- On March 22, 2020, CMS granted exceptions and extensions to the reporting requirements for providers participating in Medicare Quality Reporting Programs with respect to measure reporting and data submission due to the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- On August 5, 2020, CMS released an Interim Final Rule clarifying (among many other COVID-19 related topics):
- CMS will not use data from January 1, 2020 through June 30, 2020 (1Q 2020-2Q2020) for performance or use in quality reporting or value-based payment programs.
- CMS will not publicly report data collected during the first and second quarters of 2020.
- Updates to the extraordinary circumstances exceptions granted for the Hospital VBP Program, Hospital Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program, Hospital Readmissions
Reduction Program (HRRP), among others for the Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19. - If there is not enough data to reliably compare national performance on measures, CMS may propose to not score facilities based on limited data or make the associated
payment adjustments for the affected program year. - New requirements in the hospital Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for tracking the incidence and impact of COVID-19 to assist public health officials in detecting outbreaks.
- CMS will not be updating the Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings in January 2021 in order to allow time to review public comment and finalize the proposed Overall Hospital Quality
Star Rating methodology for public release in CY 2021.
It is more important than ever to ensure your facility is getting credit for the severity of the COVID-19 patients being treated, as well as the common associated conditions, such as sepsis, pneumonia, and others, which can have a significant impact on the CMS Star Rating.
Download the complete tip, CMS Quality Reporting – COVID-19 Update.