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CMS ESRD QIP Mailbox Transition to QualityNet Question & Answer Tool and ECE Form Submission

April 20, 2022

Effective immediately, please submit End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (ESRD QIP) questions through the QualityNet Question & Answer (Q&A) Tool. The previously used Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ESRD QIP mailbox will no longer be monitored after May 31, 2022, and emails will not be answered.

ESRD QIP questions that should be submitted through the Q&A Tool include:

  • ESRD Quality Reporting System (EQRS) training questions
  • General EQRS data entry questions
  • ESRD QIP questions
  • CMS reporting requirement questions

To submit a question through the Q&A Tool, select ESRD QIP from the Program drop-down list under Topic, and then select a category from the General ESRD QIP sub-menu to submit your question. When submitting your question(s) through the Q&A Tool, please be as detailed as possible to ensure your question and/or issue is effectively answered. This will only affect inquiries that were previously sent to the ESRDQIP@cms.hhs.gov mailbox.

Extraordinary Circumstance Exception (ECE) Request Forms

CMS offers a process for dialysis facilities to request exceptions when extraordinary circumstances occur that are beyond the control of the facility and impact regular operations. CMS will evaluate each request and, if approved, can grant an exception to ensure that any impact to performance caused by the extraordinary circumstance does not factor into ESRD QIP scores.

In the event of such circumstances, dialysis facilities must submit an ECE Request Form. This form must be:

  • Complete and include answers to all required questions
  • Signed by the dialysis facility’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or designee
  • Accompanied by any supporting documentation and proof of the extraordinary event

Further, you must submit any ECE Request Form in one of the three ways outlined below.

Please submit all other system-related inquiries to the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) Service Center. The CCSQ Service Center is open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time and can be reached via phone at (866) 288-8912, or via email at qnetsupport-esrd@hcqis.org.