CMS announces exceptions and extensions for data submission by participants in Medicare quality reporting programs

In response to the new coronavirus (COVID-19), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced exceptions and extensions for upcoming measure reporting and data submission deadlines for those clinicians and providers participating in Medicare quality reporting programs.

“In granting these exceptions and extensions, CMS is supporting clinicians fighting coronavirus on the front lines,” says CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “The Trump Administration is cutting bureaucratic red tape so the healthcare delivery system can direct its time and resources toward caring for patients.”

Specifically, for programs with deadlines in April and May 2020, CMS is making submission of those data optional. CMS also notes that it will not use data from services provided between January 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020 in its calculations for the Medicare quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs.

CMS hopes this will reduce the burden of data collection and reporting for providers who are on the frontlines of the response to COVID-19. Furthermore, CMS understands that quality measure data collected during the COVID-19 response may not accurately reflect an organization’s performance on items such as cost, readmissions, and patient experience.

For a full list of CMS programs granted exceptions and/or extensions for upcoming measure reporting and data submission deadlines, click here.