CMS has opened an “informal” comment period on potential quality of care measures for cancer hospitals exempt from the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS). A CMS contractor has developed the following candidate measures intended to address gap areas not covered by the current PPS-Exempt Cancer Hospital Quality Reporting (PCHQR) Program: (1) Initiation of Osteoclast Inhibitors for Patients with Multiple Myeloma or Bone Metastases Associated with Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, or Lung Cancer; (2) Overuse of Imaging for Staging Breast Cancer at Low Risk of Metastasis; and (3) Potentially Avoidable Admissions and Emergency Department Visits Among Patients Receiving Outpatient Chemotherapy. Comments are due July 3, 2013.
