What is MIPS or PQRS Measure?

The Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) was a reporting program of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It gave eligible professionals (EPs) the opportunity to assess the quality of care they were providing to their patients, helping to ensure that patients get the right care at the right time. Now it is called as Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Quality Measures. Today we will learn about coding Measures (Measure 395, Lung Cancer Reporting (Biopsy/Cytology Specimens)).

The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) track of Medicare’s Quality Payment Program (QPP) includes four performance categories: quality, cost, improvement activities, and promoting interoperability (PI). The quality performance category requires clinicians to report on six measures, including at least one outcome measure. Since most family physicians will participate in MIPS and therefore are required to report quality measures, it is important they select measures appropriate for their practice needs and capabilities.

Measure specifications are detailed descriptions and instructions for each measure, and include definitions of the action/outcome required (numerator), population being measured (denominator), exceptions/exclusions to the measure, measure codes, and other details needed to correctly collect data and report the measure. Their are different Measures like Measure 395, 014, 021, 145, 146, 225 etc, which has to be coded only to specific CPT codes. We will learn specifically for each measure in detail. 

Remember: These Measures should be used only with Medicare Payer Encounters.

MIPS/PQRS Measure 395 Description

Pathology reports based on biopsy and/or cytology specimens with a diagnosis of primary non-small cell lung cancer classified into specific histologic type or classified as NSCLC-NOS with an explanation included in the pathology report

This measure is to be submitted each time a patient’s pathology report addresses specimens with a diagnosis of non- small cell lung cancer; however, only one quality-data code (QDC) per date of service for a patient is required. This measure may be submitted by Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligible clinicians who perform the quality actions described in the measure based on the services provided and the measure-specific denominator coding.

Eligible Criteria for Measure 395:

Biopsy and cytology specimen reports with a diagnosis of primary non-small cell lung cancer

Patients ≥ 18 years of age on date of encounter

Diagnosis for lung cancer (ICD-10-CM): C34.00, C34.01, C34.02, C34.10, C34.11, C34.12, C34.2, C34.30, C34.31, C34.32, C34.80, C34.81, C34.82, C34.90, C34.91, C34.92

Patient encounter during performance period (CPT): 88104, 88108, 88112, 88173, 88305

Specimen sites other than anatomic location of lung or is not classified as primary non-small cell lung cancer: G9420

Primary non-small cell lung cancer biopsy and cytology specimen report documents classification into specific histologic type OR classified as NSCLCNOS with an explanation (G9418)

Documentation of medical reason(s) for not including the histological type OR NSCLC-NOS classification with an explanation (e.g., biopsy taken for other purposes in a patient with a history of primary nonsmall cell lung cancer or other documented medical reasons) (G9419)