CMS extends deadline for reporting 2016 eCQM data

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has extended through March 13 the deadline for eligible hospitals participating in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting and/or Medicare Electronic Health Records Incentive Program to submit electronic Clinical Quality Measure data for the calendar year 2016 reporting period to avoid a 2.7% payment adjustment in fiscal year 2018. The original deadline was Feb. 28. The extension applies to eCQM submissions for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program that are reported by attestation or electronically. All other aspects of eCQM reporting requirements for CY 2016 remain the same. Successful submission continues to be defined as reporting on at least four eCQMs using EHR technology certified to the 2014 or 2015 edition of EHR certification criteria. The reporting must be a combination of Quality Reporting Document Architecture Category I files, zero denominator declarations and/or case threshold exemptions. “In order to help reduce reporting burdens while supporting the long term goals of these programs, we intend to include proposals regarding the 2017 eCQM reporting requirements for the Hospital IQR and EHR Incentive Programs for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals in the FY 2018 IPPS proposed rule that we anticipate to be published in the late spring of 2017,” said CMS Chief Medical Officer Kate Goodrich, M.D.