Clinical Quality Measures
As part of the requirements for achieving Meaningful Use as defined by the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS), eligible professionals will be required to report ambulatory clinical quality measures (CQMs) to CMS or the
States.
Eligible professionals (EPs) must report from a list of 44 clinical quality measures, including 3 Core, 3 Alternate Core, and 38 additional CQMs.
The 3 core CQMs are:
- Hypertension: Blood Pressure Measurement
- Preventive Care and Screening Measure Pair: a) Tobacco Use Assessment, and b) Tobacco Cessation Intervention
- Adult Weight Screening and Follow-up
- Weight Assessment and Counseling for Children and Adolescents
- Preventive Care and Screening: Influenza Immunization for Patients 50 years old or older
- Childhood Immunization Status
To summarize, EPs must report on 6 total measures: 3 required core measures (substituting alternate core measures where necessary) and 3 additional measures.
In 2011, EPs can submit CQM data by attestation. However, in 2012, EPs will be required to electronically submit CQM data.
For further information visit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid website.
- Hypertension: Blood Pressure Measurement
- Preventive Care and Screening Measure Pair: a) Tobacco Use Assessment, b) Tobacco Cessation Intervention
- Adult Weight Screening and Follow-up
- Weight Assessment and Counseling for Children and Adolescents
- Preventive Care and Screening: Influenza Immunization for Patients 50 years old or older
- Childhood Immunization Status
- Diabetes: Hemoglobin A1c Poor Control
- Diabetes: Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) Management and Control
- Diabetes: Blood Pressure Management
- Heart Failure (HF): Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitor or Angiotensin Receptor Blocker (ARB) Therapy for Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction (LVSD)
- Coronary Artery Disease (CAD): Beta-Blocker Therapy for CAD Patients with Prior Myocardial Infarction (MI)
- Pneumonia Vaccination Status for Older Adults
- Breast Cancer Screening
- Colorectal Cancer Screening
- Coronary Artery Disease (CAD): Oral Antiplatelet Therapy Prescribed for Patients with CAD
- Heart Failure (HF): Beta-Blocker Therapy for Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction (LVSD)
- Anti-depressant medication management: (a) Effective Acute Phase Treatment, (b)Effective Continuation Phase Treatment
- Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG): Optic Nerve Evaluation
- Diabetic Retinopathy: Documentation of Presence or Absence of Macular Edema and Level of Severity of Retinopathy
- Diabetic Retinopathy: Communication with the Physician Managing Ongoing Diabetes Care
- Asthma Pharmacologic Therapy
- Asthma Assessment
- Appropriate Testing for Children with Pharyngitis
- Oncology Breast Cancer: Hormonal Therapy for Stage IC-IIIC Estrogen Receptor/Progesterone Receptor (ER/PR) Positive Breast Cancer
- Oncology Colon Cancer: Chemotherapy for Stage III Colon Cancer Patients
- Prostate Cancer: Avoidance of Overuse of Bone Scan for Staging Low Risk Prostate Cancer Patients
- Smoking and Tobacco Use Cessation, Medical Assistance: a) Advising Smokers and Tobacco Users to Quit, b) Discussing Smoking and Tobacco Use Cessation Medications, c) Discussing Smoking and Tobacco Use Cessation Strategies
- Diabetes: Eye Exam
- Diabetes: Urine Screening
- Diabetes: Foot Exam
- Coronary Artery Disease (CAD): Drug Therapy for Lowering LDL-Cholesterol
- Heart Failure (HF): Warfarin Therapy Patients with Atrial Fibrillation
- Ischemic Vascular Disease (IVD): Blood Pressure Management
- Ischemic Vascular Disease (IVD): Use of Aspirin or Another Antithrombotic
- Initiation and Engagement of Alcohol and Other Drug Dependence Treatment: a) Initiation, b) Engagement
- Prenatal Care: Screening for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
- Prenatal Care: Anti-D Immune Globulin
- Controlling High Blood Pressure
- Cervical Cancer Screening
- Chlamydia Screening for Women
- Use of Appropriate Medications for Asthma
- Low Back Pain: Use of Imaging Studies
- Ischemic Vascular Disease (IVD): Complete Lipid Panel and LDL Control
- Diabetes: Hemoglobin A1c Control (<8.0%)