Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Updates

January 19, 2017

Chronic Care Management Services Changes for 2017

CMS recently approved a number of changes to the payment rules for Chronic Care Management (CCM) services under Medicare Part B for CY 2017 to reduce administrative burden and improve payment accuracy. See the CCM Services Changes for 2017 fact sheet, FAQs, and the Care Management webpage for more information.

eCQI Resource Center Integrated with USHIK

CMS, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology integrated the eCQI Resource Center with the U.S. Health Information Knowledgebase(USHIK). This integration allows you to compare different versions and metadata of electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs) and download measure version details in several file formats. See the measures tables on the Eligible Hospitals and Eligible Professionals webpages.

Medicare Quality Programs: ICD-10 Code Updates and Impact to 4th Quarter 2016

CMS determined that the ICD-10 code updates will impact our ability to process data reported on certain quality measures for the 4th quarter of CY 2016. We will not apply the 2017 or 2018 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) downward payment adjustments, as applicable, to any individual eligible professional or group practice that fails to satisfactorily report for CY 2016 solely as a result of the impact of ICD-10 code updates on quality data reported for the 4th quarter of CY 2016.

For More Information:

• ICD-10 Code Updates Message from December 15
• PQRS ICD-10 webpage
• ICD-10 FAQs

For additional assistance, contact the QualityNet Help Desk at 866-288-8912 (TTY 877-715- 6222) or [email protected].

Medicare Quality Programs: Transitioning from PQRS to MIPS Call — January 24

Tuesday, January 24 from 2 to 3:30 pm ET

To register or for more information, visit MLN Connects Event Registration.

During this call, find out how to complete the final reporting period for the legacy Medicare quality reporting programs and transition to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). A question and answer session follows the presentation.

Agenda:

• Wrapping Up the 2016 Program Year for the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, and Value-Based Payment Modifier (VM)
• Transitioning to MIPS  
• Timeline for PQRS, EHR, VM, and MIPS programs with submission timeframes and other key milestones
• Resources

Target Audience: Physicians, Accountable Care Organizations; Medicare eligible professionals; therapists; medical group practices; practice managers; medical and specialty societies; payers; and insurers.

This MLN Connects Call is being evaluated by CMS for CME and CEU continuing education credit (CE). Refer to the call detail page for more information

Chronic Care Management Services Changes for 2017 Fact Sheet — New

A new Chronic Care Management Services Changes for 2017 Fact Sheet is available. Learn about:

• 2017 coding changes
• Included services
• Key improvements reducing requirements associated with initiating care

State Innovation Model Updates

January 19, 2017

Attention Primary Care 

Circle Communities For CNA Members Are Up and Running

January 17, 2017

We are excited to introduce “Circles” to Colorado Nurses Association members. The circles will provide a network for members within the new website. Be sure to login to your CNA account to start engaging with other members.

In order to access circles, you will need to login to your CNA profile. Your username is the email you signed up with through ANA. If you need to set or reset your password, click here. 

Click here to go directly to the circles. Scroll through the circles to find your respective District or Special Interest Group. Request to join your circle, and once verified by the President (or admin of that circle), you can start connecting with other members.

For future reference, here is how to navigate to the circles.

• Head to coloradonurses.org.
• Login to your account (top right of screen).
• If not automatically rerouted, click “Member Center.”
• Under the name tag, you will see “My Community,” click this.
• Hover over “My Features” and click “Circles.”
• If you do not see multiple circles, click “All Circles.” This will be on the left hand side of the screen under the title “My Circles.”
• Scroll down to find your respective District or Special Interest Group.
• Request to join your district’s circle.
• Once verified by the President (or the admin of that circle), you will be able to stay up-to-date with the current happenings in your circle and engage with other members.

If you have questions, please email [email protected].