The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will end the Web Interface reporting option for Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs in 2025. The ACOs have a transition period for the 2021-2024 performance years before they have to report all three eCQM/CQM MIPS measures under the Alternative Payment Model Performance Pathway. By 2025, accountable care organizations will be required to do quality reporting via electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs).

CMS has been developing a strategic roadmap around four key domains: advancing technology, enabling measure alignment, improving the quality of data, such as standardized data elements and validation programs, and optimizing data aggregation.

The ONC’s USCDI is a foundational set of data that must be made interoperable for patient care. This standard doesn’t include all the necessary data for CMS quality measurement. If both agencies could work together to ensure aligned definitions as the basis for data necessary for quality measurement, we may begin to have processes to enable the automation of data transmission. Physician practices need less manual effort and more automation for the purpose of quality measurement especially those that may interfere with appropriate routine clinical workflows.

Data used for measurement need to serve the healthcare system to provide better care to patients. The agencies need to coordinate so it is good to hear CMS is collaborating with ONC and federal partners to expand the USCDI and contribute to the USCDI+ program and certification data requirements. CMS is also developing and collaborating on maintenance of FHIR implementation guides.

In conclusion, we should work towards better-aligned patient-centered measure sets allowing practices to be evaluated in a more cohesive way while following the patient care journey. Patient Outcomes will only improve if we reduce reporting burdens with standardization and transparency of agreed-upon data standards