CMS is extending the deadline for submitting electronic Clinical Quality Measure data for the 2016 reporting period from Feb. 28, 2017, to March 13, 2017. The 2016 reporting period pertains to payment in fiscal year 2018.
The deadline extension affects eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals participating in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting and/or the Medicare Electronic Health Record Incentive Programs.
Additionally, CMS intends to make changes to the eCQM requirements established in the FY 2017 Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule. These changes include addressing stakeholder concerns regarding hospitals transitioning to new EHR systems or products as well as data element mapping. These changes will be proposed for inclusion in the FY 2018 Inpatient Prospective Payment System rule.
"We believe that these efforts reflect the commitment of CMS to create a health information technology infrastructure that elevates patient-centered care, improves health outcomes, and supports the healthcare providers who care for patients," writes Kate Goodrich, MD, director of CMS' Center for Clinical Standards and Quality and CMS' CMO, in a blog post.