful to consider the performance notations for the particular measure which shows whether the higher or lower number is best performance. For measures with inverse performance rates a lower performance rate actually … Read the rest
Remember the chart back on July 1 – Reporting Mechanisms? I have posted it again here since the mechanism you choose does affect the measures that you report.
The measures and the requirements for reporting are already defined for those that have chosen Individual Measure Group or GPRO Web Interface mechanisms. How to report for these mechanisms was addressed in … Read the rest
This post is information for Montana hospitals only. We received word that the Montana Medicaid State Level Registry (SLR) is now open for eligible hospitals to submit their 2015 Medicaid meaningful use attestations. The MT SLR will be accepting 2015 EH meaningful use attestations thru October 31, 2016.
If you need any assistance or are experiencing any … Read the rest
Because of the great response we have received on our MU blog, we have created a PQRS blog, where we will share information on the CMS PQRS (Physicians Quality Reporting System) program. This blog will help clarify PQRS eligibility and requirements, the value-based modifier program as well as the quality and cost measure information contained in the confidential quality and resource … Read the rest
If you’ve ever had the “flu” (influenza), you know just how miserable it can make you feel. Here are a few tips that may help you reduce your odds of getting the flu this year.
Vaccinate
Flu vaccinations rarely produce side effects and are the number one key to preventing the flu. To learn more about the flu shot please read our flu vaccine blog.… Read the rest
We are almost through the 3rd quarter of the 2016 reporting year. Hopefully you are tracking your performance on the MU requirements (see blog posted 7/16 for a complete list of tasks for MU).
In this blog, we are committed to providing you the steps needed to get you through the meaningful use program. Because we are reaching a large … Read the rest
This checklist was initially provided in the January blog post and is a good time to revisit to see where you are at in the steps for participation for 2016 PQRS. I hope you find yourself using this list, marking off those items completed and are now at around Item 7, choosing your measures! As of posting time of this blog, there have been … Read the rest
In an effort to help improve the effectiveness of our education and outreach, we have now added the ability for our blog readers to add to the conversation by adding their comments directly to each blog post.
The new commenting functionality offers you the ability to add your input, ask questions and provide feedback on the blog topics. It will … Read the rest
Each year in the United States more than 3.3 million people are treated for skin cancer. The data speaks for itself – take the necessary precautions to make sure you don’t get skin cancer.
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer and occurs in the cells of the skin. Exposure to the sun is typically the root cause; however, it can develop on areas that don’t get exposure … Read the rest
We just heard that Montana DPHHS will be having a webinar to discuss the MT CPC+ program. Below is the information they provided.
Montana was selected to be one of only 14 locations across the country to join the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) model. CPC+, the largest-ever initiative of its kind, is a 5-year, multi-payer initiative to invest in high-quality primary care.
Through CPC+, Montana Medicaid, BlueCross BlueShield of Montana, PacificSource Health Plans and Medicare will increase resources for primary care and work … Read the rest
To offer greater flexibility in the meaningful use of EHRs, CMS has proposed a 90-day EHR reporting period in 2016 for all eligible providers, eligible hospitals, and CAHs. The proposed rule would change the reporting period from a full calendar year to any continuous 90-day period between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016.
This proposed change is … Read the rest
You may want to run your current year to date MU reports and check on this measure. 50% of patients seen during the reporting period must have access to their info via your portal. Your performance on this measure should be close to or over this 50% mark by now, if you are not, you’ll want to review the patient access … Read the rest
People over the age of 65 and under the age of five are more susceptible and likely to acquire pneumonia. Thankfully, there are vaccinations that may help prevent you or your loved ones from acquiring this sometimes deadly disease.
Do you know if you have all the immunizations you need? Finding out which vaccinations you may need is quick and simple thanks to the Centers … Read the rest
MACRA Committee Hearing and Ensuring Successful Implementation
On July 13 a Senate Finance Committee Hearing was held with Chairman Orrin Hatch delivering the opening statements. One of note is the Senate’s awareness of the impact this may have on the clinicians. “We recognized the inherit challenges of these types of practices when we crafted the MACRA statute, and … Read the rest
If you have selected GPRO Web Interface Reporting there are a few tasks that you could be doing now to be prepared for the submission period during the first quarter of 2017.
Choosing a Registry
Now that you have decided on Registry reporting for PQRS 2016 it is time to choose a Registry Vendor. Vendors can be very knowledgeable and valuable in selection and approach to determining quality measures to report. Some Registry websites have identified steps, they have videos to review and have experience in submitting and knowing the requirements. The CMS … Read the rest
Hey everyone, there seems to be some confusion about what the requirements are for electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) reporting and how it relates to meaningful use. This post will hopefully give you the info you need and/or point you in the right direction.
In summary, the definition of electronic CQM (eCQM) reporting is providing clinical quality measure data in Category 1 … Read the rest
Protect yourself from influenza and get your flu vaccine every season. Not only will you reduce your chances of getting influenza, but you’ll help stop the spread of the flu.
Even though “flu season” doesn’t officially start until October, mark your calendar now to get your immunization. The 2016/2017 influenza vaccine should be released near September.
Health officials create a new influenza vaccine every season that targets predicted flu … Read the rest
We received word from the Montana Medicaid State Level Registry that they are extending the attestation deadline for eligible providers to 10:00 p.m. Friday, August 5th. Some providers are experiencing system issues with CMS and/or Montana Medicaid that preclude the state registration and attestation process.
If you are experiencing a technical issue with your Montana Medicaid meaningful use … Read the rest
One sure fire way to fail a meaningful use audit is to not have the documentation to support your MU performance. Don’t let this happen to you. Take a look at the CMS Audit tip sheet (which was updated for this year) which gives you a good list of how to document both the threshold measures (the ones that you attest with … Read the rest
Congratulations on choosing EHR reporting mechanism for PQRS in 2016. And, YEAH, to your vendor for having electronic CQM reporting a viable option. Make sure you have clarified your EHR’s capability for reporting by knowing the answers to these questions –
Every year thousands of Americans suffer from diseases and sicknesses that vaccinations could have prevented.
Do you know if you have all the immunizations you need? Finding out which vaccinations you may need is quick and simple thanks to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine quiz: https://www2.cdc.gov/nip/adultimmsched/
Vaccinations are tested to determine safety and effectiveness before they are approved and serious, long-term side effects are rare. Having … Read the rest
Many states are no longer accepting Medicaid attestations for the 2015 reporting year, however some states are. Following are the state level registry (SLR) eligible provider deadlines for Medicaid MU attestations for the states in our region:
Alaska EP – SLR closed for 2015 attestations
Hawaii EP – SLR deadline is 7/31/16 for 2015 attestations
Montana EP – SLR deadline … Read the rest
If you haven’t started your PQRS reporting for 2016, there are a variety of tools to help you begin, including a 2016 Beginner Reporter Toolkit. The beginner-level toolkit contains two documents to help individual EPs and PQRS group practices navigate their way through the various PQRS decision points and the impact of quality reporting – Quality Reporting Roadmap… Read the rest
Heart disease is the number one leading cause of death in the United States and the world. So ask yourself, “Am I heart healthy and how do I really know?” Visit your physician and get a definitive answer.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), also known as heart disease, prevents the heart and blood vessels from working properly. If your heart is not pumping blood properly or there is a clog in your … Read the rest
TGIF everyone! One last word about meaningful use this week (I promise). Below is a list of the tasks we recommend you perform to complete MU for this year. It might be helpful for you to use it as a checklist as you work your way through the process.
2016 MU Check List
For Modified Stage 2 of Meaningful Use, EPs must report/take exclusions to 2 out of 3 public health measures, EHs must do 3 out of 4. If you are not currently reporting data to the required number of registries, and are not eligible for the exclusions, you must be actively engaged with the required number of registries. … Read the rest
The Quality Resource Use Reports (QRURs) are part of CMS’s Physician Quality and Value Based program which provides physicians with comparative information about the quality and cost of the care delivered to their Medicare fee-for-service patients. The report uses quality measures from the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) as well as the information you report through claims.
What is the value of the … Read the rest
Thank you to all who attended today’s MU webinar – an Overview of the 2016 Meaningful Use Requirements. Materials are now available on our website.
Leave a reply, ask a question or share information using the “Leave a Reply” section below, or email Patty Kosednar directly with your questions or comments.
Subscribe … Read the rest
What a beautiful summer! I hope you are all enjoying some fun in the sun. Speaking of fun, let’s talk about what to do if you have providers practicing in more than one location. The MU program is measured at the provider level, not the practice level, so if a provider practices in more than one location with a certified … Read the rest
Hot weather can be dangerous, especially for seniors and those with certain medical conditions. Mountain-Pacific Quality Health and our partners remind you to prepare for the summer heat by hydrating, staying cool, and knowing the warning signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
Most heat-related deaths in the United States were among people over the age of 65, according to a 2012 study from the Centers for … Read the rest
As you know, for a provider to be eligible for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, they must have over 30% Medicaid patient encounters, and a hospital is 10%. Your provider’s and organization’s patient volumes change year to year, so rerun your Medicaid reports to identify any new providers who can attest to the Medicaid EHR program, or to verify existing … Read the rest
The June 30th deadline for Group Reporting Option is past! Congratulations on completing this milestone in the PQRS reporting process. What is a next step in the PQRS Process? Measure selection is a valuable next step and provides an opportunity to align with other quality reporting programs in your organization. A focus on common measures for monitoring … Read the rest
Eating healthy isn’t just about cutting out those foods you love, but living healthier through better nutrition and choices.
The age-old phrase “you are what you eat” was coined in the late 1800s with the notion that to be fit and healthy you needed to eat good food. More than 100 years later there is evidence that healthy eating does lead to better overall health.
Creating new habits … Read the rest
Ok the barbeques are over, and now it’s time to get back to work. I can think of nothing more fun that doing a little meaningful use review. The year is half over. If you’ve barely scratched the surface of MU for this year, read through the old blogs to catch you up.
For your midyear review, first … Read the rest
PQRS has several reporting mechanisms for individual eligible professionals and group practices. The chart summarizes the methods available for reporting as Individual or as a Group. As you can see, all methods that were available in 2015 for reporting are available in 2016. Added, is the GPRO option to report through Qualified Clinical Data Registry. The method and requirements of reporting have limitations based on … Read the rest
Many organizations are experiencing problems meeting this measure (used to be called the “summary of care” or “care transition” measure). If you have not looked at your MU reports recently, you’ll want to. You might be tempted to ignore MU until later this year; however some organizations have had to spend a lot of time working with … Read the rest
CMS recently released the 2014 Reporting Experience Including Trends (2007-2015), referred to as the 2014 PQRS Experience Report.
The annual PQRS Experience Report provides data and trends on participation, incentive eligibility, incentive payments and payment adjustments as applicable since the beginning of PQRS, including measure performance and program participation broken down by specialty and geographic … Read the rest
For providers and hospitals that still need to attest to 2015 MU for the Medicaid program, following is the state level registry (SLR) entry and deadline info:
