CMS extends deadline for two outpatient structural measures

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has extended the deadline for hospitals to submit data for two outpatient structural measures in the hospital outpatient quality reporting program until November 1, according to AHA News Now.

According to the article, one of the measures, The Ability for Providers with HIT to Receive Laboratory Data Electronically Directly into their EHR System as Discrete Searchable Data is required to receive a full annual payment update for fiscal year 2012. The second measure, Tracking Clinical Results Between Visits, is voluntary.

(Sources: AHA News Now, http://www.ahanews.com, August 15, 2011)