Hospital IQR and OQR data submission extended to Feb. 15

Due to system issues with its QualityNet secure portal, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has extended to Feb. 15 the deadline for submitting certain data for the Inpatient and Outpatient Quality Reporting programs. Hospitals must submit population/sampling and validation data for IQR measures, as well as chart-abstracted and population/sampling data for OQR measures. Hospitals are required to meet IQR and OQR data submission requirements to receive full annual payment updates under CMS’s inpatient and outpatient prospective payment systems. While no other submission deadlines are affected at this time, CMS says it will communicate other deadline changes to the field. For further assistance with the IQR program, hospitals can contact the Hospital Inpatient Value, Incentives, and Quality Reporting Outreach and Education Support Team at https://cms-ip.custhelp.com or (844) 472-4477. Questions about the OQR program can be directed to the Outpatient Questions and Answers tool at https://cms-ocsq.custhelp.com, or by calling (866) 800-8756.