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HARP Registration

If you do not create HARP account, you will not be able to login to QSEP.
Users requiring access to both QSEP and iQIES, will only have to create one HARP account.
CMS has deployed the HARP system for identity verification, authentication and role management for accessing its web-based information systems, including the Quality, Safety & Education Portal (QSEP) and Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). The new process may involve some inconvenience on the part of CMS information system users, but the goal is to provide increased security for CMS data and for user privacy.
Watch this video that will help you understand the HARP registration process.
Yes. Select here to watch a short video explaining how to register for a HARP account and set up two-factor authentication.
After you complete the "Profile Information" page, select the link "Initiate Manual Proofing" at the bottom of the page. Manual proofing Instructions will follow.
The state in HARP (your home address) can be different from the state in QSEP (your State Agency). Your QSEP agency dictates your QSEP Role.
A request to add email as an option for MFA has been submitted to HARP. It will be added as part of a future HARP release. QSEP users will be notified about this release.

Identity Proofing Process

Users who prefer not to provide their SSN may opt for manual proofing, a process in which they submit copies of documents to verify their identity. Last four digits of SSN maybe required for manual proofing. The manual proofing process may take additional time before the user gains access to the requested system.
If you are unable to answer authentication questions, you will need to initiate the manual proofing process. Please contact the help desk or call (855) 791-8900 for help with manual proofing process.

If you were unable to proof remotely and/or through Experian, manual proofing is required.

QPP Service Center is performing the manual proofing. Experian will direct users to QSEP help desk, which will provide QPP information to the users.

QPP contact information for sending documentation:

Quality Payment Program (QPP) Service Center
12000 Ridgemont Dr.
Urbandale, IA 50323
Fax: (888) 329-7377
QPP Service Center - QPP@cms.hhs.gov

Manual proofing process may take up to one week from the date of submission of all required documentation.

Frequently Asked Questions related to manual proofing can be found here

The QPP Service Center is handling the Manual Proofing for QSEP users. This option is needed in the case a user does not enter SSN to proof remotely or are unable to proof remotely.

Quality Payment Program (QPP) Service Center
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM EST
Monday - Friday
Email: QPP@cms.hhs.gov
Phone: 1-866-288-8292
TTY: 1-877-715-6222
Fax: 1-888-329-7377

QSEP Role Request

All users who have created HARP accounts will be able to login to QSEP (QSEP.CMS.gov) with their HARP Id and Password. Users with existing ISTW accounts, once logged in to QSEP, will be automatically assigned QSEP role equivalent to their ISTW role, and will be automatically linked to their training records if their HARP email address matches ISTW email address.

If the HARP email address is different from ISTW email address, users will be re-directed to the QSEP Role Request page upon their first login to QSEP. Users with existing ISTW accounts will have an option to enter their ISTW user id to request a QSEP role equivalent to their ISTW role. If the system cannot find a match and cannot automatically assign QSEP role to the existing ISTW user, the user will have to contact the QSEP Help Desk.

Table below demonstrates the cross reference between the existing ISTW user roles and equivalent QSEP user roles.

ISTW user roles compared to QSEP user roles
ISTW User Role Equivalent QSEP User Role Role Description
State Surveyor State Surveyor Provides functionality allowing CMS sponsored surveyors to assign themselves to Training Plans and take online courses in the order prescribed by Training Plans.
State Non-Surveyor State Non-Surveyor Provides functionality allowing State Agency personnel to browse Training Plans and take online courses in any order.
State Training Coordinator (STC) State Training Coordinator (STC) Provides functionality allowing STC to browse Training Plans, take online courses in any order, and access reporting functionality (data access is restricted to a specific state).
Federal Surveyor Federal Surveyor Provides functionality allowing CMS Federal surveyors to assign themselves to Training Plans and take online courses in the order prescribed by Training Plans.
Federal Non-Surveyor Federal Non-Surveyor Provides functionality allowing Regional Office personnel to browse Training Plans and take online courses in any order.
Regional Training Administrator (RTA) Regional Training Administrator (RTA) Provides functionality allowing RTA to browse Training Plans, take online courses in any order, and access reporting functionality (data access is restricted to a specific region).
CMS CO TC Central Office QSED Manager Provides functionality allowing CMS management staff to browse Training Plans, take online courses in any order, and access reporting functionality (ALL states/ALL regions).
CMS CO Admin Central Office QSED Administrator Provides functionality allowing CMS administrator to browse Training Plans, take online courses in any order, and access reporting functionality (ALL states/ALL regions). Provides limited access to administrative functions.
New employees will have to create HARP account first, then login to QSEP. The system will direct you to the QSEP Role Request page. Submit a request for a QSEP role and wait for approval by your agency’s security official.

Users must have a HARP account in order to login to the QSEP system.

New employees will have to create HARP account first, then login to QSEP, submit a request for a QSEP role, and wait for approval by their agency’s security official.

Users must have a HARP account in order to login to the QSEP system.

Under "Name" in the QSEP menu bar, select ‘My Profile’, the My User Role section will list your current & pending roles.

Credit for Training

No, the learner will need to add the Training Plan to My Training, then go back through the materials and complete any tests and evaluations in order to trigger a completion.
No. QSEP is designed to provide the general public access to all training material and courses used by certified CMS Surveyors. All training material and courses are available on QSEP's Training Catalog web page. There is no need to create an account if your intent is to browse content. However, no certificates of completion are provided to the general public, and course progress will not be tracked.

Certification

View Training Status

Select "Refresh My Training" to update your training progress.
Yes. If you refresh the "parent" page for the training, it will show that you have credit for that training.
The "My Training" page needs to be refreshed each time the Learner progresses through any training.

Dashboard

To mark the message as read: on the My Dashboard page, select the checkbox beside the message in the first column. As soon as the checkbox is selected, the message is marked as read and will be available in ‘Show All’ or ‘Show Read’ filters.

Proxies

Profile

QSEP does not prompt users to update annually. User profile information can be updated through HARP as needed.

Transfers

An STC can’t access a user’s profile. The user must contact the help desk and they will be able to change the user's domain to the new state agency.
No. A surveyor must contact the help desk and they will be able to change the surveyor’s domain to the new state agency.
Please contact the help desk and they will be able to transfer your transcript to your new active QSEP account.

Training

Search Training

The search is designed to display the first Training name which contains the entered text: e.g. Entering text "Long Term Care" will first return training named: "BHFS—Basic Health Facility Surveyor—Introduction to Surveying for Long Term Care (includes Resident Assessment Instrument Minimum Data Set 3.0)"

Transcript

Print Transcript

Go to the My Training Page and select the "Print My Transcript" button. It will open the "Training Completion Transcript" page. On this page select the "Print Page" button.

Print Certificate

From the "My Training" Page, click on the ribbon icon to view, download or print your certificate of completion.

Pre-test Access

Go to your "My Training" page and select the "Launch" button. This will open the Training Menu. Select the "pretest" link to access your pre-test.

Evaluation Access

Go to your "My Training" page and select the "Launch" button. This will open the Training Menu. Select the "Training Evaluation" link to access the training evaluation.

Course Audio/Video Issue

Please be sure you have the latest version of Adobe Flash Player and Windows Media Player installed on your computer and the plugins are enabled on your browser. Your IT department should be able to assist you. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, please contact the help desk. The common plugins used for training on the QSEP are Adobe Flash, Windows Media Player, and Webex.

Prerequisites

Please send a copy of the Fire Inspector One Certification (NFPA Issued) to the help desk. They will be able to add the certificate to your transcript.

CEUs

If CEUs are offered for a course, they will be listed on the training plan.

Sort Report Data

Select the light grey up-down arrows to the far right of a column header within the "Preview Results" pane.

Becoming a Surveyor

Please contact your State Health Department to apply for a position as a surveyor. Once a position is obtained, the State will begin your training and certification.

Hand-in-Hand Training

The Hand in Hand ISO files are designed to be burned onto blank DVDs as disk images to allow them to be played using a DVD player. There are also applications that will allow you to play ISO files on your computer, such as PowerISO.

Security Official

If the agency does not have a security official, new QSEP role requests will not be approved. Users requesting a QSEP role in that agency will have to contact the QSEP Help Desk.
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