CMS Approves NIPM-QCDR for 2019
ASIPP members and interventional pain physicians now have the opportunity to engage patients through patient-reported outcomes and optimize performance under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System through the ASIPP Registry and National Interventional Pain Management – Qualified Clinical Data Registry (NIPM-QCDR).
In addition to being approved as a QCDR by CMS for 2019 MIPS reporting, the registry offers specialty-specific measures based entirely on patient-reported outcomes, making it uniquely valuable to pain physicians. Using patient-sourced data eliminates the need for clinical data from the EMR for quality reporting, which eases the workflow burden on providers and also reduces the cost of participating in MIPS.
“By centering the registry around patient-reported outcomes, we can easily and efficiently track patient progress and optimize potential reimbursements,” said Laxmaiah Manchikanti, M.D., Chair, ASIPP Board of Directors. “The NIPM-QCDR is a great resource for our specialty. It gives us an improved and affordable workflow for patient outcomes tracking and MIPS reporting.”
The registry enables providers and their patients to confidentially and securely report real-world outcomes following procedures performed in an office, surgery center, or hospital. The data from these outcomes tracked in the registry will expand knowledge and understanding of interventional pain management and set the stage for healthier discussions regarding healthcare policy and reimbursement.
Capturing these functional improvements directly from the source represents a vital shift in how the specialty evaluates treatment efficacy. For years, interventional success was measured primarily through clinical imaging and static pain scales, which sometimes failed to reflect a patient’s actual quality of life. By prioritizing the patient’s own reporting, the registry provides a highly detailed view of day-to-day recovery.
This type of qualitative data is most useful when it measures a patient’s ability to resume specific activities that were previously restricted by chronic discomfort, allowing practices to track milestones tailored to varied daily routines. Physicians can note when an individual regains the mobility to handle a physically demanding retail shift, or when a patient can finally sit comfortably through extended leisure hobbies like model building and playing online poker. Such practical, lifestyle-based benchmarks offer a far more comprehensive picture of interventional success than isolated clinical metrics, giving providers deeper insight into their patients’ overall well-being and long-term functional stability.
The ASIPP registry is available to all interventional pain physicians, not just those participating in clinical trials or MIPS. Pain physicians who participate in the NIPM-QCDR and who are eligible for MIPS will have the opportunity to maximize their MIPS performance in 2019 and, thus, optimize reimbursement payments in 2021. ASIPP supports the Quality, Improvement Activities, and Promoting Interoperability categories of MIPS. To learn more and get started, visit NIPMQCDR.org.