CMS releases guidance for hospitals in quality reporting programs; CDC updates guidelines for testing and handling COVID-19 specimens.

CMS issues elective surgery guidance, telehealth toolkits, and information on quality reporting flexibility amid the COVID-19 pandemic; The Joint Commission suspends regular surveys.

CMS plans to transition to a unified Medicare Care Compare portal this spring that will combine and standardize the eight existing tools and allow a single point of entry for quality information.

This month’s data refresh is based on the existing, flawed methodology used during the last update of star ratings in February 2019.

A new brief summarizes program recommendations from an expert panel, which included America's Essential Hospitals staff.

The October refresh does not include an update of overall star ratings, which were last updated in February.

The final rule revises conditions of participation and conditions for coverage and also targets emergency preparedness, quality reporting, infection control, and physical examination requirements.

An NEJM Catalyst article assesses four public hospital quality reporting programs' ability to classify hospital performance.

The agency plans to update the Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings methodology in 2021 and will host a Sept. 19 listening session to seek stakeholder feedback.

America’s Essential Hospitals urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to reduce administrative burden regarding clinical documentation, health information technology, and public health reporting.

The refresh includes results from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems but does not include overall star ratings.

The calendar year 2020 proposed rule includes updates to the Quality Payment Program, a request for information on the creation of Merit-based Incentive Payment System Value Pathways, and other topics of interest to essential hospitals.

Hospitals in the Inpatient Quality Reporting, Prospective Payment System–Exempt Cancer Hospital Quality Reporting, and Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting programs can view their preview reports through Aug. 14.

America’s Essential Hospitals encouraged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to consider the disproportionately negative financial effect on essential hospitals of certain quality reporting requirements and administrative burden in the Promoting Interoperability Programs.

The Primary Cares Initiative comprises five new voluntary payment model options under two paths. The new models build on the experience of the Medicare Shared Savings Program and Next Generation Accountable Care Organization model.

A new proposed rule would increase inpatient operating payment rates by 3.2 percent and make other changes to Medicare payment and quality reporting policies. CMS is accepting comments on the proposed rule until June 24.

Hospitals in the Inpatient Quality Reporting, Prospective Payment System–Exempt Cancer Hospital Quality Reporting, and Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting programs can view their preview reports through May 21.

America’s Essential Hospitals encouraged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to suspend publication of the overall hospital quality star ratings until the agency addresses issues with the underlying methodology.

The report includes recommendations on several issues of importance to essential hospitals, including hospital inpatient and outpatient services, hospital quality incentive programs, and alternatives to opioids.

Hospitals now have until March 14 to submit data for the Medicare Promoting Interoperability and Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) programs.

The agency posted potential changes to the star ratings program for public comment, including potential hospital peer grouping.

Hospitals have until Dec. 30 to preview their quality data before it is published on the Hospital Compare website in February 2019.

The agency will hold educational webinars to help health care providers understand the new user interface for Hospital Compare preview reports.

The rule includes updates to the Quality Payment Program and documentation and payment changes for evaluation and management services.

The agency will publish accrediting organization (AO) performance data, redesign AO validation surveys, and share its annual report to Congress.

Cooperative agreements with seven organizations aim to develop, improve, update, or expand quality measures for Medicare’s Quality Payment Program.

America’s Essential Hospitals urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to reverse policies that will result in significant funding cuts to essential hospitals and hinder access to care.

Elements of the proposal of interest to essential hospitals include targeting emergency preparedness, hospital quality program requirements, infection control, and physical examinations.

Essential hospital staff are invited to provide feedback on overall hospital quality star rating methodology during an Oct. 4 listening session; the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will use the feedback to inform future methodology updates.

Hospitals have until Aug. 25 to preview their quality data before publication on the Hospital Compare website in October.

In the rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services continues a policy of reduced payments to new off-campus provider-based departments; the agency also provides updates to the Quality Payment Program.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services extended to Aug. 8 the participation agreement deadline for the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced model and announced that participants can retroactively withdraw from the program in March 2019.

Responding to concerns raised by America’s Essential Hospitals and other stakeholders, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced it will postpone the July public release of overall hospital star ratings.

Hospitals have until June 2 to preview their quality data before it is published on the Hospital Compare website in July.

The refresh includes data for the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting, Prospective Payment System–Exempt Cancer Hospital Quality Reporting, and Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting programs.

Providers who submitted data through the Quality Payment Program website can review preliminary performance feedback. Final scores and feedback will be available July 1.

A new analysis suggests specialty hospitals receive higher star ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services than major teaching hospitals by reporting fewer quality measures.

The new resources for Medicare-eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals include details about submitting data through QualityNet and information on clinical quality measures.

Hospitals have until March 2 to preview their quality data before it is published on the Hospital Compare website in April.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will review December 2017 methodology enhancements and their impact on star ratings in a Nov. 30 webinar.

The rule includes additional cuts to new off-campus, provider-based departments (PBDs), as well as physician payment and quality program changes.

The rule cuts 340B Drug Pricing Program payments by $1.6 billion and requires hospitals to use modifiers to identify 340B drugs in Medicare claims.

The quality measure data update excludes Hospital Compare overall star ratings, which will refresh beginning Nov. 3.

Hospitals have until Oct. 31 to preview their quality data; CMS hospital-specific preview reports for overall quality star ratings will be available to hospitals in mid-October.

America's Essential Hospitals was among those urging the agency to suspend overall star ratings and examine concerns with the methodology.

The committees were convened at the direction of the Department of Health and Human Services and include representatives from members of America’s Essential Hospitals.

Affected providers will be exempt from reporting provisions of the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program, Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, and Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting Program.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is granting exceptions under certain Medicare quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs to hospitals and health care facilities in Federal Emergency Management Agency–designated major disaster counties.

The changes include optimizing the assignment of star categories, eliminating the removal of outliers, and ensuring only hospitals meeting public reporting thresholds are assigned star ratings.

The new rule would affect inpatient operating payments, Medicare disproportionate share hospital payments, and the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program.

The Hospital Compare refresh includes data on new measures; hospitals can preview their overall star ratings through Aug. 13.

Of the 303 performance measures submitted during the trial period, 65 were determined to have a conceptual basis for adjustment for social risk factors.

The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule for calendar year 2018 includes physician payment and quality program changes.

CMS proposes changes related to participation in the merit-based incentive payment system or Advanced Alternative Payment Models tracks.

America’s Essential Hospitals encourages CMS to improve transparency, risk adjust, and reduce regulatory burden for essential hospitals.

Overall star ratings now will be released in October because of issues with data on three measures; hospitals can preview the ratings in July.

The update for the 2018 performance year aligns electronic clinical quality measure specifications with current clinical guidelines and code systems.

CMS updated the Hospital Compare website with new data, including health care–associated infections and HCAHPS survey data.

Hospitals have until May 5 to review overall Hospital Compare star rating and until May 10 to review value-based purchasing hospital-specific reports.

CMS has extended the deadline for submitting certain hospital quality data after receiving reports of system issues and inaccessibility with QualityNet.

Hospitals now have until March 13 — instead of Feb. 28 — to submit electronic clinical quality measure data from 2016 to CMS.

The changes, which reflect stakeholder feedback and the large volume of changes to ICD-10 in FY 2017, will be available on the National Library of Medicine’s Value Set Authority Center this month.

Hospitals can request an exemption from the electronic clinical quality measure reporting requirement in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program.

The agency released software that will help developers build applications for clinicians and their practices and make it easier for organizations to retrieve and maintain QPP measures using the Explore Measures section of the QPP website.

Of particular interest to members of America’s Essential Hospitals are changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program and provisions related to telehealth.

The release comes after America’s Essential Hospitals and other hospital groups urged CMS to delay the ratings due to serious concerns with the methodology.

The rule, released July 7, updates physician payment rates for Medicare services and makes changes to physician quality programs.

America’s Essential Hospitals and other hospital groups urge CMS to continue to delay the public release of overall hospital quality star ratings, arguing that the rating methodology is opaque and flawed.

Responding to hospital and other stakeholder concerns, CMS says the delay will allow a greater opportunity to fully understand the impact of the final star ratings methodology.

Material note association concerns about, and help members prepare for, April 21 public release of Hospital Compare star ratings.

In comments to CMS, America's Essential Hospitals argues for a delay to re-evaluate ratings methodology changes and the potential to disproportionately disadvantage essential hospitals.

State hospital association says risk adjusting CMS readmissions methodology results in significantly less variation in measured quality differences among hospitals.

Hospitals paid under IPPS in 67 metropolitan statistical areas will be required to participate in new payment model starting in April 2016

Member leaders attend more than 100 meetings with lawmakers and congressional staff as part of fall Policy Assembly. Event also included insights from policymakers and a Capitol Hill reception honoring 2015 Gage Award recipients.

Feedback due Nov. 17 on provisions to implement MIPS and APM participation incentives; MIPS quality measures of particular interest to hospitals

Updates cover exclusions for submitting electronic immunization data and applicability of submitting summary of care documents for transferring patients.