CMS Quality Measurement Action Plan: March 2021

#CMSQualCon21

CMS Quality Measurement

Action Plan

March 2021

Disclaimer

This presentation was prepared as a service to the public and is not intended to grant

rights or impose obligations.

This presentation may contain references or links to statutes, regulations, or other

policy materials. The information provided is only intended to be a general summary. It

is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulation.

We encourage readers to review the specific statutes, regulations, and other

interpretive materials for a full and accurate statement of their contents.

Our Vision

Use impactful quality measures to improve health

outcomes and deliver value by empowering patients

to make informed care decisions while reducing

burden to clinicians.

Goals of the CMS Quality Measurement

Action Plan

Use Meaningful Measures to Streamline and Align Quality Measurement

Leverage Measures to Drive Outcome Improvement

Improve Quality Measures Efficiency by a Transition to Digital Measures

and Use of Advanced Data Analytics

Empower Patients to Make Best Healthcare Choices Through

Person-Centered Quality Measures and Public Transparency

Leverage Measures to Drive Improvement Through Public Reporting

and Payment Programs

Improve Quality Measures Efficiency by a Transition to Digital Measures

and Use of Advanced Data Analytics

Leverage Quality Measures to Promote Equity and Close Gaps in Care

Empower Consumers to Make Best Healthcare Choices through Patient-

Directed Quality Measures and Public Transparency

Meaningful Measures 1.0

Accomplishments

• Since its inception in 2017, the Meaningful Measures Framework 1.0 has been utilized to review,

reduce, and align measures.

• Meaningful Measures 1.0 highlighted 6 strategic domains and 17 strategic focus areas.

• This has resulted in a 15% reduction of the overall number of measures in the CMS Medicare FFS

programs (from 534 to 460 measures).

• Overall, the measures portfolio has demonstrated a 25% increase in percentage of outcome

measures; the percentage of process measures has dropped from 52% in 2017 to 37% in 2021.

• Streamlining measures has a projected savings of an estimated $128M and a reduction of 3.3M

burden hours through 2020.*

*Seema Verma’s Speech at the 2020 CMS Quality Conference: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/speech-remarks-cms-administrator-seema-verma-2020-cms-quality-conference

Meaningful Measures 2.0

Goals of MM 2.0

Utilize only quality measures of highest value and

impact focused on key quality domains

Align measures across value

based programs and

across partners, including CMS, federal, and

private entities

Prioritize outcome and patient reported measures

Transform measures to fully digital by 2025, and

incorporate all-payer data

Develop and implement measures that reflect

social and economic determinants

Person-Centered

Care

Wellness and

Prevention

Behavioral Health

Seamless Care

Coordination

Safety

Affordability and

Efficiency

Chronic

Conditions

Building Value-Based Care

Consumer and Caregiver Voice

Equity

Use Meaningful Measures Framework to

Streamline and Align Quality Measurement

• Leverage Meaningful Measures 2.0 framework to reduce burden and align measures

across the Agency and federal government

• Develop (as needed), prioritize, and utilize measures for high priority targeted areas,

such as socioeconomic status, maternal mortality, and kidney care and Home and

Community Based Services

• Align quality measures to quality improvement activities

• Increase the proportion of outcome measures across the CMS portfolio by 50% by

2022

• Continue the work of the Core Quality Measures Collaborative to align measures

across all payers

Objective

Align measures

across CMS, federal

programs, and private

payers

Reduce number and

burden of measures

Leverage Measures to Drive Improvement Through

Public Reporting and Payment Programs

Objective

Accelerate ongoing

efforts to streamline

and modernize

programs, reducing

burden and promoting

strategically important

focus areas

• Continue to examine value-based programs across CMS for modernization and

alignment, as appropriate

• Introduce 5-10 MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs)

• Incorporate robust quality measurement into all value-based payment models

• Support utilization of Adult and Child Core sets and HCBS recommended

measures

• Improve Child Core Set reporting and reduce state burden by leveraging

alternative data sources for calculation of state level rates

• Provide more timely results and feedback to help create learning systems that

support ongoing quality improvement

• Transition to all payer data

Improve Quality Measures Efficiency by a Transition

to Digital Measures and Use of Advanced Data

Analytics

Objective

Use data and information

as essential aspects of a

healthy, robust healthcare

infrastructure to allow for

payment and

management of

accountable, value-based

care and development of

learning health

organizations

• Transform to all digital quality measures by 2025

• Accelerate development and testing eCQMs using FHIR API technology for

transmitting and receiving quality measurement

• Transform data collection to use FHIR API technology and all CMS data (all-

payer data)

• Utilize data driven framework to assess measure priorities and performance

• Leverage centralized data analytic tools to examine programs and measures

• Evaluate new technologies for advanced machine learning and neural networks

• Expand the availability of public use files for CMS data by 2021

Empower Consumers to Make Best Healthcare

Choices through Patient-Directed Quality Measures

and Public Transparency

Objective

Empower patients

through transparency

of data and public

reporting, so that

patients can make the

best-informed

decisions about their

healthcare

• Expand and prioritize person and caregiver engagement during the measure

development process

• Increase Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) by 50%

• Continue to modernize Compare Sites and develop rating systems for Medicaid

and CHIP beneficiaries and their caregivers

• Advance use of FHIR API to allow patients to receive their health information

electronically

• Increase person-centered measures, such as goals of care and shared decision

making

Leverage Quality Measures to Promote

Equity and Close Gaps in Care

Objective

Commit to a patient-

centered approach in

quality measure and

value-based incentives

programs to ensure

that quality and safety

measures address

healthcare equity

• Expand confidential feedback reports stratified by dual eligibility in all

CMS value-based incentive programs as appropriate by the end of 2021

• Introduce plans to close equity gaps through leveraging the pay-for-

performance incentive programs by 2022

• Ensure equity by supporting development of Socioeconomic Status (SES)

measures and stratifying measures and programs by SES or dual

eligibility as appropriate. Partner with OMH regarding HESS measures

(health equity)

• Develop multi year plan to promote equity thru quality measures

Next Steps: Stakeholder Engagement &

Communications

• Continue collaboration and engagement with

specialty societies regarding MVPs

development, with goal of introduction of 8-10

new MVPs in 2021

• Develop strategic communications and roll out

plan

• Continue to seek input and collaboration to

advance the quality measurement action plan

through the Meaningful Measures email:

MeaningfulMeasuresQA@cms.hhs.gov

✓ Conducted multiple listening

sessions across CMS, federal

partners, and external

stakeholders

✓ Collaborated with 30 specialty

societies on the first iteration of

MVPs

✓ Developed multiple digital

measures using FHIR-based API

✓ Compare Updates rolled out

September 2020

What we’ve done so far…