Find older eCQM specifications in the eCQM Standards and Tools Version table.
Each year, CMS updates the eCQMs for potential use in CMS quality reporting programs and publishes them on the eCQI Resource Center. CMS updates the specifications annually to align with current clinical guidelines and code systems so they remain relevant and actionable within the clinical care setting. CMS requires the use of the most current version of the eCQMs as specified and intended for the applicable reporting periods for all quality reporting programs.
The updated eCQMs are to be used by eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals to electronically report 2021 clinical quality measure data for CMS quality reporting programs. Measures will not be eligible for 2021 reporting unless and until they are proposed and finalized through notice-and-comment rulemaking for each applicable program.
CMS has updated eCQMs for potential inclusion in these programs
Hybrid measures are quality measures that merge electronic health record data elements with claims data to calculate measure results. Currently, the Hybrid Hospital Wide Readmission (HWR) measure is the only hybrid measure adopted for use in a program.
The electronic specifications for the Hybrid Hospital Wide Readmission (HWR) measure are updated for the voluntary reporting period from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 for the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program. Hospitals that submit data for this measure during the voluntary reporting period would receive confidential hospital-specific reports that detail submission results from the reporting period, as well as the Hybrid HWR measure results. Data will not be publicly reported during the voluntary reporting period. CMS will begin the public reporting of the Hybrid HWR measure results beginning with data collected from the July 1, 2023 through the June 30, 2024 reporting period.
Each year, CMS makes updates to the Hybrid HWR measure adopted for reporting in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) program. Hybrid measures require updates to the electronic specifications, posted below, and to claims-based specifications, available on QualityNet. CMS requires the use of updated electronic specifications for all its quality programs because they include updated codes, logic corrections, and clarifications. Reporting data for the Hybrid HWR measure to the Hospital IQR program requires that a hospital or electronic health record vendor use the most current version of the electronic measure specifications (identified below) for the applicable reporting period.
**Note: There is a known issue on CMS529v1. See issue EKI-9 on the ONC eCQM Known Issues Dashboard for details.