News and Events

CMS has contracted with Acumen, LLC to develop episode-based cost measures to meet the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) requirements. Acumen is convening the Physician Cost Measures and Patient Relationship Codes (PCMP) Technical Expert Panel (TEP) for a virtual meeting to continue cost measure development and re-evaluation activities.

When Will This Virtual Meeting Occur?

• Wednesday, March 13, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET

This meeting will be open to the public with a listen-only option, and observers are invited to listen in on the TEP’s discussion. Please share this message with anyone you believe may be interested. During this meeting, Acumen will seek input from TEP members on various topics under the PCMP project covering the comprehensive re-evaluation of the Total Per Capita Cost (TPCC) and Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary (MSPB) Hospital measures, aligning cost and mortality measurement, and identifying actionable refinement areas for publicly reporting cost performance data.

How Do I Register (Required)?
Please click on the following link to register: Register to attend the 2024 PCMP TEP Webinar [lnks.gd].

Please see the Wave 6 Measure Development Process (PDF, 599KB) [lnks.gd] summary located on the Cost Measures Information page [lnks.gd] for details about the measure development process and activities undertaken in previous years, including past TEP meetings. If you would like to receive measure development updates, please join our mailing list [lnks.gd].

If you have any questions about measure development or the PCMP TEP, please contact Acumen at macra-tep-support@acumenllc.com

In recognition of Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 10-16, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) invites you to a free public webinar: "Quality Counts, Safety Matters: Prioritizing Patient Safety Through Quality Measurement” this March. The insightful session will explore how quality measures and policies are being implemented to improve the patient experience. 

Meeting Objectives

• Highlight the importance of patient safety. 
• Share insights from health care experts on using quality measurement to drive patient safety improvements.
• Explore how CMS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) are addressing preventable harms.

Presenter Organizations

• AHRQ
• CDC
• CMS
• VHA

Register to Attend

There are two opportunities to attend this webinar and participate in a question-and-answer session. Please register for the event that best fits your schedule. 

• Register for session from 12 – 1 p.m. (ET) Wednesday, March 6
• Register for session from 2 – 3 p.m. (ET) Thursday, March 21

Spread the word! Share this message with your network and help prioritize patient safety together. 
Have questions? Contact MMSsupport@battelle.org. 

In recognition of Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 10-16, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) invites you to a free public webinar: "Quality Counts, Safety Matters: Prioritizing Patient Safety Through Quality Measurement” this March. The insightful session will explore how quality measures and policies are being implemented to improve the patient experience. 

Meeting Objectives

• Highlight the importance of patient safety. 
• Share insights from health care experts on using quality measurement to drive patient safety improvements.
• Explore how CMS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) are addressing preventable harms.

Presenter Organizations

• AHRQ
• CDC
• CMS
• VHA

Register to Attend 
There are two opportunities to attend this webinar and participate in a question-and-answer session. Please register for the event that best fits your schedule. 

• Register for session from 12 – 1 p.m. (ET) Wednesday, March 6
• Register for session from 2 – 3 p.m. (ET) Thursday, March 21

Spread the word! Share this message with your network and help prioritize patient safety together. 
Have questions? Contact MMSsupport@battelle.org. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) invites you to the Measures Management System’s Information Session, “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Quality Measurement” at 2 p.m. (ET) February 28. Register today!

Meeting Objectives

• Learn how the Coalition for Health AI is working to define core principles to evaluate, monitor, and report on health AI systems.  
• Gain insights into the potential role of a national network of AI assurance laboratories. 
• Hear how AI assurance might inform the development and evaluation of clinical quality measures (CQM).  

Presenters 

Dr. Brian Anderson, Coalition for Health AI
www.coalitionforhealthai.org 

Dr. Brian Anderson is the co-founder of Coalition for Health AI and a chief digital health physician at MITRE, where he leads research and development efforts across major strategic initiatives in digital health. He has led MITRE’s development of machine learning techniques to leverage real-world health data and his team helps architect, implement, and analyze health data and information systems for federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and CMS.

Jeffrey Geppert, Battelle 
www.battelle.org

Jeff Geppert is a senior research leader in Battelle’s Health business unit. He has served as the CQM subject matter expert on the CMS Measures Management System contract for the past nine years, and he is the measurement science team leader for Battelle’s Partnership for Quality Measurement. In his work, Jeff has led efforts to promote using AI and natural language processing to advance health care quality and improve diagnostic performance. 

Battelle’s Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM)™ is hosting an informational session on January 11 from 12 – 1:30 p.m. (ET) to discuss:

•    Meeting procedures for the upcoming Fall 2023 measure endorsement meetings;
•    Roles of the advisory and recommendations groups and co-chairs, voting procedures, public comment opportunities; and
•    Expectations for subject matter experts and measure developer/steward participation.

Register today! Please contact PQM Support with any questions.

About PQM 
Battelle is a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) certified consensus-based entity. Battelle’s PQM uses a consensus-based process involving a variety of experts - clinicians, patients, measure experts, and health information technology specialists - to ensure informed and thoughtful endorsement reviews of qualified measures. PQM’s transparent, streamlined approach to consensus-building can be applied widely in the quality improvement field, including reviews for alternative payment models, clinical decision support, and quality improvement tools.
 

Battelle is hosting three listening sessions this December to give the public an opportunity to ask questions about measures included in the 2023 Measures Under Consideration (MUC) List, which outlines measures the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is considering adopting into certain Medicare programs. 

Please indicate in your registration form if you would like to make a comment during the session.  

• 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. (ET) December 14:Clinician Listening Session 
• 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. (ET) December 15:Hospital Listening Session 
• 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. (ET) December 18:Post-Acute Care/Long-Term Care (PAC/LTC) Measures Listening Session 

In previous years, public comment opportunities occurred during the recommendation meetings. To allow more time and consideration of public feedback, Battelle is holding these listening sessions separate from and prior to the recommendation group meetings. Public input helps ensure measures CMS implements in its quality programs continue to meet the needs and priorities of those impacted by their use. 

If you are unable to attend, you will still have the opportunity to provide written comment via the Partnership for Quality Measurement website during the public comment period, which closes December 22.  All comments will be shared with the Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review committees to help guide recommendation group discussions during the January measure review meeting. Measure review meetings will be closed for public comment.

Interested in learning about the 2024 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Pre-Rulemaking Cycle? Join the CMS Measures Management System team 2 p.m. (ET) Wednesday, December 6 for the “Pre-Rulemaking Preview” information session where we will discuss: 

• Measure submission timelines
• Changes to questions in CMS’ measure submission tool, CMS Measures Under Consideration Entry/Review Information Tool (CMS MERIT) 
• A new Spanish language requirement for surveys used in quality measures
• Educational opportunities offered during the 2024 measure submission period

Register today!

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ National Quality Strategy promotes interoperability and standardized digital data elements for quality measures. Join the CMS Measures Management System team 2 p.m. (ET) Wednesday, November 29 for "U.S. Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI): What It Is and What's Ahead” to learn how the Department of Health and Human Services and CMS are advancing digital measurement goals with the USCDI and the soon-to-be released USCDI+ Quality. We will also discuss how to submit new data elements and how the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology evaluates submissions. Register today! 

The public is invited to virtually participate in the upcoming Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Measure Set Review (MSR) Recommendation Group Measure Review Meeting on October 17, 2023. Attendees will have the opportunity to listen to discussions and provide comments through the virtual meeting platform. Click here to register to attend!
 
The goal of the MSR is to optimize the CMS measure portfolio by identifying and reviewing measures for potential removal from CMS programs. This year, Battelle will pilot a new approach focusing on measures in a specific program: End-Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Program. 

Please contact PQMsupport@Battelle.org with any questions. 
 

The Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) is launching a new Endorsement and Maintenance (E&M) process for the upcoming Fall 2023 cycle. Submissions will open on September 1 and the Intent to Submit (ITS) deadline is October 2. Please note, beginning with the Fall 2023 cycle, testing information will not be required at the time of ITS. Developers and stewards will only be asked to provide simple measure information (e.g., number, title, description) by the ITS deadline. Full measure submission information (e.g., evidence, testing) will be due on November 1. 
Please join PQM on September 15, 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. (ET), for a webinar to learn more about submitting measures for endorsement review, including an overview of the ITS and full measure submission process and timelines for the Fall 2023 cycle. Register for the September 15 webinar here.  
If you have any questions, please contact PQMSupport@battelle.org.