CMS approved the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Orthopaedic Quality Resource Center as a qualified clinical data registry for 2018. Here are nine notes:
1. The Orthopedic Quality Resource Center has received QCDR designation since 2014.
2. AAOS inherited the Orthopedic Quality Resource Center data registry in 2017 when it merged with the American Joint Replacement Registry.
3. As a QCDR, the Orthopedic Quality Resource Center collects medical and/or clinical data to help improve the quality of patient care and fulfill Merit-based Incentive Payment System requirements.
4. In 2018, the data registry will contain 38 quality measures, including three hip and knee measures from the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, the AAOS' 2017 Orthopaedic Preferred Specialty List and measures from the American Orthopaedic Association's Own the Bone program.
5. The Orthopedic Quality Resource Center helps surgeons and group practices receive positive payment adjustments and avoid penalties under the MIPS payment track of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015.
6. QCDRs can submit quality data directly to CMS. Orthopedic surgeons eligible for MIPS are expected to participate or face a penalty on Medicare Part B claims.
7. MIPS participants receive positive or negative reimbursements. The percent at which payment is adjusted increases each performance year, reaching a positive or negative 9 percent adjustment in 2020. High performers in 2020 might be eligible for a positive 27 percent adjustment.
8. CMS changed the QCDR application process to designate organizations five months sooner. "This gives more opportunities for surgeons to submit MIPS data, and therefore more chances to implement improvement in the value delivered to patients in a way that will benefit their practice and patients, and potentially result in financial remuneration," said AJRR Steering Committee Chair Kevin Bozic, MD.
9. AAOS presents the Orthopedic Quality Resource Center in collaboration with the American Orthopaedic Association's Own the Bone program, American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, Orthopaedic Trauma Association and Premier Healthcare Solutions.