FAQ Directory: HEDIS

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10.15.2017 ECDS May we use claims for ECDS reporting?

Administrative claims are considered an ECDS data source if the payment system is automated and data are accessible by the practitioner/practitioner group that is accountable for clinical services provided to plan members (e.g., if claims are used to identify an inpatient stay, the primary care provider must be able to access the details of the stay). Report all measure results identified by claims in the “Administrative claims” source system of record (SSoR) category.

HEDIS 2018

10.15.2017 ECDS Are we required to collect and report the source vendor for the data e.g., by vendor)and source system of record (e.g., EHR, HIE, case management, claims) when reporting ECDS categories?

Details about the data vendor or source EHR system are not required for ECDS reporting, but should be documented in the HEDIS Roadmap when identifying data sources for an NCQA-Certified auditor. Use of data from NCQA eCQM-Certified vendors will ensure that measure data extracted from these systems are considered standard.
ECDS data should be categorized by one of the four source record categories stated in ECDS General Guideline 2: Data Collection Methods (EHR, HIE/clinical registry, case management registry, administrative claims).

HEDIS 2018

10.15.2017 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).

HEDIS 2018

10.15.2017 ECDS What is the IP-ECDS Coverage Rate threshold for public reporting of ECDS measure results?

Organizations do not report an IP-ECDS coverage rate; they report a count of members in the initial population covered by ECDS. NCQA does not publicly report these data, which are for internal NCQA use and for benchmarking analysis to help determine the timeline for public reporting.

HEDIS 2018

9.15.2017 Transitions of Care Are Special Needs Plans (SNPs) and Medicare-Medicaid Plans (MMPs) required to report the Transitions of Care (TRC) measure?

No. In the 2018 CMS Reporting Requirements Memo, the TRC measure is not listed in Table 3, “HEDIS 2018 Measures for Reporting by SNPs and MMP PBPs.”

HEDIS 2018

8.15.2017 Breast Cancer Screening, Colorectal Cancer Screening, Controlling High Blood Pressure, and Osteoporosis Management in Women Who Had a Fracture A required exclusion was added to the Medicare product line for members 65 years of age and older living long-term in institutional settings for the Breast Cancer Screening, Colorectal Cancer Screening, Controlling High Blood Pressure and Osteoporosis Management in Women Who Had a Fracture measures. In addition to using the Medicare monthly membership file, may organizations use other data sources when identifying members living long-term in an institution?

No. Organizations may not use other data sources (e.g., supplemental or medical record data) when excluding members living long-term in an institution. The LTI flag in the Medicare Part C monthly membership file is the only source that may be used to identify this exclusion. NCQA was informed by CMS that all Medicare plans receive this file monthly and have access to this flag. NCQA plans to clarify this in the HEDIS 2018, Volume 2 Technical Update Memo, scheduled for release on October 2, 2017.

HEDIS 2018

8.15.2017 Use of Opioids From Multiple Providers The Use of Opioids From Multiple Providers (UOP) measure instructs organizations to use the National Provider Identifier (NPI) when identifying prescribers and pharmacies. How should organizations report pharmacy claims for opioids when the prescribing provider and/or pharmacy NPI is missing?

If the prescriber and/or pharmacy NPI is missing, count each dispensing event with a missing NPI as a different prescriber and/or different pharmacy when reporting the measure. NCQA plans to clarify this in the HEDIS 2018, Volume 2 Technical Update Memo, scheduled for release on October 2, 2017.

HEDIS 2018

4.14.2017 Comprehensive Diabetes Care Please clarify the instruction to not include BP readings taken on the same day as a diagnostic test or procedure that requires a change in diet or medication. Must the change in diet or medication be required by the procedure? Is the BP eligible if a patient forgets to take their regular medication the day of a procedure? Is the BP eligible if the member receives a vaccine, a nebulizer treatment with albuterol or lidocaine injected prior to an unplanned removal of a small mole?

The intent is to identify diagnostic or therapeutic procedures that require a medication regimen, a change in diet or a change in medication. For example, colonoscopy requires a change in diet (NPO on the day of procedure) and a medication change (a medication is taken to prep the colon). Dialysis, infusions and chemotherapy are all therapeutic procedures that require a medication regimen. A nebulizer treatment with albuterol is considered a therapeutic procedure that requires a medication regimen (the albuterol). Injection of lidocaine prior to mole removal is considered a diagnostic procedure (if the mole is being tested) or a therapeutic procedure (if removal of the mole is the treatment) that requires a change in medication (lidocaine administered for pain control during the procedure). A patient forgetting to take regular medications on the day of the procedure is not considered a required change in medication, and therefore the BP reading is eligible.

 A BP taken on the same day that the patient receives a vaccination is eligible for use. A vaccination is considered preventive medicine and is not considered a therapeutic or diagnostic procedure.

HEDIS 2017

4.14.2017 Controlling High Blood Pressure Please clarify the instruction to not include BP readings taken on the same day as a diagnostic test or procedure that requires a change in diet or medication. Must the change in diet or medication be required by the procedure? Is the BP eligible if a patient forgets to take their regular medication the day of a procedure? Is the BP eligible if the member receives a vaccine, a nebulizer treatment with albuterol or lidocaine injected prior to an unplanned removal of a small mole?

The intent is to identify diagnostic or therapeutic procedures that require a medication regimen, a change in diet or a change in medication. For example, colonoscopy requires a change in diet (NPO on the day of procedure) and a medication change (a medication is taken to prep the colon). Dialysis, infusions and chemotherapy are all therapeutic procedures that require a medication regimen. A nebulizer treatment with albuterol is considered a therapeutic procedure that requires a medication regimen (the albuterol). Injection of lidocaine prior to mole removal is considered a diagnostic procedure (if the mole is being tested) or a therapeutic procedure (if removal of the mole is the treatment) that requires a change in medication (lidocaine administered for pain control during the procedure). A patient forgetting to take regular medications on the day of the procedure is not considered a required change in medication, and therefore the BP reading is eligible.

 A BP taken on the same day that the patient receives a vaccination is eligible for use. A vaccination is considered preventive medicine and is not considered a therapeutic or diagnostic procedure.

HEDIS 2017

2.15.2017 Standardized Healthcare-Associated Infection Ratio When reporting the columns “Percentage of Total Discharges From Hospitals With Unavailable SIR,” “Number of Contracted Hospitals With Reportable SIR” and “Total Inpatient Discharges” in Table HAI-1/2/3, if a hospital is not listed in Table HSIR, is it included in the count?

Hospitals for which plans have discharges from but are not identifiable in Table HSIR should not be included in the hospitals reported in the category "Number of Contracted Hospitals With Reportable SIR." However, discharges from these hospitals should be included in “Total Inpatient Discharges” and in “Percentage of Total Discharges From Hospitals With Unavailable SIR.” Use Table HSIR posted on the NCQA Web site to make the determination; organizations do not need to refer to the Hospital Compare web site.

HEDIS 2017

2.15.2017 Standardized Healthcare-Associated Infection Ratio In Table HAI-1/2/3, the four columns labeled “Percentage of Total Discharges From ...”. are collected in IDSS using 4 digits after the decimal. Because the columns are percentages, how should the data for these columns be displayed? For example, using HAI-1: Central line associated blood stream infection (CLABSI), if there are 100 contracted hospitals, of which 10 belong to “high” category of Standard Infection Ratio, what should the reported value be?
A) 0.1000
B) 10.0000

Option A. Organizations should report results as a decimal; therefore, option A is correct when reporting in IDSS. IDSS will include a validation that checks for values to be reported between 0 and 1 and must be rounded to 4 decimal places.

HEDIS 2017

2.15.2017 Adolescent Well-Care Visits Does documentation of “Tanner stage” meet criteria for the physical exam or physical developmental history component for the Adolescent Well-Care Visits (AWC) measure?

Yes. Documentation of Tanner stage meets criteria for the physical exam and physical developmental components, but should not be double-counted toward both (if used as evidence of physical exam, it may not be used as evidence of physical developmental, and vice versa). Documentation of Tanner stage does not meet criteria for the Well-Child Visits in the First 15 Months of Life (W15) or Well-Child Visits in the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Years of Life (W34) measures as sexual maturity rating is not recommended until 7 years of age.

HEDIS 2017