The Public Comment is now open through March 25, 2026 on the Draft 2027 CMS QRDA I Implementation Guide, Schematron, and Sample File for Hospital Quality Reporting
A direct reference code (DRC) is a specific code referenced directly in the electronic clinical quality measure logic to describe a data element or one of its attributes. DRC metadata include the description of the code, the code system including the code, and the version of that code system.