Implementation delayed of 1 quality measure
[Editor’s note: We tweeted about this news on April 2, 2014. To catch breaking news as it happens, follow us on Twitter @SameDaySurgery.]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will delay implementation of the new quality reporting measure ASC-11, Cataracts: Improvement in Patient’s Visual Function within 90 Days Following Cataract Surgery, until Jan. 1, 2015, according to the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA).
CMS intends to issue proposals regarding data collection for this measure in the upcoming 2015 proposed outpatient prospective payment system/ASC payment rule with comment period, the ASCA said. ASCA staff members have been in ongoing communication with CMS quality reporting staff to voice concerns about the new measures since the rule was proposed. ASCA has also worked closely with a coalition of representatives from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society to influence CMS and raise awareness in Congress. This coalition, along with the American Hospital Association (AHA) and other organizations, sent a letter to CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner explaining that ASC-11 is inappropriate as a facility measure, the ASCA said. The organizations urged the agency to withdraw or suspend the measure, which was adopted without being specified for or tested in the hospital outpatient and ASC settings, the AHA said. CMS acknowledged "operational difficulties" with the measure, according to AHA.
This delay does not affect the data collection period for ASC-9, Endoscopy/Polyp Surveillance: Appropriate Follow-up Interval for Normal Colonoscopy in Average Risk Patients, and ASC-10, Endoscopy/Polyp Surveillance: Colonoscopy Interval for Patients with a History of Adenomatous Polyps — Avoidance of Inappropriate Use. Data collection for those measures began April 1. They are being collected by hospital outpatient departments, as well as ASCs.
For more information, contact the support contractor for the programs at (866) 800-8756 or https://cms-ocsq.custhelp.com.
