The data collection for this measure includes 6 'linking variables':
CMS certification number
Health insurance claim number (HICN) or Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI)
Date of birth (DOB)
Sex
Admission date
Discharge date

For the CMS certification number - does that number have to be included in the file and SHOW on the file or can it be listed in the name of the file only? We submitted HWR QRDA files and the CMS certification number was not in the file but was included in the name of the file. Our files were accepted with no issues - no errors or rejections. I've seen in other posts that it's stated files will be rejected if all linking variables are not included. We are looking for confirmation that all linking variables have to be included within the QRDA file for successful submission.