What is unique regarding QCDRs is their ability to design and develop specialty-specific quality measures to provide a mechanism to monitor gaps in optimal specialty care. For example, critical to oncology care is ensuring patients complete comprehensive biomarker testing to ensure that patients receive appropriate, targeted therapy based on their tumor markers. A QCDR that is fully integrated with the EHR system can leverage critical data elements to track overall testing and appropriate treatment rates, along with identifying patients who qualify for testing or specific treatment options that were missed. These measures can, in turn, be used by the practice for the MIPS program performance. In essence, the integration of EHR data with an advanced reporting platform that supports specialty specific QCDR measures allows for superior monitoring and targeted quality measures that drive specialty patient care.

Experts can ease the burden
Whether regulatory, clinical, or administrative in nature, the end goal of healthcare organizations remains the same: to provide the best care possible for the greatest number of patients. Programs like MIPS are designed to incentivize and reward practices for the provision of excellent care and continual efforts in improvement, but their complexity can sometimes distract from that very goal. Physicians and administrators often struggle to interpret the rules and implement new reporting practices that will allow them to benefit from these programs. Moreover, with the continuous revisions during CMS’s process, such as the transition to MVPs, there could be confusion about which reporting measures are being implemented when, what the new measures are, and how they can be applied.
Third-party organizations and companies steeped in VBC best practices and services can help alleviate this burden by providing direction and guidance for best practices in MIPS reporting. Using technological innovations and tailored problem-solving by experts whose sole job is to follow these programs and streamline processes associated with them, these organizations reduce the burden on providers by interpreting the rules and mapping the timing. These experts can thus help practices to achieve their goals on both fronts: successfully participating in MIPS programs and dedicating their time and energy to their patients.

About the author: Erin Crum is senior director for quality strategy and innovation at McKesson and The US Oncology Network.

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