The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted the draft 2027 CMS Quality Reporting Document Architecture (QRDA) Category I Implementation Guide (IG), Schematron, and Sample File for Hospital Quality Reporting (HQR). The public comment period opens March 4, 2026 and closes on March 25, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).

The draft 2027 CMS QRDA I IG outlines the requirements for reporting electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) for the 2027 calendar year reporting period. This draft IG is based on the same underlying Health Level Seven International® (HL7) QRDA I standard used in previous CMS QRDA I IG publications.

Changes to the draft 2027 CMS QRDA I IG:

• Updated dates for the 2027 reporting period
• Updated template version for QRDA Category I Report – CMS
• Added Rural Emergency Hospitals Quality Reporting Program

Changes to the draft 2027 CMS QRDA I Schematron:

• Updated warning related to null flavor in QRDA Category I Report – CMS template
• Updated vocabulary file to include Rural Emergency Hospitals Quality Reporting Program

Changes to the draft 2027 CMS QRDA I Sample File:

• Updated dates for the 2027 reporting period
• Updated to use current version of QRDA Category I Report – CMS template
• Added new sample file for Rural Emergency Hospitals Quality Reporting Program

We are accepting comments until 5:00 p.m. ET on March 25, 2026

Please note that this is a draft document and is subject to change. Final updates may reflect public feedback and applicable rulemaking. We appreciate your review and look forward to receiving your comments on the draft 2027 CMS QRDA I IG.

Additional QRDA-Related Resources:

• To learn more about QRDA and eCQMs, visit the Electronic Clinical Quality Improvement (eCQI) Resource Center.