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COVID-Driven Telehealth Surge Triggers Changes to Quality MeasuresWASHINGTON, June 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) approved a sweeping set of adjustments to 40 of its widely-used Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures – in support of health plans, clinicians and patients who rely on telehealth services in record numbers as a result of the disruption brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes will apply to the measurement of healthcare quality starting this year. They align with recent telehealth guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and other federal and state regulators. "You cannot drive quality improvement if your measures don't take into account what has quickly become the fastest-growing modality for providing healthcare services," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. "The timely approval by our Board of these changes signals that we understand the important role telehealth has played in making care available amid an unprecedented national lockdown and that it will continue to be an important part of the healthcare system going forward." The 40 HEDIS measures that have new accommodations for telehealth are: Prevention and Screening Weight Assessment and Counseling for Nutrition and Physical Activity for Children/Adolescents Breast Cancer Screening Colorectal Cancer Screening Care for Older Adults Respiratory Use of Spirometry Testing in the Assessment and Diagnosis of COPD Asthma Medication Ratio Cardiovascular Conditions Controlling High Blood Pressure Persistence of Beta-Blocker Treatment After a Heart Attack Statin Therapy for Patients with Cardiovascular Disease NEW MEASURE: Cardiac Rehabilitation Diabetes Comprehensive Diabetes Care NEW MEASURE: Kidney Health Evaluation for Patients with Diabetes Statin Therapy for Patients with Diabetes Musculoskeletal Conditions Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis- Scheduled for Retirement Osteoporosis Management in Women Who Had a Fracture NEW MEASURE: Osteoporosis Screening in Older Women Behavioral Health Antidepressant Medication Management Follow-up Care for Children Prescribed ADHD Medication Follow-up After Hospitalization for Mental Illness Follow-up After Emergency Department Visit for Mental Illness Diabetes Screening for People with Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder Who Are Using Antipsychotic Medication Cardiovascular Monitoring for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Schizophrenia Diabetes Monitoring for People wit Diabetes and Schizophrenia Adherence to Antipsychotic Medications for Individuals with Schizophrenia Care Coordination Transitions of Care Follow-up After Emergency Department Visit for People with Multiple High-Risk Chronic Conditions Access/Availability of Care Prenatal and Postpartum Care Use of First-Line Psychosocial Care for Children and Adolescents on Antipsychotics Utilization Well-Child Visits in the First 30 Months of Life Child and Adolescent Well Care Visits Mental Health Utilization Risk-Adjusted Utilization Plan All-Cause Readmissions Hospitalization Following Discharge from a Skilled Nursing Facility Acute Hospital Utilization Emergency Department Utilization Hospitalization for Potentially Preventable Complications Measures Reported Using Electronic Clinical Data Systems Utilization of the PHQ-9 to Monitor Depression Symptoms for Adolescents and Adults Depression Screening and Follow-up for Adolescents and Adults Postpartum Depression Screening and Follow-up Prenatal Depression Screening and Follow-up Breast Cancer Screening Colorectal Cancer Screening Follow-up Care for Children Prescribed ADHD Medication Updates to these 40 measures will be reflected in HEDIS Volume 2 Technical Specifications, to be published on July 1, 2020. Telehealth revisions will be outlined in each measure specification's "Summary of Changes" section. Changes to all NCQA programs resulting from the pandemic are summarized at https://www.ncqa.org/covid. NCQA will continue to evolve HEDIS and other products to reflect and reinforce new technology. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Andy Reynolds 202-955-3518 Matt Brock 202-955-1739 About NCQA NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA's website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more-informed health care choices. NCQA can be found online at ncqa.org, on Twitter @ncqa, on Facebook at facebook.com/NCQA.org and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncqa. Related Files Related Images ncqa.jpg Related Links View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/covid-driven-telehealth-surge-triggers-changes-to-quality-measures-301071478.html SOURCE National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) |