FAQ Directory: Long-Term Services and Supports Distinction for Health Plans

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

Yes. The intent of LTSS 2, Element B in CM-LTSS (HE 2, Element F in HEA; LTSS 1, Element E in HPA) is that organizations have policies and procedures in place for managing access to and use of race/ethnicity and language data that cover all forms of media, devices and data storage.

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

No. Plans that are responsible for both the Medicare and Medicaid components for dual-eligible members may select Medicare, Medicaid, or both, for Accreditation purposes. 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

No. The requirement is that organizations verify Medicare sanctions from any of those sources, but there is no requirement to verify sanctions from all of them. 

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

No. Verification of sanctions and exclusions are not product line–specific requirements. For each practitioner in the scope of credentialing, the organization must verify Medicare and Medicaid sanctions regardless of the product line for which practitioners are contracted.

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

For Health Plan Accreditation 2025, the organization is only required to take action on one measure for Health Plan Ratings for which it received a 0 or 1 for QI 3, Element C, and one measure required for QRS in QI 3, Element D. However, if the organization chooses to address more than one measure in its improvement plan, the guidance regarding using one action to address all measures applies but NCQA will only score taking action on one measure for the 2025 standards year.

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

For commercial, Medicare and Medicaid organizations to be able to calculate an average rating for QI 3, Element B, they must receive a Health Plan Ratings scoresheet. Only organizations that have complete data receive a rating and scoresheet. Therefore, organizations that do not receive an HPR scoresheet will be scored NA in QI 3, Elements B and C. 

The organization must demonstrate that it meets the requirements in QI 3, Element A, and will not be eligible for NA for that element.

Similarly, if an Exchange organization either does not report QRS data to CMS or receives NR for the Exchange product line because it does not have a valid rate for any required QRS measure in Element D, it must demonstrate data exchange in QI 3, Element A.   

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

NCQA makes disaster accommodations on a case-by-case basis during the accreditation survey process.

The organization must document the events from the disaster that prohibited your organization from meeting the standard/element. During the accreditation survey, the surveyor will document all findings which will be reviewed by our Review Oversight Committee (ROC) to determine if any accommodations or exceptions should be granted.

The organization should communicate with the assigned ASC if accommodations are requested.

This applies to the following Programs and Years:

No. Organizations are still required to monitor for system controls. The NA for the system controls policies and procedures requirement (e.g., UM 12, Element A, factor 7, in Health Plan Accreditation) does not affect an organization’s ability to meet the corresponding system controls monitoring requirement (e.g., UM 12, Element B in Health Plan Accreditation); it means the organization is not required to describe the monitoring process in its policies and procedures, but must monitor that its systems are protecting data from unauthorized modifications. Also, as noted in “Related information” in the monitoring requirements (e.g., UM 12, Element B in Health Plan Accreditation), NCQA only reviews specific components for monitoring (e.g., for UM, NCQA reviews that the organization monitored receipt and notification dates).

Note: The referenced memo is on the NCQA website at https://www.ncqa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025-Retroactive-Changes-Memo_Final.pdf. It applies to the 2024/2025 standards year only; no exceptions (NA scores or other changes) will be made for the 2023 or prior standards years. Surveys conducted on standards prior to 2024 standards will be reviewed and scored accordingly; any corrective actions issued prior to the 2024 standards still apply

This applies to the following Programs and Years: