Updated eCQM Specifications for Calendar Year (CY) 2018 Available on the eCQI Resource Center Website

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted the 2017 annual update for eCQMs for CY 2018 reporting for Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), and CY 2018 performance for Eligible Professionals (EPs) and Eligible Clinicians. These updated eCQMs are fully specified and may be used to electronically report 2018 clinical quality measure data for CMS quality reporting programs. Measures will not be eligible for 2018 reporting unless and until they are proposed and finalized through notice-and-comment rulemaking for each applicable program.

CMS updates the specifications annually to align with current clinical guidelines and code systems so they remain relevant and actionable within the clinical care setting. All of the updated measure specifications have been re-specified using the Quality Data Model (QDM) 4.3-based Health Quality Measures Format (HQMF) version R 2.1.

CMS has updated eCQMs for potential inclusion in the following programs:

• The Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program
• The Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program for Eligible Hospitals and CAHs
• The Medicaid EHR Incentive Program for EPs, Eligible Hospitals and CAHs
• Quality Payment Program (QPP): The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for MIPS Eligible Clinicians and Alternative Payment Models

Where to Find the Updated Measures:

The updated measure specifications are available on the Electronic Clinical Quality Improvement (eCQI) Resource Center for Eligible Hospitals and CAHs, and EPs and Eligible Clinicians.

Please Note: The eCQMs and supporting materials are no longer available on the eCQM Library web page of cms.gov. CMS plans to migrate all information on the library web page to the eCQI Resource Center later this year.

Provide Feedback on the Update Measures:

To report questions and comments regarding the updated measures, visit the ONC CQM Issue Tracker for more information.

To find out more about eCQMs, visit the eCQI Resource Center.