FAQ Directory

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about NCQA’s various programs. If you don’t see what you are looking for in one of the entries below, you can  ask a question through My NCQA.

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9.15.2022 Durable medical equipment in the scope of credentialing Are durable medical equipment entities in the scope of credentialing?

Yes. Durable medical equipment entities are in the scope of CR 7, Element A, to the extent that organizations must have policies and procedures for initial and ongoing assessment of the entities with which it contracts. NCQA’s review of the organization’s assessment of organizational providers is limited to the organizations listed in CR 7, Elements B and C.

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HP 2022|MBHO 2022|UM-CR-PN 2022

9.15.2022 MBHO: File Review Scope for NCQA-Accredited MBHOs seeking UM-CR-PN Accreditation How many files are reviewed in a UM-CR-PN Survey for Accredited MBHOs?

For UM Accreditation, 75 files are reviewed per product line.  For CR Accreditation, 75 initial credentialing files and 75 recredentialing files are reviewed. 

Note: For non-MBHO organizations, 30 files are reviewed per product line. 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
MBHO 2022

9.15.2022 File Review Scope for NCQA-Accredited Health Plans seeking UM-CR-PN Accreditation How many files are reviewed in a UM-CR-PN Survey for Accredited Health Plans?

For UM Accreditation, 75 files are reviewed per product line.  For CR Accreditation, 75 initial credentialing files and 75 recredentialing files are reviewed. 

Note: For non-health plan organizations, 30 files are reviewed per product line.  

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HP 2022, 2023|UM-CR-PN 2022

9.15.2022 Cost to Purchase Quality Compass How much does Quality Compass cost?

Quality Compass is priced according to the number of users, years of trended data, and whether your organization needs access to the Data Exporter feature. The cost breakdown is available on our pricing table on the NCQA Store .
 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS MY 2021

9.15.2022 Quality Compass Exchange Product Does NCQA have Exchange data available on Quality Compass?

In 2022, NCQA will be releasing  Quality Compass Exchange data for the first time. Exchange data will be available outside of the Quality Compass tool via a data file delivered on NCQA’s Download Center. The data file will contain individual plan level performance and benchmarks (averages and percentiles) for Exchange plans. It will contain results for QRS measure indicators used in the QRS Scoring program only. The Exchange data file is available for purchase now and will be released in November 2022.
 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS MY 2021

9.15.2022 Quality Compass Release Dates 2022 What are the release dates for the Quality Compass 2022(MY2021) product lines?

The expected release dates for Quality Compass 2022(MY2021) are as follows:

    • Commercial – July 29th, 2022
    • Medicaid – September 30th, 2022
    • Medicare – October 28th, 2022
    • Exchange – November 2022 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS MY 2021

9.15.2022 Invoice for Quality Compass How do I obtain an invoice to purchase Quality Compass?

If your organization needs an invoice prior to placing your order for Quality Compass, please reach out to our Information Products team by submitting a case through your my.NCQA.org account.
 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS MY 2021

9.15.2022 Quality Compass Sharing Restrictions What are the sharing restrictions and guidelines for distributing the data available on Quality Compass?

You can find the standard guidelines and restrictions for data usage in Section 2 of the Quality Compass license agreement. This agreement in located on our website as well as on the NCQA store site, prior to any purchase of a license. If you expect your data usage to fall outside of the permissions set forth in the standard agreement, NCQA offers customized agreements to grant extended permissions and use cases, subject to a separate fee.

If you are unsure if your use case falls outside the standard license terms, submit your question via my.ncqa.org for further assistance.
 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS MY 2021

9.15.2022 Difference Between HPR and Quality Compass How are HPR and Quality Compass different?

Quality Compass is NCQA’s interactive database containing individual plan performance results for HEDIS® and CAHPS® measures, as well as benchmark data at the national, regional (Census, HHS) and state levels. It reports individual plan data from plans that chose to publicly report their performance results. Benchmark results comprise all plan data submitted to NCQA, regardless of reporting status.
NCQA Health Plan Ratings (HPR) is a separate method of evaluating and distributing information related to health plan quality and performance. It assesses and reports plan performance in several domains. The goal of HPR is to give plans a scale to assess their current operating status, to help ensure quality. HPR provides consumers with information that helps them select a high-quality health plan that suits their needs.
NCQA’s Health Plan Ratings 2022 assesses commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid health plans. The overall rating is the weighted average of a plan’s HEDIS® and CAHPS® measure ratings, plus bonus points for plans with a current Accreditation status. Please visit our HPR website (https://www.ncqa.org/hedis/reports-and-research/ncqas-health-plan-ratings-2022/) to learn more.
 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS MY 2021

9.15.2022 Backdating effective dates Can an organization backdate an effective date for a practitioner to the practitioner’s start date in the network?

NCQA requires organizations to credential practitioners before they provide care to members. NCQA uses the date of the Credentialing Committee or medical director’s decision (in the case of clean files) to determine credentialing timeliness requirements.

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HP 2022|MBHO 2022|UM-CR-PN 2022|CVO 2022

9.15.2022 Differences Between Quality Compass Data and State of Healthcare What are the differences between the State of Healthcare (SOHC) report and the data included in Quality Compass?

The State of Healthcare Report includes data that is publicly available on the NCQA site. It contains national averages based on the prior measurement year and is updated once a year. The State of Healthcare Quality Report classifies health plans differently than NCQA’s Quality Compass. HMO corresponds to All LOBs (excluding PPO and EPO) within Quality Compass. PPO corresponds to PPO and EPO within Quality Compass.
To get access to the most recent data as well as additional data points such as plan level performance and percentiles check out Quality Compass. at this link:

https://www.ncqa.org/programs/data-and-information-technology/data-purchase-and-licensing/quality-compass/

If you would like to discuss Quality Compass further, please reach out to our Information products team by submitting a case through your my.NCQA.org account.
 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS MY 2021

9.15.2022 Antibiotic Utilization for Respiratory Conditions (AXR) The Antibiotic Utilization for Respiratory Conditions (AXR) does not include age stratifications and total rate bullets. Was this intentional?

No. A correction will be in the MY 2023 Technical Update. The Ages section in the Eligible Population should read as follows:
Members who were 3 months of age or older as of the Episode Date. Report three age stratifications and a total rate:

  • 3 months–17 years.
  • 18–64 years.
  • 65 years and older.
  • Total.

The total is the sum of the age stratifications.

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS MY 2023