Maryland Implements New eCQM Data Reporting Initiative

Maryland has partnered with its state-designated health information exchange (HIE), called CRISP, and healthcare data management company Medisolv to implement an initiative that would require all hospitals in the state to submit electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) data on a quarterly basis.

eCQMs are standardized measures that track a hospital’s quality of care performance using data from EHRs. Clinical quality measures typically assess health outcomes, clinical processes, patient safety, efficient use of healthcare resources, care coordination, patient engagement, population and public health, and adherence to clinical guidelines.

Hospitals are required to submit eCQMs annually as part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service's (CMS) Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) program. As part of their hospital accreditation, organizations must also report this data to The Joint Commission.

Under Maryland’s new quality reporting mandate, hospitals are required to report eCQM data on a quarterly basis via the Medisolv Submission Portal integrated with CRISP's HIE portal. The initiative aims to enable the state to evaluate hospital performance, identify areas for improvement statewide, and integrate benchmarks into policy development effectively.

Information about hospital performance would also allow the Maryland Health Care Commission to expand its reporting and be more transparent with the public.

"The State of Maryland has always been a leader when it comes to quality reporting, and this initiative aligns with our goal of delivering the right health information to the right place at the right time," said Dianne Feeney, associate director of Quality Initiatives for the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission, in the press release. "We are proud to once again lead the way in this space, and we hope to see other states adopt this model of reporting because it will ultimately lead to safer and more equitable, efficient, and effective care for our nation's patients."

During the project’s pilot phase, 35 hospitals successfully submitted eCQM data via the CRISP/Medisolv Submission Portal for the optional 2021 performance period. Starting on July 15, all Maryland hospitals must submit their eCQM data quarterly.

This announcement follows other efforts to improve eCQM data reporting and management.

In April, the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS) launched a task force to develop recommendations for ACO digital quality measurement.

CMS evaluates ACOs on multiple quality measures based on eCQM data, but digital quality measurement is often challenging because it requires data aggregation across disparate EHR systems.

The NAACOS Digital Quality Measurement Task Force aims to bring together ACO leaders and other experts to identify challenges, help generate potential solutions, and recommend policies.

The task force is set to publish its recommendations in a policy paper later this year. Following publication, NAACOS will gather healthcare stakeholders to discuss the policy recommendations.