The Malnutrition Care Score (MCS), the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM), was recently evaluated in the Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review (PRMR) process for inclusion in the Prospective Payment System (PPS) - Exempt Cancer Hospital Quality Reporting Program (PCHQR).
The PRMR process provides recommendations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the selection of quality and efficiency measures for use by CMS quality reporting and value-based programs.
The Academy is pleased to announce that the PRMR Hospital Committee reached a 95% consensus agreement on expansion of the MCS, marking an important milestone towards formal adoption of this measure in the PCHQR program. This measure will now enter the federal rulemaking process where CMS will formally propose the MCS be added to the PPS PCHQR and ask for additional public comment before finalizing the measure for use in the PPS PCHQR.
Committee members noted that the measure reinforces evidence-based nutrition care and may encourage innovative staffing approaches in resource-limited settings. Potential benefits that organizations may experience from reporting on this important quality measure include reinforcing systematic approaches to nutrition care, creating accountability for complete care pathways, and aligning with evidence-based best practices.
Hospitals that implement malnutrition care standards and quality improvement programs have shown improved care coordination and measurable cost savings, including reliably identifying patients at risk for malnutrition and enabling timely interventions that improve outcomes.
There are currently 11 PPS Exempt Cancer Hospitals (PCHs), including M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass. PCH organizations are recognized for their commitment to providing comprehensive cancer care and are subject to specific regulations and reporting requirements.
Potential expansion of this measure into PCHs represents another step forward in positioning RDNs at the forefront of evidence-based quality patient care and innovation. Special thanks to the Academy's Quality, Standards, and Interoperability team for their commitment to driving this measure forward.
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