CMS Posts 2014 Eligible Professional Electronic Clinical Quality Measure Update

The annual update of the 2014 electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) (eCQMs) for eligible professionals and corresponding specifications for electronic reporting are now available. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) update the specifications annually to ensure that the measure representation and recent code system versions reflect the best understanding of standards and logic, and remain relevant and actionable within the clinical care setting. In addition, some of the non-substantive changes to the measures were made based on input from the provider and vendor communities.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) strongly encourages the implementation and use of the updated electronic specifications of the CQMs finalized in the Stage 2 rule for the 2015 EHR Reporting Period since updates include updated terminologies, critical logic corrections, and intent clarification.

Please note, the 2014 updated specifications cannot be used prior to the 2015 EHR Reporting Period.

Updated 2014 CQM Resources

To help eligible professionals navigate the updated eCQMs, several resources are available on the eCQM Library page particularly the Measure Logic Guidance Document, which contains the technical release notes, additional guidance, and additional resources for implementers. Additional eCQM file formats and access to past versions for side by side comparisons are available on the Meaningful Use tab of the United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK).

EHR CQM Certification

To participate in the EHR Incentive Programs a system must be certified to the eCQMs published in the December 2012 Interim Final Rule or to eCQM updates published by CMS in 2013 or 2014. Preparing for quality measurement certification testing can be achieved through the use of the open-source software Cypress eCQM testing platform.

CMS will maintain previously published specifications along with the new updated specifications for the 2014 eCQMs for eligible hospitals and eligible professionals. Vendors can find information on the changes made in the annual update, as well as guidance for reading and programing systems with the 2014 specifications on the CMS website's 2014 eCQM Library page.