Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting

This measure evaluates the percentage of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine studies for low back pain performed in the outpatient setting where conservative therapy was not attempted prior to the MRI. Antecedent conservative therapy may include claim(s) for physical therapy in the 60 days preceding the lumbar spine MRI, claim(s) for chiropractic evaluation and manipulative treatment in the 60 days preceding the lumbar spine MRI, or claim(s) for evaluation and management at least 28 days but no later than 60 days preceding the lumbar spine MRI.

Surgical patients who received prophylactic antibiotics consistent with current guidelines (specific to each type of surgical procedure).

This measure calculates the percentage of thorax computed tomography (CT) studies that are performed without and with contrast, out of all thorax CT studies performed (those without contrast, those with contrast, and those with both) at each facility. The measure is calculated based on a one-year window of Medicare fee-for-service claims data. The measure has been publicly reported annually by the measure steward, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), since 2010, as a component of its Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (HOQR) Program.