eCQM Implementation Checklist

Sign up for a UMLS account to access the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) Value Set Authority Center (VSAC), and to view all codes included in eCQM value sets.

Create an account by going to the ONC Project Tracking System (Jira) website and selecting the link in the upper right hand of the website to Create an Account. Once you have an account, the ONC Project Tracking System allows you to use your account to obtain feedback on eCQM implementation questions by creating an issue ticket in the ONC Project Tracking System. Key topic areas include the eCQM Issue Tracker, eCQM Known Issues Tracker, Quality Data Model (QDM) Issue Tracker, Clinical Quality Language (CQL) Issue Tracker, Quality Reporting Document Architecture (QRDA) Issue Tracker, QRDA Known Issue Tracker, MADiE Issue Tracker, and Cypress Issue Tracker.

Sign up for an eCQI Resource Center account and subscribe to the Eligible Clinician, Hospital - Inpatient, and/or Hospital - Outpatient eCQMs pages by selecting 'Receive updates on this topic' at the top of the page. This will provide you with an email alert when the associated page has been updated.

Review the eCQM Pre-Publication document and the VSAC download page.

• Work with your coding department and health IT vendor to ensure your systems have been updated to the latest code versions.
• Some value sets contain “legacy codes.” These codes will be inactive in the current code system version but will be considered active in one of the prior code system versions noted in the file.

Work with your health IT vendor to ensure your systems are using updated technical standards and testing tools found in the eCQM Pre-Publication document and eCQM Standards and Tools versions table.

Work with your EHR vendor/Health IT developer to ensure the technology you are using is certified for eCQM reporting and has been tested with the Cypress tool. Visit the Health IT Certification for eCQM Reporting page for more information. 

1. Review the updated eCQMs used in CMS quality programs for the upcoming reporting/performance period in the sortable tables on the Eligible Clinician, Hospital - Outpatient, and/or Hospital - Inpatient webpages.
   • Read and verify if the Telehealth guidance for Eligible Clinicians for the quality reporting period affects your reporting.
2. Download the eCQM annual update zip files and corresponding implementation resources on the Eligible Clinician, Hospital - Outpatient, and/or Hospital - Inpatient webpages.

1. Click into an eCQM on the online table to view detailed human-readable information on the measure.
2. Download and open zip files for the individual eCQMs your organization uses.
3. Open the Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) document that contains the measure specification description.
4. Review Health Quality Measure Format (HQMF) document (including specific reading instructions).
5. Reference eCQM data elements for each measure in the eCQM Data Element Repository (DERep).
   1. Navigate to the DERep.
   2. Filter on EC eCQMs, Hospital - Inpatient eCQMs, or Hospital - Outpatient eCQMs.
   3. Select eCQM of interest.
   4. Review data elements used by eCQM to obtain additional information for use when implementing measure.

Download the corresponding annual update value sets and Binding Parameter Specification (BPS) from NLM’s VSAC using your UMLS® license log in.

1. eCQM value set files with their associated data types and attributes and the BPS are available on the Download tab at the VSAC website under the CMS eCQM Value Sets section.
2. Review the BPS and value sets to track retired code lists and confirm your electronic health record is ready to support the most current eCQM release.
3. Use the value set compare feature in VSAC to view changes in value sets used with eCQMs

Note: Value sets to be used by a specific eCQM are linked from the individual measure specifications tab of the eCQI Resource Center.

1. Perform a Gap Analysis. Compare the eCQM metadata (content in the header of the HQMF) using the Compare feature on the Measure Information tab of each individual eCQM page. Note: The Compare feature is not available for new eCQMs, nor does it compare the logic.
2. Read the Technical Release Notes. The Technical Release Notes provide an overview of technical changes, e.g., logic and terminology to each eCQM. Identify the updates that require action on your part such as updating diagnosis codes and/or data fields available in your EHR or an end user’s workflow.
3. Read the eCQM Logic and Implementation Guidance. This guidance provides general logic and implementation guidance along with detailed information on topics such as measure versioning and time interval calculations.
4. Define what system requirements are needed to implement the update.
5. Consider potential workflow impacts.
6. Compile a list of system requirements across the measures the organization will report, as well as overall workflow impacts.
7. Implement system changes to support data capture for the updated measures.
8. Educate clinicians on changes to data entry or workflow, if any.

1. Review the QRDA Reference and Implementation Guides for eCQMs.
2. Review the eCQM Known Issues (eKI) Jira Tracker. The eKI dashboard provides implementation information for eCQMs with known technical issues for which a solution is under development but not yet available in a published eCQM specification.

• For hospital reporting guidance, visit QualityNet and the Quality Reporting Center for specific program reporting education.
• For clinician reporting guidance, visit the Quality Payment Program website and the Quality Payment Program Resource Library.
• For information about the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program, refer to the CMS Promoting Interoperability Program webpage.
• For federal health agency programs using eCQMs, refer to specific program requirements. 

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