In This Issue:

EQRS Data Reporting Update

CMS-2744 Tips

EQRS FAQs: CMS-2728 Forms

Clinical Closures

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ESRD QIP Questions

EQRS Data Reporting Update

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).

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.

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).

CMS-2744 Annual Facility Survey Tips

CMS-2744 Annual Facility Surveys are electronically completed by dialysis facilities and transplant centers via the Form 2744 screen in EQRS. Users work with their ESRD Networks to Finalize their CMS-2744 forms. Remember to follow your ESRD Network’s guidance and local submission deadline to Finalize your CMS-2744 form(s) in EQRS. EQRS pulls data from the Facility Details, Patient, Admissions, and Treatments screens to pre-populate CMS-2744 fields. To assist with reducing errors that may display when completing the form, remember to do the following:

• Add Treatment: Add a new treatment record when there is a new doctor-prescribed change in a patient’s treatment. Do not edit the existing treatment record.
• Update Discharge Reason: Update a “System Discharge” to reflect a patient’s correct discharge reason.
• Use Reports: Use the Patient Roster and Patient Events reports to assist with getting an overview of current patients and reported events.
• Access Instructions: View CMS-2744A instructions for dialysis facilities. View CMS-2744B instructions for transplant centers.

EQRS FAQs: CMS-2728 Forms

I am having issues printing a CMS-2728 form. Can you assist me with printing this form?

Remember to use Google Chrome to access EQRS. Be sure to clear your browsing history. (Quick instructions: Open your Google Chrome, click Ctrl + Shift + Delete, check the cookies and cache options, and click “Clear data.”) Next, look at the Existing 2728 Forms section in EQRS. If the “Form Version” is 2014 or earlier, you will need to work with the original facility or your ESRD Network to print the form.

I noticed an error on a Submitted CMS-2728 form. How can I fix this?

Closely review all entries for accuracy prior to submitting in EQRS. Data can be corrected on the CMS-2728 and CMS-2746 forms at the facility-level if the forms are still in a “Saved” status. Contact the QualityNet Service Desk to review the record and determine if a correction can be applied. https://qualitynet.cms.gov/support

For answers to additional FAQs, access the February 2021 Town Hall slides via http://mycrownweb.org/events/.

Clinical Closures

Clinical closure dates apply to all Collection Types (Hemodialysis; Peritoneal Dialysis). Additionally, clinical data submissions apply to all submission methods.