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Use of High-Risk Medications in Older Adults

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Compare Versions of: "Use of High-Risk Medications in Older Adults"

The Compare function compares two years of the measure specifications found in the header of the measure's HTML. It does not include a comparison of any information in the body of the HTML, e.g., population criteria, Clinical Quality Language, or value sets.

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Table Options
Measure Information 2026 Performance Period
Title Use of High-Risk Medications in Older Adults
CMS eCQM ID CMS156v14
CBE ID* Not Applicable
MIPS Quality ID 238
Measure Steward National Committee for Quality Assurance
Description

Percentage of patients 65 years of age and older who were ordered at least two high-risk medications from the same drug class. Three rates are reported.

1. Percentage of patients 65 years of age and older who were ordered at least two high-risk medications from the same drug class.

2....

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Measure Scoring Proportion
Measure Type Process
Stratification

None

Risk Adjustment

None

Rationale

Certain medications (MacKinnon & Hepler, 2003) are associated with increased risk of harm from drug side-effects and drug toxicity and pose a concern for patient safety. There is clinical consensus that these drugs pose increased risks in older adults (Kaufman, Brodin, & Sarafian, 2005)....

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Clinical Recommendation Statement

The measure is based on recommendations from the American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria[R] for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults (2023). The criteria were developed through key clinical expert consensus processes by Beers in 1997, Zhan in 2001, Fick et al. in...

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Improvement Notation

Lower score indicates better quality

Definition

Index Prescription Start Date (IPSD). The start date of the earliest prescription ordered for a high-risk medication during the measurement period.

A high-risk medication is identified by any one of the following:

a. A prescription for medications classified as high risk at any dose and...

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Guidance

The intent of the measure is to assess if the patient has been ordered at least two high-risk medication prescriptions from the same drug class on different days.

The intent of the measure is to assess if the reporting provider ordered the high-risk medication(s). If the patient had a...

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Initial Population

Patients 65 years and older at the end of the measurement period who had a visit during the measurement period

Denominator

Equals Initial Population

Denominator Exclusions

Exclude patients who are in hospice care for any part of the measurement period.

Exclude patients receiving palliative care for any part of the measurement period.

Numerator

Rate 1: Patients with at least two orders of high-risk medications from the same drug class on different days.

a. At least two orders of high-risk medications from the same drug class.

b. At least two orders of high-risk medications from the same drug class with summed days supply greater...

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Numerator Exclusions

None

Denominator Exceptions

None

Telehealth Eligible Yes
Next Version No Version Available
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Last Updated: May 07, 2025