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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8.14.2015 General Guidelines Given the addition of the “Numerator events by supplemental data” data element, how will the reported rate be calculated?

The reported rate calculation is the sum of all numerator events by administrative data, medical record data and supplemental data, divided by the eligible population for administrative measures, or by the denominator for hybrid measures (i.e., reported rate = numerator events by administrative data + numerator events by medical record data + numerator events by supplemental data / eligible population or denominator).

HEDIS 2016

8.14.2015 General Guidelines For measures that require multiple events to meet criteria (e.g., CIS), how are the data classified if some events come from an administrative or medical record data source and some come from a supplemental database?

If any data is found in a supplemental data source, it is considered a supplemental data hit because the member would not be compliant for the measure/indicator without the data source.

HEDIS 2016

8.14.2015 General Guidelines Will the “Numerator events by supplemental data” data element be collected for all measures in Volume 2?

No. For HEDIS 2016 reporting, this new requirement was added to only the Effectiveness of Care (EOC) and EOC-like measures. “EOC-like measures” refers to the Utilization measures that have the same structure as and follow the same guidelines as the measures in the EOC domain (i.e., Frequency of Ongoing Prenatal Care, Well-Child Visits in the First 15 Months of Life, Well-Child visits in the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Years of Life, Adolescent Well-Care Visits). While supplemental data may be used for other measures, NCQA is not currently collecting this data element for other measures at this time.

HEDIS 2016

7.16.2015 General Guidelines Where can customers find additional information about Electronic Clinical Data Systems (ECDS) and the Utilization of the PHQ-9 to Monitor Depression Symptoms for Adolescents and Adults (DMS) measure for HEDIS 2016?

Customers can find additional information about these topics (including FAQs specific to this data source and the DMS measure) at the following link, http://ncqa.org/ECDS.

HEDIS 2016

7.15.2015 MA Deeming and the Medicare product line NCQA recently released a memo informing interested parties that it no longer offers the MA Deeming program. Can organizations with a Medicare product line still come through NCQA Accreditation?

Yes. Organizations with a Medicare product line can come through the NCQA Health Plan Accreditation process.

6.29.2015 Controlling Blood Pressure for People with Hypertension (CBPH) Why are there are no codes that encompass the 140-149 BP range that is new for senior hypertensive patients (BP control for members 60-85: <150/90 mm HG)?

Unfortunately, the AMA has not released a CPT II code for a systolic reading of between 140 and 150 mmHg, or under 150 mmHg. We updated the CBPH measure to align with new blood pressure guidelines; if there are patients whose systolic reading falls between 140 and 150 and it is captured in other kinds of supplemental data, they can be included in the numerator. Our data suggests that use of CPT II codes to retrieve this data is uncommon. This data is available in EHRs as well as via supplemental sources such as registries and laboratory data. There is a note to this effect in the specification for the CBPH measure on page 50 of the manual (http://www.iha.org/pdfs_documents/p4p_california/MY-2014-VBP4P-Manual- 20141201.pdf).

This is similar to the way the HbA1C <8.0% is calculated, as there is not a CPT II code specific to <8.0%. More information can be found in the manual on page 66 (http://www.iha.org/pdfs_documents/p4p_california/MY-2014-VBP4P-Manual- 20141201.pdf).

IHA 2014

5.01.2015 Notifying NCQA of Reportable Events How and when must the organization notify NCQA of Reportable Events?

The organization must notify NCQA, in writing, within thirty (30) calendar days of the issuance of the notice of sanctions, issuance of a fine or issuance of a request for corrective action. 

The organization must also complete an annual attestation signed by an officer, or other authorized signatory of the organization, affirming that it has notified NCQA of all Reportable Events specified within the Agreement. NCQA-accredited health plans that reports HEDIS results include the attestation with its submission of the annual IDSS attestation submission for HEDIS® reporting.  Other health plans submit the completed attestation electronically to NCQA-Accreditation@ncqa.org. 

CM 2014

5.01.2015 Specific Regulatory Actions to be Reported What specific regulatory actions must be reported?

The organization must report the occurrence of any of the following actions by any federal or state regulatory authority:

  • Issuance of Intermediate Sanctions and/or suspension of enrollment by CMS or any other federal or state regulatory authority.
  • Issuance of any fine equal to or exceeding $50,000 related to Organization’s operations by CMS or any other federal or state regulatory authority.
  • Issuance of any request for a corrective action by any federal or state regulatory authority where the substance of such corrective action relates to the Organization’s handling of utilization management decisions, network adequacy, benefit denials, complaints, grievances, appeals or other important patient safety matters. 

The above actions are referred to as the “final determination” within the Agreement.

CM 2014

5.01.2015 Reporting Regulatory Actions Are health plans required to report regulatory actions taken against the organization?

Yes. The Agreement for Health Plan Accreditation Survey (the “Agreement”), specified in the “Organization’s obligations” section of the standards and guidelines, requires the organization to provide NCQA written notice within thirty (30) calendar days of the final determination by a state or federal agency with respect to request for corrective action, imposition of sanctions, changes in licensure or qualification status, if applicable, or violation of any federal or state law that affects the Scope of Review under the Standards and Guidelines. These are termed Reportable Events.

CM 2014

4.16.2015 Policy Clarification Support (PCS) Website URL Is there a new Web site URL for the PCS system?

Yes. The PCS system will be moved to a new Web site—http://my.ncqa.org—by the end of April. Customers who access the old PCS site will be automatically rerouted to the new site. The new site takes the same login and password; you will not need to change them.

HEDIS 2015

3.19.2015 Well-Child Visits in the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Years of Life Is QRS Well-Child Visits in the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Years of Life (W34) collected using the hybrid method or the administrative method?

Well-Child Visits in the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Years of Life should be reported using only the administrative methodology as specified in the 2015 QRS Technical Specifications (http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/QualityInitiativesGenInfo/Downloads/2015-QRS-Measure-Technical-Specifications.pdf). Hybrid specifications are not available for this measure in the QRS.  The W34 measure is listed as a measure in the sample size table of the QRS Sampling Guidelines and was a misprint which will be corrected in the 2016 QRS Measure Technical Specification.
 
For organizations who have started medical record review for W34, please note, the IDSS will only accept the administrative elements of the measure for QRS.

Exchange 2015

3.15.2015 Eligibility for Automatic Credit Is an organization eligible for automatic credit if its accredited delegate has a single practitioner network with centralized credentialing (i.e., one credentialing committee; the same staff handle all practitioner credentialing) for all product/product lines, but is not accredited for the delegated product line?

Yes. Because the organization uses the same practitioner network for all product/product lines, and all practitioners are subject to CR file review during an NCQA Accreditation Survey, the file is eligible to receive automatic credit. This is an exception to the Product Match policy posted on Policy Updates page.