AQI selects ePreop for NACOR warehousing role
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 through the end of June
- Clinicians and practices that enroll in 2019 MIPS reporting and NACOR Basic will gain access to a new dashboard provided by ePreop currently in development
2019 Data Flow Diagram
For more information, email askaqi@asahq.org.
Holiday coverage
The ASA/AQI offices will be closed Monday, December 24, through Tuesday, January 1. An AQI staff member will be available for urgent matters only beginning Wednesday, December 26 through Friday, December 28. If you have an urgent issue, please email askaqi@asahq.org, and a staff member will assist you.
2019 XML schema changes
Due to the transition to ePreop data warehousing services in July, no XML schema changes will be announced until April 2019. Between Jan 1, 2019 and April 2019, please continue to use the 2018 XML format. In April 2019 AQI plans to extend the XML format to include additional optional fields. We anticipate these changes will not affect most and will only require a change in version number from 2018 to 2019. The XML schema will be extended to accommodate additional values, pending additions to the NACOR Data Definitions and may include terms for the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia (SAMBA), the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists (ASDA) and ePreop's Anesthesia Valet.
From Jan 1, 2019 through July 1, 2019, data submissions may use the 2018 XML format for reporting 2019 MIPS and QCDR measures. After the 2019 XML changes have been released in April, AQI will accept either the 2018 or 2019 format until July 1, 2019 after which the 2019 version will only be accepted. Please visit www.aqihq.org/vendorsQCDRHelp.aspx for up-to-date information.
2018 MIPS data submission deadlines approaching
The first 2018 MIPS reporting deadline is January 31, 2019. Data from January through November 2018 is due to NACOR at this time. Practices are encouraged to upload data files prior to the deadline to allow time for review and to submit corrected files if any errors are identified.
The 2018 data completeness requirements for those reporting MIPS are six measures, including one outcome measure, for 60 percent of the eligible cases over a 12-month period (1/1/18 - 12/31/18).
Additional items that must be completed by February 15, 2019, are:
- Final data submission to NACOR (this includes corrected files)
- Attesting to 2018 Improvement Activities (including date ranges that the activities were performed)
- Reconciliation of provider lists ensuring all NPIs are assigned the proper provider type (MD-Anesthesia, CRNA, DO, AA, SRNA, Resident, etc.)
- CMS Opt-Out for providers who are reporting as individuals
For more information, email askaqi@asahq.org or contact your AQI account manager.
Electronic consent forms for individual reporting to be sent in January
AQI's NACOR is collecting consent forms from each Eligible Clinician (EC) who is enrolled in 2018 individual quality reporting, as required by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). All providers must sign the consent form by February 28, 2019. AQI will only submit data to CMS for individual quality reporting for providers who have signed consent forms.
You may either scan and email paper forms (Exhibit A to the Addendum for Quality Reporting) to Margaret Bussan, or have providers complete an electronic consent form.
If you prefer the electronic route, our data warehouse provider, ArborMetrix, will email all individual reporting ECs (whose email addresses are listed on the NACOR dashboard) a link to the electronic consent form on January 15, 2019. AQI Champions should check their dashboards to ensure all email addresses are correct.
Your providers will receive an email from admin@arbormetrix.com with the subject line "CMS Required Consent Form for Individual Quality Reporting - Please Respond"
For practices that submitted paper consent forms and received receipt confirmation from AQI, no further action is required. For questions about consents, email Margaret Bussan.
Attesting to Improvement Activities via NACOR
Clinicians can attest to 2018 Improvement Activities using the provider list in the NACOR Dashboard. In this step-by-step tutorial, clinicians learn how to select the Improvement Activity to which they will attest through either the individual or group reporting option.
As participants of NACOR, practices can attest to activity IA_PSPA_1: Participation in an AHRQ-listed patient safety organization. This is a medium-weighted activity worth 10 points.
Practices also must document the date range that the Improvement Activity was performed in the practice list in the NACOR dashboard. For more information, contact your AQI account manager or email askaqi@asahq.org. Practices enrolled in Quality Concierge should email support@epreop.com with questions about attesting to Improvement Activities.
Data validation emails
To receive data validation emails for your practice after data files are uploaded to NACOR, ask your IT resource or billing/software vendor to include your contact information in the <EmailSet> in the data file. For example:
<EmailSet>
<EmailNotificationSet>
<EmailNotificationFirstName>John</EmailNotificationFirstName>
<EmailNotificationLastName>Doe</EmailNotificationLastName>
<EmailNotificationAddress>j.doe@sample.org</EmailNotificationAddress>
</EmailNotificationSet>
</EmailSet>
Only those contacts who are listed in the data file will receive data validation emails.