NCQA’s Lung Cancer Screening Measure: Updates and Next Steps
June 17, 2025 · NCQA Communications
Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Early detection plays a critical role in improving patient outcomes, and even though a safe, validated screening method exists—and is recognized by national guidelines—uptake of screening among eligible individuals is low.
NCQA has been working on a new lung cancer screening measure, with support from the American Cancer Society National Lung Cancer Roundtable and the American Lung Association. The measure aligns with the current USPSTF guidelines and encourages early identification of at-risk individuals through low-dose computed tomography scans.
Progress on Lung Cancer Screening Measure Development
The proposed measure went through NCQA’s rigorous development process for HEDIS® MY 2026 consideration: an environmental scan, testing with implementation partners, guidance from expert Measurement Advisory Panels, review by the Committee for Performance Management and preparation for public comment.
During this process, concerns were raised about the technical readiness of health plans to adequately capture and report smoking history, the risk of potential harm to patients due to inappropriate or over-screening, and the absence of a shared decision-making component within the measure. As a result, the measure is no longer being considered for MY 2026.
“Lung cancer screening is an essential part of improving health outcomes for high-risk populations,” says Brenna Lin, NCQA’s Applied Research Scientist. “We are committed to developing a measure that not only meets the highest standards of quality, but also aligns with the practical realities of health care delivery.”
What’s Next
NCQA remains committed to advancing a measure to address appropriate screening. We will continue to refine the measure for future consideration. Our next steps include:
- Performing additional analyses to address data availability and readiness.
- Consulting with experts in oncology, shared decision making and preventive care.
- Exploring innovative solutions to address the concerns raised during the review process.
We are actively engaged and looking for potential partners to address the issues we’ve identified, and to help advance a lung cancer screening measure for HEDIS. For more information, or to partner with NCQA on future research for this measure, please contact us.
HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
