CMS approves ACR lung cancer registry

One of the criteria for providers of lung cancer screening for Medicare patients is that they submit data to a CMS-approved registry for each lung-cancer screening study performed: The ACR Lung Cancer Screening registry just became the first CMS-approved registry for providers of this service.

“The ACR Lung Cancer Screening Registry is ready to help providers quickly and efficiently meet Medicare reporting requirements and monitor and demonstrate the quality of CT lung cancer screening in their practice,” said Ella Kazerooni, MD, FACR, chair of the American College of Radiology Lung Cancer Screening Committee and ACR Thoracic Imaging Panel, in a prepared statement.

Kazerooni added that the ACR registry also will contribute to improving and refining lung cancer screening nationally over time through the compilation and analysis of quality information.

The new registry is part of the ACR National Radiology Data Registry (NRDR), which CMS also has recognized as a proxy for claims-data submission for the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS). Practices using the NRDR can select from specialty-specific measures developed by the ACR to reach the required nine measures and three domains for PQRS.

The ACR urges all providers offering or planning to offer lung cancer screening to utilize the following ACR tools and infrastructure to help ensure quality care:

• The ACR Lung Cancer Screening Center program helps ensure these exams are provided safely and effectively
• ACR Lung-RADS™ standardizes CT lung cancer screening reporting and management, aids lung CT interpretation and supports outcomes monitoring
• ACR/Society of Thoracic Radiology CT lung cancer screening practice parameters outline exam performance

Further education in clinical, operational and economic issues associated with lung cancer screening will be provided at the ACR 2015, the first of a new college-sponsored annual meeting, May 17–21, in Washington, DC.