Measure Description
Percentage of patients aged 18 years and older who had a surgical site infection (SSI).
Instructions
This measure is to be submitted each time a denominator eligible procedure as defined in the denominator criteria is performed.
Intent and Clinician Applicability:
This measure is intended to reflect the quality of services provided for patients who undergo gastric bypass or colectomy surgery. This measure may be submitted by Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligible clinicians who perform the quality actions described in the measure based on the services provided and the measure-specific denominator coding.
Measure Strata and Performance Rates:
This measure contains one strata defined by a single submission criteria. This measure produces a single performance rate.
Implementation Considerations:
For the purposes of MIPS implementation, this procedure measure is submitted each time a procedure is performed for the performance period. There is no diagnosis associated with this measure. All sites of the primary procedure and integral procedures performed during that trip to the operating room should be evaluated as part of this measure for possible wound occurrences. If more than one SSI is observed, assign the SSI at the deepest level (superficial, deep or organ/space) that occurs within a 30-day postoperative timeframe. Include only patients that have procedures through November 30th of the performance period. This will allow the evaluation of at least 30 days after the surgical procedure within the performance period. This is an inverse measure which means a lower calculated performance rate for this measure indicates better clinical care or control. The “Performance Not Met” numerator option for this measure is the representation of the better clinical quality or control. Submitting that numerator option will produce a performance rate that trends closer to 0%, as quality increases. For inverse measures, a rate of 100% means all of the denominator eligible patients did not receive the appropriate care or were not in proper control.
Telehealth:
This measure is not appropriate for nor applicable to the telehealth setting. This measure is procedure based and therefore doesn’t allow for the denominator criteria to be conducted via telehealth. It would be appropriate to remove these patients from the denominator eligible patient population. Telehealth eligibility is at the measure level for inclusion within the denominator eligible patient population and based on the measure specification definitions which are independent of changes to coding and/or billing practices.
Measure Submission:
The quality data codes listed do not need to be submitted by MIPS eligible clinicians, groups, or third party intermediaries that utilize this collection type for submissions; however, these codes may be submitted for those third party intermediaries that utilize Medicare Part B claims data. The coding provided to identify the measure criteria: Denominator or Numerator, may be an example of coding that could be used to identify patients that meet the intent of this clinical topic. When implementing this measure, please refer to the ‘Reference Coding’ section to determine if other codes or code languages that meet the intent of the criteria may also be used within the medical record to identify and/or assess patients. For more information regarding Application Programming Interface (API), please refer to the Quality Payment Program (QPP) website.
Denominator
Patients aged 18 years and older who have undergone a surgical procedure
Denominator Criteria (Eligible Cases):
All patients aged 18 years and older
AND
Patient procedure during the performance period (CPT): 11004, 11005, 11006, 11450, 11451, 11462, 11463, 11470, 11471, 11770, 11771, 11772, 15734, 15778, 15920, 15931, 15933, 15940, 15950, 19020, 19101, 19110, 19112, 19120, 19125, 19300, 19301, 19302, 19303, 19305, 19306, 19307, 20100, 20101, 20102, 20200, 20205, 21552, 21554, 21555, 21556, 21557, 21558, 21601, 21602, 21603, 21811, 21812, 21813, 21931, 21932, 21933, 21935, 21936, 22900, 22901, 22902, 22903, 22904, 22905, 23071, 23073, 23075, 23076, 23077, 23078, 24071, 24073, 24075, 24076, 24077, 24079, 25071, 25075, 25077, 25078, 27043, 27045, 27047, 27048, 27049, 27080, 27327, 27328, 27329, 27337, 27339, 27615, 27616, 27632, 27634, 35221, 35251, 35281, 35840, 36561, 36563, 36565, 36566, 36571, 36576, 36590, 36818, 36819, 36820, 36821, 36825, 36830, 37617, 38100, 38115, 38120, 38308, 38500, 38520, 38525, 38530, 38531, 38550, 38555, 38564, 38740, 38745, 38760, 38765, 39501, 39540, 39541, 39560, 43122, 43279, 43280, 43281, 43282, 43286, 43287, 43288, 43325, 43327, 43330, 43332, 43333, 43336, 43337, 43340, 43497, 43500, 43501, 43502, 43510, 43520, 43605, 43610, 43611, 43620, 43621, 43622, 43631, 43632, 43633, 43634, 43640, 43641, 43644, 43645, 43651, 43652, 43653, 43770, 43771, 43772, 43773, 43774, 43775, 43800, 43810, 43820, 43825, 43830, 43831, 43832, 43840, 43843, 43845, 43846, 43847, 43848, 43860, 43865, 43870, 43880, 43886, 43887, 43888, 44005, 44010, 44020, 44021, 44025, 44050, 44055, 44110, 44111, 44120, 44125, 44126, 44127, 44130, 44140, 44141, 44143, 44144, 44145, 44146, 44147, 44150, 44151, 44155, 44156, 44157, 44158, 44160, 44180, 44186, 44187, 44188, 44202, 44204, 44205, 44206, 44207, 44208, 44210, 44211, 44212, 44227, 44300, 44310, 44312, 44314, 44316, 44320, 44322, 44340, 44345, 44346, 44602, 44603, 44604, 44605, 44615, 44620, 44625, 44626, 44640, 44650, 44660, 44661, 44680, 44700, 44800, 44820, 44850, 44900, 44950, 44960, 44970, 45000, 45005, 45020, 45100, 45108, 45110, 45111, 45112, 45113, 45114, 45116, 45119, 45120, 45121, 45123, 45126, 45130, 45135, 45136, 45150, 45160, 45171, 45172, 45395, 45397, 45400, 45402, 45505, 45540, 45541, 45550, 45562, 45563, 45800, 45805, 45900, 45905, 46040, 46045, 46060, 46080, 46200, 46250, 46255, 46257, 46258, 46260, 46261, 46262, 46270, 46275, 46280, 46285, 46288, 46700, 46761, 47010, 47015, 47100, 47120, 47122, 47125, 47130, 47300, 47350, 47360, 47361, 47362, 47370, 47371, 47380, 47400, 47420, 47425, 47460, 47480, 47562, 47563, 47564, 47570, 47600, 47605, 47610, 47612, 47620, 47711, 47712, 47715, 47720, 47721, 47740, 47741, 47760, 47765, 47780, 47785, 47800, 47801, 47900, 48000, 48001, 48020, 48100, 48105, 48120, 48140, 48145, 48146, 48148, 48150, 48152, 48153, 48154, 48155, 48500, 48510, 48520, 48540, 48545, 48547, 48548, 49000, 49002, 49010, 49013, 49014, 49020, 49040, 49060, 49062, 49084, 49186, 49187, 49188, 49189, 49190, 49215, 49255, 49320, 49321, 49322, 49323, 49324, 49325, 49402, 49421, 49422, 49425, 49426, 49429, 49436, 49505, 49507, 49520, 49521, 49525, 49540, 49550, 49553, 49555, 49557, 49591, 49592, 49593, 49594, 49595, 49596, 49613, 49614, 49615, 49616, 49617, 49618, 49621, 49622, 49650, 49651, 49900, 50205, 50500, 50740, 55520, 55540, 57305, 57307, 60200, 60210, 60212, 60220, 60225, 60240, 60252, 60254, 60260, 60270, 60271, 60500, 60502, 60520, 60540, 60545, 60650
Numerator
Number of patients with a surgical site infection
Definitions:
Superficial Incision SSI – “Superficial incision SSI” is an infection that occurs within 30 days after the operation and infection involves only skin or subcutaneous tissue of the incision and at least one of the following:
- Purulent drainage, with or without laboratory confirmation, from the superficial incision
- Organisms isolated from an aseptically obtained culture of fluid or tissue from the superficial incision
- At least one of the following signs or symptoms of infection: pain or tenderness, localized swelling, redness, or heat AND superficial incision is deliberately opened by the surgeon, unless incision is culture-negative
- Diagnosis of superficial incision SSI by the surgeon or attending physician
Deep Incision SSI – “Deep Incision SSI” is an infection that occurs within 30 days after the operation and the infection appears to be related to the operation and infection involved deep soft tissues (for example, fascial and muscle layers) of the incision and at least one of the following:
- Purulent drainage from the deep incision but not from the organ/space component of the surgical site
- A deep incision spontaneously dehisces or is deliberately opened by a surgeon when the patient has at least one of the following signs or symptoms: fever (> 38 C), localized pain, or tenderness, unless site is culture-negative
- An abscess or other evidence of infection involving the deep incision is found on direct examination, during re-operation, or by histopathologic or radiologic examination
- Diagnosis of a deep incision SSI by a surgeon or attending physician
Organ/Space SSI – “Organ/Space SSI” is an infection that occurs within 30 days after the operation and the infection appears to be related to the operation and the infection involves any part of the anatomy (for example, organs or spaces), other than the incision, which was opened or manipulated during an operation and at least one of the following:
- Purulent drainage from a drain that is placed through a stab wound into the organ/space.
- Organisms isolated from an aseptically obtained culture of fluid or tissue in the organ/space
- An abscess or other evidence of infection involving the organ/space that is found on direct examination, during re-operation, or by histopathologic or radiologic examination
- Diagnosis of an organ/space SSI by a surgeon or attending physician
Numerator Instructions:
INVERSE MEASURE - A lower calculated performance rate for this measure indicates better clinical care or control. The “Performance Not Met” numerator option for this measure is the representation of the better clinical quality or control. Submitting that numerator option will produce a performance rate that trends closer to 0%, as quality increases. For inverse measures, a rate of 100% means all of the denominator eligible patients did not receive the appropriate care or were not in proper control.
Numerator Options:
Performance Met: Surgical site infection (G9312)
OR
Performance Not Met: No surgical site infection (G9311)
Rationale
This is an adverse surgical outcome, which is often a preventable cause of harm, thus it is important to measure and report. It is feasible to collect the data and produce reliable and valid results about the quality of care. It is useful and understandable to stakeholders. This measure was developed in a collaborative effort by the American College of Surgeons and the American Board of Surgery. This measure addresses the National Quality Strategy Priorities, and was identified by an expert panel of physician providers to be a critical outcome for this procedure. This measure addresses a high-impact condition as it is one of the most common procedures performed in the U.S. The measure aligns well with the intended use. The care settings include Acute Care Facilities/Hospitals. Data are being collected in a clinical registry that has been in existence for over 10 years, with over 5500 current, active users. Thus, we are requesting consideration of this measure in the MIPS CQM reporting option. The level of analysis is the clinician/individual. All populations are included, except children. The measure allows measurement across the person-centered episode of care out to 30 days after the procedure whether an inpatient, outpatient, or readmitted. The measure addresses disparities in care. The risk adjustment is performed with a parsimonious dataset and aims to allow efficient data collection resources and data reporting. The measure has been harmonized when possible.
Clinical Recommendation Statements
A modified-Delphi methodology using an expert panel of surgeons who are Directors of the American Board of Surgery identified this to be a critical outcome for this surgical procedure (Surgeon Specific Registry Report on Project for ABS MOC Part IV. Unpublished study by the American College of Surgeons in conjunction with the American Board of Surgery, 2011).