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Type:
EC eCQMs - Eligible Clinicians
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Resolution: Answered
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Priority:
Moderate
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Component/s: None
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None
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CMS0153v13
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One key reason is if a urine pregnancy test is ordered on these patients, it pulls them into the measure. Urine pregnancy tests are routine screening for all patients that have begun having periods, and are either going to undergo a surgical procedure, or need this as a baseline negative test before they can initiate certain medications. This does not immediately indicate that they are sexually active. It seems this is an inaccurate way to pull patients in to this measure.
Additionally, we are finding that patients with abnormal menstrual cycles, or dysmenorrhea, getting started on hormonal treatment (I.e. OCPs) for menstrual regulation, but again, fall into the category of sexual inactivity which is well documented in their charts. This again, is common practice in adolescents with painful or irregular periods. It should not be pulling them into a sexually active category.
It seems that this measure could utilize an exclusion of if they are marked as not sexually active in their chart, this somehow pulls them out if for example, they undergo a urine pregnancy test, or are initiated on OCPs for non-sexual related reasons. Please let me know if CMS plans to address these inaccuracies of this measure.