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News | | SPH Analytics Awarded QCDR and CAHPS® for MIPS Vendor Approvals

SPH Analytics Awarded QCDR and CAHPS® for MIPS Vendor Approvals

Top ranked MACRA and MIPS Technology vendor, SPH Analytics, announced today their approval by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) to report data on behalf of MIPS eligible clinicians, as well as their approval to move from conditional to final approval to administer the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) for Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) survey.

As part of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), CMS created the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in which individual clinicians and groups report data for performance categories including Quality, Advancing Care Information, and Improvement Activities. As a QCDR, SPH Analytics (SPH) is approved to report data for these categories on behalf of individual MIPS eligible clinicians and groups for the 2017 MIPS performance period. By submitting data for the 2017 reporting period, MIPS eligible clinicians can avoid negative payment adjustments and be eligible for positive payment adjustments in Medicare Part B reimbursement.

The CAHPS for MIPS Survey measures patients’ experience and care within a clinician group and must be conducted by a CMS-approved vendor like SPH Analytics. The MIPS program provides several incentives for survey participation. The CAHPS for MIPS survey counts as a patient experience measure in the Quality performance category and fulfills the requirement to report at least one high priority measure. The CAHPS for MIPS survey also counts as a high-weighted activity in the Improvement Activities performance category. In order for groups to elect participation in the 2017 CAHPS for MIPS survey, they must register with CMS by June 30, 2017.

“We are committed to helping clinician groups not only meet MIPS reporting requirements, but to excel in quality measurement so that they are able to maximize their reimbursement for providing high quality care. Our CAHPS for MIPS and award-winning QCDR Plus solutions include streamlined data collection, advanced analytics, and data submission to free providers up from burdensome data manipulation so they can focus on providing quality care to their patients,” said Amy Amick, CEO of SPH Analytics. “However, even more important than supporting efficient and comprehensive data submission for our clients, we are honored to be a part of our clients’ journey towards delivering on the Triple Aim as they move towards value-based care.”

In addition to these new approvals, SPH Analytics is a CMS-approved survey vendor for the Hospital CAHPS (HCAHPS), Medicare CAHPS, CAHPS for ACOs, QHP Enrollee, and Medicare HOS surveys. The company is also NCQA-certified to conduct the Commercial and Medicaid CAHPS and CAHPS PCMH surveys. SPH’s MDinsight® population health solution is also an NCQA-Certified PCMH Pre-validation Solution. The QCDR and CAHPS for MIPS approvals complement the company’s current service offerings and commitment to empowering value-based care through clinical, financial, and experience solutions for healthcare providers and health plans.

CAHPS is a program and registered trademark of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.