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The nation’s preeminent association supporting the development of accountable care organizations (ACOs) on Jan. 21 expressed satisfaction over the bipartisan introduction of legislation into the U.S. House of Representatives that would delay a requirement imposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for ACOs to report electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs); the CMS rule has mandated that ACOs report on eCQMs as a requirement of their participation in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) through something known as the Alternative Payment Model Performance Pathway interface by the end of this calendar year.
As a primer from technology company MDInteractive explains it, “CMS implemented a multi-year transition from 2021 to 2024 for MSSP ACOs to move from reporting quality data through the CMS Web Interface to using eCQMs under the Alternative Payment Model (APM) Performance Pathway (APP). MSSP ACOs are required to report quality data via the APP to meet the quality performance standard used to determine shared savings and shared losses. In 2024, these ACOs have the option to fulfill APP quality reporting requirements by either reporting the Web Interface quality measure set (10 measures) or the APP quality measure set (3 measures via eCQMs, MIPS CQMs, and/or Medicare CQMs collection types). The 2024 performance period marks the final year that MSSP ACOs can report via the CMS Group Practice Reporting Option (GPRO) Web Interface.” For 2024, the measure set includes one on hemoglobin A1c control for diabetic patients; preventive care and screening; and controlling high blood pressure.