Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: What PQRS measures should we be reporting for anesthesia in 2015?

Wyoming Subscriber

Answer: First, take note that Measure 30 (Perioperative care: Timing of prophylactic antibiotic: administering physician) has been retired for 2015 so is no longer valid.

You’ll need to select one cross cutting measure to report. A few that are more applicable to anesthesia or pain management include Measure 130 (Documentation of current medications in the medical record), Measure 131 (Pain assessment and follow-up), and Measure 236 (Controlling high blood pressure). You can find a complete list of cross cutting measures at www.cms.gov and searching for “2015 PQRS cross cutting measures.”

Next, you’ll need to select nine measures that cover at least three national quality strategy domains (if available), based on the applicable measures. Applicable measures could include:

• # 193 – Perioperative temperature management
• # 76 – Prevention of CVC blood stream infection
• # 145 – Radiology: Exposure time reported for

procedures using fluoroscopy

• #44 – Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG):

Preoperative beta-blocker in patients with isolated
CABG surgery

• #131 – Pain assessment and follow up
• #130 – Documentation of current medications in

medical record

• #110 – Influenza immunization
• #111 – Pneumonia vaccination
• #226 – Tobacco use: screening and cessation
• #128 – BMI: Screening and follow up plan.