Raises bar on quality of data exchanged; Helps streamline HEDIS® reporting data for health plans
BUFFALO, NY – November 5, 2020 – HEALTHeLINK announced today it is among the first health information exchanges (HIEs) in the country to participate in the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Data Aggregator Validation program. Having recently completed a pilot program along with two other New York State HIEs, HEALTHeLINK earned one year of Validation status which means it has the ability to share validated sources for standard supplemental data for use in measurement year 2020 HEDIS® (Healthcare Effectiveness Data Information Set) reporting.
HEDIS is a comparative tool developed by NCQA and used by more than 90% of America’s health plans to measure and compare performance in population health, including tracking immunizations, screenings, and other preventative interventions.
“With NCQA Data Aggregator Validation, this is another opportunity for HEALTHeLINK to bring value to both our health plans and providers,” said Dan Porreca, executive director, HEALTHeLINK. “The ability for us to simplify and automate what is predominately a manual process for health plans to gather clinical data to conduct their HEDIS reporting is exciting. With this validation recognition and the ability for health plans to leverage HEALTHeLINK for the data they need on their members, there will be much less need to disrupt practices to pull charts in support of HEDIS measure reporting; that data acquisition will now be streamlined via HEALTHeLINK.”
NCQA worked to develop the program protocols and with each HIE to ensure all Data Aggregator Validation program standards and protocols were met. Health plans now have access to an efficient process to collect high quality, comprehensive data for HEDIS measurement. Both plans and providers can use the data created from this process to address other needs, such as closing care gaps and improving care delivery.
“Our Data Aggregator Validation program was formed to address what payers were telling us, that HEDIS® audits of clinical data from aggregator vendors could prove too burdensome,” said Rick Moore, NCQA chief information officer. “Now, NCQA can validate an aggregator’s data sources prior to a HEDIS reporting year, and then health plans may use the approved sources as standard supplemental data without requiring more audits at the plan level.”
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. For more information, visit ncqa.org.
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About HEALTHeLINK: HEALTHeLINK is a collaboration among hospitals, physicians, health plans and other health care providers in the eight counties of western New York State to securely exchange clinical information to improve the quality of care, enhance patient safety and mitigate health care costs. HEALTHeLINK is a Qualified Entity of the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY), which enables providers to access their patients’ data from across the state. HEALTHeLINK is also a founding member of the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC), the national trade association of health information exchanges. Providers and patients can visit wnyhealthelink.com or @HEALTHeLINK on both Facebook and Twitter for more information.