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Kidney Health Evaluation

Compare Versions of: "Kidney Health Evaluation"

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Measure Information 2023 Performance Period 2024 Performance Period
Title Kidney Health Evaluation Kidney Health Evaluation
CMS eCQM ID CMS951v1 CMS951v2
CBE ID Not Applicable Not Applicable
MIPS Quality ID 488 488
Description

Percentage of patients aged 18-75 years with a diagnosis of diabetes who received a kidney health evaluation defined by an Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) AND Urine Albumin-Creatinine Ratio (uACR) within the measurement period

Percentage of patients aged 18-75 years with a diagnosis of diabetes who received a kidney health evaluation defined by an Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) AND Urine Albumin-Creatinine Ratio (uACR) within the measurement period

Definition *See CMS951v1.html

None

Initial Population

All patients aged 18-75 years with a diagnosis of diabetes at the start of the measurement period with a visit during the measurement period

All patients aged 18-75 years with a diagnosis of diabetes at the start of the measurement period with a visit during the measurement period

Numerator

Patients who received a kidney health evaluation defined by an Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) AND Urine Albumin-Creatinine Ratio (uACR) within the measurement period

Patients who received a kidney health evaluation defined by an eGFR AND uACR within the measurement period

Numerator Exclusions

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Denominator

Equals Initial Population

Equals Initial Population

Denominator Exclusions

Patients with a diagnosis of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD); Patients with a diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Stage 5; Patients who have an order for or are receiving hospice or palliative care

Patients with a diagnosis of ESRD; Patients with a diagnosis of CKD Stage 5; Patients who have an order for or are receiving hospice or palliative care

Denominator Exceptions

None

None

Measure Steward National Kidney Foundation National Kidney Foundation
Measure Scoring Proportion measure Proportion measure
Measure Type Process measure Process measure
Improvement Notation

Higher score indicates better quality

Higher score indicates better quality

Guidance

This measure assesses performance of a comprehensive kidney evaluation in adults aged 18-75. This measure does not preclude or discourage the use of regular laboratory testing for CKD in patients outside of the age range (patients under 18 years and those over 75 years of age).

This eCQM is a patient-based measure.

This version of the eCQM uses QDM version 5.6. Please refer to the QDM page for more information on the QDM.

This measure assesses performance of a comprehensive kidney evaluation in adults aged 18-75. This measure does not preclude or discourage the use of regular laboratory testing for CKD in patients outside of the age range (patients under 18 years and those over 75 years of age).

This eCQM is a patient-based measure.

This version of the eCQM uses QDM version 5.6. Please refer to the QDM page for more information on the QDM.

Telehealth Eligible Yes Yes
Rationale *See CMS951v1.html

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a major driver of morbidity, mortality and high healthcare costs in the United States. Currently, 37 million American adults have CKD and millions of others are at increased risk (National Kidney Foundation [NKF], 2019), with an estimated population prevalence growing to nearly 17% among Americans aged 30 years and older by the year 2030 (Saran et al., 2019; Hoerger et al., 2015). Total Medicare spending in 2016 on both CKD and End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) was over $114 billion, comprising 23% of total Medicare fee-for-service spending overall with costs increasing exponentially with advancing CKD (Saran et al., 2019; Nichols et al., 2020). In the US from 2002-2016, the burden of CKD, defined as years of life lost, years living with disability, disability-adjusted life years, and deaths, outpaced changes in the burden of disease for other conditions (Bowe et al., 2018). Patients with CKD are readmitted to the hospital more frequently than those without diagnosed CKD (Saran et al., 2019). CKD is the 9th leading cause of death in the US and is the fastest growing non-communicable disease in terms of in burden largely due to death (Hoerger et al., 2015; Bowe et al., 2018). This public health issue is driven largely by the impact of diabetes—the most common comorbid risk factor for CKD (Saran et al., 2019; Bowe et al., 2018).

The intent of this process measure is to improve rates of guideline-concordant kidney health evaluation in patients with diabetes to more consistently identify and potentially treat or delay progression of CKD in this high-risk population. Annual kidney health evaluation in patients with diabetes to determine risk of CKD using eGFR and uACR is recommended by clinical practice guidelines (ADA, 2022; NKF, 2007; NKF, 2012) and has been a focus of various local and national health care quality improvement initiatives, including Healthy People 2020 (United States Renal Data System, 2018). However, performance of these tests in patients with diabetes remains low, with rates that vary across Medicare (41.8%) and private insurers (49.0%) (Saran et al., 2019; Alfego et al., 2021; Stempneiwicz et al., 2021). Low rates of detection of CKD in a population of patients with diabetes have been demonstrated to be associated with low patient awareness of their own kidney health status (Szczech et al., 2014). Indeed, 90% of individuals with CKD are unaware of their condition due to under-recognition and under-diagnosis (Saran et al., 2019; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). Currently, an individual’s lifetime probability of developing CKD is relatively high, reaching 54% for someone currently aged 30-49 years (Hoerger et al., 2015). Regular kidney health evaluations, utilizing both eGFR and uACR, provide an opportunity to improve identification and potential reversal of worsening kidney function, particularly in high risk populations, such as those with diabetes.

Stratification *See CMS951v1.html

None

Risk Adjustment *See CMS951v1.html

None

Clinical Recommendation Statement *See CMS951v1.html

The following evidence statements are quoted verbatim from the referenced clinical guidelines and other sources, where applicable:

At least once a year, assess urinary albumin (e.g., spot urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio) and estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with type 1 diabetes with duration of >= 5 years, in all patients with type 2 diabetes, and in all patients with comorbid hypertension. B (American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee, 2019)

Patients with diabetes should be screened annually for Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD). Initial screening should commence:

- 5 years after the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes; (A) or

- From diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. (B)

Screening should include:

- Measurements of urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) in a spot urine sample; (B)

- Measurement of serum creatinine and estimation of GFR. (B)

(NKF, 2007; NKF, 2012)

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Last Updated: Mar 04, 2024