FAQ Directory

PDC measures are calculated through use of paid, nonreversed claims for target medications. If the drug claims dataset contains claim reversals (and paid claims that were reversed), analysts must ensure that the reversed claims are not used to calculate PDC. Claim reversals can be identified through multiple methods because there may be multiple fields in a drug claim that indicate whether it is a reversal. Many drug claims datasets have a Count field that contains a 1 for a paid claim and a -1 for a claim reversal. The dataset may also have a field called Reversal that contains a Y if the claim is a reversal claim, or an N if it is not a reversal. Reversal claims typically have a negative quantity and a negative cost.

The claim reversal (-1 in the Count field or Y in the Reversal field) may have a Claim Number that is identical to the original claim being reversed. If the Claim Number for the reversal claim is not identical to the Claim Number for the original claim, analysts can create coding logic that will identify the reversed claim as immediately preceding the claim reversal. This latter approach is not usually necessary because most drug claims datasets allow a claim reversal to be linked to an original claim.

Yes, if the organization's documented process includes how it notifies practitioners that the information is available on the Internet; and if the organization informs practitioners where the information is located. If all practitioners do not have access to the portal, the organizations process must include how it notifies these practitioners of patient engagement.

In your example, the measurement period is 180 days (January 1_June 30). Step 2 of the numerator criteria reads, "within the measurement period, count the number of days the member was covered." In this case, look for covered days from January 1_June 30; in essence, the numerator is being capped. The PDC is not calculated by summing the days supply for pharmacy claims. You may need to set up a time array for each claim, to identify the time frame covered by each fill, then count the number of days in the measurement period that are covered by the time arrays. Thus, the numerator may not exceed the denominator for the person-level PDC calculation. Refer to the attached example for SAS code for arrays.

If an incentive is tied to completion of an HA as well as another activity, the incentive should be classified as Unknown for WHP 2012 reporting. Please note that example 4 in Table HAC-A was erroneously left in the specification for 2012; this example should be removed from the table.

No. An organization with Accredited status that does not meet the 80% scoring threshold for all performance measures retains its status, but will not receive AWPR status.

For PHQ 1 Element A, NCQA counts different indicators as separate measures if they reflect separate care processes; however, NCQA does not count different age stratification rates as separate measures For example, HbA1c testing and LDL-C screening count as two measures even though they are both part of Comprehensive Diabetes Care, but for Chlamydia Screening in Women, the two age stratifications and the total rate can only count as one measure.

It depends. Organizations with Accredited status will not lose that status. Organizations with AWPR status will be downgraded to Accredited status for conditions for which measures are not reported.

All delegates that have been delegated activities included in the HP Medicare Advantage Deeming Module are subject to review under MA 21. Delegates that handle non-deemable activities are not within the scope of review for MA 21.

An organization may reapply for accreditation one year after the date when it receives the Denied status, or it may request an Expedited Survey if it has corrected the issues that led to the denial of accreditation. Upon receipt of the organization's written request, NCQA may grant an Expedited Survey in six or nine months of the Denied status if the organization demonstrates that the issues can be corrected within the six-to-nine month time frame and the corrective actions undertaken would raise the organization's accreditation status. (Refer to Policies and Procedures – Section 2: The Accreditation Process, for more information)

No. These are not new requirements. They are examples of billing/financial issues. The text was inadvertently added to the Explanation and will moved to the Examples in the November 21, 2011 Policy Update.

Regardless of the number of measures within a PIM, each PIM counts as one standardized measure for PHQ 1, Element A. This is consistent with the current language in the PHQ standards and guidelines (i.e., activities may be used as a measure). To receive credit for using PIMs and for the survey team to verify that the Board requires a PIM as part of certification maintenance, the organization must list in the Survey Tool's Element A Measure Worksheet: (1) the PIMs on which it bases the action; (2) list the source of the measures as Specialty Medical Boards; and (3) provide a direct link to the Board where the PIM and its measures can be found.

No. We have been instructed by CMS to stop reviewing these requirements. Effective immediately, MA 13 and MA 18 will be scored NA.