This year’s Clinical Congress includes two ways for attendees to learn more about the newly reconstructed American College of Surgeons (ACS) Surgeon Specific Registry (SSR). One is to visit the SSR booth in ACS Central, 9:00 am–4:30 pm Monday through Wednesday at the San Diego Convention Center, Exhibit Hall. For a more in-depth discussion, attend the Town Hall Meeting, Surgeon Specific Registry (SSR) for the Practicing Surgeon, 7:00–7:45 am Wednesday at the San Diego Convention Center, 1AB.
The ACS SSR is an online tool that allows surgeons to track cases and outcomes from their computer or mobile device. The SSR builds on the ACS Case Log system, enabling surgeons not only to log and keep track of their cases, but also to meet the evolving regulatory demands of the individual health care professional.
In 2016, the ACS partnered with QuintilesIMS to move all ACS Quality Program databases and registries, including the SSR, into one integrated quality data platform over a three-year period. In spring 2017, the ACS launched the new SSR platform.
The SSR has been approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) participation through registry-based reporting for the 2017 program year. The SSR is both a MIPS-Qualified Registry and MIPS-Qualified Clinical Data Registry for 2017, and supports the Quality (surgical measures) and Improvement Activities components for MIPS 2017 submission for the individual surgeon. Eligible clinicians (ECs), including surgeons, can report data related to these components through the SSR.
Each MIPS component is weighted differently in calculating the MIPS final score, which determines the MIPS payment adjustment. MIPS payment adjustments are applied based on an EC’s performance two years prior to the calendar year and can be positive, negative, or neutral. Therefore, an EC who is a MIPS participant in 2017 will receive a payment adjustment in 2019 based on 2017 data. For 2017 MIPS participants, a maximum 4 percent payment adjustment is possible in calendar year 2019. Not participating in MIPS 2017 will result in a 4 percent penalty in 2019. Check if you are eligible to participate in MIPS at https://qpp.cms.gov.
ECs can pick their pace in 2017, as it is a transitional year. For surgeons new to quality reporting in 2017 who wish to test it, an EC may avoid a penalty in 2019 by reporting a minimum amount of data. CMS defines the minimum data submission necessary to avoid a penalty as one of the following: One Quality Measure and One Improvement Activities (IA).
The following MIPS components and options are available in the SSR:
- Quality component
- General Surgery Specialty Measures Set reporting option (MIPS-Qualified Registry)
- ACS Surgical Phases of Care Measures Set (MIPS-Qualified Clinical Data Registry)
- IA component
Take advantage of opportunities to learn more about the SSR and MIPS reporting during Clinical Congress.
For more information on the MIPS 2017 reporting options available within SSR, visit https://www.facs.org/ quality-programs/ssr/mips/quality-options
For MIPS 2017 SSR educational offerings, visit https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/ssr/mips/resources
Additional information on MIPS and other Medicare Quality Programs can be found at http://bulletin.facs.org/ ?p=20802