The CQF Initiative ended on June 1, 2017.

We would like to thank the entire community for their participation and support over the years. We are excited to see the transition of CQF to an industry-led standards and interoperability activity.

Clinical Quality Framework (CQF) Homepage

Announcements

Clinical Quality Language (CQL) Q&As Now Available

CMS is engaging measure developers, implementers, and end users in Clinical Quality Language (CQL) development in the effort to harmonize standards between electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) and clinical decision support (CDS). CQL is an HL7 standard for trial use (STU) and is intended to replace the logic currently defined in the Quality Data Model (QDM) beginning with the QDM v5.0.

To learn more about CQL, CMS offers general and targeted CQL education sessions. Q&As gathered from previously held sessions are available on the eCQI Resource Center CQL Space at: https://ecqi.healthit.gov/cql/CQ-Qs%26As. The answers to questions are grouped by content categories and will be routinely updated with new content from future CQL sessions. If your question is not answered in a Q&A, please join us for an upcoming CQL event or submit your question to the JIRA CQL Issue Tracker.

Find more CQL educational resources including presentation slides and webinar videos at: https://ecqi.healthit.gov/cql/cql-educational-resources

Now Available: Quality Data Model (QDM) v5.3 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released the latest changes to the Quality Data Model (QDM) specification, version 5.3, for use with Clinical Quality Language (CQL). Support for these features and modifications will be implemented in the production version of the Measure Authoring Tool (MAT) released in Fall 2017 (version 5.4).

QDM v5.3 represents a significant change from prior production versions as it no longer contains any logic expression. Previously published versions of the QDM (through version 4.3) included the data model and logic required to compare one data element to another. Beginning with the QDM v5.0 Draft for use with CQL testing, the QDM includes only the data model, whereas this and future versions require the use of CQL as a separate method for expressing logic. QDM v5.02 and v5.03 included minor changes for use with CQL testing. Version 5.3 is the production version for CQL-based eCQMs.

QDM will continue to evolve based on stakeholder input and feedback from the QDM User Group.

For More Information

You can find current and past versions of QDM specifications, QDM User Group meeting information and CQL resources on the eCQI Resource Center. 

CMS Issues Technical Instructions for QRDA Category I Submissions for eCQM Reporting to the Hospital IQR and the Medicare EHR Incentive Programs

Visit the eCQI Resource Center for Detailed QRDA Category I Submission Information

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued technical guidance for vendors on how to correctly submit Quality Reporting Document Architecture (QRDA) Category I files electronically using QRDA templates for the Encounter Order/Performed, Diagnosis, Device Order, and Transfer From/To Quality Data Model (QDM) data types. This guidance is for electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) submissions for calendar year (CY) 2017 and QRDA Category I files only. 

CMS encourages vendors submitting data for hospitals participating in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program and the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program for Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to use this guidance to ensure correct measure calculations by the measure engine. 

Please visit the eCQI Resource Center QRDA Space for detailed descriptions of the issue, guidance and examples on how to properly submit QRDA templates for the effected QDM data types:

• Diagnosis
• Device, Order
• Encounter, Order
• Encounter, Performed
• Transfer From
• Transfer To

This issue applies to all the eligible hospital/CAH eCQMs for the CY 2017 reporting period as they all use at least one of the above QDM data types in their measure specifications.

For More Information

You can find additional QRDA-related resources, as well as current and past implementation guides, on the CMS eCQM Library and the eCQI Resource Center. For questions related to this guidance, the QRDA Implementation Guides or Schematrons, visit the ONC QRDA JIRA Issue Tracker.

Timeline

January 2016- September 2017: Implementation (Standards Development and Review)

September 2016- June 2017: Current Projects (NCCN Oncology Guidelines, IOM DIGITizE, Zika Virus, CDC Opioid)

June 2017: Evaluation

Initiative Contacts

The CQF Initiative ended on June 1, 2017. We would like to say THANK YOU to the entire community for their participation over the years. 

Clinical Quality Framework (CQF) Homepage

Announcements

Cooking with CQL: or How to Incorporate CQL into HQMF for eCQMs Webinar 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) invites you to a “Cooking with Clinical Quality Language (CQL): or How to Incorporate CQL into Health Quality Measure Format (HQMF) for Electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs)” webinar. The Cooking with CQL series provides an interactive environment for measure developers. The upcoming session will feature open discussion from subject matter experts on the Measure Authoring Tool (MAT), show how to express measures using CQL and review prepared questions.

To register for the webinar taking place on Thursday June 15, 2017 at 4:00 P.M. EST go to:
https://battelle.webex.com/battelle/onstage/g.php?MTID=e50022a7b58f087085f987c695bbde7b0. Please submit CQL related questions to cql-esac@esacinc.com. If you have any other questions or need additional information about this webinar, please contact Amira Elhagmusa at elhagmusa@battelle.org

Clinical Quality Language (CQL) Q&As Now Available

CMS is engaging measure developers, implementers, and end users in Clinical Quality Language (CQL) development in the effort to harmonize standards between electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) and clinical decision support (CDS). CQL is an HL7 standard for trial use (STU) and is intended to replace the logic currently defined in the Quality Data Model (QDM) beginning with the QDM v5.0.

To learn more about CQL, CMS offers general and targeted CQL education sessions. Q&As gathered from previously held sessions are available on the eCQI Resource Center CQL Space at: https://ecqi.healthit.gov/cql/CQ-Qs%26As. The answers to questions are grouped by content categories and will be routinely updated with new content from future CQL sessions. If your question is not answered in a Q&A, please join us for an upcoming CQL event or submit your question to the JIRA CQL Issue Tracker.

Find more CQL educational resources including presentation slides and webinar videos at: https://ecqi.healthit.gov/cql/cql-educational-resources

CMS Issues Additional Guidance for the “Device, Order not done” Field Submission for VTE-1, VTE-2, and VTE-6 Measures for CY 2016 eCQM Reporting to the Hospital IQR and the Medicare EHR Incentive Programs

The purpose of this announcement is to notify hospitals participating in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program and the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued additional guidance for the “Device, Order not done” field submission for Venous thromboembolism (VTE) measures: VTE-1, VTE-2, and VTE-6 electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs) for Calendar Year 2016 reporting. For more information, please view the following attachment: Device Order Not Done Guidance Announcement

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released the latest changes to the Quality Data Model (QDM) specification, version 5.3, for use with Clinical Quality Language (CQL). Support for these features and modifications will be implemented in the production version of the Measure Authoring Tool (MAT) released in Fall 2017 (version 5.4).

QDM v5.3 represents a significant change from prior production versions as it no longer contains any logic expression. Previously published versions of the QDM (through version 4.3) included the data model and logic required to compare one data element to another. Beginning with the QDM v5.0 Draft for use with CQL testing, the QDM includes only the data model, whereas this and future versions require the use of CQL as a separate method for expressing logic. QDM v5.02 and v5.03 included minor changes for use with CQL testing. Version 5.3 is the production version for CQL-based eCQMs.

QDM will continue to evolve based on stakeholder input and feedback from the QDM User Group.

For More Information

You can find current and past versions of QDM specifications, QDM User Group meeting information and CQL resources on the eCQI Resource Center. 

Timeline

January 2016- September 2017: Implementation (Standards Development and Review)

September 2016- June 2017: Current Projects (NCCN Oncology Guidelines, IOM DIGITizE, Zika Virus, CDC Opioid)

June 2017: Evaluation

Initiative Contacts