Quality Data Capture Solution for P4P!!!  Are you ready for pay for performance?

By: Bellinger P. Moody, RHIA CPC-I CPC CCP
Executive Vice President, Compliance

One of my most frequently asked questions is: What can my practice do to make more money?  Well, as you know, there are the more commonly recognized areas of improvement, such as better documentation for more accurate coding and increased OR utilization and efficiency.  However, the one most unfamiliar, yet increasingly popular method of improving your bottom line is the collection and reporting of quality measures data. Capturing and reporting quality measure data is key in preparing your practice for one of the most critical elements in the future of provider reimbursement – “pay for performance”.

Quality measure data capture and reporting involves collecting and reporting data that is focused on improving the processes and outcomes of perioperative care – such as Surgical Care Improvement Program (SCIP) measures and Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) measures. This data is becoming an invaluable asset to the many facets of perioperative physician practice. The use of this data is instrumental in proving clinical excellence.  Clinical excellence is the best way to establish value and strengthen your group's position with hospital administration and third party payers.

The ability of an anesthesia group to negotiate is contingent upon the strength of the group's bargaining position.  Groups will be able to show increased value to hospital administration and third party payer contracting representatives by presenting quality data that demonstrates clinical excellence and enhances their bargaining positions, thereby increasing their return on investment through cost savings and revenue enhancement opportunities such as:  (1) increased reimbursement rates from third party payer negotiations; (2) increased hospital stipends; and (3) lower malpractice insurance rates.

What was once a popular trend is now becoming a third party payer standard for provider and facility reimbursement.  Pay for performance policies and programs are on the rise with third party payers all over the country.  So, why are anesthesia practices so unfamiliar with this new standard and the advantages it can provide?  Why aren’t more groups capturing and reporting quality measures data and taking advantage of the many benefits?  The answer is not as simple as you may think.  Physicians want an affordable, non-redundant, user-friendly, real-time solution that will provide them with a data-driven process improvement program to assist them in improving provider performance and clinical outcomes, promoting and improving efficiency and tracking patient satisfaction, and will also yield a reasonable return on investment.

Providers simply did not have a viable solution in the current market – until now:  Introducing Quality Capture.   As part of our commitment to providing leading edge technology to our clients, we are pleased to announce our partnership with Mobile Epiphany, to develop a perioperative data collection system that will revolutionize and simplify the collection and reporting of quality measures data at the case level and finally provide you the tool you need to take advantage of this rapidly emerging and exciting cost saving, revenue enhancement opportunity.

Medac will utilize Mobile Epiphany’s Touch Inspect software to develop its quality data capture and reporting -- pay for performance solution -- Quality Capture.  This new technology will allow anesthesia groups to differentiate themselves by having the capability to electronically capture performance and outcomes quality measures at the point of service. 

Quality Capture will feature a customizable 55 measure/indicator checklist that will include all 26 of the current ASA COPM (Committee on Performance and Outcomes Measurement) measures.  For the very first time, providers will be able to take advantage of a non-redundant, user-friendly, point of service data capture tool that will allow them collect and produce real time data that drives, maintains and supports best practices, increases patient satisfaction, reduces medical errors and promotes perioperative efficiency.  Quality Capture will arm your practice with the data it needs to identify risk areas of concern as well as areas for improvement and will equip your group leadership with the data they need for process improvement and medical error reduction.  The number of payers, facilities, and malpractice insurers that are incentivizing providers for clinical excellence demonstrated via reporting of a core set of quality measures is increasing exponentially!!! Quality Capture will allow you to collect quality data and monitor progress on such important initiatives as PQRI and SCIP -- that will ensure you qualify for incentive payments from your facilities, malpractice insurance companies, government payer and third party private payers.

Are you ready for pay for performance?

Ready or not, pay for performance is here and it is not going away anytime soon.  Prepare your practice for pay for performance today by finding out more about Quality Capture -- the solution that  will allow you to easily, non-redundantly collect and report the quality measures data required to meet your internal group, facility, SCIP and PQRI goals.  So in response to my most frequently asked question:  What can my practice do to make more money?   Ask your Medac representative about Quality Capture today!!!


Medac will market the new product under the name PMDSolutions (ProgressiveMDSolutions).  ProgressiveMDSolutions will develop and offer a range of anesthesia specific solutions that will create new standards for efficiency and ease of use.  Our first application of this new technology is Quality Capture.   We will demonstrate this new quality measure data capture and reporting application at the 2010 ASA meeting this October.  In the interim, please call (800) 883-8003  for more information regarding product capabilities and future applications under development.