CMS is granting exceptions to Medicare quality reporting requirements to ease the burden on providers battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency announced March 22.
CMS' new "extreme and uncontrollable circumstances policy exceptions and extensions" apply to provider, post-acute care and hospital programs, including the ASC Quality Reporting Program.
The ASC Quality Reporting Program deadlines for submitting data from the fourth quarter of 2019 are now optional. CMS will use any fourth-quarter data submitted to calculate 2019 performance-based payment.
For ASCs unable to submit fourth-quarter data, the agency will calculate 2019 rates based on data from Jan. 1, 2019, to Sept. 30, 2019, as well as other available data.
Participants in the ASC Quality Reporting Program do not need to submit data for Jan. 1, 2020, through June 30, 2020; data from this time period won't be counted for performance or payment programs.
However, first-quarter data submitted for the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program and the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program will be used for scoring.
Each of these relaxed submission guidelines also applies to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program.
Click here for more details on the new reporting guidelines.
