Health Care Efficiency Through Flexibility Act

Health Care Efficiency Through Flexibility Act would change how quality data for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) is collected and reported. The bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure that multiple data-collection methods are available for each measure MSSP ACOs must report from 2025 through 2029, specifically electronic clinical quality measures, MIPS clinical quality measures, and Medicare Clinical Quality Measures for MSSP ACOs. It also adds flexibility in data completeness rules so that an ACO’s data can be considered representative even if some data from certain participants can’t be collected via the chosen collection method, provided other data meet requirements and the shortfall can be explained. Additionally, the bill creates a pilot program (2028–2032) to test digital quality measure reporting. Selected ACOs would report two specified measures through a digital collection type, with a waiver of other required measures for those years, and data from these pilot measures wouldn’t count toward standard quality performance determinations for those years. The Secretary must provide technical assistance and, by 2032, publicly post an analysis, recommendations, and a proposed timeline for broader use of the digital collection approach. Overall, the bill aims to increase flexibility and reduce reporting barriers while experimenting with digital reporting methods.