EQRS Data Reporting to Resume on July 12, 2021
On January 29, 2021, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) suspended End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Reporting System (EQRS) Clinical Data, In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (ICH CAHPS) Attestation, and Clinical Depression Screening and Follow-Up Plan reporting. Effective July 12, 2021, the EQRS data suspension will be concluded, and EQRS testing will have been performed to ensure that the system is working as expected.
Effective July 12, 2021, all ESRD facilities can resume EQRS Clinical Data, ICH CAHPS Attestation, and Clinical Depression Screening and Follow-Up Plan reporting in EQRS.
Dialysis facilities must follow the Clinical Closure submission deadlines listed below to meet CMS reporting requirements. Clinical closure dates apply to all Collection Types (Hemodialysis; Peritoneal Dialysis). Additionally, clinical data submissions apply to all submission methods.
If you batch or use the Health Information Exchange (HIE)/Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) methods, please follow the guidance provided by your HIE/EDI/batch team within your organization.
| 2020 Data Submission Deadlines | |
| Reporting Month | Clinical Closure Date |
| September 2020 Clinical Month | September 1, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time (PT) |
| October 2020 Clinical Month | September 1, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. PT |
| November 2020 Clinical Month | September 1, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. PT |
| December 2020 Clinical Month | September 1, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. PT |
| 2021 Data Submission Deadlines | |
| Reporting Month | Clinical Closure Date |
| January 2021 Clinical Month | TBD |
| February 2021 Clinical Month | TBD |
| March 2021 Clinical Month | TBD |
| April 2021 Clinical Month | TBD |
| Remaining 2021 Clinical Months | TBD |
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please review data prior to submission to make any corrections, as data cannot be submitted after the closure dates. The September–December 2020 EQRS Clinical Data, ICH CAHPS Attestation, and Clinical Depression Screening and Follow-up Plan data must be submitted in EQRS by September 1, 2021, at 11:59 PM PT, as listed above. CMS highly recommends completing large data submissions prior to the official clinical closure date of September 1, 2021. The 2021 clinical months data submission deadline is to be determined (TBD) and 2021 data will not be accepted at this time. Communication will be provided as soon as the 2021 clinical closure dates are determined.
The 2020 data will support the Payment Year (PY) 2022 ESRD Quality Incentive Program (QIP) and the 2021 data will support the PY 2023 ESRD QIP. For additional details please refer to the calendar year (CY) 2022 ESRD Prospective Payment System (PPS) proposed rule that is available from the Federal Register.
An FAQ document has also been created, and you can view it here.
For more information please visit QualityNet at https://qualitynet.cms.gov/ or contact the QualityNet Service Center at 1-866-288-8912, Monday – Friday (8 a.m. – 8 p.m. EST).