WoundExpert Flash #16

{Straight talk for clients}

Are you ready for MIPS? Get details about the MIPS categories plus WoundExpert powered by xfit functionality and resources available to support you.

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September 2017

The Keys to MIPS:

Providers have the opportunity to report MIPS in a variety of ways. If you chose to report data for a 90-day period, October 2, 2017, is the last date to get started!* Is your facility prepared to comply and avoid penalties? In this edition of the Flash, we will dive into some details around the MIPS program and cover how WoundExpert powered by xfit can help streamline the process for your facility.

MIPS provides four categories which will be used to calculate a provider’s performance based payment adjustment. In this first, transitional year, only three of the categories will be used: Quality, Advancing Care Information, and Improvement Activities. In future years, Cost will be added as the fourth category. Understanding how your hospital and EHR support each of the three relevant categories is crucial for your reporting success!

Quality

The Quality category replaces the PQRS program for 2017 and folds it into the MIPS Quality Payment Program.

1. How many measures do I need to report on in 2017?
   • This year, providers will need to document and report on 6 Quality measures including 1 outcome measure.
   • WoundExpert has you covered with 9 Electronic Quality Measures (eCQMs) that can be used by outpatient wound clinics for the EHR data submission method and have been certified per ONC-ACB certification criteria. Find the 9 available measures and instructions on how to document the measures you choose in our How-To Documentation in the ‘Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Access’ section.
2. What is the reporting period in 2017?
   • In 2017, providers can report a full 90 days of data to avoid a negative adjustment and possibly earn a slight increase in their payment rate. The 90-day period for 2017 can start no later than October 2^nd, 2017. Check with your hospital administration to ensure your team is prepared to start documenting on time.
3. How and when do I report to CMS that I have documented and tracked my Quality measures?
   • Once the 90-day reporting period is over, providers have until March 31, 2018, to submit data to CMS. Net Health provides our clients the tools to easily export Quality data in the approved QRDA file format for upload to the CMS website. This is integrated functionality offered by Net Health at no cost to our clients and eliminates the need to pay additional fees for a registry or QCDR. To learn more about the CMS reporting process, visit the new QPP website.
   • Look for upcoming communication about changes to the eCQM Report in WoundExpert which will allow facilities to see specifics about each measure and provide patient-level information about numerator and denominator inclusion for easier tracking of the Quality Measures.

Advancing Care Information:

This category was formerly referred to as Meaningful Use and in 2017 requires providers to attest to using a Meaningful Use Stage 2 product that is certified as either the 2014 or 2015 edition.

1. How do I make sure I’m using a certified product?
   • Good news! WoundExpert is compliant and certified Stage 2-2014 Edition in accordance with the ONC-ACB certification criteria. This means that if your facility is configured for Meaningful Use (which you can easily tell by looking in the upper right-hand corner of WoundExpert to see if the words “Configured for Meaningful Use” are present) then you are good to go!
   • If you are unsure if your facility is configured for the Advancing Care Information category, just reach out to Customer Support.
2. How do I attest to CMS that I used a certified product?
   • WoundExpert makes this process easy too by supporting the Advancing Care Information (ACI) measures that you will need to attest to. Click here to find more details regarding ACI.
   • At the end of the reporting period, which is the same 90-day timeframe as Quality, you will be able to access data to verify your use of a certified product and report that data to the CMS reporting website.
   • Currently, the Meaningful Use Grid Report in WoundExpert is still using outdated terminology for measures but this is being updated soon to make tracking specific ACI measures even easier within WoundExpert. Our How-To Documentation is also being updated to provide a cross-mapping of previous measures to the new ones.

Improvement Activities

This is a new category for 2017 and largely places the burden on your clinic for choosing from the list of improvement activities provided by CMS.

1. What are Improvement Activities and what are some examples?
   • The various Improvement Activities which are determined by CMS can be found on the CMS website.
2. What is the reporting period in 2017?
   • Just like with Quality and Advancing Care Information, the reporting period for Improvement Activities is 90-days so make sure to implement these activities no later than October 2^nd, 2017.
3. Can I use WoundExpert to support these Improvement Activities?
   • Because Improvement Activities documentation happens outside of your EHR, you will need to work with your clinic or hospital administration to choose and implement Improvement Activities.

We know this new payment model from CMS can create a lot of questions and uncertainty, and at Net Health we want to do everything we can to help our clients understand and support these requirements. Our Customer Support Team is happy to assist you in understanding the WoundExpert functionality that supports these requirements. Reach the team at feedback@nethealth.com or 844-464-9348 option 2. The WoundExpert How-To Documentation is also full of content to help you prepare for the upcoming reporting period. Hover over your name in the upper right corner of WoundExpert powered by xfit to find the How-To Documentation and click on “Regulatory Functionality” on the left-hand panel to view content related to MIPS.

Looking for additional guidance? Contact Net Health at 800-411-6281 option 3 or info@nethealth.com and inquire about our Professional Services offering which can provide your clinic with personalized recommendations to satisfy the MIPS requirements in 2017.

*CMS is granting exceptions under certain Medicare quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs in areas in Texas and Louisiana due to the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey. Click here to read more and see if your county or parish is exempt.

 

WoundExpert Experts

This month’s contributor was Sheila Cougras, Director of Compliance

 

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Connections Corner

Do you love placing DME product orders for your patients using WoundExpert? Be sure to visit the Connections page to easily access order forms for all participating vendors and see the status of previously placed orders for your patient all on a single screen. Placing an order through the Connections page is the simplest and most efficient way to submit orders to your preferred vendor in WoundExpert! You can access the Connections page by clicking into the Visit Actions dropdown menu in the upper right-hand corner of the page when in a visit.

Have additional questions about placing orders through the Connections page? Please contact Net Health Customer Support for additional information or click here to learn more.

 

Brought to you by Michael Ashbaugh, Account Manager

 

 

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ICD-10-CM Update

The CDC has released an update to the ICD-10-CM codes that will take effect October 1^st, 2017. Rest easy—WoundExpert has you covered and the updated codes will be ready for your use on October 1^st.

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Did you know?

Each month this section features a favorite quick tip from a team member. 

Did you know that there is a new workflow navigation option available to all users? If you want to free up some space on the screen for documentation, start using the Vertical Workflow panel which allows you to display your workflow and associated documents as a list along the left-hand side of your workspace instead of with nodes along the top. The Vertical Workflow panel is fully collapsible when you are inside a visit to help save space and allow you to focus on documentation for an even more streamlined experience. Go to My Profile -> System Configuration -> Workflow Configuration and select “Display Document Workflow Panel” to try this new feature today!

Please contact WoundExpert Client Services at feedback@nethealth.com if you have any questions.

 

Brought to you by Jonathan Graber, WoundExpert Client Advocate