EQRS Data Reporting Update – February 26, 2021

On January 29, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) suspended Clinical Data, In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (ICH CAHPS) Attestation, and Clinical Depression Screening and Follow-Up Plan submissions in the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Reporting System (EQRS).

As of February 26, 2021, all EQRS users must continue to follow the data suspension guidelines outlined via the January 29, 2021 EQRS Announcement (Accessible via: http://mycrownweb.org/2021/01/eqrs-system-announcement-jan-2021/).

Please note that this temporary suspension applies to Clinical Data, ICH CAHPS Attestation, and Clinical Depression Screening and Follow-Up Plan submissions ONLY. Users must continue to use EQRS to complete tasks such as admit and discharge patients, complete CMS forms (such as the 2728, 2744, and 2746), add or update treatment summaries, and resolve accretions within a timely manner. Users should also continue to keep facilities’ information up-to-date on the Facilities screen in EQRS.

Submission deadlines on the Facility Dashboard, Clinical, ICH CAHPS Facility Attestation, and Clinical Depression Screening and Follow-Up Plan screens will be updated, as needed.

Impacted Clinical Months may continue to transition from “Open” to “Closed” on the Clinical screen, but will be re-opened to allow data reporting, once data submission resumes.

Facilities must continue to gather and maintain patients’ clinical data and plan to provide all necessary data, once data reporting resumes.

CMS will provide updated information on submission requirements and deadlines.

CMS is aware of the challenges that some users are experiencing with submitting data via EQRS. CMS is committed to ensuring the accuracy and reliability of our data and are working to rapidly resolve these issues. CMS will continue to monitor and assess its systems for any issues on an ongoing basis as a part of continuous process improvement and to ensure a positive user experience.

For further information please visit QualityNet at https://qualitynet.cms.gov/ or contact the QualityNet Help Desk at 1-866-288-8912, Monday – Friday (7 a.m. – 7 p.m. CT).