HPI AAG
In This Issue
Important Dates
QualityNet and Quality Measures
Validation Studies
Other News
Important Dates
Coming soon: Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs) measure Preview Period. Hospitals will receive an email notification &/or memo announcing the availability of their Hospital Specific Report, which will include updated measure data for applicable quarters.
 
March 2, 2011 - Q3 2010 Validation record requests mailed to hospitals by CDAC. Hospitals that were requested records for Q1 & Q2 will also receive a request (via FedEx) to submit records for Q3 2010. Hospitals are reminded to verify the due date for these records to be returned to CDAC, on their Q3 2010 Case Selection report in My QualityNet. We expect the due date to be April 18, 2011.
 
March 8, 2011 - End date to submit comments to CMS on the Medicare Program: Hospital Inpatient-Value Based Purchasing Program

proposed rule.

 

March 10, 2011 - Anticipated date for CMS to post the recording of the Special Open Door Forum: Hospital Inpatient Value-Based Purchasing Program FY 2013 conference call that was held on February 10, 2011. Continue to check the Hospital Quality Initiatives Web page for this update.

 


QualityNet and Quality Measures

Mandatory for CART users: Depending on which version of CART-Inpatient you are currently using, downloading CART 4.9.1 effective for 10/1/2010 through 3/31/2011 discharges, is now required. In order for cases to not be rejected upon submission, the patch/upgrade is necessary to ensure successful transmission. For more information on this installation, go directly to the CART - Inpatient Download & Info area in QualityNet.

 

Now available: FACT Sheets for  Heart Care (AMI & HF) , Pneumonia and SCIP Manual changes for 4/1/2011 discharges.

 

CMS has announced the release of PEPPER reports for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), expected in April. As a reminder, these reports currently available to acute care hospitals, provide hospital specific data on Medicare discharges vulnerable to improper payment. For more information, including the current distribution schedule, training & support, view http://www.pepperresources.org/Home.aspx .

 

A total of 3,021 QUEST questions were processed during the month of January, 2011. Click here to view the QUEST revisions by Topic and QUEST ID#. To search for the revised question & answer, go to QualityNet Quest directly, insert the QUEST ID# and perform a search. Keep the 'Topic' description area set at "All Topics". 

 

The CMS Hospital Compare Web site refresh for March has been delayed. When available, a memo &/or notification announcing the updated display, will be distributed.

 

In addition to the Selected References noted in the Specifications Manual  for SCIP, additional useful resources for the SCIP VTE measures include the following:

-Society of Hospital Medicine: VTE Resource Room

-The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent DVT & PE

-AHRQ: Preventing Hospital-Acquired Venous Thromboembolism

-The Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis

-CDC: Fact's About DVT and Information for Professionals

  

The Medicare Hospital Inpatient Value Based Purchasing proposed rule is now available. To view and save the complete document click here . A short overview highlighting the proposed performance scoring methods and the proposed quality measures is also available in the CMS Fact Sheet .  

Validation Studies

Hospitals selected for FY 2013 Validation will be notified after the Warehouse locks for Q4 2010 discharges. We expect the new listing of hospital names to be made available shortly after May 15th, 2011. If your hospital is chosen to submit validation records, you will receive notice.

 

Hospitals that are passing Validation, but would like some additional feedback/education about their current Case Detail report are encouraged to contact Karen O'Leary at [email protected] .

 

Validation results for Q2 2010 continue to be released by CMS.

Other News
 
From the Medicare Learning Network, CMS has made available the "Guidance on Hospital Inpatient Admission Decisions" article which indicates that medical documentation the hospital submits must "demonstrate the clinical need for the patient to be admitted to the inpatient facility." For more information or educational tools, visit the Medicare Learning Network .

Click here to subscribe to the NEW EHR listserve. Per CMS, the listserve will keep hospitals informed of important dates, upcoming deadlines and critical information related to the EHR Incentive Programs.

Visit the CDC Vital Signs March 2011 release: Making Healthcare Safer, Reducing Bloodstream Infections .

New to hospital public reporting or looking for past
At a Glance newsletters? Click here .

HPI At a Glance Monthly Update: March 2011
This material was prepared by IPRO, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for New York State, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. 9SOW-NY-THM6.1-11-03