Alara offers free software for MPFS quality measure compliance

Alara Imaging is offering free HIPAA and SOC-II certified software to help physicians and health systems comply with a new radiation dose quality measure included in the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) final rule for 2024. CMS published the rule on November 2. It specifies the adoption of a new quality measure into the diagnostic radiology set of the Quality Payment Program (QPP) called Excessive Radiation Dose or Inadequate Image Quality for Diagnostic Computed Tomography (CT) in Adults, with the goal of improving patient safety by optimizing CT radiation dose. In 2020, CMS awarded the University of San Francisco (UCSF) a cooperative agreement to develop this measure, and a team from the university established the firm Alara Imaging to undertake the task, according to Rebecca Smith-Bindman, MD, one of the company's founding members. "The measure ensures that radiation doses used for CT do not exceed evidence-based thresholds, while at the same time maintaining minimum image quality standards," she told AuntMinnie.com. The measure provides a standardized method for monitoring radiation dose across patients and facilities, Smith-Bindman said. For the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) program, radiologists must report on six of the seven available measures to maximize bonuses and avoid penalties for CMS reimbursement. As the measure was also included in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (HIQR) prog...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Industry News Source Type: news