Proposed Emergency Department Outpatient Transfer Communication Measure

As reported to you last week, CMS has proposed an emergency department outpatient transfer communication quality measure they believe will be relevant to rural providers. If it is adopted this will set the precedent for measures that speak to the unique nature of rural, in an environment where the focus of reporting outcomes is increasingly important. Click here for a summary from CMS. Click here to access the proposed regulation (page 46374). CMS is accepting comments until August 31. Additionally, a recently released report from the Flex Monitoring Team provides information on the measure which assesses the quality of key patient information communicated from an ED to a referral hospital. To access the report, click here.