News: CMS releases list of 32 possible quality measures

CMS released a list of 32 reporting measures—whittled down from a possible 184—under consideration for the quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs, according to Modern Healthcare. To accomplish this, CMS assessed which measure stood up to their “meaningful measures” standards, according to the announcement on the CMS Blog.

Last year’s list, according to Modern Healthcare, was comprised of nearly 100 measures. Based on CMS Administrator Seema Verma’s push to reduce regulatory burden, the number cut does not come as a surprise.

According to CMS’ announcement, approximately 40% of the measures under consideration are outcome measures, including patient-reported outcome measures. There are also eight episode-based cost measures.

“[The measures on the list] have the potential to drive improvement in quality across numerous settings of care, including clinician practices, hospitals, and dialysis facilities,” said Kate Goodrich, MD, MHS, director, Center for Clinical Standards & Quality, CMS chief medical officer, in the announcement.

Editor’s note: To read Modern Healthcare’s coverage of this story, click here. To read the announcement from CMS, click here. To read the full list of measures under consideration, click here. To read about CMS’ “meaningful measures” initiative, click here.