The National Neurosurgery Quality Outcomes Database was approved as a Qualified Clinical Data Registry in the CMS Physician Quality Reporting System for 2015.
Here are five things to know:
1. This development gives neurosurgeons specialty-specific measures for use in public quality reporting programs. The data collected through the N2QOD registries can be used for PQRS as meaningful use for neurosurgeons, their patients and other stakeholders.
2. Data collection analysis through N2QOD already demonstrated the effectiveness of neurosurgical care and identify important care improvement opportunities.
3. The approval is an added incentive to use the registry to fulfill PQRS requirements and the volume of collected data should grow exponentially, which increases the quality improvement and research value of the registry.
4. The measures undergo constant review and by September the leadership will be looking at ways to improve and refine the measures based on what they've learned this year.
5. The N2QOD QCDR reporting mechanisms meets the QCDR requirements for reporting at least nine measures covering three National Quality Strategy domains for at least half of the EPs applicable patients seen during the 2015 participation period and reports on at least two outcomes measures.
There are 21 non-PQRS measures for the N2QOD 2015 QCDR:
• Spine pain assessment
• Extremity (radicular) pain assessment
• Functional outcome assessment for spine intervention
• Quality of life assessment for spine intervention
• Patient satisfaction with spine care
• Spine-related procedure site infection
• Complication following spine-related procedure
• Hospital mortality following spine procedure
• Referral for post-acute care rehabilitation
• Unplanned reoperation following spine procedure within the 30-day postoperative period
• Unplanned readmission following spine procedure within the 30-day postoperative period
• Selection of prophylactic antibiotic-first or second generation cephalosporin prior to spine procedure
• Discontinuation of prophylactic parenteral antibiotics following spine procedure
• Medicine reconciliation following spine related procedure
• Risk-assessment for elective spine procedure
• Depression and anxiety assessment prior to spine-related therapies
• Narcotic pain medicine management following elective spine procedure
• Smoking assessment and cessation coincident with spine related therapies
• Unhealthy alcohol use assessment coincident with spine care
• Participation in a systematic national database for spine care interventions