AQI Soliciting Feedback on Proposed Data Definitions
The Anesthesia Quality Institute's Committee on Data Definitions is soliciting comments on several conceptual data definitions for inclusion in the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry (NACOR) for 2019. The call for public comments will be open on the AQI website through Friday, February 1, 2019.
Data definitions are a critical part in the process of ensuring that data in NACOR are valid, thereby permitting anesthesia practices to evaluate and compare their performances to national benchmarks.
The public comment period is an opportunity for members and stakeholders to provide input on terms and definitions to ensure that NACOR data elements are concise, applicable across the spectrum of anesthesiology, and reflect colloquial use as much as possible. For more information, email askaqi@asahq.org.
AQI Group and Individual MIPS Reporting checklists available
With data submission deadlines for the 2018 MIPS reporting year approaching, AQI has prepared checklists for both Group Reporting and Individual Reporting to help ensure your practice has completed all participation requirements by AQI's deadlines.
January 31 - First quality reporting deadline
Quality and billing data from January through November 2018 must be submitted to the Anesthesia Quality Institute's (AQI) National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry (NACOR) by Thursday, January 31, for those participating in 2018 MIPS Reporting.
February 15 quality reporting deadlines approaching
The deadline for the following quality reporting components is Friday, February 15.
- Keeping provider lists up to date
- It is important for practices to routinely update their provider lists in the NACOR Dashboard. AQI's NACOR uses the list as the record of truth for CMS data submission, as well as Provider Reconciliation/Invoicing. Your practice should make sure the following are correct:
- TIN
- Provider NPI
- Report to CMS Status
- While reconciling your provider lists, make sure all NPIs are assigned the proper provider type (MD-Anesthesia, CRNA, DO, AA, SRNA, Resident, etc.). AQI has discovered that in many instances Residents and SRNAs are being listed as "Other". All providers with a provider type of "Other" will have their data submitted to CMS.
- This step-by-step guide will walk you through the updating process. For practices enrolled in individual reporting, remove providers who have retired or left your practice. For those practices enrolled in group reporting, remove provider who have retired or left your practice prior to January 1, 2018. Any providers who worked for your practice during the 2018 reporting year will be included in 2018 CMS data submissions.
- It is important for practices to routinely update their provider lists in the NACOR Dashboard. AQI's NACOR uses the list as the record of truth for CMS data submission, as well as Provider Reconciliation/Invoicing. Your practice should make sure the following are correct:
- Report to CMS for this provider elections (Practices reporting as individuals).
- For practices that have elected Group Reporting for 2018, the Report to CMS field on the provider list in the NACOR dashboard is defaulted to "Yes". Practices do not have the ability to edit this field because, according to CMS, "a group electing to submit data at the group level will have its performance assessed and scored across the TIN, which could include items and services furnished by individual NPIs within the TIN who are not required to participate in MIPS. For example, excluded clinicians are part of the group, and therefore, would be considered in the group's score." Failing to report on all the group's clinicians could adversely impact the group's score.
- Attesting to 2018 Improvement Activities. For both individual and group reporting options, 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. As NACOR participants, 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.
- Final Data Submission Deadline - December 2018 data and any corrected data files.
Contact your AQI Account Manager or email askaqi@asahq.org with any questions regarding deadlines.
Review your NACOR dashboard
Remember to review your 2018 quality reports in the NACOR dashboard. Reviewing reports helps identify measure gaps and monitor providers' performances in meeting 2019 reporting requirements. Corrected data files must be submitted by the deadlines; January 31 for January through November data, and February 15 for December data. For more information, email askaqi@asahq.org.
Quality reporting consent submissions due February 28
Eligible clinicians (ECs) who are enrolled in 2018 individual quality reporting must return electronic consent forms by Thursday, February 28, as required by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
All individual quality reporting ECs with a valid email address and who have not submitted a paper form will receive an email with an electronic consent form on Friday, January 17. If consents are not submitted by February 28, quality data will not be sent to CMS. For questions about consents, email Margaret Bussan.