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  2. CQM-1413

Confirm that patient-based measures can include care by multiple providers

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    • Icon: Intent/Governance affecting more than 1 eCQM Intent/Governance affecting more than 1 eCQM
    • Resolution: Answered
    • Icon: Minor Minor
    • Guidance
    • Barbara Katzenberg
    • 617 783 7964
    • Allscripts
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      The assumption regarding patient-based measures is correct. The intent of these measures is to ensure that the patient received the evidence-based care described in the measure, not that each provider who interacted with the patient repeated the same care. If the documentation is available demonstrating that the patient received the appropriate specified care during the timing specified in the logic, then any provider who demonstrates that in their reporting should receive credit for those actions regardless of who performed that care. Note that depending on the measure and its logic, the measure may want every provider to take a specific action, so whether one act satisfies the measure for everyone or not should be expressed by the measure logic. If there are questions about specific measures, they can be entered into the Jira system.

      For measures CMS123, CMS128, and CMS136, the numerator specifications do not link the numerator activities to a specific provider and therefore any provider that meets the requirements in the measure (for CMS136 that is a provider with prescribing authority) would be able to take the actions that satisfy the measure. Anyone reporting this measure on a patient would pass provided the data demonstrating the numerator action is available in the system and meets the measure numerator.

      It should be noted the same is not true of all measures-- for example, for CMS165, the denominator encounter establishes that the patient saw the provider and is a CMS program requirement. For measures CMS165 and CMS22: Blood pressures taken in a specialist office should be included in the measure as evidence does not support removing them. Blood pressures taken at an office visit when a major diagnostic or surgical procedure is happening can be excluded from the measure. We will evaluate if this can be clarified during the next annual update.

      For measure CMS65: The numerator "most recent BP" at "most recent encounter" does not capture measure intent for multispecialty groups or large academic medical centers who share patients’ medical record across all clinics and specialties.
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      The assumption regarding patient-based measures is correct. The intent of these measures is to ensure that the patient received the evidence-based care described in the measure, not that each provider who interacted with the patient repeated the same care. If the documentation is available demonstrating that the patient received the appropriate specified care during the timing specified in the logic, then any provider who demonstrates that in their reporting should receive credit for those actions regardless of who performed that care. Note that depending on the measure and its logic, the measure may want every provider to take a specific action, so whether one act satisfies the measure for everyone or not should be expressed by the measure logic. If there are questions about specific measures, they can be entered into the Jira system. For measures CMS123, CMS128, and CMS136, the numerator specifications do not link the numerator activities to a specific provider and therefore any provider that meets the requirements in the measure (for CMS136 that is a provider with prescribing authority) would be able to take the actions that satisfy the measure. Anyone reporting this measure on a patient would pass provided the data demonstrating the numerator action is available in the system and meets the measure numerator. It should be noted the same is not true of all measures-- for example, for CMS165, the denominator encounter establishes that the patient saw the provider and is a CMS program requirement. For measures CMS165 and CMS22: Blood pressures taken in a specialist office should be included in the measure as evidence does not support removing them. Blood pressures taken at an office visit when a major diagnostic or surgical procedure is happening can be excluded from the measure. We will evaluate if this can be clarified during the next annual update. For measure CMS65: The numerator "most recent BP" at "most recent encounter" does not capture measure intent for multispecialty groups or large academic medical centers who share patients’ medical record across all clinics and specialties.

      Can you confirm that patient-based measures are intended in some cases to look across visits and providers to determine whether appropriate care was given? Our understanding is that all providers who had a visit with the patient during the measurement period, and who have selected a particular measure, share in the credit or blame for what happened to the patient; even if the event triggering the numerator did not occur in one of their own visits with the patient. For example, Provider #1 may have seen the patient for a qualifying encounter for the diabetic foot exam measure during the measurement period, and Provider #2 may have performed a foot exam for that patient during the measurement period. As we understand it, Provider #1 will get credit for the foot exam having been performed even though s/he did not actually do it. Please confirm that this is the intention in the case of CMS136v4/NQF0108 and CMS123v3/NQF0056 as examples. The numerator specifications in these measures only look at whether certain activities occurred, and are mute on the topic of whether a particular provider was supposed to have done them

            julia.skapik Julia Skapik (Inactive)
            bkatzenberg Barbara Katzenberg (Inactive)
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