Quality Improvement and Patient Safety

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The AANS and CNS are committed to quality improvement and supports innovative efforts to provide high quality, cost-effective care to patients. While Congress has taken the first steps towards implementing quality improvement programs, the current Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS — formerly PQRI) needs to be drastically reworked to better incorporate a system for clinical data collection and reporting. A "one-size-fits-all" approach will not result in better patient outcomes. The AANS and CNS support a pay-for-participation system under which data regarding physician quality are collected in a nonpunitive environment and analyzed using accurate risk‐adjustment mechanisms; public reporting of data only occurs at the aggregate level and not at the individual level; and physicians receive performance feedback continually and in a timely manner. Organized neurosurgery will continue to push the message that Congress should rescind the PQRS penalties, reconsider the value‐based payment modifier and streamline the federal quality improvement programs created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

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Letters

Physician Clinical Registry Coalition Letter

Published: June 27, 2016
Re: CMS-5517-P – Medicare Program; Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) andAlternative Payment Model (APM) Incentive under the Physician Fee Schedule, and Criteria forPhysician-Focused Payment Models Dear Mr. Slavitt: The undersigned […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
  • Reimbursement and Practice Management
Letters

Alliance of Specialty Medicine Comment Letter

Published: June 27, 2016
RE: Medicare Program; Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative PaymentModel Incentive under the Physician Fee Schedule, and Criteria for Physician-Focused PaymentModels Dear Acting Administrator Slavitt: The Alliance of Specialty […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
  • Reimbursement and Practice Management
Letters

Council of Medical Specialty Societies Comment Letter

Published: June 27, 2016
Subject: Medicare Program; Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and AlternativePayment Model (APM) Incentive under the Physician Fee Schedule, and Criteria for PhysicianFocused Payment Models (CMS-5517-P) Dear Administrator Slavitt: The Council […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
  • Reimbursement and Practice Management
Letters

AMA-Led Coalition MACRA Comment Letter

Published: June 24, 2016
Re: Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Model (APM)Incentive Under the Physician Fee Schedule, and Criteria for Physician-Focused PaymentModels; Proposed Rule (CMS-5517-P) Dear Acting Administrator Slavitt: On behalf […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
  • Reimbursement and Practice Management
Letters

Neurosurgery Joins other Multispecialty Groups in Sending a Letter to ONC on Assessing Interoperability for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA)

Published: June 3, 2016
Dear Dr. DeSalvo and Acting Administrator Slavitt: The undersigned medical societies are writing in response to your request for information (RFI) assessinginteroperability for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
  • Reimbursement and Practice Management
Article

Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier: What Neurosurgeons Need to Know

Published: May 18, 2016
Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier What Neurosurgeons Need to Know for 2016 The Affordable Care Act required CMS to begin applying a value-based modifier (VM) toMedicare physician fee schedule payments for […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
Article

PQRS 2016 What Neurosurgeons Need to Know

Published: May 15, 2016
Physician Quality Reporting System What Neurosurgeons Need to Know for 2016 The Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) is a federal program that requires physicians andother eligible professionals (EPs) to report […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
Letters

AANS and CNS Join AMA in Sending Comments to CMS Regarding MACRA RFI

Published: November 17, 2015
Dear Acting Administrator Slavitt: Thank you for the opportunity to provide input to the Request for Information (RFI) regarding theimplementation of Alternative Payment Models (APMs) and Merit-Based Incentive Programs (MIPS)under […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
  • Reimbursement and Practice Management
Letters

Neurosurgery Joins Alliance in Sending Comments to CMS Regarding MACRA RFI

Published: November 17, 2015
Andrew M. SlavittActing Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesDepartment of Health and Human ServicesAttention: CMS-3321-NCSubmitted electronically via http://www.regulations.gov RE: Request for Information Regarding Implementation of the Merit-Based Incentive PaymentSystem, […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
  • Reimbursement and Practice Management
Letters

Neurosurgery Endorses the “Meaningful Use Hardship Relief Act

Published: November 9, 2015
The Honorable Tom PriceU.S. House of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20515 SUBJECT: H.R. 3940, the “Meaningful Use Hardship Relief Act” Dear Dr. Price, On behalf of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
Letters

AANS and CNS Letter Supporting Medical Controlled Substances Transportation Act

Published: October 15, 2015
SUBJECT: Medical Controlled Substances Transportation Act of 2015 Dear Rep. Sessions, On behalf of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of NeurologicalSurgeons (CNS), we want to provide […]
  • Drugs and Devices
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
Article

PQRS 2015 What Neurosurgeons Need to Know

Published: March 31, 2015
Physician Quality Reporting System What Neurosurgeons Need to Know for 2015 Since 2007, the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) has been a voluntary federal program, offeringMedicare incentive payments to physicians […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
Article

Overview of the 2013 Quality and Resource Use Reports

Published: October 30, 2014
Overview of the 2013 Quality andResource Use Reports The Medicare Learning Network®This MLN Connects™ National Provider Call (MLN Connects Call)is part of the Medicare Learning Network (MLN), a registered trademark […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
Article

PQRS 2014: What Neurosurgeons Need to Know

Published: September 29, 2014
Physician Quality Reporting SystemWhat You Need to Know for 2014 Since 2007, the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) has been a voluntary federalprogram, offering Medicare incentive payments to physicians who […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety