FAQs

ImageGuide Background & Benefits
Enrollment
Regulatory
Data Elements & Submission


ImageGuide Background & Benefits


What is the ImageGuide Registry?

The ImageGuide Registry is the first cardiovascular registry of its kind, focusing on non-invasive cardiac imaging studies. The primary purpose of the registry is quality improvement, and it provides a fully integrated platform to seamlessly collect data in nuclear imaging labs to measure quality, safety, and efficiency.   

What are the benefits to participating in the ImageGuide Registry?
  • Gain access to benchmark reports and standardized performance data

  • Enhance patient care and improve lab efficiency

  • Successfully participate in regulatory programs and avoid negative payment adjustments on Medicare Part B services

  • Report on nuclear cardiology-specific performance measures under MIPS

  • Demonstrate appropriate use of nuclear imaging tests to payers


Enrollment


What is the cost to participate in the ImageGuide registry?

For a limited time, ImageGuide Registry participation is free for ASNC members and is $750/provider annually for non-members. 
 

What types of physicians are eligible to participate in the ImageGuide registry?
Any physician who interprets SPECT or PET nuclear cardiac imaging studies is eligible to participate in the registry.
 
Must I enroll 100% of the interpreting physicians in my practice/hospital in the registry?

It is not required that all physicians at a practice/hospital participate; a subset of physicians at a practice/hospital may enroll at any time.
 
Do I need IRB approval to participate in the ImageGuide Registry?

The Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) has confirmed that institutions including practice groups, hospitals or other clinical care providers, that are providing data to a clinical data registry are not engaging in human subject research thus do not need IRB review and approval.  For more information, see the letter from the Physician Clinical Registry Coalition requesting clarifications by OHRP related to the application of the Common Rule to clinical data registries and the OHRP response to this letter.
 
As an international physician, can I participate in the ImageGuide Registry?

The ImageGuide Registry is only available to physicians practicing in the United States and its territories. In the future, ASNC will consider expanding ImageGuide participation to include international physicians.
 

Regulatory


Will the ImageGuide Registry a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) for CMS’ Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)?

Yes, ImageGuide has been approved by CMS as a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) for the 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 reporting years.
 
As a QCDR, ImageGuide allows participating physicians to report on performance measures developed specifically for nuclear cardiologists to satisfy reporting requirements under the Quality Category of the Merit-Based Payment System (MIPS). Successful participation in MIPS will allow physicians to avoid an automatic negative payment adjustment on Medicare receivables.

 

W
hat are the benefits of participation in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)?
Physicians who did not satisfactorily report data on quality measures will be subject to a negative payment adjustment for all services rendered for patients with Medicare Part B Fee for Service (FFS). 
 
Physicians will be subject to payment adjustments based on MIPS participation by the following schedule:

Performance Year Payment Adjustment Year Payment Adjustment %
2017 2019 -4%
2018 2020 -5%
2019 2021 -7%
2020 2022 -9%

How many QCDR performance measures are included in the ImageGuide Registry, how many must I submit and what are they?
ImageGuide offers 15 nuclear cardiology performance measures for 2017. More information on measure specifications can be found here.

Physicians are required to submit data on at least 50% of the imaging studies performed on patients regardless of insurance payer (i.e., Medicare and non-Medicare). Physicians are required to report at least six measures. Of the six measures, at least one must be an outcome measure. For the 2017 reporting year, it is possible to avoid the 4% negative payment adjustment by reporting a minimal amount of data through Pick Your Pace.
 

Will I receive a negative payment adjustment on only the imaging studies performed on patients with Medicare Part B, or does the penalty apply to all Medicare Part B services rendered?

The adjustment applies to all Medicare Part B services rendered.  For example, a physician who does not successfully participate in MIPS in 2017 will be penalized 4% for all Medicare Part B services rendered in 2019.   


Data Elements and Submission


What types of data are being collected in the ImageGuide Registry?

The registry measures performance areas such as appropriate use, report turn-around, study quality, and radiation dose.  ImageGuide also collects data on each participating nuclear lab, including staffing resources, practice/lab characteristics, accreditations/certifications, and imaging cameras used to perform the studies. Other meaningful statistics including rest/stress radiopharmaceuticals, types of stress tests, exercise protocols, and imaging protocols are also provided.

The ImageGuide registry includes approximately 132 data elements that directly relate to SPECT and PET nuclear cardiac imaging studies.  More information on ImageGuide data elements can be found here.  Please email imageguide@asnc.org for a copy of the complete data collection form.

Do all labs collect the same information?

All labs participating in ImageGuide will collect the same data elements with common definitions and permissible values.  A common set of data elements permits ImageGuide to provide meaningful performance measurement information to participating physicians and aggregated performance for all physicians participating in the registry.

Are there reports available to help analyze my data?

ASNC has contracted with FIGmd to validate and aggregate data, and to make reporting available to participating physicians and practice/hospital staff. Each participant has access to the ImageGuide dashboard, which shows individual physician performance, aggregate level practice/hospital performance, and the performance of each practice/hospital office location.  The dashboard also allows the performance of physicians, practices/hospitals, and office locations to be calculated and trended over time.  This functionality will be continually enhanced as new performance measures are added and other non-performance measure related statistics are requested by the provider community. 

How do I collect and submit data to the ImageGuide Registry?

Data can be collected and submitted to the registry in one of three ways:

ASNC Certified Reporting Vendor
ASNC has partnered with three reporting vendors, INVIA (Corridor4DM)Cedars-Sinai (Cardiac Suite), and Syntermed (Emory Cardiac Toolbox), to collect all required data elements and provide a data export/transmission of the elements to the registry.  ASNC certifies each reporting vendor to assure the software contains all data elements as defined in the data dictionary, the data submission file conforms to ImageGuide specifications and the data can be successfully transmitted and loaded into the registry.


     

 

Web-based Data Collection Tool

ImageGuide has developed a data collection tool for institutions to enter imaging study data directly into the registry in the event they are not using reporting software that contains all ImageGuide data elements. ASNC estimates each imaging study will take approximately 2-3 minutes to enter into the web, and staff/support personnel may be able to assist with data entry.
 
Systems Integrator

In the event that lab is using its own custom imaging reporting application or is using software from a vendor that has not partnered with ImageGuide, it may be possible to automatically extract and submit data from your EHR/EMR/Imaging System to the registry with assistance from FigMD.  If you would like to explore systems integration for your institution, please complete our technology questionnaire after enrolling through the sign-up portal and return to imageguide@asnc.org to see if you qualify for this data submission method.
 

Must I use an ImageGuide certified Reporting Vendor to participate in the registry?

No.  Labs may use the ImageGuide web-based data collection tool to collect and submit data to the registry, or you may qualify to use a Systems Integrator to extract, format and transmit your data to the registry on your behalf.

 
 
If you have any questions about the ImageGuide Registry, need assistance with registration, or would like a consultation on which data submission method is best suited for your institution, please email ImageGuide@asnc.org or call Joe Reyes at 301-215-7575 ext. 208.