The American Hospital Association recommends in a new report that the government make five policy changes to redirect the existing requirements for digital clinical quality measures. According to the report's authors, the current approach to automated quality reporting does not offer a "feasible way to generate" reliable quality data.
"The standards for eCQM development and usage are new and evolving and need to be tested and improved to resolve the barriers and challenges experienced by providers in implementing the Meaningful Use Stage 1 eCQMs," the authors said in the report released Thursday. "The current process is not sustainable. Feasibility, reliability, validity and usability must be addressed throughout the eCQM development and testing process at the data element level to truly address clinical workflow challenges such as those experienced by the facilities examined for this report." Report (.pdf)