02/03/2014

Urge Senator Brown To Support Changes in Catatract Quality Reporting

Ask Him to Tell CMS to Withdraw NQF 1536

Urge Senator Sherrod Brown To Contact CMS 

Ask Them to Withdraw Cataract Quality Reporting Measures  

 

Draft Letter to Sen Brown and Contact Info  - Word Doc

Draft Letter to Sen Brown and Contact Info - PDF Doc

 

As a part of the most recent ASC payment rule, CMS included three new quality reporting requirements one of which regarding cataract surgeries.  The measure NQF 1536 would require ASCs to report improvement in patient’s visual function within 90 days following cataract surgery.

 

This new requirement is a patient reported outcome measure taken by physicians and never should be intended to serve as a measure of facility-level quality.

 

Quality reporting for ASCs should be at the facility-level and should relate to an episode or care that occurs within the confines of the ASC, encompass data that is available within the ASC chart, be collectable by ASC staff and generate conclusions that are actionable by the facility. 

 

As constructed, ASCs will be entirely incapable of successfully reporting on this measure and will be unfairly penalized for failing to do so.

 

A national coalition of stakeholders including the national ASC association and professional societies have been meeting with Congress to raise awareness of the issue.  They have met with Ohio's U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and have asked him to sign a letter to CMS urging the withdraw of this quality measure.

 

YOUR ACTION IS NEEDED! Senator Brown needs to hear from Ohio ASCs on this issues.

 

Contact him via email, fax or mail and ask him to urge CMS to remove the Quality Measure NQF 1536. Follow the link below for a draft letter and ways in which to contact his office.

 

Draft Letter to Sen Brown and Contact Info  - Word Doc

Draft Letter to Sen Brown and Contact Info - PDF Doc

 

For more information, contact Randy Leffler at 614-358-0177 or rleffler@oaasc.net