CMS Conducting "Dry Run" of Imaging Efficiency Measures – 30 Day Comment Period

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is conducting a national “dry run” of reporting data for four Outpatient Imaging Efficiency (OIE) measures included in the Hospital Outpatient Quality Data Reporting Program (HOP QDRP). Throughout the 30-day dry run, which ends March 18, hospitals may submit questions or comments regarding the Hospital Specific Report (HSR) or the OIE measure methodology to imaging.measures@Lewin.com. The ACR-ARRS encourages its members who have relationships with or work at a hospital outpatient radiology department to coordinate with the hospital in submitting feedback to CMS. The ACR will also submit comments to CMS.

Hospital-specific reports, consisting of OIE rates calculated from calendar year 2007 Medicare fee-for-service claims, have been distributed to participating hospitals via the QualityNet Web site. The dry run is intended to familiarize hospitals with the OIE measures, test the measure production process and allow hospitals to provide CMS with feedback on the measures and report. The report presents the rates/ratios for the hospital, the average rates/ratios for the hospital’s state and specific Health and Human Services (HHS) region, and the national OIE rates/ratios.

Although the information contained in these initial reports is for educational purposes only and will not be publicly reported, CMS will begin publicly reporting the OIE measures on the Hospital Compare Web site later in June 2010, along with data on seven other measures in the HOP QDRP, using Calendar Year 2008 data. Click here to visit Hospital Compare.

A mock HSR and a separate mock report containing simulated patient-level data are also available on QualityNet to familiarize hospitals with the OIE measures and the reporting process. In addition, a recording of the February 17 WebEx presentation for HOP QDRP participants will be available by March 1 on QualityNet, providing an overview of the OIE measures methodology and highlight the logistics of the national dry run.