Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR)
A QCDR is a CMS-approved entity that collects clinical data from clinicians and reports specialty-specific quality measures for MIPS, allowing specialties to report measures more relevant to their practice than the standard MIPS measure set.
What is a QCDR?
CMS approves QCDRs annually through an application and review process that specialty societies undertake to qualify their registries for MIPS reporting purposes. Approved QCDRs can submit quality measure data to CMS on behalf of participating clinicians, satisfying the MIPS Quality performance category requirement. Major approved QCDRs include the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for cardiac and thoracic surgery, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) for cardiovascular medicine, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) for orthopedics, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), and the American College of Surgeons (ACS NSQIP) for surgery. QCDR measures are specialty-specific — a cardiac surgeon can report STS QCDR measures on CABG mortality rates and postoperative complication rates, which are far more clinically meaningful than generic preventive care measures from the standard MIPS measure set. QCDR participation also typically provides access to national registry benchmarking data, adding an analytical benefit beyond MIPS compliance. In 2026, MIPS continues to allow QCDR reporting; specialties without an applicable QCDR are limited to the standard measure set.
Why It Matters for Healthcare Analytics
QCDR reporting typically results in higher MIPS performance rates than standard measure set reporting, because QCDR measures are designed by specialty societies to reflect achievable benchmarks for their members. Understanding which QCDR measures your specialty is eligible to report — and whether your current performance rates would result in a payment bonus or penalty — is a core MIPS strategy decision.
How Vizier Tracks QCDR Performance
Upload your clinical data and registry submissions, then ask "Which of our QCDR measures are below the performance threshold for a MIPS bonus?" — Vizier calculates performance rates on each QCDR measure, projects your MIPS Quality category score, and identifies which measures need targeted clinical improvement.