Dispelling Myths About eCQMs and the APM Performance Pathway (APP) for MSSP ACOs
Myth One: “We must switch to eCQMs by the 2027 performance year.”
This is a very common concern we hear, but it’s important to understand the nuance here.
While it’s true that MIPS CQMs are currently slated to sunset after the 2026 submissions, they remain a temporary option for now. Any Medicare rule is subject to change within any single one-year rulemaking cycle.
This means the regulatory landscape can shift, and maintaining flexibility in your reporting approach is paramount.
Myth Two: “To do eCQMs, we must invest in getting QRDA1 or FHIR files from each of our EHRs.”
This is another significant myth that can lead to unnecessary expenditures and headaches.
The reality is that for eCQM reporting, any electronic file format will suffice. While reading and writing standard types like QRDA1 or FHIR is essential for certification purposes, and robust HL7 files can certainly be beneficial, any data that is electronically generated is valid for quality measurement.
The practical challenge often lies in achieving consistently accurate and compatible HL7 files from every diverse member within a typical ACO, which, in our experience, is rarely a straightforward or achievable task.
Myth Three: “If my EHR vendor can’t do this, we can’t expect Mingle Health to do it either.”
This myth stems from a misunderstanding of the distinct roles and capabilities of different entities in healthcare technology.
Your EHR vendor excels at facilitating seamless data entry at the point of care, providing secure and reliable long-term data storage, and ensuring efficient data access.
However, it typically takes a considerable amount of time—often two years or more—for a truly innovative idea to be fully integrated into a standard EHR system.
Mingle Health, on the other hand, is built with a different core competency: rapid adaptability. We are designed to work with any practice, any specialty, and any size, and crucially, we can adjust to evolving health record systems as quickly and frequently as Medicare changes its rules.
This agility allows us to fill the gaps where traditional EHRs might be slower to respond.
Myth Four: “We’d like to run parallel processes to do MIPS CQMs and eCQMs, but that’s prohibitively expensive.”
This is a valid concern for many practices, but the good news is: it’s not prohibitively expensive with Mingle Health.
We recognize and embrace the uniqueness of every practice, including their specific EHR choices, configuration preferences, and documentation workflows. Our solution is built around one broadly applicable and highly flexible process.
This innovative approach allows us to capitalize on your existing strengths, effectively accommodate any weaknesses, and ultimately provide you with the necessary choices without the prohibitive costs typically associated with maintaining multiple, parallel reporting systems.
Mingle Health’s Solution: One Process, Three Choices
Mingle Health’s powerful analytic engine streamlines your quality reporting by offering a single, efficient process that provides you with three distinct reporting choices:
- Filter for Medicare Part B: You have the option to filter out all data except for Medicare Part B and then submit Medicare CQMs.
- Keep All Data: Alternatively, you can choose to retain all relevant data and submit MIPS CQMs.
- Filter Non-CEHRT Data: For those requiring eCQM submissions, you can easily filter out any data not originating from Certified Electronic Health Record Technology (CEHRT) and proceed with your submission.