CMS Accepts Comments on Quality Measures for PPS-Exempt Cancer Hospitals

CMS has begun a public comment period for new measures proposed for Prospective Payment System-exempt cancer hospitals. These hospitals include:

 

Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston

Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, N.Y.

James Cancer Institute, Columbus, Ohio

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami

Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Fla.

MD Anderson Cancer Center, Huston

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles

City of Hope, Duarte, Calif.

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle

 

The PPS-Exempt Cancer Hospital Quality Reporting program was developed as mandated by Section 3005 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The PCHQR program requires participating facilities to submit data for specific cancer clinical process of care measures, effective fiscal year 2014.

 

According to the CMS memo, the measures were developed by CMS and a technical expert panel in conjunction with Mathematica Policy Research and the National Committee for Quality Assurance. 

 

The measures are designed to address gaps in previously introduced quality measures from CMS for the cancer hospitals, including initiation of osteoclast inhibitors, overuse of imaging and avoidable emergency admissions in outpatient chemotherapy. 

 

Comments are open until 11:59 PM on July 3.