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Get Started with eCQMs

Electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) are measures specified in a standard electronic format that use data electronically extracted from electronic health records (EHR) and/or health information technology (IT) systems to measure the quality of health care provided. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) uses eCQMs in a variety of quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs. 

There are several benefits of using eCQMs:

  • eCQMs use clinical data to assess the outcomes of treatment by measured entities.
  • eCQMs reduce the burden of manual abstraction and reporting for measured entities.
  • eCQMs foster the goal of access to real-time data for point of care quality improvement and clinical decision support.

Measured entities use eCQMs to provide feedback on their care systems and to help them identify opportunities for clinical quality improvement. Measured entities report eCQMs to CMS, The Joint Commission, other federal health agencies, and commercial insurance payers in programs that track and/or reimburse measured entities based on quality reporting or quality performance.

Review eCQM Basics, eCQM 101 - Getting Started with eCQMs for Quality Reporting Programs, and visit the eCQM Annual Timeline and Educational Resources pages to learn more about eCQMs.

Find eCQMs

Eligible Clinician eCQMs

Eligible Clinician Pre-Rulemaking eCQMs

Eligible Hospital/Critical Access Hospital eCQMs

Eligible Hospital/Critical Access Hospital Pre-Rulemaking eCQMs

Outpatient Quality Reporting eCQMs

Hospital Hybrid Measures

Hospital Hybrid Pre-Rulemaking Measures

Implement eCQMs 

eCQM Implementation Checklist

Report eCQMs

For CMS programs, eligible hospitalscritical access hospitals, and/or eligible clinicians must use the most current version of eCQMs when reporting eCQMs to CMS.

For federal health agency programs using eCQMs, refer to specific program requirements.

Meaningful Measures 2.0

CMS’s Meaningful Measures 2.0 promotes innovation and modernization of all aspects of quality, addressing a wide variety of settings, stakeholders, and measurement requirements.​

​The eCQM Strategy Project

The eCQM Strategy Project supported the CMS Patients Over Paperwork initiative to evaluate and streamline regulations with a goal to reduce unnecessary burden, to increase efficiencies, and to improve the beneficiary experience. The project provided CMS with an understanding of eCQM implementation and reporting burden and made recommendations for improvement in the use of eCQMs in CMS quality reporting programs. Read the report here.

Many different organizations may participate in the development and maintenance of electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Measures Management System is a standardized system that provides details on the process for developing and maintaining the quality measures used in CMS's various quality reporting and incentive programs. Information on the clinical quality measure and eCQM lifecycle is available in the Blueprint content on the CMS Measures Management System Hub and on the eCQM Lifecycle webpage. The Clinical Quality Language (CQL) Style Guide is for use by measure developers. It provides examples to standardize expression of measure concepts across eCQMs and define a uniform look and feel to eCQM logic using CQL. The Guide provides a set of common best practices for implementation across CQL-based eCQMs used in CMS quality reporting and incentive programs. 

eCQM Lifecycle

The eCQM Lifecycle is a series of stages eCQMs progress through development (conceptualization, specification, and testing), implementation, and maintenance. CMS and measure developers provide several opportunities for stakeholders to engage throughout the Measure Lifecycle. 

Updates to eCQMs  

CMS requires eCQMs adopted by CMS programs to be updated annually to reflect changes in evidence-based medicine, code sets, and measure logic. CMS works with measure stewards, measure developers, and eCQMs users to ensure necessary changes are reflected in the Annual Update. Additionally, CMS may provide addenda to the eCQM Annual Update periodically within the year to ensure updated code systems are reflected in the eCQM specifications and supporting materials. Use the Change Review Process (CRP) Guide to participate in the eCQM updates.

Structure of eCQMs

To facilitate reporting from an electronic health record (EHR) and/or other health information technology, eCQMs are made of electronic specifications. Health Quality Measure Format (HQMF), CQL, Expression Logical Model (ELM), and other Health Level Seven International® (HL7) standards, are used for electronically documenting eCQM content. 

Coding of information for eCQMs consists of

  • Computable representations of the eCQM, which contain important details about the measure, the definition of the data elements, and the underlying logic of the measure calculation. The files include
    • HQMF XML syntax (.xml). The HQMF includes a header and a body. The header identifies and classifies the document and provides important metadata about the measure. The MAT User Guide, Chapter 6: Measure Details discusses the metadata, which populates the header. The HQMF body contains eCQM sections (e.g., definitions, population criteria, supplemental data elements).
    • Shared CQL libraries (.cql, .xml, and .json). The shared libraries are the basic units of sharing CQL. They consist of a foundation of CQL statements used within a measure. Every measure has at least one main CQL library referenced from HQMF.
      • CQL file (.cql). The CQL file provides the expression logic for data criteria, population criteria, and supplemental data elements. It provides a formal description of the computable content in the measure and organized into libraries for reusing or sharing between measures and other artifacts.
      • Expression Logical Model (ELM) XML document (.xml). ELM provides a machine-readable representation of the measure’s logic in XML. The intent of the ELM file is for machine processing and provides the information needed to retrieve data from an EHR automatically.
      • ELM JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file (.json). The JSON file is the ELM file in JavaScript Notation, as opposed to XML.
  • Human-readable representation of the eCQM displays the eCQM content in a human-readable format directly in a web browser, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) file (.html). This file does not include the underlying HQMF syntax, but the narrative content at the top of the HTML is an extraction from the HQMF header.
  • Value sets and direct reference codes (DRCs) convey specific coded value(s) allowed for the data elements within the eCQM. Identification of value sets is via an object identifier (OID) and each value set includes several metadata elements that describe the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the codes in the set. The value set includes a list of codes (i.e., the value set expansion code set) acceptable or valid for a specific data element in the measure, descriptors of those codes, the code system from which the codes are derived, and the version of that code system. DRCs are specific codes referenced directly in the eCQM logic to describe a data element or one of its attributes. Find value sets and DRCs in the the Value Set Authority Center (VSAC).

Naming eCQMs

CMS created a unique “CMS eCQM Identifier” to name eCQM files. The naming convention adds the eCQM identifier assigned to the eCQM in the Measure Authoring Tool (MAT) with the “eCQM Version Number”. “CMS” is in front of the number. The eCQM Version Number indicates the published version of the eCQM. For example, based on this naming convention, eligible professional measure (Diabetes: Eye Exam) would be CMS131v9 for the ninth version of the measure. Use the eCQM Naming and Terminology Guide for guidance regarding common words, phrases, and technical terms used in conjunction with eCQMs.

eCQM Information Value
eCQM Identifier (MAT) 131
eCQM Version number 9
CMS eCQM identifier CMS131v9

Health IT Certification for eCQM Reporting

The ONC Health Information Technology (IT) Certification Program is a voluntary certification program established by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to provide for the certification systems to health IT standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria adopted by the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. The ONC Health IT Certification Program supports the availability of certified health IT for its recommended and required use under federal, state, and private programs.

The ONC develops the functional and conformance testing requirements for the testing and certification of Health IT Modules to the certification criteria adopted by the Secretary, including certification criteria related to electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs). Only ONC-approved test methods can be used to test products intended for certification in the ONC Health IT Certification Program (please note that any individual or organization may submit test methods to ONC for approval). Currently, ONC has approved the Cypress open source testing tool. Test methods (test procedures, test data, and test tools) are used by ONC-Accredited Testing Laboratories (ATLs) and ONC-Authorized Certification Bodies (ONC-ACBs) to evaluate the conformance and functionality of Health IT Modules. The 2015 Edition test procedures and certification companion guide aid stakeholders in the development and testing of health IT modules.

The 2015 Edition test procedures and certification companion guide is the current certification guide and aids stakeholders in the development and testing of health IT modules.

Regulation Text Citation

Certification Criterion

Certification Companion Guide

§ 170.315(c)(1)

eCQMs – record and export

Guide

§ 170.315(c)(2)

eCQMs – import and calculate

Guide

§ 170.315(c)(3)

eCQMs – report

Guide

§ 170.315(c)(4)

eCQMs – filter

Guide

Note. The Certification Criterion uses ‘CQMs’ within the 2015 Edition when referencing eCQMs.

Visit ONC’s Certification of Health IT webpage for detailed information on ONCs Certification Program and the detailed information on the 2015 Edition Test Method.

Read the Standards and Certification Regulations.

Learn more regarding the 2015 Edition Final Rule. The Health IT Certification Criteria (2015 Edition) build on past rulemakings to facilitate greater interoperability for several clinical health information purposes and enables health information exchange through new and enhanced certification criteria, standards, and implementation specifications. Taking into account public comments received on the 2015 Proposed Rule, the final rule continues to focus on the establishment of an interoperable nationwide health information infrastructure. The CQM certification criteria § 170.315(c) (1) – (c) (4) were established in the 2015 Edition Final Rule.

Learn more regarding the ONC Cures Act Final Rule and ONC Interim Final Rule. These rulemakings support the seamless and secure access, exchange, and use of electronic health information. The CQM certification criteria at § 170.315(c)(1), (c)(2), and (c)(4) had minor security modifications in the ONC Cures Act Final Rule, and the criterion at § 170.315(c)(3) was modified by the ONC Interim Final Rule to adopt the CMS QRDA I Implementation Guide (IG) for Hospital Quality Reporting and the 2020 CMS QRDA III IG for Eligible Clinicians by December 31, 2022 for ONC certification requirement. CMS programs may independently require the implementation and use of the most up-to-date CMS QRDA specifications prior to the ONC December 31, 2022 deadline.

Use the Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL) to view health information technology successfully tested and certified for use.

Provide feedback on health IT eCQM Certification at www.healthit.gov/topic/contact-us.

The eCQI Resource Center has resources for the implementation of eCQMs throughout the website. Key resources include

The eCQI Tools and Resources Library provides a foundation for electronic quality improvement, and development, testing, certification, publication, implementation, reporting, and continuous evaluation of eCQMs. You can refine the list by selecting a category of interest and/or a role that best describes your needs, or you can also click a specific tool from the list to view additional details.

Filter Tools & Resources

Title Category Role Description
Submission Tool and Repository Development, Implementation Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The Submission Tool and Repository (STAR) is a measure database of quality performance measures submitted to the previous consensus-based entity (CBE) for endorsement review. The database includes historical data for measures submitted for endorsement and maintenance to date. The new CBE will update the STAR database regularly as the Partnership for Quality Measurement receives submissions for endorsement review for new and maintenance measures. 

Bonnie FHIR Development, Implementation, Testing Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

Bonnie is a software tool that allows eCQM developers to test and verify the behavior of their eCQM logic. The Bonnie Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) application allows measure developers to load FHIR measures they have constructed using the Measure Authoring Tool (MAT), which helps measure developers execute the measure logic against the constructed patient test deck, and evaluates whether the logic aligns with the intent of the measure.

Bonnie Prior Testing Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

The Bonnie Prior tool supports an earlier version of the QDM than the Bonnie QDM environment.

Bonnie QDM Development, Implementation, Testing Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

Bonnie is a software tool that allows eCQM developers to test and verify the behavior of their eCQM logic. The Bonnie QDM application allows measure developers to load Quality Data Model (QDM) based measures they have constructed using the Measure Authoring Tool (MAT), helps measure developers execute the measure logic against the constructed patient test deck, and evaluates whether the logic aligns with the intent of the measure.

BPS Implementation Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The value set Binding Parameter Specification (BPS) is generated by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and is a record of the value set metadata information that defines the code lists specified by current CMS eCQMs. Measure implementers and vendors use the BPS to track versions and other parameters that define the code lists for each eCQM release. Users can access the BPS metadata file for any released set of CMS eCQM value set files through the NLM's Value Set Authority Center Downloadable Resources.

CDS Connect Continuous Evaluation/Feedback, Development, Implementation CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

Clinical Decision Support (CDS) Connect is an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-sponsored online platform for sharing interoperable CDS resources. Resources include standards-based CDS logic, implementation guides, pilot demonstration reports, and open-source software tools for CDS developers.

CDS Hooks Development, Implementation CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

Clinical Decision Support (CDS) Hooks is a Health Level Seven International® (HL7®) specification managed by the HL7 Clinical Decision Support (CDS) Workgroup that provides a way to embed additional, near real-time functionality within a clinician’s workflow of an EHR. A specified event(s) within the clinician’s workflow triggers the CDS service which gathers the appropriate specified data elements through secure Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR®) services. By utilizing FHIR services, CDS Hooks provides interoperability between multiple stakeholders operating on different platforms.

The FHIR service app can return appropriate guidance such as proposed alternative medication or formulary information. CDS Service vendors can test CDS Service functionality using the CDS Hooks Sandbox. More advanced functionality is under development, such as the multi-stakeholder Da Vinci Burden Reduction Project and provides use cases for alerts/notifications, prior authorization, and document exchange. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's CDS Connect Project provides a web-based platform to assist with development of CDS artifacts and CDS Hooks.

CHPL Certification Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor

Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL) is a comprehensive and authoritative listing of all Health IT modules certified by the ONC Health IT Certification Program. All products listed are tested by an ONC-Authorized Testing Lab (ONC-ATL) and certified by an ONC-Authorized Certification Body (ONC-ACB) to meet criteria adopted by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). For additional information on how to navigate the CHPL, please refer to the CHPL Public User Guide.

ClinFHIR Development, Testing CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

ClinFHIR is an open source tool that provides an educational environment and also allows developers to create or search for Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR®)-based resources. It serves as a training tool to help people wanting to learn more about FHIR visualize how the parts combine to represent clinical information in a structured and coded manner. It also serves as a development tool with features to build some of the required artifacts, particularly as an aid to learning.

Clinical Quality Framework (CQF) Continuous Evaluation/Feedback CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

The Clinical Quality Framework (CQF) is a collaborative community of participants from the public and private sectors focused on providing tools, services, and guidance to facilitate the harmonization of standards for clinical decision support and electronic clinical quality measures use in clinical quality improvement.

Clinical Quality Language (CQL) Library Development Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

A Clinical Quality Language (CQL) library is a container for artifact logic/expressions. A CQL library contains declarations which specify the items found in the library. Every electronic clinical quality measure has at least one CQL library. For more information, see the CQL Style Guide and the Health Level Seven International® CQL Author’s Guide.

CMIT Development, Implementation Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

CMS Measures Inventory Tool (CMIT) is the repository of record for information about CMS quality measures. CMS and its partners use the inventory to inform stakeholders, manage its measure portfolio, and guide measure development. The functions allow users to find measures quickly, compile and refine sets of related measures, identify measures across the continuum of care, and help coordinate measurement efforts across all conditions, settings, and populations.

CMS EHR Certification Number Certification, Reporting Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

A CMS EHR Certification ID is a number generated by the Certified Health Information Technology (IT) Product List (CHPL) and used for reporting to CMS. It represents a single product or combination of products in the CHPL. The CMS EHR Certification ID is different from the CHPL product number. In the CHPL, this is the number generated when the hospital/clinician selects EHR Certification ID for a suite of products that make up the hospital's/clinician's EHR solution. If a product changes, then a different CMS EHR Certification ID will be generated. The CMS EHR Certification ID is only unique to the product suite. If two different hospitals/clinicians happen to use the same products, then they will both have the same CMS EHR Certification ID.

CMS requires the CMS EHR Certification ID in several of its quality reporting programs. Check with individual quality reporting programs for requirements.

CMS Help Desks Continuous Evaluation/Feedback Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

CMS Help Desks listed on the eCQI Resource Center Contact Us page provide information and assistance regarding eCQMs and tools used in CMS quality reporting programs.

CMS MERIT Development Measure Developer/Steward

The CMS Measures Under Consideration Entry/Review Information Tool (CMS MERIT) is the web-based data collection portal that allows a measure developer to submit candidate measures to CMS for consideration. The Tool walks the submitter through the process of providing information. Each submitter has a dashboard that allows them to track the progress of their submitted measure and to communicate with CMS through the comment function. The Tool also provides a view of all measures submitted for the current year. Another purpose of CMS MERIT is to give federal officials, the consensus-based entity multi-stakeholder groups, and other stakeholders more information as they review measures.

CMS QRDA IGs Implementation, Reporting Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The CMS Quality Reporting Document Architecture (QRDA) Implementation Guides (IGs) are based on the HL7 QRDA IGs. The CMS QRDA Category I IG is used for Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR), Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), and the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program for Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). The CMS QRDA Category III IG is used for the Eligible Clinician programs that address aggregate reporting requirements for Primary Care First (PCF), traditional Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) programs, Alternative Payment Model (APM) Performance Pathway, and MIPS Value Pathway (MVP).

CMS QRDA Pre-Submission Validation Tools Implementation, Reporting, Testing Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The CMS Quality Reporting Document Architecture (QRDA) Pre-Submission Validation Tools are resources that offer QRDA validation tools available to submitters. The intent is to give users a single point of reference for these tools and assist them in selecting the most appropriate tool to meet their individual needs. The tools cover

  • Cypress
  • Hospital Quality Reporting System via Healthcare Quality Information System (HCQIS) Access Roles and Profile (HARP)
CQF Ruler Development, Implementation CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The Clinical Quality Framework (CQF) Ruler is HAPI Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR®) server implementation with extensions built-in to implement the FHIR Clinical Reasoning Module for processing quality measures and serves as a knowledge artifact repository and clinical decision support service.

CQL Development CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

Clinical Quality Language (CQL) is a Health Level Seven International® mixed normative/standard for trial use (STU) and it is part of the effort to harmonize standards between electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) and clinical decision support (CDS). CQL provides the ability to express logic that is human readable yet structured enough for processing a query electronically.

CQL Evaluation Engine Development, Testing CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The Clinical Quality Language (CQL) Evaluation Engine is an open source Java-based evaluation engine capable of evaluating the result of any CQL expression.

CQL Execution Framework Development CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

Clinical Quality Language (CQL) Execution Framework is a set of CoffeeScript libraries that can execute CQL artifacts expressed as JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Expression Logical Model (ELM).

CQL Runner Development, Testing CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

Clinical Quality Language (CQL) Runner is an online platform for ad hoc testing of CQL.

CQL Style Guide Development Measure Developer/Steward

The Clinical Quality Language (CQL) Style Guide provides standardized expressions of measure concepts across eCQMs and defines a uniform “look and feel” to eCQM logic using CQL. The Guide focuses on a set of common best practices that have been implemented across CQL-based eCQMs in CMS quality reporting programs. The Style Guide also promotes the use of consistent language within the framework of CQL, including libraries, aliases, definitions, and functions, and provides guidance on other conventions, such as operator precedence. Measure stewards or developers who are developing or specifying eCQMs for potential inclusion in CMS reporting programs should follow these best practices.

CQL Wiki Development Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

The Clinical Quality Language (CQL) Formatting and Usage Wiki is a collaborative workspace for the development of CQL formatting conventions and usage patterns for the representation of logic within quality measures. All users have edit rights to be able to submit edits, add comments and concerns. Items on the Wiki are a work in progress and subject to change.

CQL-to-ELM Translator Development, Implementation CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The CQL-to-ELM Translator is an open-source reference implementation that translates the high-level CQL syntax into the Expression Logical Model (ELM) representation. The reference implementation is used in support of CQF implementations as a tool to enable CQL output to be uniformly and automatically translated into ELM XML or JSON documents for sharing and distribution to support implementation, integration, translation, and execution of CQL-based artifacts.

For more information or to get involved, visit the Clinical Quality Framework initiative page on the Health Level Seven International® website.

Crucible Testing CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

Crucible is a suite of open source testing tools for Health Level Seven International® Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR®) provided to the FHIR development community to help promote correct FHIR implementations. It currently can test for conformance to the FHIR standard, score patient records for completeness, and generate synthetic patient data.

Cypress Implementation, Reporting, Testing Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

Cypress with the fully integrated Cypress Validation Utility + Calculation Check (CVU+) is an open source testing tool used by vendors to certify their EHRs and health information technology (IT) modules for calculating eCQMs. Cypress is an official testing tool for the ONC EHR Certification Program. Testing involves Cypress generating synthetic patient records for the subset of published eCQMs selected for certification and testing the ability of the EHR systems and health IT modules to accurately record, import, calculate, filter, and report eCQMs.

Cypress Tech Talks Continuous Evaluation/Feedback Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The Cypress Tech Talks are an open forum for discussing technical implementation and tool issues with the Cypress support team.

DEQM Implementation, Reporting Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The Data Exchange for Quality Measures Implementation Guide (IG), or DEQM, provides a framework that defines conformance profiles and guidance to enable the exchange of quality information and quality measure reporting (e.g., for transferring quality information from a health care provider to a payer). The DEQM expects to use quality measures specified in accordance with the Quality Measure IG and Quality Improvement Core Framework (QI-Core).

The DEQM IG supports the data exchange and reporting scenarios including individual reporting, summary reporting, and gaps in care reporting. Individual reporting is supported by the DEQM Individual MeasureReport profile and summary reporting is supported by the DEQM Summary MeasureReport profile. These are similar to the QRDA Category I and QRDA Category III in the QDM-CQL-QRDA paradigm.

DNMS Development CDS Developer/Steward, Measure Developer/Steward

The De Novo Measure Scan (DNMS) is an advanced feature of the Environmental Scan Support Tool (ESST) on the controlled access CMIT site. You must have a CMIT login to access. The DNMS helps measure developers conduct early and frequent environmental scans while developing new measures. The DNMS uses a Clinical Quality Measure (CQM) ontology to describe a measure and represent quality measure concepts. Components of the ontology include target population, health status or utilization, change concept, expected output of the change concept, and care setting. The DNMS uses structured search terms to represent the measure concepts to build a new measure and uses artificial intelligence to identify and prioritize the most relevant PubMed, PubMed Central, and CINAHL related literature.

eCQI Resource Center User Group Continuous Evaluation/Feedback CDS Developer/Steward, Consumer, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The electronic clinical quality improvement (eCQI) Resource Center User Group is a volunteer forum of eCQI Resource Center users that use the site to obtain resources necessary for electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) development, implementation, reporting, and education on key eCQM and eCQI concepts and standards. The eCQI Resource Center User Group meets every other month on the 3rd Tuesday at 3:00pm EST.

eCQM Concepts Module Continuous Evaluation/Feedback, Development Consumer, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The Measure Collaboration Workspace Electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQM) Concepts Module gives users the ability to suggest new measure concepts and comment on other's suggested eCQM concepts.

CMS encourages all stakeholders, including patients and point of care clinicians, to suggest eCQM concepts and offer comments on others' suggested eCQM concepts. 

eCQM DERep Implementation Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The eCQM Data Element Repository (DERep) provides clarification, definitions, and clinical focus for the data elements associated with eCQMs used in CMS quality reporting and incentive programs. Users can filter information by data element, eCQM, Quality Data Model (QDM) attribute, QDM category, QDM datatype, or QDM entities.

eCQM Flows Implementation Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The eCQM Flows are flowcharts designed to assist in the interpretation of the eCQM logic and provide the calculation methodology to determine measure scores. These flows provide an overview of each of the population criteria components and associated data elements that lead to the inclusion, exclusion, or exception into the eCQM’s denominator and (numerator).

The eCQM flows are available for eligible professional/eligible clinician eCQMs and eligible hospital/critical access hospital eCQMs.

eCQM Implementation Checklist Implementation Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The eCQM Implementation Checklist assumes that a health care practice/organization has determined which measures to report on. It provides the necessary technical steps health information technology (IT) developers, implementers, and health care organizations must take to update their systems and processes with the eCQM Annual Update for the upcoming reporting and performance periods. The most recent eCQM Annual Update should be applied to your system for use in electronic quality reporting.

eCQM Known Issues Implementation Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The eCQM Known Issues 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. This includes discrepancies between eCQM narrative and logic, value sets, and/or technical, standard, or logic-related issues.

eCQM Logic and Implementation Guidance Implementation Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The eCQM Logic and Implementation Guidance is a resource document which provides guidance for understanding, using, and/or implementing eCQMs. This document includes useful context and details regarding topics such as Clinical Quality Language (CQL) representation in the technical specifications, applying data elements and value sets/coding, and the ONC Project Tracking System (Jira) to provide feedback on the eCQMs.

eCQM Testing Opportunities Development, Testing Consumer, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

The eCQM Testing Opportunities Module of the Measure Collaboration Workspace allows measure developers to announce opportunities to test eCQMs. Measure developers can use testing to assess a variety of things such as eCQM feasibility, reliability, validity, and usability. Stakeholders interested in testing eCQMs contact the measure developer directly.

Eligible Clinician Technical Release Notes Implementation Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The Technical Release Notes (TRNs) are resource files which provide an overview of technical changes, e.g., logic and terminology, to each eCQM in the most recent eCQM Annual Update for CMS reporting/performance periods.

Eligible Hospital/Critical Access Hospital Technical Release Notes Implementation Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The Technical Release Notes (TRNs) are resource files which provide an overview of technical changes, e.g., logic and terminology, to each eCQM in the most recent eCQM Annual Update for CMS reporting/performance periods.

ESST Continuous Evaluation/Feedback, Development CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

The Environmental Scan Support Tool (ESST) is a tool within the CMS Measures Inventory Tool (CMIT) environment, intended to automate environmental scans required in the information gathering process to develop and maintain quality measures. The ESST uses an automated natural language processing approach that rapidly scans literature in PubMed, PubMed Central, and CINAHL to

  • Identify relevant documents (abstracts and full-text articles)

  • Identify and extract the specific knowledge within each relevant document that applies to the measure’s potential opportunity for improvement

Federal Register Continuous Evaluation/Feedback CDS Developer/Steward, Consumer, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. The Federal Register is published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

FHIR Development, Implementation, Reporting CDS Developer/Steward, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR®) is an open-source Health Level Seven International® (HL7®) standard for exchanging healthcare information electronically. It is the next generation exchange framework being adopted by the healthcare community to advance interoperability.

FHIR eCQM Examples Development, Implementation, Reporting Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

FHIR eCQM Examples is a webpage containing example electronic clinical quality measures (eCQM) using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR).

FHIR Implementation Guide Registry Development, Implementation, Reporting Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR®) Implementation Guide Registry is a list of many of the implementation guides defined by the FHIR community.  

FHIR Terminology Service for VSAC Resources Development, Implementation CDS Developer/Steward, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

The Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR®) Terminology Service for Value Set Authority Center (VSAC) Resources is a representational state transfer (REST) application programming interface (API) service for accessing the VSAC value sets and supported code systems. It assumes working knowledge of FHIR resources. Access requires a free Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) license.

Global Common Library Development Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

Global Common Library is a shared Clinical Quality Language (CQL) library created in the Measure Authoring Tool. It contains CQL expressions for all measure developers to use when specifying electronic clinical quality measures. For more information, see the CQL Style Guide.

Guide for Reading eCQMs Implementation Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The Guide for Reading eCQMs is a resource to help measured entities, quality analysts, implementers, and health information technology vendors understand eCQMs. The Guide provides background on eCQM packages, which are the building blocks of eCQMs, and an overview for a user to understand the human-readable format of eCQMs. The Guide also provides information related to value sets, Quality Data Model data criteria, and more.

Health IT Certification for eCQM Reporting Certification Health IT Developer/Vendor

The Office of the National Coordinator for the Health Information Technology (ONC) Certification Program is a voluntary certification program established by ONC to provide for the certification of health IT. The program ensures that Certified Health Technology meets the technological capability, functionality, and security requirements adopted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

HL7 CQL-HQMF IG Development Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

This Health Level Seven International® (HL7®) Implementation Guide (IG) defines an approach to using the Clinical Quality Language (CQL) with the Quality Data Model (QDM) and Health Quality Measure Format (HQMF) to define electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs). The IG describes the use of CQL to express the logic and the US Domain conceptual data model, QDM, to express the individual data types and their attributes for an eCQM detailed using the HQMF standard.

HL7 HQMF Development Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

Health Quality Measure Format (HQMF) is an HL7 standards-based representation of a quality measure as an electronic document. A quality measure expressed in this way is also referred to as an electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM).

HL7 QRDA I IG Implementation, Reporting Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The HL7 Quality Reporting Document Architecture Category I Implementation Guide (HL7 QRDA I IG) describes constraints on HL7's Clinical Document Architecture Release 2 (CDA R2) to create a QRDA I document. QRDA Category I is for reporting quality data at the individual patient level.

HL7 QRDA III IG Implementation, Reporting Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The HL7 Quality Reporting Document Architecture Category III Implementation Guide (HL7 QRDA III IG) describes constraints on HL7's Clinical Document Architecture Release 2 (CDA R2) to create a QRDA III document. QRDA Category III is for reporting aggregated quality measure data and supports reporting for improvement activities and Promoting Interoperability measures.

Hospital Quality Reporting (HQR) System Reporting Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The Hospital Quality Reporting (HQR) Secure Portal is the only CMS-approved website for secure communications and health care quality data exchange between quality improvement organizations, hospitals, physician offices, nursing homes, end-stage renal disease networks and facilities, and data vendors. It provides secure access for data exchange to various CMS quality reporting programs including Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting, Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting, Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Quality Reporting, Prospective Payment System-Exempt Cancer Hospital Quality Reporting, Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting, and the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program.  

For hospital quality reporting, users must create a Health Care Quality Information Systems (HCQIS) Access Roles and Profile (HARP) account to log into HQR. Submitters can navigate within the HQR system and perform tasks based on the program data that are submitted, such as data submissions, data results, program reporting, and administration. For information on registering for a HARP account and additional resources, visit the Getting Started page on QualityNet. Please contact the Centers for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) Service Center at (866) 299-8912 or QNetSupport@cms.hhs.gov for assistance.

Inferno Development, Testing CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

Inferno is a rich and rigorous testing suite for Health Level Seven International® Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR®) to help developers implement the FHIR standard consistently. Two options are available for developers wanting to use Inferno. The Inferno Program Edition is used to help test requirements of the Standardized API for Patient and Population Services criterion § 170.315(g)(10) in the 2015 Edition Cures Update. The Inferno Community Edition contains a community-curated set of tests and tools for select FHIR Implementation Guides.

ISA Development, Implementation, Reporting, Testing CDS Developer/Steward, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The Interoperability Standards Advisory (ISA) process represents the model by which the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) coordinates interoperability standards and implementation specifications for industry use to fulfill specific clinical health information technology interoperability needs. ONC updates the ISA throughout the year to include improvements based on recommendations received from public comments and subject matter experts. These updates are published in an annual Reference Edition. To learn more about the ISA please visit https://www.healthit.gov/isa/about-isa.

MADiE Development, Implementation, Testing Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

The Measure Authoring Development Integrated Environment (MADiE) is a software tool that redefines the electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) development and testing process by making it a self-contained process including dynamic authoring and testing within a single application. MADiE allows measure developers to author eCQMS using Quality Improvement (QI)-Core, transfer Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR) measures from the Measure Authoring Tool (MAT), and to test and verify eCQM behavior. MADiE helps measure developers execute measure logic against the constructed test cases and evaluates if the measure logic aligns with the intent of the measure.

MAT Development Measure Developer/Steward

The Measure Authoring Tool (MAT) is a web-based tool that allows measure developers to author eCQMs using either the Clinical Quality Language (CQL) and the Quality Data Model (QDM) or Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR®). The MAT provides the capability to express complex measure logic and export measures in several formats.

MAT, Bonnie, and MADiE User Group Continuous Evaluation/Feedback Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

The MAT (Measure Authoring Tool), Bonnie, and MADiE User Group is an open forum to discuss the status of these tools and gather community and user feedback on planned enhancements and releases. The User Group is scheduled to meet on the third Thursday of every month. Register for the MAT, Bonnie, and MADiE User Group via the meeting appointment.

MC Workspace Continuous Evaluation/Feedback, Development, Implementation, Testing Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The Measure Collaboration (MC) Workspace is a web-based tool that brings together a set of interconnected resources, tools, and processes to promote transparency and better interaction across stakeholder communities that develop, implement, and report eCQMs.

MC Workspace User Guide Continuous Evaluation/Feedback, Development, Implementation, Testing Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The Measure Collaboration (MC) Workspace User Guide provides detailed instructions for the use of each module in the MC Workspace.

MMS Continuous Evaluation/Feedback, Development, Testing Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

The Measures Management System (MMS) is a standardized system for developing and maintaining the quality measures used in CMS’s various quality initiatives and programs. The primary goal of the MMS is to provide guidance to measure developers to help them produce high-caliber health care quality measures.

MMS Hub Continuous Evaluation/Feedback, Development, Testing Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

The CMS Measures Management System (MMS) Hub is a resource providing information about the MMS, guidance for measure developers (content previously found in the Blueprint), and quality measure-related news and events. It includes information on measure development, measure implementation, measure maintenance, tools, templates, opportunities to participate in public comment and technical expert panels, and more.

ONC Jira Certification, Continuous Evaluation/Feedback, Development, Implementation, Testing CDS Developer/Steward, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The ONC Project Tracking System (Jira) is a collaboration platform hosted by the HHS's Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). It provides users with a common place to transparently log, track, and discuss issues with subject matter experts on many topics, including eCQM implementation. CMS uses Jira during most phases of the eCQM measure lifecycle, including development, implementation, and maintenance.

Reminder:
This is an open platform that does not intend for users to communicate sensitive or confidential information such as protected health information and personal identifiable information.

Pioneers in Quality Implementation Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

Pioneers in Quality™ is a collaborative Joint Commission program to improve health care quality and patient safety through education (e.g., webinars for continuing education units), innovation, and recognition of pioneering practices for Joint Commission stakeholders. Started in 2016 to assist hospitals on their eCQM journey to improve eCQM data use for quality improvement, Joint Commission has expanded the program over time to include additional key components related to eCQM and chart-abstracted data.

Postman Development, Testing CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

Postman is a collaboration platform for application programming interface (API) development and testing. It is also a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) client that tests HTTP requests through which one obtains different types of responses utilizing a graphical user interface. Postman is currently utilized for testing of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR)-based eCQMs during Health Level Seven International® Connectathons and provides a simple endpoint interaction method for posting requests and updates to FHIR servers.

Public Comments Continuous Evaluation/Feedback Consumer, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

Public comments ensure that measures are developed and maintained using a transparent process with balanced input from relevant stakeholders. Public comment periods provide an opportunity for the widest array of interested parties to provide input on the measures, both under development and in use, and can provide critical suggestions not previously considered by the measure developer or its Technical Expert Panel (TEP). eCQM public comments can be made in response to a new eCQM's call for comments, eCQMs in the pre-rulemaking and rulemaking process, eCQMs in testing, eCQMs undergoing updates, and updates to standards and tools used with eCQMs.

Public Sites for Testing FHIR Servers Testing CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

Health Level Seven International® (HL7®) provides a list of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® servers publicly available for testing. These are public services provided by volunteers and HL7 makes no representations concerning their safety or reliability.

QDM Development Measure Developer/Steward

The Quality Data Model (QDM) is a conceptual information model that defines principal concepts (classes) of information, their related attributes and their relationships. The model provides a standardized way to express what needs to be retrieved from electronic records to enable quality performance measurement. The QDM is the current structure for electronically representing quality measure concepts for stakeholders involved in electronic quality measure development and reporting.

QDM Known Issues Development Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

The QDM Known Issues provides identified issues relative to working with the Quality Data Model. Many of these issues originated as tickets in the ONC Project Tracking System (Jira) QDM Issue Tracker project and all were discussed by the QDM User Group.

QI-Core Development, Implementation CDS Developer/Steward, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The Health Level Seven International® (HL7®) Quality Improvement Core (QI-Core) Implementation Guide (IG) defines a set of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR®) profiles with extensions and bindings needed to create interoperable, quality-focused applications. The profiles in this IG derive from and extend the US Core profiles to provide a common foundation for building, sharing, and evaluating knowledge artifacts across quality improvement efforts in the US Realm.

As an HL7 FHIR IG, changes to this specification are managed by the sponsoring workgroup, Clinical Quality Information, and incorporated as part of the standard balloting process. The current roadmap follows closely behind the base FHIR roadmap and the US Core IG.

Quality Data Model (QDM) to QI-Core Mapping: Version 4.1.1 of QI-Core updates mappings from QI-Core to the QDM and is based on US Core version 3.1.1 (based on FHIR R4), FHIR version R4.0.1, and QDM version 5.6.

QPP Developer Tools Implementation, Reporting Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor

The Quality Payment Program (QPP) Developer Tools allow industry developers, who build software for participating clinicians, to integrate their software directly with CMS applications and data. Available tools include Submissions Application Programming Interface (API), Submissions Developer Preview environment, Measures, Activities, Benchmarks Repository, and QRDA III Conversion Tool Open Source Package. These include documentation for reporting eCQMs. Additionally, there is information on submitting data through the CMS Web Interface and developer documentation on the Eligibility API.

QPP Resource Library Implementation, Reporting Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The Quality Payment Program (QPP) Resource Library is the one-stop shop for all QPP resources. It provides educational materials that support clinicians’ participation in QPP. All QPP webinar resources, including slides, transcripts and recordings from recent presentations, can be found on the QPP Webinar Library.

Key resources include:

QRDA Implementation, Reporting Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

The Quality Reporting Document Architecture (QRDA) is a standard document format for the exchange of electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) data.

QRDA III Converter Reporting, Testing Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor

The Quality Reporting Document Architecture (QRDA) III Converter tool converts QRDA III files to the Quality Payment Program (QPP) JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format for QPP data submission. The tool can also be used to test whether the QPP system can consume QRDA III files and allows you to see whether the files comply with the QRDA III Implementation Guide for the performance period and be successfully submitted to QPP.

QRDA Known Issues Implementation Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

QRDA Known Issues provide implementation information for QRDA Implementation Guides (IGs) or supporting documents with known technical issues for which a solution is under development but may not be published. This includes issues such as discrepancies between conformance assertions and message text, non-critical conformance assertion errors, and typographical errors.

Quality Data Implementation User Group Continuous Evaluation/Feedback CDS Developer/Steward, Consumer, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The Quality Data Implementation (QDI) User Group is a group of volunteer members who use the QDM and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR)-related standards. The group seeks to understand data capture and use with respect to workflow in health IT implementations such that measure requests for data are feasible and provide accurate, comprehensive, and reliable data for evaluation. The data model efforts support the Electronic Clinical Quality Improvement (eCQI) landscape and the evolving transition from the Quality Data Model (QDM) to the FHIR model (Quality Improvement Core – QI-Core) for authoring Electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs) and Digital Quality Measures (dQMs).

Quality Measure IG Development Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

The Quality Measure Implementation Guide (IG), or QM IG, is intended to provide guidance on the representation of electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® Clinical Reasoning Module and Clinical Quality Language. It provides requirements for measure structure, metadata, definitions, and logic to be used when authoring and evaluating eCQMs.

QualityNet website Implementation, Reporting Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer

Established by CMS, the QualityNet website provides health care quality improvement news, resources, data reporting tools, and applications used by health care providers and others. QualityNet, the one-stop shop for CMS quality programs, provides information on quality data reporting programs associated with the Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program, Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting Program, Inpatient Psychiatric Quality Reporting Program, PPS-Exempt Cancer Hospital Quality Reporting, and End Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Program. CMS encourages stakeholders. advocates, and others to register for email notifications to receive information on enhancements and new releases, timelines or process/policy modifications, and alerts about applications and initiatives. The CMS Hospital Quality Reporting program notification and discussion lists are available for signup on QualityNet.

Synthea™ Development, Testing CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

Synthea™ is an open-source, synthetic patient generator that models the medical history of synthetic patients. It provides realistic, but not real, patient data and associated health records covering every aspect of health care. The resulting data is free from cost, privacy, and security restrictions, enabling research with health information technology data that is otherwise legally or practically unavailable.

UMLS Development, Implementation CDS Developer/Steward, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The Unified Medical Language System® (UMLS®) is a set of files and software that bring together health and biomedical vocabularies and standards to enable interoperability between computer systems. The UMLS® integrates and distributes key terminology, classification and coding standards, and associated resources to promote creation of more effective and interoperable biomedical information systems and services, including electronic health records. Software developers can use UMLS® to enhance or develop applications, such as electronic health records, classification tools, dictionaries and language translators. Use of UMLS® allows end users to view codes, synonyms, and definitions used terminologies such as CPT and ICD-10-CM and relationships between concepts. Use requires a free UMLS license.

USCDI Development, Implementation CDS Developer/Steward, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) is a standardized set of health data classes and constituent data elements for nationwide, interoperable health information exchange.

Visual Studio Code Development Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

Visual Studio Code is an open-source text editor that can expand its utility by installing appropriate extensions. The ‘cqframework.cql’ extension supports highlighting, syntax checking, ad-hoc evaluation, test cases, terminology for Clinical Quality Language (CQL), and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® model validation. This free text editor can be used to facilitate measure evaluation and testing for eCQMs using the open source CQL Evaluation Engine.

VSAC Development, Implementation CDS Developer/Steward, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The Value Set Authority Center (VSAC) is a value set authoring and repository for value sets. It is the source of truth for value sets for CMS's electronic clinical quality measures. The National Library of Medicine maintains the VSAC and provides downloadable access to the value sets and the Binding Parameter Specification. The VSAC provides users with tools to search existing value sets, create new value sets, and maintain value set content consistent with current versions of the terminologies they use. Use requires a free UMLS license.

VSAC Collaboration Tool Development CDS Developer/Steward, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Measure Developer/Steward

The Value Set Authority Center (VSAC) Collaboration Tool provides a central site where value set authors can post value sets for collaborative discussion. Teams can share threaded discussions about the value sets, view recent value set expansions posted by other value set authors, organize their value sets by usage and by team’s workflow needs, collaborate with other value set authors to harmonize value sets, and receive activity and change notifications from VSAC. Use requires a free UMLS license.

VSAC Support Center Development, Implementation CDS Developer/Steward, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The VSAC Support Center is the Help section of the VSAC website. It provides information on how to use the VSAC, specific information for value set authors and stewards (e.g., how to create value sets), and additional information such as release notes and how to use the VSAC Collaboration Tool, and VSAC API Resources.

VSAC SVS API Implementation CDS Developer/Steward, Eligible Hospital / Critical Access Hospital, Eligible Clinician, Health IT Developer/Vendor, Implementer, Measure Developer/Steward

The Value Set Authority Center (VSAC) Sharing Value Set (SVS) Application Programming Interface (API) allows the user to retrieve a single value set (RetrieveValueSet) or retrieve multiple value sets (RetrieveMultipleValueSets). It is based on the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) SVS Technical Framework, section 2.2.21 SVS integration Profile and the IHE SVS XML Schema. Use of VSAC SVS API assumes working knowledge of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources®. Access requires a free Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) license.

eCQM Resources

Introduction to eCQMs

Developing eCQMs

Implementing eCQMs - Eligible Clinicians 

Implementing eCQMs - Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals

Reporting eCQMs - Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals

eCQM Annual Update

eCQI Resources

eCQI Resource Center

Get Involved

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provides several opportunities to provide input on electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) development and updates, public calls for measures, comments on measures under development, and participation on technical expert panels. Visit the Measure Collaboration Workspace, the CMS Measures Management System Get Involved webpage, and the Engage in electronic clinical quality improvement (eCQI) page for a list of current opportunities.

Provide Feedback

CMS, through the ONC Project Tracking System (Jira), allows stakeholders to submit issues with eCQM implementation and development and receive feedback. Submit eCQM technical questions to the eCQM Issue Tracker. For known issues about eCQMs, see the eCQM Known Issues Jira project.

Seek Help

Find information on various helpdesks and tools for eCQM help on the eCQI Resource Center Contact Us page.

 

Last Updated: May 24, 2023