Federal and national quality reporting programs
Quality data from hospitals and providers are collected and published by a variety of public and private organizations. Much of the data is available online for free to the general public. Federal programs increasingly tie reimbursement to quality, with incentives and penalties based on performance and improvement.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The National Healthcare Safety Network tracks health care-associated infections, antimicrobial use, vaccination rates and other key metrics related to infection prevention, control and public health. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and some states require hospitals to submit data to the Patient Safety Component as a condition of participation or maintenance of licensure.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Quality Payment Program
CMS began the Quality Payment Program on Jan. 1, 2017. QPP fulfills the mandate of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act to implement an incentive program that rewards Medicare-participating clinicians for high-quality, cost-efficient, value-based care.
QPP comprises two tracks: the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and the Advanced Alternative Payment Models. ID physicians may choose which track to participate in based on practice size, location, or patient population. Most ID physicians will participate in MIPS. For information on your MIPS eligibility, enter your 10-digit National Provider Identifier into the CMS QPP Participation Status tool. The QPP website includes webinars, an online library and data.
CMS updates the QPP and physician payment formulas annually, typically by issuing a proposed rule, on which it receives public comment, and then a final rule. IDSA continually submits comment letters on the proposed and final QPP/physician fee schedule rules, advocating on behalf of our members to CMS and Congress.
Please email clinicalaffairs@idsociety.org to let us know how proposed changes may impact you and your ability to recruit and retain ID physicians. Your voices help inform and strengthen our advocacy.
Resources for Medicare and Medicaid services
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Quality Payment Program link
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Reporting Options Overview link
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CMS Physician Quality Reporting Programs Strategic Vision pdf
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The Medicare Research, Statistics, Data & Systems Page link
Contains free and purchasable information, including utilization rates, cost reports, error rates and beneficiary and provider surveys.
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Hospital Quality Initiative-Hospitals link
CMS publishes data on hospitals for providers and consumers, including a Provider Data Catalog.
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Provider Data Catalog link
CMS publishes data on hospitals for providers and consumers, including a Provider Data Catalog.
Other organizations
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The Joint Commission link
Performance measures are required for hospital accreditation by The Joint Commission. Some of the existing and proposed measures are related to infections, particularly in surgical cases.
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The Leapfrog Group link
A private organization founded by employers and purchasers of health insurance, the Leapfrog Group offers a free, annual survey to hospitals on patient safety and other quality practices, many of which are related to infection prevention and health care-associated infections. Data are publicly available on their website including rankings of top hospitals based on their assessments.