New HEDIS Quality Measures Have Been Added for 2017

New HEDIS Quality Measures Have Been Added for 2017HEDIS Quality Measures are changed to reflect changing ideas, best practices and even changing areas of focus. These Quality Measures are used to track the performance of health plan providers and medical facilities. Health plan providers need to be aware of these changes, and how they affect them in the short and long run.

Recently, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) released a list of technical specifications for the 2017 edition of the Health Care Effectiveness Date and Information Set (HEDIS). They added four new measures that need to be taken into consideration.

Throughout this post, we will provide a brief overview of the new HEDIS Quality Measures that have gone into effect in 2017. In order to stay up to date with your HEDIS tasks, it is important to be aware of and understand these changes.

HEDIS Quality Measures Added for 2017:

Standardized Healthcare-Associated Infection Ratio:

This new measure looks at data that is publicly available from the CMS’s Hospital Compare to gauge potential infection exposure risk to those admitted to the health plan’s hospital network. This measure is meant to assess hospital network safety at a health-plan level, and this is the first time facility-level healthcare-associated infection data collected through NHSN is being used.

Depression Remission or Response for Adolescents and Adults:

The HEDIS Quality Measure looks at how many of members 12 years or older, with a principal diagnosis of depression, had evidence of remission of response of their symptoms within five to seven months after an elevated PHQ-9 score.

Follow-Up After Emergency Department Visit for Mental Illness:

This Quality Measure analyzes the percent of Emergency Department (ED) visits for those 6 years or older, that have received an original diagnosis of mental illness, who required a follow up ED visit for a mental illness related issue within 7 days and within 30 days of the original Emergency Department visit.

Follow-Up After Emergency Department Visit for Alcohol and Other Drug Dependence

This assess the percentage of Emergency Department visits of those 13 or older, with a principal diagnosis of alcohol of drug dependence, who required a follow up visit within 30 days and 7 days of the original visit.

Still Confused? Chart Review Nurses Can Help!

If after reading through these updates you are still confused, you’re not alone! HEDIS Quality Measures are not easy to understand and follow, which is why businesses are turning to Chart Review Nurses to help complete their HEDIS tasks. From chart abstractions to full outsourcing of your HEDIS tasks, Chart Review Nurses can help. We can work within your budget and space constraints to fit seamlessly into your process. Give us a call at (877) 328-2343 or submit an email inquiry to info@datafied.com if you are interested in more information.