CMS Releases Quality Measure Development Plan

On December 18th, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released for comment the draft CMS Quality Measure Development Plan (MDP). Section 102 of MACRA, requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and post on the cms.gov website “a draft plan for the development of quality measures” by January 1, 2016, for application under certain applicable provisions related to the new Medicare Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and to certain alternative payment models (APMs). The purpose of the MDP is to meet the requirements of the statue and serve as a strategic framework for the future of clinical quality measure development to support MIPS and APMs. The MDP also highlights known measurement and performance gaps and recommends approaches to close those gaps through development, use and refinement of quality measures. CMS has stated that the MPD and the comments CMS receives on the MPD will influence the type of funding CMS distributes for measure development over the next five years. AMDA committees are reviewing the plan and submit comments as appropriate.

CMS will accept comments through March 1, 2016. The final MDP, taking into account public comments CMS receives on the draft plan, will be posted on the CMS.gov website by May 1, 2016 followed by updates annually or as otherwise appropriate (Section 1848(s)(1)(F), (3)(A). AMDA will be reviewing the draft and making comments.

Read the CMS blog post on the release of the CMS Quality Measure Development Plan here.