AQI approved to offer COVID-19 Improvement Activity
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has approved the Anesthesia Quality Institute to offer a new high-weighted improvement activity to 2020 Quality Payment Program reporting that promotes participation in COVID-19 clinical trials and reporting COVID-19 related care data through its qualified registry and qualified clinical data registry.
Eligible clinicians or their groups may now earn Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) credit by attesting to the new COVID-19 Clinical Trials improvement activity. To receive credit for this activity, MIPS eligible clinicians must participate in a COVID-19 clinical trial using a drug to treat a patient with a COVID-19 infection and report their findings through a clinical data repository or clinical data registry for the duration of their study.
2020 Measure Changes
AQI has received questions regarding reporting the following measures for the 2020 MIPS reporting year:
- AQI 59: Multimodal Pain Management
- AQI 63: Neuromuscular Blockade Documented Assessment of Neuromuscular Function Prior to Extubation
- AQI 64: Neuromuscular Blockade: Reversal Administered for 2020
AQI 59 became a MIPS measure in 2020 and is now MIPS 477: Multimodal Pain Management.
AQI 63 and 64 were retired by CMS for the 2020 MIPS reporting year. The measures are still available to be reported for local quality improvement initiatives as Internal Improvement Measures. AQI 63 is now IIM23 and AQI 64 is now IIM 24.
Please update your data collection forms and quality captureapplications to reflect these changes. Questions? Email AskAQI@asahq.org or QRA@ashaq.org.
AQI Quality Reporting Office Hours May 19
AQI's regularly scheduled Quality Reporting Office Hours are scheduled at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 19. The agenda includes a look at 2020 MIPS reporting program changes and a review of quality reporting measures and Improvement Activities.
2020 Membership Deadlines
For clinicians to receive ASA Member pricing for 2020 NACOR Reporting, clinicians must have an active 2020 ASA membership. Final payment for AQI services is determined by 2020 ASA membership status. The following ASA membership deadlines are in place:
- October 1 - Deadline for new ASA membership invoices for 2020; practices must supply list of non-members becoming members to ASA membership.
- October 25 - Last day to pay ASA dues for 2020 membership.
- October 31 - NACOR registration deadline. Non-members pay non-member pricing.
For more information email AskAQI@asahq.org.