Electronic Clinical Quality Measure (eCQM) Reporting

Beginning in calendar year (CY) 2013, CMS provided hospitals with the opportunity to voluntarily submit eCQM data. These quality measures were developed specifically to allow an electronic health record (EHR) system, certified to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) standards, to capture, export, calculate, and report measure data.

Since CY 2016, hospitals have been required to report eCQM data for the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program and the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program (previously known as the Medicare EHR Incentive Program). Hospitals that successfully submit eCQM data to meet Hospital IQR Program requirements will also fulfill the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program requirement for eCQM reporting with one submission.

Refer to the Technical Specifications and Resources for the CMS Quality Reporting Document Architecture (QRDA) Category I Implementation Guide for the applicable reporting period, measure specification information, and program resources to support successful eCQM reporting on the eCQI Resource Center.

Note: Critical access hospitals (CAHs) are required to participate in the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program and are encouraged but not required to participate in the Hospital IQR Program. Review the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program for more information.