CMS updates 2014 MU quality measure info
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted a 2014 Meaningful Use Eligible Hospital Clinical Quality Measure (CQM) update.
In the final rule for Stage 2 of Meaningful Use (MU), CMS outlined the timeline for reviewing and publishing updates to the CQM specifications used in the EHR Incentive Program. CMS determined that the specifications should be updated more frequently than the rulemaking cycle for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs in order to ensure that specifications maintain alignment with current clinical guidelines and ensure that the CQM remains relevant and actionable within the clinical care setting.
In addition, beginning in 2014 the CQM specifications will be used for multiple programs such as the Physician Quality Reporting Program, as a result of efforts to align incentive programs and reduce the burden on providers to report quality measures.
CMS "strongly encourages the implementation and use of the updates to the electronic specifications of the CQMs finalized in the Stage 2 rule since those updates include new codes and logic corrections and clarifications," according to a release. However, CMS will accept all versions of the CQMs for MU, beginning with those finalized in the Dec. 4, 2012 CMS-ONC interim final rule and including all annual updates, until the Stage 3 rulemaking and the establishment of a new edition of certification criteria for EHR technology.
The updated 2014 CQMs for eligible hospitals are now available, as well as corresponding specifications for electronic reporting and access to the related data elements and value sets.
EHR CQM Certification
To participate in the EHR Incentive Program for 2014, a system must be certified to at least the specifications published with the interim final rule in December of 2012. However, if a vendor or facility chooses to update their specifications to those published in the annual update, those specifications also will be acceptable for certification for participation in the program in 2014, according to CMS.
CMS will maintain both the December 2012 specifications and the new updated specifications for the 2014 CQMs for both eligible hospitals and eligible professionals. In addition, you can find information on the changes made in the annual update, as well as guidance for reading and programming systems with the 2014 specifications on the CMS website and new CQM Library.
CMS has updated several resources to help providers and vendors navigate the updated CQMs, including the following:
- Updated 2014 Eligible Hospital Clinical Quality Measures
- United States Healthcare Knowledge Database (USHIK) AHRQ's website with both MU1 and MU2 clinical quality measures and other HIT resources. This site provides a number of formats for viewing, downloading and comparing versions of CQMs, their value sets and the Data Elements Catalog. This site is produced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in partnership with CMS and the National Library of Medicine.
- Clinical Quality Measure Logic and Implementation Guidance
- JIRA - Clinical Quality Measure Feedback System
- Cypress - Clinical Quality eMeasure Certification Testing
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.