QualityNet Accounts

TMF will distribute PEPPER files to short-term acute care, long-term acute care and critical access hospitals using the QualityNet Secure File Exchange (see the Send/Receive link under Exchange Files on the QualityNet page). The Secure File Exchange page includes links for File Exchange Help and File Exchange Notification Preferences.

PEPPER files will be sent to hospitals’ QualityNet Administrators and to those who have QualityNet basic user accounts with the PEPPER recipient role. To receive automatic e-mail notification from QualityNet that a message/file has been received in your Secure File Exchange inbox, QualityNet administrators and those who have basic user accounts with the PEPPER recipient role must set their notification preference under the QualityNet, Exchange Files task. Click on Send/Receive, then click on File Exchange Notification Preferences, and set the Notification Frequency to something other than "Never." If you don’t set a notification preference, you will not receive any notification from QualityNet of received messages/files. Please take the time to set a preference. You may update your preferences at any time.

QualityNet is the only CMS-approved method for secure electronic communications and health care quality data exchange between data vendors and hospitals. Important information about types of QualityNet accounts is provided below.

QualityNet Security Administrator Accounts

For information regarding registering as a QualityNet Security Administrator, go to the QualityNet website at http://www.qualitynet.org; on the home page click on QualityNet Registration, then Hospitals-Inpatient.

The QualityNet Security Administrator:

• Creates, approves, edits and/or terminates QualityNet user accounts (except Security Administrator) within the organization
• Monitors QualityNet usage at the organization to maintain proper security and confidentiality measures
• Serves as the point of contact at the organization for information regarding QualityNet

QualityNet Security Administrator accounts are a requirement for short-term acute care and critical access hospitals to participate in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, formerly known as the Reporting Hospital Quality Data for Annual Payment Update (RHQDAPU) initiative.

QualityNet Basic User Accounts

All other registered QualityNet users in an organization are considered basic users. The QualityNet Security Administrator for the organization can assign the User Roles of “File Exchange and Search” and “PEPPER Recipient” to a basic user account. Basic users with the “File Exchange and Search” and “PEPPER Recipient” roles will receive PEPPER files when they are distributed to QualityNet Administrators.

To register as a QualityNet basic user:

1. Notify the QualityNet Security Administrator for your organization that you need to become a registered QualityNet user. (This is usually the person who is involved in the reporting of your hospital’s quality data.)
2. Provide the required registration information to your QualityNet Security Administrator or designated staff, who will complete an online registration form for you (from the pages of QualityNet) and print a copy for notarization.
3. Sign and date the printed copy of your registration form in the presence of a Notary Public, obtaining the Notary's signature and seal on the form. NOTE: Although some states do not require such, QualityNet does require either the notary seal or stamp on the registration form for approval.
4. Mail the original notarized registration form (keeping a copy for your records) to the QualityNet Help Desk at this address:
   
   QualityNet Help Desk
   1401 50th Street, Suite 200
   West Des Moines, IA 50266-8239

The QualityNet Help Desk will process the registration form. You will be notified by e-mail when your registration is complete and you can sign in to QualityNet. The e-mail will also contain your login ID.

To sign in to QualityNet for the first time, use the temporary password provided by the QualityNet Security Administrator at your organization who created your account. (Contact your Security Administrator if you have not received a temporary password.)

View frequently asked questions about QualityNet or downloading issues, or use the PEPPER Help Desk to submit questions to TMF.