Source: https://www.chpso.org/post/cms-updates-pso-reporting-requirements-2017
Timestamp: 2020-02-24 14:35:22
Document Index: 209789349

Matched Legal Cases: ['§156', '§156', '§156', '§156', '§156', '§156', '§156', '§156', '§156']

CMS Updates PSO Reporting Requirements for 2017 - CHPSO
In a proposed rule issued December 2, 2015, CMS outlines its vision for compliance with the quality provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The full text of the discussion is worth reading, as it lays out the plans for 2017 as well as anticipated future changes. In summary, CMS proposes that, in the short term, hospitals of 50 beds or more have the opportunity to either: 1) report to a PSO and have a comprehensive discharge program or 2) participate in a comprehensive initiative to reduce all-cause preventable harm, prevent readmissions, improve care coordination and improve health care quality through the collection, management and analysis of patient safety events.
In addition, CMS strongly encourages the use of the PSO Common Formats, even for those hospitals not working with a PSO. CMS plans to continually review these requirements and anticipates greater PSO utilization in the future.
… A QHP issuer that contracts with a hospital with greater than 50 beds must verify that the hospital… For plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2017… (i)(A) Utilizes a patient safety evaluation system as defined in 42 CFR 3.20 [this means that it reports to a PSO]; and (B) Implements a mechanism for comprehensive person-centered hospital discharge to improve care coordination and health care quality for each patient; or (ii) Implements evidence-based initiatives to reduce all cause preventable harm, prevent hospital readmission, improve care coordination and improve health care quality through the collection, management and analysis of patient safety events.
Discussion in preamble to proposed rule
… We propose to strengthen QHP patient safety standards in accordance with section 1311(h) of the Affordable Care Act for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2017. In addition to hospital requirements to meet certain quality and patient safety standards delineated in the Medicare Conditions of Participation, HHS has engaged with several initiatives such as the Patient Safety Organization (PSO) program, Hospital Engagement Networks and the Quality Improvement Organizations, to broaden the national impact on reducing patient harm.… We also propose to add new paragraph (a)(2)(i)(A) to specify that for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2017, a QHP issuer that contracts with a hospital with greater than 50 beds must verify that the hospital uses a patient safety evaluation system as defined in 42 CFR 3.20. The patient safety evaluation system is defined in the PHS Act as the collection, management, or analysis of information for reporting to or by a Patient Safety Organization. We propose in §156.1110(a)(2)(i)(B) to require that a QHP issuer that contracts with a hospital with greater than 50 beds must ensure that the hospital implemented a comprehensive person-centered discharge program to improve care coordination and health care quality for each patient. We believe that use of a data-driven approach, analytic feedback, and shared learning to advance patient safety, such as working with a PSO, are essential to implementing meaningful interventions to improve patient health care quality.
In accordance with the flexibility provided to the Secretary under section 1311(h)(2) of the Affordable Care Act to establish reasonable exceptions to the QHP issuer patient safety requirements, we propose in §156.1110(a)(2)(ii), that the hospital may implement evidence-based initiatives to reduce all cause preventable harm, prevent hospital readmission, improve care coordination and improve health care quality through the collection, management and analysis of patient safety events by a means other than reporting of such information to or by a PSO. For example, a QHP issuer may comply with the proposed patient safety standards if the applicable QHP issuer-contracted hospital participates through the Partnership for Patients initiative as part of a Hospital Engagement Network. We believe this would allow for flexibility and promote alignment for hospitals that already engage in effective national, State, public and private patient safety programs. Although hospital patient safety programs are diverse, we believe that promoting a common goal of preventing the risk of patient harm in an effective, sustainable way is important. We also believe it is important to recognize the core components of a hospital patient safety program, including development of comprehensive patient safety systems to identify, report and analyze data; tracking of process and outcome measures; encouraging a culture of safety with leadership and health care provider support and expertise; and engaging patients and families in quality improvement and action plans. Over time, as PSO activities continue to expand in scope, maturity and effectiveness to advance efforts to ensure patient safety, we anticipate continuing to reassess the reasonable exceptions to the QHP issuer patient safety requirements outlined in §156.1110(a)(2)(ii). We expect that QHP-issuer contracted hospitals with more than 50 beds will contract with a PSO and implement a comprehensive person-centered discharge program to improve care coordination and health care quality for each patient. HHS will continue to monitor the status of the PSO program and other patient safety initiatives and will develop additional requirements or guidance, if needed, to support effective patient safety strategies and harmonization of evidence-based standards and requirements under §156.1110.
In addition, HHS strongly supports hospital tracking of patient safety events using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Common Formats, which are a useful tool for a hospital regardless of what patient safety interventions are implemented for ongoing, data-driven quality assessment. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality anticipates releasing version 2.0 of the Common Formats for Event Reporting – Hospitals, which would define a systematic process for reporting adverse events, near misses and unsafe conditions, and allow a hospital to report harm from all causes. We believe that use of Common Formats, and aligning with existing HHS recommendations for hospitals, is integral whether a hospital chooses to work with a PSO to comply with the proposed requirement in §156.1110(a)(2)(i) or implements the alternative approach under the reasonable exception provision as proposed in §156.1110(a)(2)(ii).
We propose in §156.1110(b) to amend the documentation requirement to specify that, for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2017, a QHP issuer to collect information from each of its contracted hospitals with greater than 50 beds to demonstrate that those hospitals meet the patient safety standards required in paragraph (a)(2) of this section. Such information could include a copy of the current agreement to partner with a PSO, a Hospital Engagement Network, or a Quality Improvement Organization. The documentation should reflect implementation of PSO activities, such as PSOs and hospitals working together to collect, report and analyze patient safety events, and implementation of a comprehensive person-centered hospital discharge program to demonstrate compliance with the proposed requirements in §156.1110(a)(2)(i); or implementation of other patient safety initiatives to reduce all cause preventable harm, prevent hospital readmission, improve care coordination and improve health care quality through the collection, management and analysis of patient safety events to demonstrate compliance with the reasonable exception provision proposed to be captured in §156.1110(a)(2)(ii).…
…We seek comment specifically on the proposals to require that a QHP issuer that contracts with a hospital with greater than 50 beds must verify that the hospital uses a patient safety evaluation system and implements a comprehensive person-centered discharge program to improve care coordination and health care quality for each patient. We also seek comment on the reasonable exception provision under which the QHP issuer-contracted hospital with greater than 50 beds may implement evidence-based initiatives other than working with a PSO to reduce all cause preventable harm, prevent hospital readmission, improve care coordination and improve health care quality through the collection, management and analysis of patient safety events. We are considering providing that QHP issuers must ensure that their contracted hospitals as described in section 1311(h) are standardizing reporting of patient safety events with the use of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Common Formats, and we seek comment regarding this potential requirement. We seek comment on the types of information, such as hospital agreements with PSOs, HENs or QIOs, that may be submitted to a QHP issuer to comply with the proposed standard…