NOTICE: Submission of 2018 Electronic Clinical Quality Measure (eCQM) Data Due February 28, 2019

For hospitals participating in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) and/or Promoting Interoperability Programs, the deadline to submit data to CMS on at least four electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) from one self-selected quarter (Q) of calendar year (CY) 2018 (i.e., Q1 2018 [January 1–March 31]; Q2 2018 [April 1–June 30]; Q3 2018 [July 1–September 30]; or Q4 2018 [October 1–December 31]) is Thursday, February 28, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time (PT).

To meet CY 2018 eCQM reporting requirements, successful submission is defined as reporting on at least four eCQMs from the CY 2018 Available eCQMs Table using electronic health record (EHR) technology certified to the 2014 Edition, the 2015 Edition, or a combination of both editions. Data must be submitted through the QualityNet Secure Portalin any combination of the following: Quality Reporting Document Architecture (QRDA) Category I files, zero denominator declarations, and/or case threshold exemptions.

The successful submission of eCQM data will apply towards the Hospital IQR Program and the Promoting Interoperability Program (formerly known as the EHR Incentive Program) for determining fiscal year (FY) 2020 payment update determinations.

Note: The attestation deadline for the Promoting Interoperability Program is Thursday, February 28, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Additional details regarding attestation via the QualityNet Secure Portal are available on the Promoting Interoperability Program web page of CMS.gov. Questions regarding the Promoting Interoperability Program, including the attestation process, can be directed to the QualityNet Help Desk at qnetsupport@hcqis.orgor (866) 288-8912.

To verify the status of your eCQM data submission, you may run your eCQM Submission Status Report, Submission Summary Report, and other applicable reports available within the QualityNet Secure Portal. Please refer to the CY 2018 eCQM Preparation Checklist for Production Files for further information.

Extraordinary Circumstances Exceptions (ECEs)

Hospitals participating in the Hospital IQR Program that are unable to successfully report eCQM data by the submission deadline can review the Extraordinary Circumstances Exceptions Policy information and ECE request form located on the QualityNet website. ECE requests related to eCQM reporting for the Hospital IQR Program are due by April 1, 2019.

Note: Hardship exceptions for the Promoting Interoperability Program follow a different request process and different timeline. For additional information on this process, refer to the Payment Adjustments & Hardship Information web page on CMS.gov.

Hospital Contact Information

To ensure your hospital receives critical communications about meeting the requirements of the Hospital IQR Program (and other CMS quality reporting programs), including submission deadline reminders and program updates, it is important that we have the complete contact information for the key roles at your hospital. Updates to your contact information can be submitted, if needed, using the Hospital Contact Change Form.

Contacts

• For questions concerning the QualityNet Secure Portal, Pre-Submission Validation Application (PSVA) tool, file-error messages, and the Promoting Interoperability Program, please contact the QualityNet Help Desk at qnetsupport@hcqis.org or (866) 288-8912.
• For questions regarding eCQM specifications, value sets, and appropriateness of mapping, please submit questions to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) eCQM Issue Tracker at https://oncprojectracking.healthit.gov/support/projects/CQM/summary.
• For questions regarding the Hospital IQR Program, please contact the Hospital Inpatient Value, Incentives, and Quality Reporting Outreach and Education Support Contract Team at https://cms-ip.custhelp.com or (844) 472-4477.