No. Member data collected to report a HEDIS measure using the ECDS reporting methodology must be accessible to the care team.
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10.15.2017 ECDS Must a specific provider type be able to access ECDS sources?
10.15.2017 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 What does NCQA mean by “information has to be accessible by the health care team at the point of care”?
To qualify for HEDIS ECDS reporting, practitioners and practitioner groups that are accountable for clinical services provided to members must have access to data used by plans for quality measure reporting, regardless of the SSoR.
NCQA does not currently specify a method of data access, but a core principle of ECDS reporting is that the information needed to deliver the highest-quality care must be available to the entire health care team responsible for managing a member’s health.
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. The care team’s ability to access data must be documented, to provide evidence that information is available whether or not it is accessed.
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 Breast Cancer Screening, Colorectal Cancer Screening, Controlling High Blood Pressure, and Osteoporosis Management in Women Who Had a Fracture The Medicare Monthly Membership File includes a run date and a payment date. Which date should be used to determine that a member had an LTI flag during the measurement year?
10.15.2017 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 Use of Opioids at High Dosage and Use of Opioids From Multiple Providers Step 2 of the UOD and UOP eligible population states to exclude “members who had only a single opioid medication (Opioid Medications List) dispensing event.” Does a member who had multiple prescriptions (for the same or different medications) on the same date of service (with no prescriptions on other dates of service during the measurement year) meet criteria for exclusion?
Yes. The intent is to exclude members who were dispensed opioids on only one date of service during the measurement year. If the member had multiple prescriptions (for the same or different medication) on one date of service and had no opioid prescriptions on another date of service during the measurement year, the member is excluded.
This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS 201810.15.2017 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.
This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS 201810.15.2017 ECDS How are ECDS different from supplemental data?
The ECDS reporting method uses much of the same data classified as supplemental for other HEDIS measures, but ECDS measures adhere to different reporting rules from those in other HEDIS domains. Unlike supplemental data used for HEDIS, data for ECDS reporting are classified by source and are used to report all measure elements (e.g., denominator, exclusions, numerator).
This applies to the following Programs and Years:
HEDIS 201810.15.2017 ECDS What is ECDS?
Electronic Clinical Data Systems (ECDS) are a network of databases containing plan members’ personal health information and records of their experiences with the health care system. ECDS may also support other care-related activities, directly or indirectly, through various interfaces that include evidence-based decision support, quality management and outcome reporting.