States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD)

Measure Specification Files

To access measure specifications and related resources for NCQA measures used in the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) model, please click on the links below for the applicable model year.

Model YearMeasure Specifications
2026*
  • Acute Hospital Utilization (AHU)**
  • Adult Immunization Status (AIS)
  • Breast Cancer Screening (BCS)
  • Colorectal Cancer Screening (COL)
  • Controlling High Blood Pressure (CBP)
  • Emergency Department Utilization (EDU)**
  • Follow-Up After Emergency Department Visit for Substance Use (FUA)
  • Follow-Up After Hospitalization for Mental Illness (FUH)
  • Glycemic Status Assessment for Patients With Diabetes (GSD)
  • Plan All Cause Readmissions (PCR)
  • Pharmacotherapy for Opioid Use Disorder (POD)
  • Prenatal and Postpartum Care (PPC)

*Measure specifications currently posted reflect the most up-to-date versions of the measures. Specifications for Model Year 2026 will be released when available.

**This is a risk-adjusted utilization measure that compares observed to expected rates. The exact risk weights that will be used for this measure in this Innovation Center model will be determined at a date closer to implementation. Therefore, NCQA is providing access to the specifications without the risk weights needed for calculating expected values.

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