CMS urged by AHA to reconsider quality reporting moves

The AHA expressed “serious concerns” with aspects of the calendar year 2009 outpatient prospective payment system proposed rule (AHA News). In a comment letter, AHA urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to reconsider several aspects of its outpatient PPS quality reporting program, noting that the four measures of medical imaging efficiency CMS proposes to add have neither been endorsed by the National Quality Forum nor adopted by the Hospital Quality Alliance. “We strongly believe that measures added to the outpatient reporting program must first go through the rigorous, consensus-based assessment processes of both the NQF and HQA,” AHA said. The letter also opposes CMS’ proposal to create two cost centers for drugs, and recommends that separately covered outpatient drugs receive the same payment rate as physician offices. The association also recommends that CMS use only hospital-based partial hospitalization program data to determine the payment rates for PHP services, which provide outpatient treatment for patients with mental health conditions.