NACOR approved as QR and QCDR for 2019 MIPS reporting
AQI's National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry (NACOR) was recently approved as a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR), as well as a Qualified Registry (QR), by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This is the sixth year that NACOR has been approved as a QCDR by CMS, which allows physician anesthesiologists, qualified anesthesia providers and other clinicians to report on quality measures that reflect their practices.
AQI posts 2019 QCDR measure specifications
CMS has approved AQI's QCDR measures for 2019 and AQI has posted the 2019 QCDR Measure Specifications booklet. The booklet includes:
- New QCDR measures for reporting in 2019
- A list of measures CMS removed
- A list of changes to measure specifications from 2018 to 2019
If you have any questions, please email AskAQI@asahq.org.
2019 MIPS and QCDR measures on AQI Quality Reporting Office Hours agenda
AQI's regularly scheduled Quality Reporting Office Hours are scheduled at 11 a.m Tuesday, January 8. The agenda includes an overview on 2019 MIPS and QCDR measures.
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. Practices should continue to use the 2018 XML Format until 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 revision of 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 now 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. Visit AQI's Developer's resources page for up-to-date information.
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.
Office Hours FAQs
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 must report 60% of all eligible cases for that provider regardless if they are still at the practice 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.
In regards to the reporting year, the AQI website states to submit 60% of eligible cases. 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.
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.