Improving Health For Populations and Communities: Current Projects

Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS)

Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) is a quality reporting initiative implemented by CMS. Individual Eligible Professionals (EPs) utilizing a PQRS qualified EHR and who meet the criteria for satisfactory submission of PQRS quality measures data will qualify to earn an incentive payment.

CFMC encourages and supports physician offices in Colorado to begin participation in PQRS via qualified EHR submission. We assist the offices - and their EPs - in data submission for PQRS using EHR-based reporting. We also work with practices using EHRs to produce quarterly reports - for office and QIO quality improvement and tracking - that show the rates with numerators and denominators for each measure.

But most importantly we provide education and support to assist the practices in setting up Quality Improvement tools and programs.

Participation in PQRS for these EP offices must include EHR reporting on at least three of these PQRS measures:

  • Preventive Care and Screening: Influenza Immunization for Patients >= 50 Years Old (measure 110, 2011 program)
  • Preventive Care and Screening: Pneumonia Vaccination for Patients 65 Years and Older (measure 111, 2011 program)
  • Preventive Care and Screening: Screening Mammography (measure 112, 2011 program)
  • Preventive Care and Screening: Colorectal Cancer Screening (measure 113, 2011 program)
  • Preventive Care and Screening: Tobacco Use: Screening and Cessation Intervention (measure 226, 2011 program)
  • Hypertension (HTN): Blood Pressure Measurement (measure 237, 2011 program)

Please complete and submit this PQRS EHR Reporting Consent Form to participate.

Cardiac Learning and Action Network

The Cardiac Learning and Action Network (LAN) will consist of stakeholders, medical experts, community partners and physician offices that will come together for the purpose of implementing and spreading better practice through peer-to-peer learning and solution sharing. The LAN will provide critical technical assistance to providers, partners and health advocates.

The Cardiac LAN will focus on the following:

  • Blood Pressure Control
    • Percentage of patients with Medicare with coronary artery disease or peripheral vascular disease whose most recent blood pressure during the measurement year was <140/90 mm Hg
  • Lipids Management
    • Percentage of patients with Medicare with ischemic vascular disease whose most recent LDL-C screening had a result of <100
  • Aspirin
    • Percentage of patients with Medicare with ischemic vascular disease who have documentation of use of aspirin or other antithrombotic during the 12-month measurement period
  • Smoking
    • Percentage of patients with Medicare who receive smoking cessation counseling

Please complete and submit this Cardiac LAN Consent Form to participate.

Regional Extension Center (REC) Learning and Action Network

Colorado Foundation for Medical Care (CFMC) would like to invite you to participate in our Regional Extension Center (REC) Learning and Action Network.

A Learning and Action Network (LAN) is an improvement initiative that brings together healthcare professionals, patients and other stakeholders around an evidence-based agenda to achieve rapid, wide-scale improvement. The LAN model includes collaborative projects, online interactions, and peer-to-peer education to facilitate shared commitment, energy, and knowledge that allows participants to learn from each other as well as from the QIO.

Through our statewide REC LAN participating practices will be able to:

  • Become a part of a Statewide Vendor Specific User Group
  • Connect with organizations and individuals that have similar EHR use goals and challenges and have the opportunity for in-depth learning and problem solving
  • Learn from others in an "all teach, all learn" environment
  • Benefit from others' best practices as quickly as they are identified
  • Receive and share free information and tools that support improvement
  • Share effective strategies for patient self-management
  • Interpret EHR data and reporting to identify and address disparities in care

The LANs will consist of face-to-face meeting as well as through Webinars.

Partner Organizations may include:

  • Office of the National Coordinator (ONC),
  • Colorado Regional Extension Center (CO-REC) and their partner organizations - Colorado Community Managed Care Network, Colorado Rural Health Center (CRH), ClinicNet, HealthTeamWorks (HTW), Physician Health Partners (PHP), Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC),  and located on the western slope, Quality Health Network (QHN),
  • EHR Vendors,
  • Colorado Beacon Community,
  • Colorado Department of health (CDPHE),
  • Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC),
  • patient advocacy organizations, community groups, etc.

Please complete and submit this REC LAN Consent Form to participate.

Contact Information

For more information contact Terrey Currie at tcurrie@cfmc.org or 303-695-3300 ext. 3029.

Colorado Foundation for Medical Care (CFMC), the Medicare quality improvement organization for Colorado, prepared this material under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents do not necessarily reflect CMS Policy.