Key factors to consider when reporting in 2019
Determine a NACOR Reporting mechanism - AQI's NACOR offers four reporting options - NACOR Quality Reporting (Qualified Registry, Qualified Clinical Data Registry), NACOR Benchmarking, NACOR Basic and Quality Concierge. To decide which NACOR reporting option is best for your practice, review NACOR reporting options and pricing structure. Once your practice has selected a 2019 NACOR reporting option, you can enroll by completing the new online order form. Practices enrolled or enrolling in Quality Concierge do not need to complete a form.
For practices electing NACOR Quality Reporting, understand changes to MIPS reporting for 2019.
- The Quality Component will be weighted at 45% of the total MIPS score.
- Data completeness requirements: Eligible Clinicians should report on six measures for the 12-month performance period (1/1/19 - 12/31/19). The six quality measures must include at least one outcome measure or another high priority measure in the absence of an applicable outcome measure. Reporting rates for each measure should be greater than or equal to 60%.
- The Cost and Improvement Activity components will each be weighted at 15% of the total MIPS score.
- The minimum point score to avoid a penalty adjustment in 2019 is 30 points, up from 15 points in 2018.
- The payment adjustment for 2019 is ±7%, a 2% increase from 2018.
Decide to report as individuals or as a group - In 2019, NACOR is offering two reporting options - Individual and Group Practice Reporting for NACOR Quality Reporting. While measures available to report will be the same for both options, practices should consider several factors when deciding whether to report individually or by group.
Review measures
- QCDR participants can choose from 2019 MIPS and QCDR measures listed in the 2019 QCDR Measure Specifications approved by CMS in January. The booklet includes QCDR measures for 2019 reporting, changes made to AQI's NACOR 2018 measure specifications in preparation for the 2019 performance year, as well as measures that were removed from the 2018 AQI's NACOR measure set. QR participants can select measures from the 2019 MIPS Measures available for reporting.
- Practices choosing any of the NACOR reporting options may also choose to report Internal Improvement Measures, which are available for reporting internal improvement purposes only. These measures are optional for practices to report. CMS has not recognized and will not accept these measures as part of an anesthesiologist's or practice's participation in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), or as an Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM). AQI NACOR will not send data gathered on these measures to CMS.
AQI data warehouse transition July 1
Beginning in July 2019, AQI will partner with ePreop's analytics and registry software to become NACOR's data warehouse. What does this mean for your practice?
- No changes to the data upload process: Files will continue to be uploaded to https://nacor.ePreop.com.
- No changes to the data validation email. Data submitters will continue to receive data validation email as normal.
- Clinicians and practices enrolled in 2018 MIPS reporting and NACOR Basic services will continue to access NACOR dashboard reports through ArborMetrix until the end of June.
- Clinicians and practices that enroll in any 2019 NACOR reporting options will gain access to a new dashboard provided by ePreop scheduled to debut on July 1.
AQI will provide more details on the transition in mid-June. For more information, email AskAQI@asahq.org.
Next Office Hours in June
The Office Hours session scheduled for May 14 was cancelled. AQI's next scheduled Virtual Office Hours is at 11 a.m. Central, Tuesday, June 11. AQI will present information on the upcoming data warehouse transition scheduled for July 1. Miss last month's Virtual Office Hours? Check out the April Office Hours.
2019 NACOR pricing (PDF)
2019 QCDR Measure Specifications (PDF)
2019 Recommended Improvement Activities
NACOR Data Definitions
Read past issues of
AQI's NACOR News.
Question: If a provider has left the practice half way through the year - does the practice need to report the provider's cases?
If the practice is reporting as a group and the provider performed cases in 2018, the practice needs to be reporting 60% of all eligible cases for that provider regardless if they are still at the practice or not as CMS is evaluating the data at the TIN level not the individual NPI. If the practice is individually reporting, the data will follow the provider's NPI.
Question: In regards to the reporting year on the AQI website it state to submit 60% of eligible cases and we understand it is not pick your pace but does this mean 60% of 2018 cases? Can you elaborate?
The 2018 MIPS reporting requirement is to report on 60% of the denominator eligible cases for 6 measures including 1 outcome measure for the 12 month reporting period (1/1/2018 - 12/31/18). For example, If your practice is reporting MIPS 76 - Prevention of Central Venous Catheter (CVC - Related Bloodstream Infections and places 75 central lines during 2018 your practice would need to report on 45 cases which is 60% of the eligible cases.
Question: Is it possible for all providers in a practice to be non-MIPS eligible and not required to submit data as individuals, but are eligible as a group?
Yes if the individual providers do not meet the 2018 MIPS participation criteria (billed $90,000 or less in Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) services furnished to Medicare Part B Fee-for-Service (FFS) beneficiaries (including Railroad Retirement Board and Medicare secondary Payer) and have 200 or fewer Medicare Part B FFS beneficiaries) the practice can be MIPS eligible as a group if the group has billed $90,000 or more in PFS services furnished to Medicare Part B beneficiaries and have 200 or more Medicare Part B beneficiaries.