As part of the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced unprecedented relief this week for clinicians and facilities participating in Medicare quality reporting and payment programs. Participants with data submission deadlines in April and May may choose whether or not to report their data. CMS also announced it will not use data reflecting services delivered between Jan. 1 and June 30 of this year in its calculations for Medicare quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs. The agency says these steps are aimed at reducing the data collection and reporting burden on providers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. (CMS news release, 3/22/30)
