Why technology and data matter in a value-based world
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has created a psychiatry-focused patient data registry for its membership and other behavioral healthcare providers. The APA will be promoting this newly created Specialized Registry at their upcoming annual meeting in San Diego later this month. And if you’re wondering what a Specialty Registry is and why the APA decided at this point in time to create one for psychiatrists and the other behavioral specialists they work with, like psychologists and social workers, then let’s jump in and discover what a Specialty Registry is and does. Who (or what) are they?
Registries and public health
A Specialized Registry is essentially a data repository that is created to engender and support interoperability within systems of care, and improved healthcare outcomes for patients. The CDC says, “Reporting to registries is an integral part of improving population and public health.” Some registries like the Immunization Registry were created by the federal government to support Meaningful Use initiatives. Groups of different medical specialists and their advocacy organizations have worked together to create data repositories that support their niche reporting and quality initiative requirements. Ophthalmology, neurology, cardiology, dermatology, etc. are just a few of the specialties that are supported by a Specialized Registry—registries created and maintained by their member organizations. And now, psychiatrists have one of their own.
Supporting CQM
PsychPro (Psychiatric Patient Registry Online), the APA sponsored registry, was created to help the APA’s membership meet current reporting requirements for quality improvement initiatives and demonstrate their success at delivering evidence-based care. PsychPro is designed to support providers in quality reporting around legislative mandates such as MIPS and MACRA for Medicare eligible providers (EPs). Clinical Quality Measures (CQM) reporting is foundational to the concept of value-based care, and as this model of care delivery evolves, Specialized Registries like PsychPro will play a key supporting role.
Additionally, PsychPro helps psychiatrists fulfill an American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) requirement known as Maintenance of Certification (MOC), Part IV. MOC requirements map nicely onto the new MIPS category called Clinical Improvement Activities. MOC goals are centered around a commitment to continuous learning, improvements in the quality of patient care, and practicing evidence-based treatments. Improvements in patient outcomes are demonstrated when providers use peer-supported instruments and best practices, enabled by technology that facilitates easy data gathering, extraction, and reporting.
PsychPro will officially debut at the APA’s 2017 annual conference in San Diego later this month. The launch of PsychPro is a big step forward for the psychiatric community. The mission of the APA, backed by data to show the impact and necessity of behavioral health in a value-based world are definitely something we can get behind.
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