Join NCQA and The Praxis Project’s Reproductive Health Learning Network
August 12, 2025 · NCQA Communications
NCQA and The Praxis Project are collaborating on a perinatal measure development project to create, validate and implement an actionable set of measures that align health plans toward improving perinatal health. The project team is developing up to eight new measures for potential inclusion in HEDIS® (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) and in other national accountability programs.
Currently, the teams are seeking testing partners—health plans, health systems, state agencies, community-based organizations, Federally Qualified Health Centers, birth centers—to help evaluate the feasibility, validity, reliability and usability of the new measures through a learning network, beginning this fall.
Perinatal Measure Development Process
Between 2022 and 2023, the project team conducted an environmental scan to establish a perinatal health measurement strategy. The team then developed a perinatal health and health equity measurement framework to highlight areas that can support birthing care and identify entities that should be held accountable.
With support from a measurement advisory panel and perinatal health experts who provide ongoing feedback and direction, the project team identified and prioritized four focus areas of health during pregnancy and postpartum:
- Hypertensive disorders.
- Anxiety and depression.
- Health-related social needs.
- Timely and adequate prenatal and postpartum care.
The team plans to undertake two measure development cycles, testing and developing four measures in each cycle. The first will occur between 2025 and 2026, the second between 2026 and 2027.
Introducing the Reproductive Health Learning Network
Measure testing is a key component of the HEDIS measure development cycle for evaluating the importance, feasibility, validity, reliability and usability of each measure. The project will go a step further by building a collaborative learning network.
The project is seeking testing partners from:
- Health plans.
- Hospitals and clinical health systems.
- Community-based organizations.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers.
- State agencies.
- Birth centers.
To apply to join the Reproductive Health Learning Network, fill out our non-binding Learning Network Application Interest Form.
About the Learning Network
Length of Commitment. Testing partners commit to working on the project from October 2025 to September 2026, at a minimum. Contracting will begin this fall. The first data pull will be due in April 2026, and all final data pulls will be due by August 2026.
Honorarium. Yes. Additional information will be provided at the time of contracting.
Participation Requirements. Testing partners will submit de-identified patient data on a specific metric for their entire maternal population, at a minimum, and are also required to participate in focus group sessions.
Note: Testing partners will not be required to provide data across all measure concepts. Submission of additional data may be requested on an ad hoc basis, but is not required. Submission of qualitative data (e.g., surveys, internal interviews, focus groups) is not required, but would be appreciated.
Expectations for Learning Network Participants
The table below outlines the requirements for testing partners. Multiple individual and group checkpoints will be built into the schedule.
| Expectations for Testing Partners | Details |
|---|---|
| Meetings |
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| Engagement Level |
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| Data Extraction |
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NCQA Guidance and Support for Testing Partners
NCQA will provide consistent support to testing partners throughout the testing process:
- Create safe spaces to engage in challenging conversations and reasoning about data, measurement, perinatal health and health equity.
- Help partners establish meaningful connections with other partners and key stakeholders to promote perinatal health and health equity.
- Provide detailed and ad hoc technical assistance for measure reporting as testing partners navigate early adoption and reporting.
To join the Reproductive Health Learning Network, fill out our non-binding Learning Network Application Interest Form. Thank you for your interest!
