HEDIS® Ad Hoc Public Comment Period Now Open

October 1, 2021 · NCQA Communications

NCQA’s ad hoc public comment period is open and ready for your input.

Public comment is an opportunity to weigh in on the relevance, scientific soundness and feasibility of new and revised measures for HEDIS.

NCQA seeks comments on the following:

About HEDIS and Public Comment

HEDIS comprises measures of clinical quality and patient experience that are based on published scientific evidence. When new evidence becomes available, NCQA reviews HEDIS measures to determine whether changes may be needed. NCQA convenes multi-stakeholder advisory panels—including independent scientists, clinicians, health plans, purchasers, government and consumer groups—to ensure that measures meet and balance the high standards of relevance, scientific soundness and feasibility.

An important part of developing and updating HEDIS is hearing from the public. NCQA reviews every comment received during public comment and discusses results with stakeholder advisors.

NCQA’s HEDIS measures do not constitute clinical practice guidelines, nor should they be used to determine insurance or coverage.

Proposed Changes to Existing Measure

Colorectal Cancer Screening (COL): The current measure assesses the percentage of members 50–75 years of age who had appropriate screening for colorectal cancer. NCQA proposes adding members 45–49 years to the measure and adding the Medicaid product line for reporting in measurement year (MY) 2022. These proposed changes would align the measure to recent updated guideline recommendations for screening from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and other national organizations.

NCQA also proposes to remove the hybrid reporting option in MY 2022 and establish reporting using only the Electronic Clinical Data Systems Method in MY 2023. Removing hybrid reporting would reduce the burden of manual chart review and allow plans to better prepare for capturing colorectal cancer screening with electronic clinical data while implementing the other proposed changes to the measure.

Potential Measure for Retirement

Frequency of Selected Procedures (FSP): Thismeasure summarizes the utilization of frequently performed procedures that often show wide regional variation and have generated concern regarding potentially inappropriate utilization. NCQA is seeking feedback on the current use of this measure and if there is value in maintaining it for HEDIS.

How to Participate in Public Comment

The ad hoc public comment period begins at 9:00 a.m. (ET) on September 30 and ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on October 21. Visithttps://my.ncqa.org/ to submit comments. For details on proposed changes, visit the NCQA website.

HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).