CMS has contracted for the development of three individual measures that reflect quality of care for patients undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG):
§ a hospital-level all-cause risk-adjusted readmission measure for CABG developed using clinical registry data [measure developer: Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)] § a hospital-level all-cause risk-adjusted readmission measure for CABG developed using Medicare administrative claims data [measure developer: YNHHSC/CORE] § a hospital-level all-cause risk-adjusted mortality measure for CABG developed using administrative data [measure developer: YNHHSC/CORE] STS and YNHHSC/CORE are seeking members for a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to provide expert opinion and input on this measure. Given the expertise and mission of your organization, STS and YNHHSC/CORE would like you to identify individuals who could represent your organization in this process. The goal is to have broad representation on the TEP including experts in CABG surgery, cardiology, and quality improvement / performance measurement, as well as purchaser and consumer perspectives. STS and YNHHSC/CORE will hold 5 or 6, 1- to 2-hour teleconference meetings from February to September 2012. If you or someone you know with relevant expertise would be willing to represent your organization, please complete the Nomination/Disclosure/Agreement (NDA) form<http://www.cms.gov/MMS/15_TechnicalExpertPanels.asp> and submit it along with your curriculum vitae and a statement of interest no later than 5pm ET on Fri Feb 24. (Please note that the due date has been extended from Wed Feb 15 to Fri Feb 24) Please note that in order for the nomination package to be complete, a signature (electronic or handwritten) is required on the NDA form. The documents may be faxed (203-764-5653) or emailed ([email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>). Once the nomination process is complete, STS and YNHHSC/CORE will select a TEP composed of 8-15 members based on the areas of expertise and the specific requirements of the measure. Please contact Lisa Suter (at [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> or 203-764-5700) should you have any questions. ________________________________ It's Not too Late to Give and Get the Flu Vaccine. Take advantage of each office visit and protect your patients against the seasonal flu. Medicare will continue to pay for the seasonal flu vaccine and its administration for all Medicare beneficiaries through the entire flu season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends that patients, healthcare workers and caregivers be vaccinated against the seasonal flu. Protect your patients. Protect your family. Protect yourself. Get the Flu Vaccine-Not the Flu. Remember - The flu vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits. CMS has posted the 2011-2012 seasonal flu vaccine payment limits at http://www.CMS.gov/McrPartBDrugAvgSalesPrice/10_VaccinesPricing.asp. Note that the flu vaccine is NOT a Part D-covered drug. For more information on coverage and billing of the flu vaccine and its administration, as well as related educational provider resources, visit http://www.CMS.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp and http://www.cms.gov/immunizations. ________________________________ Note: If you have problems accessing any hyperlink in this message, please copy and paste the URL into your Internet browser. If you know someone who would like to subscribe to a Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) provider listserv, go to (http://www.cms.gov/prospmedicarefeesvcpmtgen/downloads/Provider_Listservs.pdf). If you would like to unsubscribe from a specific provider listserv, please go to (https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?INDEX) to unsubscribe or to leave the appropriate listserv. Please DO NOT respond to this email. This email is a service of CMS and routed through an electronic mail server to communicate Medicare policy and operational changes and/or updates. Responses to this email are not routed to CMS personnel. Inquiries may be sent by going to (http://www.cms.gov/ContactCMS). Thank you.
