According to a request for information (RFI) document released recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is reaching out to providers, EHR vendors, and other interested parties on electronically reporting patient-level data under the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program starting in 2014.

CMS says it is “interested in increasing efficiency and reducing the burden associated with hospital collection and submission of patient-level data on clinical quality measures (CQMs).” It is exploring a way to let hospitals report data using the same certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) that is done in the EHR Incentive Program.

In the document, CMS says it is hoping to “develop a single set of electronic specifications for CQMs adopted under multiple quality reporting programs.” It also is looking to “adopt data standards to facilitate hospitals’ capturing, transmitting, and formatting data elements consistently and clearly.”

Under the IQR program, hospitals report data on various quality measures to CMS. With this RFI, CMS is looking to understand if the hospital is planning on to electronically report CQM data, specifically the venous thromboembolism (VTE) and stroke (STK) and emergency department (ED)
measures. The are other specific questions it will ask providers, vendors, and other interested parties. CMS is allowing the above parties to comment through the web at www.regulations.gov, or through regular mail, overnight mail, or overnight courier.