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Malnutrition Care Score

Measure Information
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Table Options
Measure Information 2024 Reporting Period 2025 Reporting Period 2026 Reporting Period
Title Global Malnutrition Composite Score Global Malnutrition Composite Score Malnutrition Care Score
CMS eCQM ID CMS986v2 CMS986v4 CMS986v5
Short Name

GMCS

GMCS

MCS

CBE ID* 3592e 3592e 3592e
Measure Steward Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Description

This measure assesses the percentage of hospitalizations for adults aged 65 years and older at the start of the inpatient encounter during the measurement period with a length of stay equal to or greater than 24 hours who received optimal malnutrition care during the current inpatient hospitalization where care performed was appropriate to the patient's level of malnutrition risk and severity. Malnutrition care best practices recommend that for each hospitalization, adult inpatients are screened for malnutrition risk, assessed to confirm findings of malnutrition risk or for a hospital dietitian referral order, and if identified with a "moderate" or "severe" malnutrition status in the current performed malnutrition assessment, receive a current "moderate" or "severe" malnutrition diagnosis and have a current nutrition care plan performed.

This measure assesses the percentage of hospitalizations of adults aged 65 years and older at the start of the inpatient encounter during the measurement period, with a length of stay equal to or greater than 24 hours, who received optimal malnutrition care where care performed was appropriate to the patient's level of malnutrition risk and severity. Malnutrition care best practices recommend that for each hospitalization, adult inpatients are (1) screened for malnutrition risk or for a hospital dietitian referral order to be placed, (2) assessed by a registered dietitian (RD) or registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) to confirm findings of malnutrition risk, and if identified with a "moderate" or "severe" malnutrition status in the current performed malnutrition assessment, (3) receive a "moderate" or "severe" malnutrition diagnosis by a physician or eligible provider as defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and (4) have a current nutrition care plan performed by an RD/RDN.

This measure assesses the percentage of eligible encounters of adults aged 18 years and older at the start of the eligible encounter during the measurement period, with a length of stay equal to or greater than 24 hours, who received optimal malnutrition care where care performed was appropriate to the patient's level of malnutrition risk and severity. Malnutrition care best practices recommend that for each eligible encounter, adult inpatients are (1) screened for malnutrition risk or for a dietitian referral order to be placed, (2) assessed by a registered dietitian (RD) or registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) to confirm findings of malnutrition risk, and if identified with a "moderate" or "severe" malnutrition status in the current performed nutrition assessment, (3) receive a "moderate" or "severe" malnutrition diagnosis by a physician or eligible clinician as defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and (4) have a current nutrition care plan performed by an RD/RDN.

Measure Scoring Continuous Variable measure Continuous Variable measure Continuous Variable
Measure Type Intermediate Clinical Outcome Intermediate Clinical Outcome Intermediate Outcome
Stratification

None

None

None

Risk Adjustment

None

None

None

Rationale

The components of this measure are supported by clinical guidance that recommends the following: (1) malnutrition screening for patients admitted into the acute inpatient care setting; (2) nutrition assessment for patients identified at-risk of malnutrition or with a hospital dietitian referral order to form the basis for appropriate nutrition interventions; (3) appropriate recognition, diagnosis, and documentation of the nutrition status of a patient in order to (4) address their condition with an appropriate plan of care and communicate patient needs to other care providers.

The process for risk identification, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of malnutrition necessitates a multi-disciplinary care team that begins with the identification of an initial risk population for a more thorough physical assessment by registered dietitian nutritionists (RDN). The RDN in turn provides the necessary treatment recommendations to address nutritional status and the clinical indicators that inform a medical diagnosis of malnutrition completed by a physician. The four component measures individually will only provide a fraction of the necessary information on quality of care for patients at-risk of malnutrition. For example, knowing which patients have been assessed out of those who were initially identified as at-risk, but not knowing if the appropriate proportion of patients were screened upon admission, would be an insufficient assessment of quality of care.

Implementation of this measure supports timely nursing malnutrition risk screening and hand off to RDNs for appropriate nutritional assessment for patients at-risk of malnutrition during the current hospitalization. For patients identified with a moderate or severe malnutrition status from the nutrition assessment, best practice also recommends a medical diagnosis by a physician or other qualified healthcare professionals and the execution of the nutrition care plan by an RDN. Evidence demonstrates that implementing a standardized protocol for screening, assessment, diagnosis and care planning results in better identification of malnourished patients and subsequent improvements in rates of nutrition intervention for the malnourished. Outcomes modeling, and those reported in other studies, also demonstrate the benefits to patient outcomes, including reduced risk of 30-day readmissions, length of hospital stay, and complications, as well as improved quality of life after hospitalization.

The components of this measure are supported by clinical guidance that recommends the following: (1) malnutrition screening for patients admitted into the acute inpatient care setting; (2) nutrition assessment for patients identified at risk for malnutrition or with a hospital dietitian referral order to form the basis for appropriate nutrition interventions; (3) appropriate recognition, diagnosis, and documentation of the nutrition status of a patient in order to (4) address their condition with an appropriate plan of care and communicate patient needs to other care providers (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2017).

The process for risk identification, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of malnutrition necessitates a multi-disciplinary care team that begins with the identification of an initial risk population for a more thorough assessment by the RD/RDN. The RD/RDN, in turn, provides the necessary treatment recommendations to address nutritional status utilizing a nutrition diagnosis and care plan, along with the clinical indicators that inform a medical diagnosis of malnutrition completed by a physician or eligible provider as defined by CMS. The four measure observations individually will only provide a fraction of the necessary information on quality of care for patients at risk for or with malnutrition. For example, knowing which patients have been assessed out of those who were initially identified as at risk, but not knowing if the appropriate proportion of patients were screened upon admission, would be an insufficient assessment of quality of care.

Implementation of this measure supports timely malnutrition risk screening and hand off to RDNs for appropriate nutrition assessment for identified patients during the current hospitalization. For patients identified with a moderate or severe malnutrition by the nutrition assessment, best practice also recommends a medical diagnosis by a physician or other eligible clinician and the execution of the nutrition care plan by an RD/RDN. Evidence demonstrates that implementing a standardized protocol for screening, assessment, diagnosis, and care planning results in better identification of malnourished patients and subsequent improvements in rates of associated nutrition interventions. Outcomes modeling, and those reported in other studies, also demonstrate the benefits to patient outcomes, including reduced risk of 30-day readmissions, length of hospital stays, and complications, as well as improved quality of life after hospitalization (Sriram, 2017).

Malnutrition has been documented in approximately one-third of patients in developed countries upon admission to the hospital, and, if left untreated, can significantly impact important clinical outcomes (Mogensen et al., 2019). Adult patients with malnutrition have a significantly longer hospital length of stay (LOS) (Hudson, Chittams, Griffith, & Compher, 2018 and Mosquera et al., 2016) and significantly more patients with malnutrition have a LOS of greater than 7 days when compared to their well-nourished counterparts. Additionally, both higher rates of 30-day readmission and a significantly higher likelihood of 30-day readmission are observed in these patients (Mogensen et al., 2019; Hiller, Shaw, & Fabri, 2016; Mosquera et al., 2016). Lastly, hospitalized adults with malnutrition have an increased likelihood of death within 90 days of discharge (Hiller, Shaw, & Fabri, 2016). These consequences demonstrate the importance of addressing malnutrition in hospitalized patients to improve outcomes.

The components of this measure are supported by clinical guidance that recommends (1) malnutrition screening for patients admitted into the acute inpatient care setting; (2) nutrition assessment for patients identified at risk for malnutrition or with a dietitian referral order to form the basis for appropriate nutrition interventions; (3) appropriate recognition, diagnosis, and documentation of the nutrition status of a patient in order to (4) address their condition with an appropriate plan of care and communicate patient needs to other care providers (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2017).

The process for risk identification, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of malnutrition necessitates a multi-disciplinary care team that begins with the identification of an initial risk population for a more thorough assessment by the RD/RDN. The RD/RDN, in turn, provides the necessary treatment recommendations to address nutrition problems utilizing a nutrition diagnosis and care plan, along with the clinical indicators that inform a medical diagnosis of malnutrition completed by a physician or eligible clinician as defined by CMS. The four measure observations individually provide a portion of the necessary information on the quality of care for patients at risk for or with malnutrition. Therefore, the four components are summed and averaged according to a patient’s degree of malnutrition and/or malnutrition risk to determine an encounter-level Malnutrition Care Score.

High performance on this measure requires malnutrition risk screening and/or referral to RDNs for appropriate nutrition assessment for identified patients during the current hospitalization. For patients identified with moderate or severe malnutrition by the nutrition assessment, best practice also recommends a medical diagnosis by a physician or other eligible clinician and the execution of the nutrition care plan by an RD/RDN. Evidence demonstrates that implementing a standardized protocol for screening, assessment, diagnosis, and care planning results in better identification of patients with malnutrition and subsequent improvements in rates of associated nutrition interventions. Outcomes modeling demonstrates benefits to patient outcomes, including reduced risk of 30-day readmissions, length of hospital stays, and complications, as well as improved quality of life after hospitalization (Sriram et al., 2016).

Clinical Recommendation Statement

American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) clinical guidelines on nutrition screening, assessment, and intervention in adults, Screening for nutrition risk is suggested for hospitalized patients. (A.S.P.E.N., 2011).

This guideline places nutrition assessment and screening in the context of intervention as part of nutrition care. Screening those individuals at risk of malnutrition is the first step in nutrition care as nutrition risk, identified by nutrition screening, is associated with longer length of hospital stay, complications, and mortality. Malnutrition screening is also a predictor of mortality risk.

Nutrition assessment is suggested for all patients who are identified to be at malnutrition risk by nutrition screening. Malnourished patients, identified by nutrition assessment tools, have more complications and longer hospitalizations than do patients with optimal nutrition status. Such patients, identified by nutrition assessment tools, have more infectious and noninfectious complications, longer hospital length of stay, and greater mortality.

Nutrition support intervention is recommended for patients identified by assessment as at risk for malnutrition or malnourished. Nutrition support intervention in patients identified assessment as at risk for malnutrition or malnourished improves clinical outcomes. Nutrition interventions in malnourished patients are associated with improved nutrition status, nutrient intake, physical function, and quality of life. Hospital readmissions, inpatient length of stay, and complications were reduced with increased nutrition support interventions.

American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) clinical guidelines on nutrition screening, assessment, and intervention in adults indicate that screening for nutrition risk is suggested for hospitalized patients (Mueller, et al., 2011).

This guideline places nutrition assessment and screening in the context of intervention as part of nutrition care. Screening those individuals at risk for malnutrition is the first step in nutrition care as risk for malnutrition, identified by nutrition screening, is associated with longer length of hospital stay, complications, and mortality. Malnutrition screening is also a predictor of mortality risk.

Malnourished patients, identified by nutrition assessment tools, have more complications and longer hospitalizations than do patients with optimal nutrition status. Such patients, identified by nutrition assessment tools, have more infectious and noninfectious complications, longer hospital length of stay, and greater mortality.

Nutrition intervention is recommended for patients identified by assessment as at risk for malnutrition or malnourished. Nutrition intervention with associated monitoring and evaluation plants in patients identified as at risk for malnutrition or malnourished improves clinical outcomes. Nutrition interventions and their associated monitoring and evaluation plans in malnourished patients are associated with improved nutrition status, nutrient intake, physical function, and quality of life. Hospital readmissions, inpatient length of stay, and complications were reduced with increased nutrition support interventions.

American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) clinical guidelines on nutrition screening, assessment, and intervention in adults indicate that screening for nutrition risk is suggested for hospitalized patients (Mueller, Compher, Druyan, & ASPEN Board of Directors, 2011).

This guideline places nutrition assessment and screening in the context of intervention as part of nutrition care. Screening those individuals at risk for malnutrition is the first step in nutrition care as risk for malnutrition, identified by nutrition screening, is associated with longer length of hospital stay, complications, and mortality. Malnutrition screening is also a predictor of mortality risk.

Malnourished patients, identified by nutrition assessment tools, have more complications and longer hospitalizations than do patients with optimal nutrition status. Such patients, identified by nutrition assessment tools, have more infectious and noninfectious complications, longer hospital length of stay, and greater mortality. Nutrition intervention is recommended for patients identified by assessment as at risk for malnutrition or malnourished.

Nutrition intervention with associated monitoring and evaluation plans in patients identified as at risk for malnutrition or malnourished improves clinical outcomes. Nutrition interventions and their associated monitoring and evaluation plans in malnourished patients are associated with improved nutrition status, nutrient intake, physical function, and quality of life. Hospital readmissions, inpatient length of stay, and complications were reduced with increased nutrition support interventions.

Improvement Notation

Higher score indicates better quality of care

Higher score indicates better quality of care.

Increased score indicates improvement

Definition

Malnutrition Risk Screening - the process of identifying and referring those individuals and populations who are at risk for nutrition-related problems, are appropriate for nutrition care services, and would benefit from the nutrition interventions. For the inpatient or acute care setting, the Malnutrition Risk Screening is performed by a nursing professional, Registered Dietitian (RD), or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).

Nutrition Assessment - a systematic approach for collecting, classifying, and synthesizing important and relevant data to describe nutritional status related nutritional problems, and their causes. This assessment includes review of the "whole" patient and evaluates the anthropometrics (i.e., body measurements and proportions), biochemical data (i.e., laboratory findings), clinical observations, and diet history (also known as 'ABCD'). For the inpatient or acute care setting, the Nutrition Assessment is performed by a RD or RDN.

Malnutrition Diagnosis - a documented diagnosis that identifies and describes a specific nutrition problem(s) that can be resolved or improved through nutrition intervention(s). For the inpatient or acute care setting, the Malnutrition Diagnosis is identified by the physician/eligible clinician based on the scope of practice regulations within the respective state, commonwealth, or territory of care delivery.

Nutrition Care Plan - a documented plan based on information collected during the Nutrition Assessment of individualized nutrition recommendations and interventions that are directed toward resolving the Malnutrition Diagnosis by altering or eliminating the nutrition etiology. The Nutrition Care Plan may encompass the interventions of Food and Nutrient Delivery, Nutrition Education, Nutrition Counseling, Coordination of Nutrition Care, and Population Based Nutrition Action, and is documented by the RD or RDN.

Malnutrition Risk Screening - the process of identifying and referring those individuals and populations who are at risk for nutrition-related problems, are appropriate for nutrition care services, and would benefit from nutrition interventions. For the inpatient or acute care setting, the Malnutrition Risk Screening can be completed by any eligible healthcare clinician as defined by local, state and federal guidelines.

Nutrition Assessment - a systematic approach for collecting, classifying, and synthesizing important and relevant data to describe nutritional status related nutritional problems, and their causes. This assessment includes review of the "whole" patient and evaluates the anthropometrics (i.e., body measurements and proportions), biochemical data (i.e., laboratory findings), clinical observations, and diet history (also known as 'ABCD'). For the inpatient or acute care setting, the Nutrition Assessment is performed by a RD or RDN.

Malnutrition Diagnosis - a documented diagnosis that identifies and describes a specific nutrition problem(s) that can be resolved or improved through nutrition intervention(s), monitoring, and evaluation. For the inpatient or acute care setting, the Malnutrition Diagnosis is identified by the physician or other eligible clinician as defined by CMS based on the scope of practice regulations within the respective state, commonwealth, or territory of care delivery.

Nutrition Care Plan - a documented plan based on information collected during the Nutrition Assessment of individualized nutrition recommendations, interventions, and monitoring and evaluation plans that are directed toward resolving the Malnutrition Diagnosis by altering or eliminating the nutrition etiology. The Nutrition Care Plan may encompass the interventions of Food and Nutrient Delivery, Nutrition Education, Nutrition Counseling, Coordination of Nutrition Care, and Population Based Nutrition Action, along with a plan for monitoring and evaluation, and is documented by the RD or RDN.

Malnutrition Risk Screening - the process of identifying and referring those individuals and populations who are at risk for nutrition-related problems, are appropriate for nutrition care services, and would benefit from nutrition interventions. For the inpatient or acute care setting, the Malnutrition Risk Screening can be completed by any eligible healthcare clinician as defined by local, state and federal guidelines.

Nutrition Assessment - a systematic approach for collecting, classifying, and synthesizing important and relevant data to describe nutritional status related nutritional problems, and their causes. This assessment includes review of the "whole" patient and evaluates the anthropometrics (i.e., body measurements and proportions), biochemical data (i.e., laboratory findings), clinical observations, and diet history (also known as 'ABCD'). For the inpatient or acute care setting, the Nutrition Assessment is performed by a RD or RDN.

Malnutrition Diagnosis - a documented diagnosis that identifies and describes a specific nutrition problem(s) that can be resolved or improved through nutrition intervention(s), monitoring, and evaluation. For the inpatient or acute care setting, the Malnutrition Diagnosis is identified by the physician or other eligible clinician as defined by CMS based on the scope of practice regulations within the respective state, commonwealth, or territory of care delivery.

Nutrition Care Plan - a documented plan based on information collected during the Nutrition Assessment of individualized nutrition recommendations, interventions, and monitoring and evaluation plans that are directed toward resolving the Malnutrition Diagnosis by altering or eliminating the nutrition etiology. The Nutrition Care Plan may encompass the interventions of Food and Nutrient Delivery, Nutrition Education, Nutrition Counseling, Coordination of Nutrition Care, and Population Based Nutrition Action, along with a plan for monitoring and evaluation, and is documented by the RD or RDN.

Guidance

This measure is constructed of four clinically eligible components that are aggregated as an arithmetic average of eligible hospitalizations and expressed as a percentage. The four populations used to calculate the four components may differ and the measure observations for the four components do not need to be performed sequentially. The initial population are hospitalizations during the measurement period for patients aged 65 years and greater with a length of stay of 24 hours and greater.

Component Measure 1: Inpatient hospitalizations for patients with a current "Malnutrition Risk Screening" performed.

Component Measure 2: Inpatient hospitalizations for patients with a current "Nutrition Assessment" performed from a "Malnutrition Screening At Risk Result" during the current hospitalization or a "Hospital Dietitian Referral" order from a physician or eligible clinician during the current hospitalization.

For Component Measure 1 and Component Measure 2, only report LOINC code '84291-4 Nutrition and dietetics Risk assessment and screening note' when the RD or RDN performs both the "Malnutrition Risk Screening" and "Nutrition Assessment".

Component Measure 3: Inpatient hospitalizations for patients with a current documented "Malnutrition Diagnosis" as a result of a current "Nutrition Assessment Status Moderately Malnourished" OR current "Nutrition Assessment Status Severely Malnourished".

Component Measure 4: Inpatient hospitalizations for patients with a current "Nutrition Care Plan" performed as a result of a current "Nutrition Assessment Status Moderately Malnourished" OR current “Nutrition Assessment Status Severely Malnourished”.

"Population 5 Measure Observation TotalMalnutritionComponentsScore" Calculations

-For each hospitalization, Population Criteria 5 represents the subtotal of Measure Observations performed for Population Criteria 1, 2, 3, and 4.

-For the reporting facility, the Population Criteria 5 Aggregate Operator 'Count' counts the number of eligible hospitalizations during the measurement period.

 

"Population 6 Measure Observation TotalMalnutritionCompositeScore as Percentage" Calculations:

-For each hospitalization, Population Criteria 6 represents the sum of performed Measure Observations 1, 2, 3, and 4 divided by the number of clinically eligible denominators.

-For the reporting facility, the Population Criteria 6 Aggregate Operator 'Average' averages the performance of each "TotalMalnutritionCompositeScore as Percentage" across all eligible hospitalizations during the measurement period.

"TotalMalnutritionCompositeScore Eligible Denominators" is always 4 except in the following two instances:

-If a "Malnutrition Risk Screening" was performed and a "Malnutrition Screening Not At Risk Result" was identified AND "Hospital Dietitian Referral" was not ordered, then the "TotalMalnutritionCompositeScore Eligible Denominators" is 1.

-If a "Nutrition Assessment" was performed and a "Nutrition Status Not or Mildly Malnourished" was identified, then the "TotalMalnutritionCompositeScore Eligible Denominators" are 2.

The "TotalMalnutritionCompositeScore Eligible Denominators" equals 4:

-If a "Malnutrition Risk Screening" was performed AND a "Malnutrition Screening At Risk Result" was identified AND a "Nutrition Assessment" was not performed.

-If a "Malnutrition Risk Screening" was not performed AND a "Nutrition Assessment" was not performed.

-If a "Hospital Dietitian Referral" was ordered AND a "Nutrition Assessment" was not performed.

-If a "Nutrition Assessment Status Moderately Malnourished" OR "Nutrition Assessment Status Severely Malnourished" was identified.

This eCQM is an episode-based measure. An episode is defined as each inpatient hospitalization or encounter with a length of stay of greater than or equal to 24 hours during the measurement period.

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

This measure is constructed of four clinically eligible components that are aggregated as an arithmetic average of eligible hospitalizations and expressed as a percentage. The four populations used to calculate the four components may differ and the measure observations for the four components do not need to be performed sequentially.

This eCQM is an episode-based measure. An episode is defined as each inpatient hospitalization or encounter with a length of stay of greater than or equal to 24 hours among individuals 65 years of age and older at the start of the inpatient encounter.

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

This measure is constructed of four clinically eligible components that are aggregated as an arithmetic average of eligible encounters and expressed as a percentage. The four populations used to calculate the four components may differ and the measure observations for the four components do not need to be performed sequentially.

This eCQM is an episode-based measure. An episode is defined as each eligible encounter with a length of stay of greater than or equal to 24 hours among individuals 18 years of age and older at the start of the inpatient encounter.

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

Initial Population

Valid Encounter: Inpatient hospitalizations during the measurement period with length of stay of 24 hours or more among individuals 65 years of age and older at the start of the inpatient encounter

Inpatient hospitalizations during the measurement period with length of stay of 24 hours or more among individuals 65 years of age and older at the start of the inpatient encounter.

Eligible encounters during the measurement period with length of stay of 24 hours or more among individuals 18 years of age and older at the start of the inpatient encounter

Measure Population

Equals Initial Population

Equals Initial Population

Equals Initial Population

Measure Population Exclusion

None

None

Encounters with a discharge disposition for hospice care or with a hospice care order during the inpatient qualifying encounter

Next Version No Version Available
Previous Version No Version Available No Version Available
Specifications and Data Elements
General eCQM Information
Release Notes
General eCQM Information

Header

TRN

Measure Section

Source of Change

Updated 'eCQM Identifier (Measure Authoring Tool)' field to 'CMS ID' based on tooling update.

CMS ID

Standards/Technical Update

Updated the eCQM version number.

eCQM Version Number

Annual Update

Updated measurement period to reflect exact dates of reporting.

Measurement Period

Standards/Technical Update

Updated copyright.

Copyright

Annual Update

Updated disclaimer.

Disclaimer

Annual Update

Updated measure type from 'Intermediate Clinical Outcome' to 'Intermediate Outcome' based on new tooling requirements.

Measure Type

Annual Update

Updated Improvement Notation field to read 'Increased score indicates improvement' based on tooling update to promote alignment across measures.

Improvement Notation

Standards/Technical Update

Added Measure Population Exclusions for patients receiving or discharged to hospice care to align with measure intent.

Definition

Expert Work Group Review

Added Measure Population Exclusions for patients receiving or discharged to hospice care to align with measure intent.

Measure Population Exclusions

Expert Work Group Review

Updated the definitions for Measure Observations 2, 3, and 4 and for 'eligible occurrences' by adding 'most recent' before references to 'nutrition assessment' to emphasize the prioritization of the most recent results, aligning with malnutrition care recommendations.

Measure Observations

Measure Lead

Updated references and measure header to reflect current evidence and new or updated literature.

Multiple Sections

Measure Lead

Updated grammar, wording, and/or formatting to improve readability and consistency.

Multiple Sections

Annual Update

Updated language throughout the header to consistently use 'eligible encounter' instead of 'eligible hospitalization,' 'inpatient hospitalizations,' 'hospital encounters,' or 'inpatient encounter'.

Multiple Sections

Measure Lead

Updated definition names to consistently reference 'encounter'.

Multiple Sections

Measure Lead

Removed the 'hospital' prefix from when referring to 'dietitian referral' to better reflect measure intent.

Multiple Sections

Measure Lead

Changed measure name from 'Global Malnutrition Composite Score' to 'Malnutrition Care Score' to better represent measure intent.

Multiple Sections

Annual Update

Updated the Initial Population age criteria from 65 years of age and older to 18 years of age and older to align with the measure's expanded age range finalized in the CMS Fiscal Year 2025 Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule.

Multiple Sections

Measure Lead

Updated Measure Set section to 'None' in alignment with measure header standards.

Measure Set

Measure Lead

Logic

TRN

Measure Section

Source of Change

Updated Initial Population measure logic to include only encounters that end during the measurement period to align with other hospital eCQMs.

Initial Population

ONC Project Tracking System (JIRA): CQM-6409

Updated definition names to consistently reference 'encounter'.

Measure Observations

Measure Lead

Updated intervention logic and removed 'Hospital' from measure logic definition, 'Encounter with Hospital Dietitian Referral,' to simplify logic and better reflect measure intent.

Measure Observations

Measure Lead

Added Measure Population Exclusions for patients receiving or discharged to hospice care to align with measure intent, reflected by the 'Encounter with Hospice During Eligible Encounter' and 'Encounter with Discharge for Hospice Care' definitions.

Measure Population Exclusions

Expert Work Group Review

Updated the version number of the Global Shared Library to v9.0.000 and the library name from 'MATGlobalCommonFunctionsQDM' to 'CQMCommonQDM'.

Definitions

Annual Update

Updated the Initial Population age criteria from 65 years of age and older to 18 years of age and older to align with the measure's expanded age range finalized in the CMS Fiscal Year 2025 Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule.

Definitions

Measure Lead

Added Measure Population Exclusions for patients receiving and discharged to hospice care to align with measure intent, reflected by the 'Encounter with Hospice During Eligible Encounter' and 'Encounter with Discharge for Hospice Care' definitions.

Definitions

Expert Work Group Review

Added the definition 'Nutrition Assessment Performed' to simplify logic for assessment prioritization and align with measure intent.

Definitions

Measure Lead

Updated the CQL library name from 'CMS986-v4-0-000-QDM-5-6.cql' to 'CMS986MalnutritionScore-5.4.000.cql' based on recommendation by technical experts.

Definitions

Standards/Technical Update

Removed 'Hospital' from measure logic definition 'Hospital Dietitian Referral' to simplify logic and better reflect measure intent.

Definitions

Measure Lead

Updated definition names to consistently reference 'encounter'.

Definitions

Measure Lead

Updated logic definitions used for Measure Observations to reference 'Measure Population' instead of 'Initial Population' to better align with the process for computing a continuous variable measure.

Definitions

Measure Lead

Updated the names of CQL definitions, functions, and/or aliases for clarification and to align with the CQL Style Guide.

Definitions

Standards/Technical Update

Updated measure logic by eliminating if/then redundant logic directions to simplify logic and align with malnutrition care recommendations.

Functions

Measure Lead

Updated the version number of the Global Shared Library to v9.0.000 and the library name from 'MATGlobalCommonFunctionsQDM' to 'CQMCommonQDM'.

Functions

Annual Update

Changed several measure definition names containing 'malnutrition composite score' to instead reference 'malnutrition care score' to better represent logic intent.

Multiple Sections

Annual Update

Added 'Most Recent' to measure logic definitions and functions to reflect the prioritization of the most recent assessment results and to align with measure intent.

Multiple Sections

Measure Lead

Removed the definitions, 'Encounter with Nutrition Assessment Status Finding of Moderately Malnourished' and 'Encounter with Nutrition Assessment Status Finding of Severely Malnourished,' to simplify logic and align with measure intent.

Multiple Sections

Measure Lead

Value Set

The VSAC is the source of truth for the value set content, please visit the VSAC for downloads of current value sets.

TRN

Measure Section

Source of Change

Replaced value set used for Sex Supplemental Data Element (SDE) ONC Administrative Sex (2.16.840.1.113762.1.4.1) with value set Federal Administrative Sex (2.16.840.1.113762.1.4.1021.121) based on updated standards.

Terminology

Standards/Technical Update

Value set (2.16.840.1.113762.1.4.1095.91): Renamed to Dietitian Referral based on change in measure requirements/measure specification.

Terminology

Measure Lead

Value set Dietitian Referral (2.16.840.1.113762.1.4.1095.91): Added 1 SNOMED CT code (103699006) based on review by technical experts, SMEs, and/or public feedback. Added 1 SNOMED CT code (408285001) based on change in measure requirements/measure specification.

Terminology

Measure Lead

Added value set Hospice Care Referral or Admission (2.16.840.1.113762.1.4.1116.365) based on review by technical experts, SMEs, and/or public feedback.

Terminology

Measure Lead

Added value set Hospice Status (2.16.840.1.113762.1.4.1095.101) based on review by technical experts, SMEs, and/or public feedback.

Terminology

Measure Lead

Value set Malnutrition Diagnosis (2.16.840.1.113762.1.4.1095.55): Added 11 ICD-10-CM codes (O25.10, O25.11, O25.12, O25.13, O25.2, O25.3, E40, E41, E42, E64.0, E45) based on change in measure requirements/measure specification. Added 1 SNOMED CT code (432788009) based on change in measure requirements/measure specification.

Terminology

Measure Lead

Value set Malnutrition Screening Finding of At Risk Result (2.16.840.1.113762.1.4.1095.89): Deleted 1 SNOMED CT code (704358009) based on terminology update.

Terminology

Annual Update

Value set Nutrition Assessment Status Finding of Severely Malnourished (2.16.840.1.113762.1.4.1095.43): Added 1 SNOMED CT code (432788009) based on change in measure requirements/measure specification.

Terminology

Measure Lead

Last Updated: May 06, 2025