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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3.15.2016 Classification of pharmaceutical requests at the point of service How should organizations classify requests for medications dispensed at the point of service?

Medications dispensed at the point of service may be classified as any type of request listed in UM 5, Element E, except for postservice requests.

2.24.2016 Digital Mammography for Breast Cancer Screening Is digital mammography included in the HEDIS® Breast Cancer Screening Measure?

The HEDIS® 2016 Breast Cancer Screening (BCS) measure aligns with the 2009 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines. The guideline concluded the evidence was insufficient to assess the additional benefits and harms of digital mammography instead of film mammography for breast cancer screening. NCQA understands mammography practice, coding and technology have evolved over time to include digital mammography, and the current HEDIS measure includes CPT codes that represent either traditional mammography or digital mammography and cannot be delineated through administrative reporting. However, three HCPCS G codes, specific to digital mammography, were inadvertently included in the Mammography Value Set. Because the HEDIS 2016 specifications are frozen, NCQA will allow plans to follow the current measure specification and associated value sets as written.

The measure will be evaluated for HEDIS 2017 and the value-sets will be updated accordingly based on newly released USPSTF Guideline recommendations.

HEDIS 2016

2.19.2016 P4P Value Set Directory The Ambulatory Surgery Option A and Laboratory and Pathology Services value sets each contain 8 codes that begin with “X” (e.g., X1020913) and are labeled as CPT codes. Are these valid codes, and should they be used for P4P reporting?

No. The CPT codes that begin with “X” are not valid and are not required for use in P4P reporting. Organizations can exclude these codes from the value set. If these codes were included in P4P programming, it is expected that there will be no impact; the codes are not valid and will not occur in claims data.

IHA 2015

2.05.2016 Meaningful Use of Health IT: CMS EHR Incentive Program May we exclude from our NPI list and e-Measure submission, providers with a hardship exception from CMS for the EHR Incentive Program?

Yes. POs may exclude providers with this CMS hardship exception from their NPI list and e-Measure reporting.

IHA 2015

1.27.2016 Meaningful Use of Health IT: e-Measures For the e-Measure portion of the MUHIT domain, POs are scored only on the “percentage of providers who can report the e-Measure.” Do we need to report both metrics for each e-Measure, or just the first rate?

To receive credit, POs must submit both metrics for each e-measure. Refer to the “Clinical Quality Measures” section on page 140 of the MY 2015 Value Based P4P Manual for information about submitting results.

IHA 2015

1.27.2016 Proportion of Days Covered by Medications (PDC) In the December 1, 2015, version of the PQA NDC list (03_MY_2015_NDC_List_for_PQA-developed_measures_2015-12-01.xls), the columns for “Repaglinide_Flag” and “Canagliflozin_Flag” in the “Diabetes” tab are whited out. Should these columns be included?

Yes. The columns “Repaglinide_Flag” and “Canagliflozin_Flag” should be included in the December 1, 2015, version of the PQA NDC list. Even though these columns are not shaded and the name of the medication does not appear at the top, the “x” flags appear in the spreadsheet.

 

An updated version of the PQA NDC list (03_MY_2015_NDC_List_for_PQA-developed_measures_2016-1-26.xls) is available from NCQA at: http://store.ncqa.org/index.php/catalog/product/view/id/2223/s/my-2015-p4p-manual-and-value-set-directories/

IHA 2015

1.27.2016 Cervical Cancer Overscreening (CCO) For step 2 of the numerator, is the 30–64 age criterion only based on cervical cytology with an HPV co-test? Does cervical cytology between April 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015, and cervical cytology and an HPV co-test between April 1, 2011, and December 31, 2012, meet the numerator criterion for step 2?

No. The measure requires each rate to be reported separately and as a total rate. This example does not meet the numerator criterion because it ONLY looks at women 30–64 with more than one co-test, which is a combination of a cervical cytology screening AND an HPV test. Only women who had a combination of both tests more than once are included in the numerator.
 
Note: Current cervical cancer screening guidelines for average-risk women do not state that women 30–65 years of age with a “cervical cytology” in 3 years and a “cervical cytology and HPV co-test” in 5 years are considered overscreened. For P4P reporting, we look only at cases of overscreening as explicitly outlined by the guidelines. P4P staff and committees will continue to review clinical practices and cervical cancer screening guidelines.

IHA 2015

1.27.2016 P4P NDC Tables We noticed discrepancies between pharmacy tables in the MY 2015 Value Based P4P Manual and the drugs included in the HEDIS 2016 Volume 2 pharmacy tables and HEDIS 2016 NDC lists. Is this intentional?

The pharmacy tables included in the MY 2015 Value Based P4P Manual should align with the pharmacy tables in HEDIS 2016 Volume 2.
 
General Guideline 32. Measures That Use Pharmacy Data states, “NCQA specifies a standardized list of medications known as the Nation Drug Code (NDC) list that applies to each pharmacy dependent measure. POs and health plans are required to use the list for applicable measures.” Find the NDC lists at: http://www.ncqa.org/HEDISQualityMeasurement/HEDISMeasures/HEDIS2016/HEDIS2016NDCLicense/HEDIS2016FinalNDCLists.aspx
 
The table contains changes that should be reflected in the P4P drug tables.   
 

P4P Table Name Drug Table Corrections
CDC-A, CBPH-A, and SPD-A: Prescriptions to Identify Members with Diabetes
 
 
  • Add “Empaglifozin-linagliptin” to the Antidiabetic combinations row.
  • Add “Empagliflozin-metformin” to the Antidiabetic combinations row.
  • Add “Dulaglutide” to the GLP1 agonists row.
  • Add “Insulin human inhaled” to the Insulin row.
  • Add “Canagliflozin-metformin” to the Antidiabetic combinations row.
  • Add “Empagliflozin” to the Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor row.
Table SPC-B: High and Moderate-Intensity Statin Medications
  • Remove obsolete medication “Aspirin-pravastatin 40-80mg” from the Moderate-intensity statin therapy row.
Table SPD-B: High, Moderate and Low-Intensity Statin Prescriptions
  • Remove obsolete medication “Aspirin-pravastatin 40-80mg” from the Moderate-intensity statin therapy row.
  • Remove obsolete medication “Aspirin-pravastatin 20mg” from the Low-intensity statin therapy row.
Table OMW-A: Osteoporosis Therapies
  • Remove obsolete medication “Calcium carbonate-risedronate” from the Biophosphonates row.
Table CHL-A: Prescriptions to Identify Contraceptives
  • Remove obsolete medication “Estradiol-medroxyprogesterone” from the Contraceptives row.
Table AMR-B: Asthma Controller and Reliever Medications
  • Remove obsolete medication “Triamcinolone” from the Inhaled corticosteroids row.
Table  CWP-A and URI-A: Antibiotic Medications
  • Remove obsolete medication “Sulfisoxazole” from the Sulfonamides row.

IHA 2015

1.15.2016 Comprehensive Diabetes Care The urine protein testing requirements for the Medical Attention for Nephropathy indicator were revised. Some examples in HEDIS 2015 (e.g., urine dipstick) are not listed in the 2016 specifications, so do urine dipsticks and test strips still meet criteria for this indicator for HEDIS 2016?

Yes. As a result of changes to the measure, the two example lists were combined into a single list to remove redundancy. All examples that met criteria in HEDIS 2015 meet criteria for HEDIS 2016. Urine dipsticks are considered “spot urine” tests so they meet criteria based on the example, “Spot urine for albumin or protein.”

HEDIS 2016

1.15.2016 Statin Therapy for Patients With Cardiovascular Disease and Statin Therapy for Patients With Diabetes Are all members who are numerator compliant for Rate 1 used as the eligible population for Rate 2 in the Statin Therapy for Patients With Cardiovascular Disease (SPC) and Statin Therapy for Patients With Diabetes (SPD) measures?

Yes. All members who are numerator compliant for Rate 1 must be used as the eligible population for Rate 2 in both the SPC and SPD measures (regardless of the data source used to capture the Rate 1 numerator). For example, if supplemental data were used to identify compliance for the Rate 1 numerator, then supplemental data will be included in identifying the Rate 2 eligible population.

 

If pharmacy data are the source data, and are treated similar to encounter data, they could be classified as encounter data rather than as supplemental data. For example, if a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) offers the pharmacy benefit on behalf of a health plan and regularly sends pharmacy data to the plan in a standard format, the data could be considered to be encounter data. Organizations must work with their auditor to determine how data are classified. The auditor will review the organization’s pharmacy benefit structure and the processes for receiving and using data when determining the classification.

HEDIS 2016

1.15.2016 Use of Multiple Concurrent Antipsychotics in Children and Adolescents May we use supplemental data to report the Use of Multiple Concurrent Antipsychotics in Children and Adolescents (APC) measure?

No. Because supplemental data may not be used to identify the eligible population, and the same events are used for the denominator and numerator in APC, supplemental data may not be used for this measure. The data elements table in Volume 2 for APC inadvertently includes the “Numerator events by supplemental data” data element. This field will not be included in the IDSS.

HEDIS 2016

1.15.2016 Utilization of the PHQ-9 to Monitor Depression Symptoms for Adolescents and Adults Is the Utilization of the PHQ-9 to Monitor Depression Symptoms for Adolescents and Adults (DMS) measure audited or part of the Measure Certification program for HEDIS 2016?

No. The DMS measure is not part of the NCQA Audit or the Measure Certification program for HEDIS 2016.

HEDIS 2016