Once Again, CMS Selects McKesson’s Practice Insights as a Qualified Clinical Data Registry

For the ninth consecutive year, CMS has selected McKesson as a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) approved to take part in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). This means McKesson is qualified to collect and report clinical data from clinicians taking part in the CMS Quality Payment Program, which was created in 2015 to reward high-value practices under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act.1

According to a statement from McKesson, the designation permits data collection through the company’s iKnowMed electronic health record (EHR) and the Practice Insights performance analytics tool, which provides insights through McKesson’s Ontada business. The designation renewal allows practices that use the iKnowMed EHR to submit data for MIPS and QCDR reporting directly to CMS without using another third-party vendor.

“McKesson is committed to providing actionable insights to community oncology practices that can empower them to improve patient care, reduce practice burden, and grow access to care in the community setting,” Jason Hammonds, chief operating officer of oncology and specialty at McKesson, said in the statement. “As a 2025 QCDR, Practice Insights enables providers to easily gather and report quality measures to CMS while offering ready access to practice data and analytics to help them improve operations and patient care.”2

Practice Insights allows clinicians to submit data on 9 oncology-specific QCDR measures, including 7 developed with input from community physicians in The US Oncology Network, which are listed below2:

• Resolution or improvement of a health-related social need (HRSN)
• Advanced care planning in patients with metastatic cancer
• Hepatitis B serology testing and prophylactic treatment prior to receiving anti-CD20–targeting drugs
• Patient-reported pain improvement
• Supportive care drug utilization in last 14 days of life
• Mutation testing for stage IV lung cancer completed prior to the start of targeted therapy
• Utilization of prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) for patients with cancer receiving low-risk chemotherapy

Two other measures were developed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and have been approved for the third year:

• Antiemetic therapy for low– and minimal–emetic risk antineoplastic agents in the infusion center—avoidance of overuse
• Appropriate antiemetic therapy for high– and moderate–emetic risk antineoplastic agents in the infusion center

In addition, CMS selected 2 McKesson measures for inclusion in the 2024 Advancing Cancer Care MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs): mutation testing for stage IV lung cancer and utilization of prophylactic GCSF for patients receiving low-risk chemotherapy. Practice Insights is the only QCDR that has had measures selected for inclusion in the Advancing Cancer Care MVPs.2

Officials noted the new patient-reported outcomes measure that will assess outcomes associated with addressing HRSNs. Their statement described the McKesson measure as the first HRSN measure to examine whether issues are resolved after being identified.

Erin Crum, MPH | Image credit: Photo provided by McKesson

“McKesson’s measure goes full circle, enabling clinicians to not only identify needs but also efficiently track and report results,” Erin Crum, MPH, senior director of quality strategy and innovation at McKesson and The US Oncology Network, said in the statement.2

This new measure is especially important in helping practices comply with the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM) requirements, which call for practices to assess HRSNs and devise a plan to address them.3 More than 70% of the clinicians in The US Oncology Network are taking part in the EOM.4

The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) asked Crum to elaborate on the success of the first year of use of the HRSN measure; she answered the following questions. For more information, she referred to a commentary published in October 2024 in AJMC’s sister publication, OncologyLive®.5

AJMC: Can you characterize the status of the HRSN measure that assesses whether HRSNs were resolved?

Crum: The measure is slated for release in the next month. We will be able to track resolution [and] improvement across all iKnowMed users, The US Oncology Network practices, individual practices, and individual clinicians.

AJMC: How will patients and/or patient encounters be assessed?

Crum: The measure utilizes the National Comprehensive Cancer Network [NCCN] Distress Thermometer.6 This has been integrated into iKnowMed and Ontada Health. Screening for [HRSNs] is becoming common practice across The US Oncology Network practices and is a key requirement of the EOM.

AJMC: Can the measure track an individual patient’s journey? For example, can the practice tell whether a patient initially asks for housing or food and later seeks assistance, such as counseling?

Crum: The measure complements the NCCN distress dashboard found within our Practice Insights QCDR, which provides the patient history associated with all screens. It is possible to see the patient’s journey over time, related to areas of [HRSNs] and distress level within iKnowMed near the point-of-care as well.

AJMC: What kind of qualitative feedback did you get from practices about using this measure?

Crum: We engaged a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, social workers, quality program leads, technology experts, and quality measure development experts to inform measure development through a formal work group approach. Focusing on patient-reported outcomes was critical and, in many ways, more feasible [because] tracking referrals and interventions are challenging when practices have the option to use a variety of outside tools, services, and systems.

AJMC: Does McKesson anticipate any fine-tuning of this measure going forward?

Crum: We will continue to engage clinicians in The US Oncology Network for feedback to ensure the measure is meaningful and drives anticipated improvements in care to meet patient needs. We are also exploring integration with Findhelp,7 which could provide additional insight into the patient care journey and enable greater insight as to which interventions or community resources are truly impactful to resolve patients’ [HRSNs].

References

1. Quality Payment Program. CMS. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://qpp.cms.gov/
2. McKesson’s Practice Insights selected as a 2025 Qualified Clinical Data Registry by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. News release. McKesson; January 23, 2025. Accessed January 24, 2025. https://www.mckesson.com/about-mckesson/newsroom/press-releases/2025/mckessons-practice-insights-selected-as-a-2025-qualified-clinical-data-registry-by-centers-for-medicare--medicaid-services/
3. Enhancing Oncology Model. CMS. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.cms.gov/priorities/innovation/innovation-models/enhancing-oncology-model
4. Wilfong L, Staggs S. 12 practices in The Network participating in the EOM. The US Oncology Network blog. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://usoncology.com/news/12-practices-in-the-network-participating-in-eom/
5. Crum E, Mills L. McKesson’s patient-reported outcomes measure will track improvements in health-related social needs. OncologyLive. October 16, 2024. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.onclive.com/view/mckesson-s-patient-reported-outcomes-measure-will-track-improvements-in-health-related-social-needs
6. Riba MB, Donovan KA, Ahmed K, et al. NCCN Guidelines insights: distress management, version 2.2023. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2023;21(5):450-457. doi:10.6004/jnccn.2023.0026
7. Findhelp. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.findhelp.org/