HEDIS is embraced by employers, consumer organizations, state and federal regulators, consultants and health plans as the performance measurement tool of choice, and surveys indicate that almost 90 percent of all health plans collect and report some HEDIS data.
For equitable and meaningful comparisons, HEDIS results must be accurate and verifiable. NCQA and other stakeholders agree that an independent audit of HEDIS collection and reporting processes, as well as an audit of the data which are manipulated by those processes, is necessary to ensure that HEDIS specifications are met.
To ensure consistency across audits, NCQA developed the HEDIS Compliance Audit® program. HEDIS Compliance Audits must be conducted by NCQA-Licensed Organizations and NCQA-Certified auditors using NCQA's standard audit methodology.
The Baseline Assessment Tool (BAT) is a required component and the first step of the NCQA Compliance Audit process. It is completed by health plans and submitted to their Certified Auditors. Volume 5, HEDIS Compliance Audit®: Standards, Policies and Procedures requires that the HEDIS 2008 version of BAT be completed in its entirety prior to sending to the licensed organization responsible for its HEDIS 2008 Compliance Audit. MCOs that completed a BAT for the 2007 measurement year should use that BAT as a foundation, then identify changes to their information systems, policies and procedures that occurred during 2007. The MCO should describe, in its BAT responses, the procedures it used for ensuring complete and accurate implementation of changes made.
Click on the link below to download the Microsoft Word 2003 version of NCQA's Baseline Assessment Tool.
Please read the instructions included in the file below. Then, click on the links to each section of the Baseline Assessment Tool (BAT) below to download the Microsoft Word 2003 version of NCQA's Baseline Assessment Tool. There is only one version of the Baseline Assessment Tool. Plans not using NCQA-certified software should complete the entire BAT. Plans using NCQA-certified software should work with the software vendor to complete the BAT. The BAT is color-coded to make it easier for the plan and the certified software vendor. (Questions in black should be completed by the plan; questions in red should be completed by the certified vendor; new items are in green and questions in blue should be completed by the vendor, the plan or both.)
NCQA recommends saving the Baseline Assessment Tool at various stages of completion. The tool may be renamed using the date to assist plans with version control.
BAT Sections
Click here to download a WinZip format of the BAT Files updated 11/6/07