About Quality
The mission of California hospitals is to deliver safe, quality care that is accessible to all. Hospitals participate in many activities to improve the quality and safety of the care they provide. California hospitals have a trusted partner in the Hospital Quality Institute, which helps them reduce errors and maximize patient safety. One of the ways in which HQI does this is by being a source of performance data and analytics. The data help focus improvement opportunities and scale best practices.
CMS Posts List of Measures Under Consideration for Federal Quality Programs
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted its annual list of measures under consideration (MUC) for use in quality reporting and payment programs. The list includes boarding measures on patient safety and emergency departments for hospitals.
What else to know: As required by law, the MUC list will be reviewed by the Partnership for Quality Measurement’s (PQM) Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review (PRMR) committees, who will provide CMS with recommendations on the measures’ appropriateness for federal quality programs by Feb. 1, 2025. Written public comments can be provided to the PRMR by Dec. 30, and the public can register for listening sessions and committee meetings on the PQM website.
CHA Issues Summaries of CY 2025 OPPS, Physician Fee Schedule Final Rules
What’s happening: Summaries of the calendar year (CY) 2025 outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) and physician fee schedule final rules are available for CHA members.
What else to know: The rules are effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Register for Upcoming DataGen Webinar on CY 2025 OPPS Final Rule
What’s happening: On Dec. 5 at noon (PT), a DataGen webinar will share an overview of and the calendar year 2025 outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) final rule and analysis. What else to know: CHA encourages members to register for this webinar.
2025 ESRD PPS Final Rule Members-Only Summary Available Now
What’s happening: A members-only summary of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ calendar year (CY) 2025 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule, prepared by Health Policy Alternatives, Inc., is available.
What else to know: The regulation is effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Members-Only Summary on CMS 2025 Home Health PPS Final Rule Now Available
What’s happening: A summary of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ calendar year (CY) 2025 home health (HH) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule, prepared by Health Policy Alternatives, Inc., is available solely to CHA members.
What else to know: The regulation is effective Jan. 1, 2025.
CMS Reduces Medicare Payments to Physicians in Final Rule
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its calendar year (CY) 2025 Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS) final rule, in which the final CY 2025 PFS conversion factor is $32.35 — a decrease of 2.8% from CY 2024.
What else to know: CMS published a fact sheet on the CY 2025 Medicare PFS that shares the rate setting and conversion factor, and much more.
CMS Finalizes Medicare Payments for Home Health, Dialysis Services
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued final rules for the calendar year 2025 home health prospective payment system (PPS) and end-stage renal disease PPS.
What else to know: CMS estimates a 0.5% increase in payments for home health agencies and dialysis providers treating end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients will see an increase of 2.7%.
CMS Finalizes Inadequate Outpatient Payment Update, Establishes New Conditions of Participation
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its calendar year (CY) 2025 outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) final rule, including a net market basket update of 2.9%.
What else to know: CMS also establishes new health and safety standards for obstetrical services to be phased in over two years.
Exploring the Future of AI in Health Care: Insights from the HQI and Hospital Council Conference
What’s happening: At this year’s Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) and Hospital Council Conference, thought leaders and cutting-edge practitioners convened for conversations about artificial intelligence (AI) in health care and how it may evolve in the future.
What else to know: About 350 people, including frontline patient safety professionals, chief nursing officers, and hospital leaders, attended the event at Lake Tahoe Oct. 20-21.
HQI Quality Quarterly Spotlights Patient Safety Strategies
What’s happening: The latest edition of Quality Quarterly explores the prevalence of behavioral health conditions among California hospital encounters, the dangers of menopause misdiagnosis, new patient safety measures outlined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the need for effective reporting of workplace violence incidents by hospital staff.
What else to know: More than half of California hospitals now use HQI’s Hospital Quality Improvement Platform (HQIP), which provides comparative analytics to help hospitals identify opportunities for improvement. Learn about HQIP’s new features and updates in this latest edition.