On October 1, 2012, all Medicare-certified ASCs will be required to start reporting quality data G-codes as part of the new ASC quality reporting program or face future Medicare payment reductions.
The G-codes correspond to whether or not four specific adverse events occurred (patient burn, patient fall, wrong site/ patient /procedure/implant and hospital transfer/admission) and the timing of prophylactic IV antibiotic administration. ASCs will include the G-codes under the procedures code(s) in box 24 D of the CMS-1500 claim form.
Between October 1 and December 31, 2012, ASCs will be considered successful reporters and will not face future financial penalties if at least 50 percent of their Medicare claims contain quality data G-codes. In addition, ASCs should include the G-codes only on claims where Medicare is the primary payer. (On January 1, 2013, ASCs should begin placing the G-codes on claims where Medicare is either the primary or secondary payer.)
Below are several resources that ASCs can use to assist with the implementation of the program, including the information & presentation provided by Donna Slosburg of the ASC Quality Collaboration, at the CASA Annual Conference on September 6th.
In addition, the Florida Medical Quality Assurance, Inc. (FMQAI) is hosting a webex presentation titled “Introduction to Medicare’s Quality Reporting Program for Ambulatory Surgical Centers.” The presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, September 26, 2012, at 2:00 pm ET and CMS Government Task Leader Anita Bhatia, PhD, MPH, will be speaking. Click on the following link to lean more FMQAI Webinar Information.