Measures using the ECDS reporting method must be audited before being approved for use in a NCQA program. Measures in the HEDIS domain that use the ECDS reporting method have not yet been approved for use in any NCQA program at this time.
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10.15.2017 ECDS Must measures be audited for public reporting, or may unaudited data be reported?
10.15.2017 ECDS Are we required to collect and report the source vendor for the data e.g., by vendor)and source system of record (e.g., EHR, HIE, case management, claims) when reporting ECDS categories?
Details about the data vendor or source EHR system are not required for ECDS reporting, but should be documented in the HEDIS Roadmap when identifying data sources for an NCQA-Certified auditor. Use of data from NCQA eCQM-Certified vendors will ensure that measure data extracted from these systems are considered standard.
ECDS data should be categorized by one of the four source record categories stated in ECDS General Guideline 2: Data Collection Methods (EHR, HIE/clinical registry, case management registry, administrative claims).
This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS 201810.15.2017 ECDS For IP-ECDS coverage, does NCQA look for the number of members in the initial population?
IP-ECDS coverage count includes all members in the initial population who are being managed by at least one provider with the capacity to send, receive and use electronic data for quality improvement purposes.The Initial Population includes all members (covered and not covered by ECDS) who are identified as eligible for the measure reported by the data source category used to determine eligibility.
This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS 201810.15.2017 ECDS What file formats are acceptable for transmitting data between the plan and the care team at the point of service?
NCQA does not specify file formats for exchanging clinical information, but strongly encourages adherence to Health Level Seven International (HL7) standards for clinical document exchange (e.g., QRDA, CCD) and electronic health care information exchange (e.g., FHIR).
This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS 201810.15.2017 ECDS If case management data are used only by behavioral health-care providers (not by primary care providers), may these data be an ECDS data source?
Case management data may be used for measures using the ECDS reporting method if the information collected by case managers is available on request to all providers treating the same member in another setting.
Data are not required to be accessed to qualify for ECDS reporting, but must be available on request to providers providing care to the member.
This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS 201810.15.2017 ECDS How do vendors get the ECDS technical specifications for the submission file format?
HEDIS ECDS technical specifications are available in the NCQA store in PDF format: http://store.ncqa.org/index.php/catalog/product/view/id/2822/s/hedis-2018-volume-2-measures-for-electronic-clinical-data-systems/. They are also available in HEDIS 2018 Technical Specifications for Health Plans, which can be purchased at the NCQA store.
Complete digital measure packages for HEDIS ECDS measures will be available for download at a future date.
This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS 201810.15.2017 ECDS Who determines that data “qualify” for ECDS reporting?
Refer to the ECDS general guidelines for information. Request clarification through the NCQA Policy Clarification Support (PCS) system at https://my.ncqa.org or review the proposed systems with your NCQA-Certified auditor. Send requests for individual technical support with ECDS reporting to ecds@ncqa.org.
This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS 201810.15.2017 ECDS Will ECDS measures be used for Health Plan Accreditation or ratings?
ECDS measures are currently not approved for public reporting by NCQA, and are not eligible for use in HPA or health plan ratings. All measures must be approved for public reporting by the Committee on Performance Measurement (CPM) before they can be considered for inclusion in an NCQA program.
This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS 201810.15.2017 ECDS If the same data source is used as ECDS and as supplemental data, are health plans required to submit separate Roadmaps/documentation?
Plans should work with their NCQA-Certified auditor to accurately identify all data sources being considered for HEDIS reporting, whether the source is used for ECDS measures or for other HEDIS domain measures. If a plan completed an Audit Roadmap (Section 5) and will use the data source for both supplemental data and ECDS, this should be noted.
This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS 201810.15.2017 ECDS Is the “care team accessibility” requirement fulfilled if a member’s health record is available online and the provider can access it with the member present or with the member’s consent?
10.15.2017 Unhealthy Alcohol Use Screening and Follow-Up In the updated measure specification that was released with the HEDIS 2018 Volume 2 Technical Update, the Data Elements table includes a stratification for ages 44-64. Should this age stratification be 45-64?
10.15.2017 ECDS Clarify “data must be accessible by the health care team at point of care.”
To qualify for HEDIS ECDS reporting, practitioners/practitioner groups that are accountable for clinical services provided to members must be able to access all ECDS data used by a health plan for quality measure reporting.Qualifying modes of access may be as simple as a provider’s phone request for member information, or as sophisticated as an integrated decision support system.
