March 14, 2025 now is the deadline for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (“CAHs”) to submit calendar year (“CY”) electronic clinical quality measure (“eCQM”) data and attestations for the 2024 Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program.
The Hospital Quality Reporting (“HQR”) System currently is open to accept this data.
The March 14 deadline is an extended deadline. Previously, submissions were due on February 28, 2025. However the Department of Health and Human Services now has delayed the ceadlone to Friday, March 14, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time(PT).
By March 14, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PT, Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program participants are required to complete all required data reporting and attestations.
The CY 2024 HQR User Guide provides the necessary tools to register, log in, and navigate within the HQR system. It contains the steps needed to submit data for the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program, including eCQM data. Refer to the CY 2024 QRDA I Submission Checklist for more help on submitting eCQM data.
Facilities that experience difficulty successfully meeting the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program requirements for certain reasons may apply for a Hardship Exception. A granted Hardship Exception avoids a downward payment adjustment for the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program.
To be considered for an exception (to avoid a downward payment adjustment), eligible hospitals and CAHs must complete and submit a Hardship Exception application. If approved, the Hardship Exception is valid for only one payment adjustment year. Eligible hospitals and CAHs would need to submit a new application for subsequent years provided no eligible hospital or CAH can receive more than five exceptions in a lifetime.
For more information regarding Hardship Exceptions, please review the CY 2024 Hardship Exception Fact Sheet.
For more information on CY 2024 Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program Requirements, reference the resources below or contact the author of this update:
- CY 2024 Promoting Interoperability Program Requirements
- Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program Webinars & Events
- Medicare Promoting Interoperability Resource Library
- CY 2024 Medicare Promoting Interoperability Infographic
- For information regarding the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program and Hardship Exception Process, please submit questions to Inpatient and Outpatient Healthcare Quality Systems Development and Program Support at the QualityNet Question and Answer Tool at https://cmsqualitysupport.servicenowservices.com/qnet_qa?id=ask_a_question or by phone at (844) 472-4477
- For information about the HQR System, including user roles, reports, data upload, and troubleshooting error messages, please submit questions to the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) Service Center at QnetSupport@cms.hhs.gov or (866) 288-8912
The author of this update, Cynthia Marcotte Stamer is an American College of Employee Benefits Counsel Fellow and attorney board certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, who has decades of experience advising health care providers and their technology and other service providers health plans and insurers, third party administrators, managed care and other health care industry clients about Medicare another healthcare quality, technology, reimbursement,compliance, enforcement, governmental affairs, dispute resolution, compliance, risk management and operational matters. If you have questions or need advice or help evaluating or addressing these or other compliance, risk management, or other concerns, contact her.
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We hope this update is helpful. For more information about the or other health or other employee benefits, human resources, or health care developments, please contact the author Cynthia Marcotte Stamer via e-mail or via telephone at (214) 452-8297.
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About the Author
Recognized by her peers as a Martindale-Hubble “AV-Preeminent” (Top 1%) and “Top Rated Lawyer” with special recognition LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell® as “LEGAL LEADER™ Texas Top Rated Lawyer” in Health Care Law and Labor and Employment Law; as among the “Best Lawyers In Dallas” for her work in the fields of “Labor & Employment,” “Tax: ERISA & Employee Benefits,” “Health Care” and “Business and Commercial Law” by D Magazine, Cynthia Marcotte Stamer is a practicing attorney board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and management consultant, author, public policy advocate and lecturer widely known for her more than 35 years of health industry and other management work, public policy leadership and advocacy, coaching, teachings, and publications including leading edge work on workforce and other risk management and compliance.
Ms. Stamer’s work throughout her career has focused heavily on working with businesses domestically and internationally on employment, benefits, Federal Sentencing Guidelines and other workforce management, regulatory and public policy and other legal and operational concerns.
Author of many highly regarded compliance, training and other resources on health and other employee benefits, health care, insurance, workforce and other risk management and compliance, Ms. Stamer is widely recognized for her thought leadership and advocacy on these matters.
In addition, Ms. Stamer serves as a Scribe for the American Bar Association (“ABA”) Joint Committee on Employee Benefits annual agency meetings with OCR and shares her thought leadership as International Section Life Sciences Committee Vice Chair, and a former Council Representative, Past Chair of the ABA Managed Care & Insurance Interest Group, former Vice President and Executive Director of the North Texas Health Care Compliance Professionals Association, past Board President of Richardson Development Center (now Warren Center) for Children Early Childhood Intervention Agency, past North Texas United Way Long Range Planning Committee Member, and past Board Member and Compliance Chair of the National Kidney Foundation of North Texas, and a Fellow in the American College of Employee Benefit Counsel, the American Bar Foundation and the Texas Bar Foundation, Ms. Stamer also shares her extensive publications and thought leadership as well as leadership involvement in a broad range of other professional and civic organizations.
For more information about Ms. Stamer or her health industry and other experience and involvements, see www.cynthiastamer.com or contact Ms. Stamer via telephone at (214) 452-8297 or via e-mail here.
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