CMS issues summary of findings from eCQM validation pilot

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should increase outreach, education and guidance to promote electronic clinical quality measures reporting and reduce the burden on hospitals, according to a summary of findings from a 2015 pilot assessing hospital readiness to submit eCQM data for the hospital inpatient quality reporting program. A CMS contractor could collect the required data via remote viewing sessions from the 29 participating hospitals, but many hospital electronic health records could not create complete and accurate files of patient-level data based on the 2014 eCQM specifications, the pilot found. CMS will invest in additional validation pilots to assist hospitals and vendors with the transition to eCQM reporting.