Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about NCQA’s various programs. If you don’t see what you are looking for in one of the entries below, you can ask a question through My NCQA.
You can find the standard guidelines and restrictions for data usage in Section 2 of the Quality Compass license agreement. This agreement in located on our website as well as on the NCQA store site, prior to any purchase of a license. If you expect your data usage to fall outside of the permissions set forth in the standard agreement, NCQA offers customized agreements to grant extended permissions and use cases, subject to a separate fee.
If you are unsure if your use case falls outside the standard license terms, submit your question via my.ncqa.org for further assistance.
HEDIS 2021
Customers interested in accessing prior year data can choose to add up to three years of trended results to their Quality Compass purchase. For example, if you purchase Quality Compass 2022 (MY 2021), you can choose to add the trended data feature to access MY 2020 MY 2019 results.
It is important to note that not all data can be trended due to significant changes in the measure specifications. Quality Compass indicates when measures should be trended with caution or if there has been a break in trending and results should not be trended year-to-year. These trending determinations can be found on the Help tab within the Quality Compass tool or in the Volume 2 HEDIS technical specifications.
Access to the latest data year must be purchased annually.
HEDIS 2021
In 2022, NCQA will be releasing Quality Compass Exchange data for the first time. Exchange data will be available outside of the Quality Compass tool via a data file delivered on NCQA’s Download Center. The data file will contain individual plan level performance and benchmarks (averages and percentiles) for Exchange plans. It will contain results for QRS measure indicators used in the QRS Scoring program only. The Exchange data file is available for purchase now and will be released in November 2022.
HEDIS 2021
You can experience Quality Compass’ functionality by watching the demo videos available on the Quality Compass webpage (https://www.ncqa.org/programs/data-and-information-technology/data-purchase-and-licensing/quality-compass/). The demo videos walks viewers through some of the key features of Quality Compass as well as how to navigate the tool.
You can also request a walk-through live demo from the Information Products team. Please submit your request through your my.NCQA.org account or contact NCQA’s Customer Support team.
HEDIS 2022
Quality Compass is NCQA’s interactive database containing individual plan performance results for HEDIS® and CAHPS® measures, as well as benchmark data at the national, regional (Census, HHS) and state levels. It reports individual plan data from plans that chose to publicly report their performance results. Benchmark results comprise all plan data submitted to NCQA, regardless of reporting status.
NCQA Health Plan Ratings (HPR) is a separate method of evaluating and distributing information related to health plan quality and performance. It assesses and reports plan performance in several domains. The goal of HPR is to give plans a scale to assess their current operating status, to help ensure quality. HPR provides consumers with information that helps them select a high-quality health plan that suits their needs.
NCQA’s Health Plan Ratings 2022 assesses commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid health plans. The overall rating is the weighted average of a plan’s HEDIS® and CAHPS® measure ratings, plus bonus points for plans with a current Accreditation status. Please visit our HPR website (https://www.ncqa.org/hedis/reports-and-research/ncqas-health-plan-ratings-2022/) to learn more.
HEDIS 2021
