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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6.14.2018 AC 02 (Pediatric Specific) If a pediatric practice has extra appointments based on the season [in the summer for physicals (prior to school starting) and has extra appointments in the winter for sick appointments] does this meet the criterion?

No, just having extra appointments based on the season would not meet the intent. The practice may have more same day appointments offered during these high-volume time periods but some same day appointments should be provided daily throughout the year.

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
PCMH 2017

6.14.2018 AC 06 (Pediatric Specific)` If a pediatrician sees more than one child from the same family during one visit, does this meet the requirement for an alternative clinical encounter?

No. Shared appointments would not meet the requirement. Alternative appointments need to be offered through telephone or other technology-supported mechanisms.

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
PCMH 2017

6.14.2018 KM 12A (Pediatric Specific) Other than well-child visits, provide some examples of preventative care services that qualify for outreach in a pediatric population

For younger children, practices may also identify patients and provide outreach for services for developmental screenings, autism screening, oral health risk assessment, Hematocrit or Hemoglobin screening, iron supplements for children ages 6 to 12 months at risk for anemia, or tuberculin testing for children at higher risk for tuberculosis  

For adolescent patients, other preventive care services could also include (but not limited to) patients in need of specific preventive care-related lab tests, alcohol and drug screening, cervical dysplasia screening for sexually active females, sexually transmitted infection prevention counseling for adolescents at higher risk, obesity screening and counseling, HIV screening for adolescents at higher risk or other required screenings (e.g., chlamydia, depression, dyslipidemia at specific ages).
 

AAP resources: 

 
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This applies to the following Programs and Years:
PCMH 2017

6.14.2018 KM 03 (Pediatric Specific) What type of standardized screening tool for depression would meet the requirement for a pediatric population?

NCQA is not prescriptive regarding which depression screening tool is used as long as it’s a standardized tool. Some depression screening tool examples that would be appropriate for adolescents include but are not limited to PHQ2, PHQ9, PHQ-A, PSC, PSC-Y, RAAPS, or HEADSS. 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
PCMH 2017

6.14.2018 CC 12 (Pediatric Specific) • AAP resource:

6.14.2018 KM 09 (Pediatric Specific) The examples provided in the guidance section for this criterion aren’t typical characteristics for pediatric practices (e.g. gender identify, sexual orientation, occupation, etc.). What other options can a pediatric population use for its third aspect of diversity?

Identifying children with Medicaid insurance would meet the intent of this criterion, as this identifies a population that could be at risk or require additional attention or care management. Other areas of diversity could include homelessness, immigrant status, living in a rural or urban environment, family employment status, family socioeconomic status, families with a single parent, etc. 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
PCMH 2017

6.14.2018 KM 12C (Pediatric Specific) Give examples of pediatric acute care services.

A reminder to schedule a follow-up visit related to an infection (e.g., otitis media, pharyngitis, urinary tract infection) or an injury (e.g., fracture, burn or cut requiring stitches) applies as an acute care service. 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
PCMH 2017

6.14.2018 KM 12D (Pediatric Specific) Why would our practice recall pediatric patients, if not for preventive care, immunizations or acute/chronic care services? Give pediatric-specific examples.

KM 12 categories A-C refer to needed services and are intended for routine, proactive reminders.
 
 

Category D addresses patients who miss routine visits, annual exams or follow-up appointments and need to be reminded to visit the practice for services. 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
PCMH 2017

6.14.2018 CC 04B (Pediatric Specific) Does every referral to a specialist require sharing test results and a current care plan? Pediatric patients may be referred to a specialist for an acute condition that does not require a care plan.

If the condition is acute care management, the plan may be simpler than for a patient with a complex, chronic condition. The plan of care would include current medications, tests, treatment, patient/family self-care and important information about the family. While not every referral would have the same level of detail, be prepared to show a referral example for a patient that does have a care plan with the expected details. 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
PCMH 2017

6.14.2018 KM 10 (Pediatric Specific) How can we best collect language needs information from all patients in our large population?

Practices can use two methods to collect language need information:

1. Collect data from all patients and their families to create a report showing language needs.

2. Obtain data from an external source (e.g., data about the local community or its patient population).

Patients who do not speak English and patients from racial/ethnic minority groups may be less inclined to provide this information. Care should be taken to request the information using methods that respect multi-cultural differences.

  • Pediatric-specific resources: 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
PCMH 2017

6.14.2018 AC 12 (Pediatric Specific) • AAP practice transformation resources—telephone care:

6.14.2018 KM 12B (Pediatric Specific) Do Tdap and DTaP count as two different immunizations?

No. Although the immunizations are different formulations, Tdap and DTaP are integrally related. For this reason, NCQA considers them the same immunization for different age groups and does not accept them as two different immunizations.

This applies to the following Programs and Years:
PCMH 2017