The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America have submitted joint comments to CMS on proposed changes to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System quality reporting programs for calendar year 2014.
Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program updates
1. APIC and SHEA recommended CMS consult key clinical stakeholders to develop electronic reporting requirements and additional healthcare-associated infection data elements.
Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox!
Proposed quality measures for payment determination in CY 2016 and subsequent years
CMS proposed adding the measure "complications within 30 days following cataract surgery requiring additional surgical procedures" and "influenza vaccination coverage among healthcare personnel" to the Hospital OQR Program.
2. APIC and SHEA recommended CMS review the cataract surgery complications measure with stakeholders, as these complications are rare and reporting the measure may not yield a significant benefit for the costs of surveillance and reporting. They suggested delaying implementation of the measure until it can be further analyzed for appropriateness.
3. APIC and SHEA support the influenza vaccination measure, but requested clarification on reporting requirements for facilities where staff provide both inpatient and outpatient services.
Possible Hospital OQR Program measure topics
4. APIC and SHEA recommended CMS consider the following three areas as future patient quality measures for hospital outpatient settings and ASCs: safe injection practices; surgical instrument reprocessing and cleaning/disinfection; and outcomes following surgical care.
FY 2016 Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program
5. APIC and SHEA noted that changes to the central line-associated bloodstream infection, catheter-associated urinary tract infection and surgical site infection surveillance definitions may make comparing data between 2012 and the proposed period of 2014 difficult.
Proposed requirements for the ASC Quality Reporting Program
6. As for the Hospital OQR program, APIC and SHEA recommended further review and delayed implementation of the cataract surgery complications measure.
Proposed requirements for the CY 2016 payment determination
7. APIC and SHEA suggested CMS align the submission deadline for healthcare worker influenza vaccination data for the 2014 to 2015 season with the deadline for other care settings. CMS proposed extending ASCs' deadline to Aug. 15, 2015, while other care settings have a deadline of May 15, 2015.
More Articles on Quality Reporting:
Reporting Safety Issues to Superiors Requires Training, Study Says
AHA: Electronic Quality Data Reporting Needs Work
0.5% Bonus Possible for Anesthesiologists in MOC, CMS' PQRS Program
