For the ninth consecutive year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has named McKesson a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) approved to participate in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). As a CMS-designated QCDR, McKesson can collect and report clinical data on behalf of clinicians utilizing iKnowMed℠ electronic health record and integrated module, Practice Insights℠, a performance analytics tool powered by Ontada®, McKesson’s technology and insights business. The designation enables healthcare practices and providers utilizing iKnowMed to efficiently submit data directly for both MIPS and custom QCDR quality measures to CMS, eliminating the need to engage a separate registry vendor, streamlining data submission and minimizing administrative burden.
“McKesson is committed to providing actionable insights to community oncology practices that can empower them to improve patient care, reduce practice burden, and grow access to care in the community setting,” said Jason Hammonds, chief operating officer, Oncology & Specialty, McKesson. “As a 2025 QCDR, Practice Insights enables providers to easily gather and report quality measures to CMS while offering ready access to practice data and analytics to help them improve operations and patient care.”
Practice Insights supports nine oncology-specific QCDR measures to drive improvements in quality and cost of care. Seven of these measures were developed in collaboration with physicians in The US Oncology Network, a network of community-based providers supported by McKesson:
- Resolution or Improvement of a Health-Related Social Need
- Advance Care Planning in Metastatic Cancer Patients
- Hepatitis B Serology Testing and Prophylactic Treatment Prior to Receiving Anti-CD20 Targeting Drugs
- Patient-Reported Pain Improvement
- Supportive Care Drug Utilization in Last 14 Days of Life
- Mutation Testing for Stage IV Lung Cancer Completed Prior to the Start of Targeted Therapy
- Utilization of Prophylactic GCSF for Cancer Patients Receiving Low-Risk Chemotherapy
The other two measures were developed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and have been approved for the third year:
- Antiemetic Therapy for Low-and Minimal-Emetic-Risk Antineoplastic Agents in the Infusion Center - Avoidance of Overuse
- Appropriate Antiemetic Therapy for High-and Moderate-Emetic-Risk Antineoplastic Agents in the Infusion Center
Recognizing the value of McKesson’s quality measures for improving cancer care, CMS selected two of the measures for inclusion in the 2024 Advancing Cancer Care MIPS Value Pathways (MVP): Mutation Testing for Stage IV Lung Cancer and Utilization of Prophylactic GCSF for Patients Receiving Low-Risk Chemotherapy. Practice Insights is the only QCDR that has had measures selected for inclusion in the Advancing Cancer Care MVP.
Two of the QCDR measures included in Practice Insights are patient-reported outcomes measures, considered particularly impactful for outcomes improvement1. Especially noteworthy and new for 2025 is the first patient-reported outcomes measure available through MIPS assessing outcomes associated with addressing health-related social needs (HRSNs). While other quality measures screen for HRSNs, McKesson’s is the first to examine whether issues are resolved after being identified.
“McKesson’s measure goes full circle, enabling clinicians to not only identify needs, but also efficiently track and report results,” noted Erin Crum, senior director, Quality Strategy and Innovation, McKesson and The US Oncology Network. “We are extremely proud of this advancement that supports a more holistic, patient-centered approach to treatment, and we will continue advocating for quality measures that are truly impactful to patients and oncology care.”
