Submitted by Barbara Fenton, MD, FACP, Medical Director of Augusta Care Partners
Joy, Joy, Joy! Each year just as this holiday season begins, we embark on our CMS 
Annual Quality Reporting. We are pleased that this year we are better positioned to help your practice in a number of ways that were not possible before.
You may recall that last year Augusta Care Partners transitioned to an internal reporting process, utilizing Athena’s Population Health platform. This enables some quality data (for example colonoscopies, mammograms, pneumonia vaccinations) to be held in the platform year over year, which translates to fewer interruptions for your practices once the reporting begins.
As we are using e-techs for patient confirmation, practices will no longer be required to review their patient sample to exclude those who are not eligible (in hospice, deceased, in Medicare Advantage, moved out of US).
Our Quality Improvement Nurse Coordinator, Janell Sauder, has been busy completing metrics and monitoring quality performance for key initiatives throughout the year. She may be in touch with providers or support staff with questions regarding documentation or if quality items are consistently missing.
The reporting period is quite short; CMS sends us our sample on January 8th, reporting begins January 22nd and closes March 16th. So we will need a quick turnaround on any requests or questions that arise. Please feel free to contact us if you have any reporting concerns. We are here to help!
Janell’s Contact Info:
Janell Sauder
Quality Improvement Nurse Coordinator, Augusta Care Partners
Phone: 540-245-7564
jsauder@augustahealth.com
With many thanks for all you do throughout the year – and best wishes for a truly joyous holiday!
Barb Fenton, MD, FACP
Medical Director, Augusta Care Partners
Phone: 406-855-0044
bfenton@augustahealth.com