FAQ Directory: HEDIS

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11.15.2017 Guidelines for Calculations and Sampling The footnote on page 45 of HEDIS 2018 Volume 2 indicates that the lowest Prior Year rate from “Prenatal and Postpartum Care” and “Frequency of Prenatal Care” should be used to reduce the sample size for PPC. Given that FPC was retired with the HEDIS 2018 Volume 2 Technical Update, should the PPC MRSS use the lower rate of the Postpartum and Prenatal care indicators?

Yes. With the retirement of the FPC measure, organizations may reduce the sample size for the PPC measure using the lowest rate of the 2 indicators from the current year’s administrative rate or the prior year’s audited, product line-specific rate.

HEDIS 2018

11.15.2017 Use of Opioids at High Dosage In the HEDIS 2018 Volume 2 Technical Update memo Table UOD-A includes a variable ranging from 4-12 for the MED Conversion Factor for methadone based on mg/day of methadone used. However, in the HEDIS 2018 NDC MLD Directory all NDCs for Methadone under the medication list "Opioid Medication" have a MED Conversion Factor (column M) of 3. For performing the MED calculation in UOD, which MED Conversion Factor should be used for methadone?

For HEDIS 2018 reporting, for methadone, the MED conversion factor of "3" should be used as listed in the NDC list; not the factors listed in Table UOD-A. We will reevaluate using the sliding scale conversion factors for HEDIS 2019.

HEDIS 2018

11.15.2017 Weeks of Pregnancy at Time of Enrollment The HEDIS 2018 Volume 2 Technical Update memo includes a RAND number for the “Weeks of Pregnancy at Time of Enrollment” measure. Is this correct?

No. “Weeks of Pregnancy at Time of Enrollment (WOP)” was retired in HEDIS 2017; the RAND number was inadvertently included in the HEDIS 2018 Volume 2 Technical Update memo.

HEDIS 2018

11.15.2017 Transitions of Care The HEDIS 2018 Volume 2 Technical Update memo indicates the following change in the Transitions of Care specifications: In the first sentence of the third paragraph, replace “date/time” with “date.”
Should this change also apply to the first bullet in the “Note” section of the technical specifications that reads, “The following notations or examples of documentation do not count as numerator compliant:
*Documentation of notification that does not include a time frame or date/time stamp.”

Yes. Replace the reference to “date/time” in the first bullet in the Note section with “date.”

HEDIS 2018

11.15.2017 Reporting Requirements The HEDIS 2018 Volume 2 Technical Update memo announced the retirement of “Annual Monitoring for Patients on Persistent Medications (MPM)” for Medicare and the name change from “Inpatient Hospital Utilization (IHU)” to “Acute Hospital Utilization (AHU).” This caused a discrepancy between the CMS Reporting Memo and HEDIS 2018 Volume 2 Technical Specifications. Will CMS release a clarification on what must be reported for HEDIS 2018 for Medicare?

Yes. CMS released a clarification on October 11, 2017, through HPMS, announcing that MPM was retired and is not required for HEDIS 2018 reporting; it also clarified that “Inpatient Hospital Utilization” is now “Acute Hospital Utilization” and should be reported as the updated measure. If you have additional questions, contact CMS at HEDISquestions@cms.hhs.gov.

HEDIS 2018

11.15.2017 General Guidelines General Guideline 17 says that "Members with dual commercial and Medicaid coverage must be reported in the commercial HEDIS reports. These members may be excluded from the Medicaid HEDIS reports." If a member has primary insurance in a Medicaid plan and secondary insurance in another Medicaid plan at any time during the measurement year, should the secondary Medicaid plan report the member in their HEDIS report?

To meet criteria for dual coverage, the member should have dual coverage at the end of the continuous enrollment period (dual coverage is assessed on a measure-by-measure basis). For example, if a measure's continuous enrollment period ends on December 31 of the MY and has dual Medicaid and commercial enrollment on that date, then the member may be excluded from the Medicaid HEDIS reports for the measure and only be reported in the commercial product line (General Guideline 23 in HEDIS 2018 Volume 2). In cases where the member is dually enrolled in two Medicaid plans, the secondary Medicaid payer would have the choice to exclude the member if the primary Medicaid coverage was offered through a different organization.

HEDIS 2018

10.15.2017 ECDS Must the eMeasure section in the Roadmap be completed for ECDS measures?

Plans work with their NCQA-Certified auditor to complete the most appropriate section of the Roadmap for the data source. The eMeasure section is intended for use by data aggregators and EHR vendors, but may be adapted and modified. Plans should work with auditors or contact NCQA with specific questions about the eMeasure Roadmap or Audit Roadmap Section 5.

HEDIS 2018

10.15.2017 ECDS What auditing process and documentation are required for ECDS sources?

The audit process for HEDIS ECDS measures is evolving. Data sources fall under audit requirements for standard supplemental data. Plans complete a Roadmap for each data source so the NCQA-Certified auditor is aware of all data that are being considered for reporting. Auditors validate policies and procedures for each data source (e.g., file layout, mapping). Although primary source verification is not required, auditors may want to validate the primary source during an initial review of data, to ensure accuracy and validity.

HEDIS 2018

10.15.2017 ECDS Are there standard guidelines for how an auditor determines and approves an ECDS database and the amount of provider accessibility needed?

There are no specific ECDS guidelines for auditor approval of ECDS data sources. Data sources must meet the ECDS requirements and must be reputable—containing accurate, complete and reliable clinical data. Auditors use the same validation methods as for all other data sources. For example, for claims data, auditors validate the accuracy and completeness of the plan’s claims data. For a case management system, auditors review the system, the processes for capturing data and whether data can be extracted from the system. NCQA will add guidance to audit requirements as we learn more about data sources being used.

HEDIS 2018

10.15.2017 ECDS If the same data source is used as ECDS and as supplemental data, are health plans required to submit separate Roadmaps/documentation?

Plans should work with their NCQA-Certified auditor to accurately identify all data sources being considered for HEDIS reporting, whether the source is used for ECDS measures or for other HEDIS domain measures. If a plan completed an Audit Roadmap (Section 5) and will use the data source for both supplemental data and ECDS, this should be noted.

HEDIS 2018

10.15.2017 ECDS Must a specific provider type be able to access ECDS sources?

No. Member data collected to report a HEDIS measure using the ECDS reporting methodology must be accessible to the care team.

HEDIS 2018

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?

Yes. If a member’s record is available on request to any member of the care team, the requirement is met.

HEDIS 2018