ACO Reporting

In the ACO Spotlight Newsletter on August 9, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provided updates on the Shared Savings Program’s requirement for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and their participants to report on the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Promoting Interoperability (PI) performance category. This reporting requirement, outlined in the CY 2024 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule, is critical for ACOs participating in the Shared Savings Program, beginning in the performance year 2025.

On July 13, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced a proposed rule for the 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS).

During the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS) 2023 Spring Conference, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) highlighted its ambitious plan for transitioning fully to digital quality measurement. Their focus is on improving healthcare quality, aligning with the CMS Quality Strategy, reducing the burden on healthcare providers, and promoting health equity. In this blog post, we will discuss the CMS digital quality measurement transformation goals, Accountable Care Organization (ACO) engagement efforts, and lessons learned from these initiatives.

Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program will have new reporting requirements beginning in 2025. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has established a multi-year transition period to change the data that these organizations must report and how the data gets submitted. The changes are intended to reduce reporting burdens and improve patient outcomes. Partnering with a CMS Qualified Registry like MDinteractive can ease the transition for ACOs and help them meet their data reporting needs. 

CMS will sunset the Web Interface after the 2024 performance year, so this will no longer be a data submission option going forward for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Beginning in 2025 ACOs participating in the Medicare Shared Saving Program (MSSP) will be required to report on all-payer eCQM/CQM MIPS measures established under the new APM Performance Pathway (APP). While these changes will present some challenges for ACOs, this article provides tips to help prepare for the end of the Web Interface and to support compliance with the new reporting requirements.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will delay the requirement that Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) begin reporting all-payer Quality data through the new APM Performance Pathway (APP). ACOs will have the option to continue submitting data via the CMS Web Interface through the 2024 performance year. ACOs will have to report all three APP Quality measures (CQMs or eCQMs) beginning in 2025. In this article, we highlight the implications for ACOs, including the new APP quality measure set and strategies for successful reporting in future years.