Webinar: CMS disparity methods

A webinar will be held on June 20 at 2:30 p.m. CT to provide an overview of two methods the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) developed to illuminate performance for patients with social risk factors. The webinar will include an overview of the disparity methods, provide an opportunity to ask questions and solicit feedback from attendees.

The two methods that CMS will review during this webinar, and that will be included in the August 2018 confidential reporting, include:

  1. Dual eligible disparity method for within hospital comparison:
    • Calculates the disparity between readmission rates among dual eligible patients and non-dual eligible patients to compare performance for these two patient groups within an individual hospital.
  2. Dual eligible outcome method for across hospital comparison:
    • Calculates readmission rates for dual eligible patients separate from non-dual eligible patients, allowing performance for dual eligible patients to be compared across hospitals.

These methods will be calculated using CMS’s pneumonia readmission outcome measure. Results will be confidentially reported to hospitals from Aug. 24 to Sept. 24, 2018. The goal of this confidential reporting is to educate hospitals about the methods and offer an opportunity for questions and comments.

Pre-registration for the webinar is required. For more information, email cmsdisparitymethods@yale.edu.