Administrative Memos

200405

FROM: Theodore O. Will, Chief Executive Officer
DATE: Apr 19, 2004
SUBJECT: Medicare Annual Payment Update
IPRO CONTACTS:

Doreen Bedaw, Assistant Director, Hospital Reporting, 1-800-233-0360 Ext. 111, dbedaw@nyqio.sdps.org

Ensure that your hospital receives its full Medicare Annual Payment Update for 2005 by participating in the Reporting Hospital Quality Data for Annual Payment Update (RHQDAPU) Initiative. RHQDAPU is managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Under Section 501(b) of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA), hospitals must submit quality performance data for all payers on all 10 required quality measures to receive the full Annual Payment Update. Hospitals that do not participate in RHQDAPU will receive a 0.4 percent reduction in the Annual Payment Update. Please refer to the enclosed Reference Checklist for details. To receive the full Annual Payment Update, hospitals must:

1. Register now for QualityNet Exchange via www.qnetexchange.org to allow transmission of data for RHQDAPU.
2. Complete and submit a RHQDAPU Notice of Participation form (enclosed) before August 1, 2004 to:
Doreen Bedaw, Assistant Director Hospital Reporting
IPRO Albany Regional Office
20 Corporate Woods Blvd
Albany NY 12211-2370
Please note: The Notice of Participation form is required even if you have already enrolled in the National Voluntary Hospital Reporting Initiative.
3. Collect data on all 10 quality measures for all payers (the same measures as identified in the starter set for the National Voluntary Hospital Reporting Initiative (NVHRI) ).
4. Submit the data on all 10 quality measures for all payers to www.qnetexchange.org with the knowledge that CMS intends to publicly report the data.

IPRO is your resource for enrollment and participation in RHQDAPU. Our goal is to make sure that your hospital receives the full Annual Payment Update. We can assist with:

• Registration forms for QualityNet Exchange.
• RHQDAPU Notice of Participation forms.
• Data collection and submission questions.
• Information about public reporting of hospital data.

A RHQDAPU Questions and Answers document and a "What Hospitals Need to Know" timeline are enclosed for your convenience. For more information, please contact Doreen Bedaw, Assistant Director Hospital Reporting, 1-800-233-0360 ext 111, dbedaw@nyqio.sdps.org, or visit us on the Web at www.ipro.org.

1. Reporting Hospital Quality Data for Annual Payment Update
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Reference Checklist/Process Detail Checklist
• Appendix A-Reporting Hospital Quality Data for Annual Payment Update Notice of Participation
• Appendix B-Hospital authorization for Vendor Transmission
• Appendix C-Timeline for Reporting Hospital Quality Data for Annual Payment Update
• Appendix D-Withdrawal of Participation in the Hospital Quality Data for Annual Payment Update
• Appendix E-Sample Selection Methodology for Non-JCAHO Accredited Hospitals
• Appendix F-Hospital Validation Process
2. Q's and A's Reporting Hospital Data for Annual Payment Update
3. Reporting Hospital Quality Data for Annual Payment Update (RHQDAPU) - What Hospitals Need to Know