AHRQ: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request Federal Register
Oct 4, 2018 - Announcement from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) allowing for an additional 30 day comment period on an information collection related to the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Clinician and Group Survey Database. The Database contains data from AHRQ's standardized surveys which measure patient experiences with physicians and staff in healthcare practices. The first comment period, opened on July 16, 2018, did not receive any substantive comments. New comments are due by November 5, 2018.
Source: Federal Register
view details

Better Data Will Serve as the Foundation in Modernizing the Medicaid Program
Oct 2, 2018 - Blog post for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by CMS Administrator Seema Verma. Discusses how improved collection and use of data on Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will allow CMS to improve health outcomes as well as program integrity.
Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Blog
view details

2019 Eligible Hospital eCQM Flows are Available Now
Sep 25, 2018 - Discusses the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) 2019 electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) flows for eligible hospitals, which have been published to the eCQI Resource Center. This includes a guide to help users understand the flows.
Source: eCQI Resource Center
view details

State Snapshots Provide a Fresh Look at State-Specific Health Care Quality Trends
Sep 24, 2018 - Blog post from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) on its release of its 2017 State Snapshots, which provide detailed analyses of how each state and the District of Columbia is performing in areas of healthcare quality. Also touches on the 2017 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report (QDR) which was also released today and from which the data in the State Snapshots is taken.
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
view details

CMS Awards Funding for Quality Measure Development
Sep 21, 2018 - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded new cooperative agreements to partner with the agency in developing, improving, updating, and expanding quality measures for Medicare's Quality Payment Program (QPP). Through these partnerships, CMS will work with external organizations to develop and implement measures that are intended to improve patient care.
Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details

NQF Releases Report to Improve Access and Health Needs of Rural Communities
Sep 17, 2018 - Press release announcing that the National Quality Forum (NQF) has released a report identifying a core set of best available quality measures that would address key challenges rural residents and providers face and which includes recommendations that address the availability, accessibility, and affordability of care. This report, A Core Set of Rural-Relevant Measures, is available online.
Source: National Quality Forum
view details

Now Available: CMS Hospital Quality Reporting System is Now Open for Calendar Year 2018 Electronic Clinical Quality Measure (eCQM) Data
Sep 13, 2018 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made the Hospital Quality Reporting system available to receive eCQM data for the calendar year 2018 reporting period. Includes resources to assist eligible hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals with the reporting of data.
Source: eCQI Resource Center
view details

MAP Rural Health: Technical Expert Panel Call for Nominations
Sep 7, 2018 - The National Quality Forum (NQF) is seeking nominations for a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) of up to three nationally known experts in statistics or measure methodology to develop recommendations on how to address the challenge of calculating healthcare measures when case volume is low. Nominations are due by September 24, 2018.
Source: National Quality Forum
view details