Thank you for your inquiry into CMS2v13/QID#134, Preventative Care and Screening: Screening for Depression and Follow-Up Plan. All patients should be screen for depression with at least on qualifying encounter (except those patients that have been diagnosis with bipolar disorder). Currently, we are not excluding patients that are deceased, or in hospice / palliative care from the measure. In addition, regarding CMS122v12/QID#001 and CMS138v12/QID#236. Please note that CMS122v12 excludes hospice, palliative care, and other advanced illness/frailty indications, while CMS138v12 excludes hospice, per measure intent. At this time, we are not excluding deceased patients from either measure, but we will consider this exclusion for future iterations.

Question is related to the measures included in the new collection type - Medicare CQMs - Quality ID# 134 as well as the other two measures associated with the new collection type = Quality ID #1 and Quality ID#236. Deceased patients appear to be included in the denominator for the three measures. There is less opportunity to address these measures when a beneficiary has died. Recommend that deceased patients be excluded from the denominator and that hospice and palliative care be exclusions for all three measures.