The First Specialty-specific Data Registry Measures Approved for Neurosurgery

The National Neurosurgery Quality Outcomes Database (N²QOD) is now an approved Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) for the 2015 program year. The N²QOD, the NeuroPoint Alliance’s (NPA) clinical registry focused on spine and neurosurgical outcomes, has received the final acceptance required from the CMS to officially identify it as a QCDR for 2015 and allow it to satisfy PQRS reporting requirements. The N²QOD is designed to address the need for high-quality outcomes data related to care of patients with neurosurgical and spine disorders; it provides U.S. surgeons, practice groups and hospital systems the ability to analyze and report on the quality of their care. The N²QOD offers 21 non-PQRS measures, initially focused on spine procedures, which are the first specialty-specific measures for neurosurgery and will provide a meaningful public reporting method for neurosurgeons. “Securing QCDR status for N²QOD is a tremendously important accomplishment for our specialty. This exciting development gives neurosurgeons, for the first time, a set of specialty-specific measures for use in public quality reporting programs. This will ensure that data collected through our registries and used for PQRS is meaningful for neurosurgeons, their patients and other stakeholders,” said Anthony L. Asher, MD, FAANS, N2QOD director and vice-chair of NPA. To learn more about the N²QOD QCDR reporting mechanism, including the 21 non-PQRS measures, click here.