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"Encounter, Performed"

Performance/Reporting Period
2021
QDM Datatype (QDM Version 5.5 Guidance Update):

Data elements that meet criteria using this datatype should document that the encounter indicated by the QDM category and its corresponding value set is in progress or has been completed.

The "Encounter, Performed" participant references the primary participant.

Previous versions of QDM included an attribute principal diagnosis, defined as the condition that, after study, was determined to be the principal cause of the admission. QDM version 5.5 addresses that concept using the diagnosis rank=1.

A QDM Known Issue has been identified related to this datatype. To see this QDM known Issue, please click here

Timing:

  • The relevantPeriod addresses:
    • startTime - The time the encounter began (admission time).
    • stopTime - The time the encounter ended (discharge time).
  • author dateTime references the time the action was recorded.
  • Refer to the eCQM expression to determine allowable timings to meet measure criteria.

Notes:

  • negation rationale indicates a one-time documentation of a reason an activity is not performed. Negation of QDM datatype-related actions for a reason always use the author dateTime attribute to reference timing and must not use relevantPeriod.
  • The locationPeriod is an attribute of the attribute facility location that addresses:
    • startTime - the time the patient arrived at the location. The time the encounter began (admission time).
    • stopTime - the time the patient departed from the location.
QDM Datatype and Definition

Encounter

Encounter represents an identifiable grouping of healthcare-related activities characterized by the entity relationship between the subject of care and a healthcare provider; such a grouping is determined by the healthcare provider. A patient encounter represents interaction between a healthcare provider and a patient with a face-to-face patient visit to a clinician's office, or any electronically remote interaction with a clinician for any form of diagnostic treatment or therapeutic event. Encounters can be billable events but are not limited to billable interactions. Each encounter has an associated location or modality within which it occurred (such as an office, home, electronic methods, phone encounter, or telemedicine methods). The encounter location attribute defines the patient's location at the time of measurement. Different levels and modes of interaction can be specified in the direct reference code or value set value associated with the element.
Data Elements defined by this QDM Datatype:
QDM Attributes

admissionSource

The location from which the patient was admitted (e.g., physician referral, facility from which the patient was transferred).

authorDateTime

The time the data element was entered into the clinical software. Note, some datatypes include both relevant dateTime and author dateTime attributes. When both are present, author dateTime is included to accommodate negation rationale.

The author dateTime addresses when an activity is documented. Documentation can occur at the beginning, during, at the end, or subsequent to the end of the activity. The author dateTime should be used only if the relevantPeriod cannot be obtained or to represent the time negation rationale is documented.

Note: negation rationale indicates a one-time documentation of a reason an activity is not performed. Negation of QDM datatype related actions for a reason always use the author dateTime attribute to reference timing and must not use relevantPeriod.

diagnoses

Coded diagnoses/problems addressed during the encounter. The diagnoses attribute has three components:

  • diagnosis (code)
  • presentOnAdmissionIndicator (code)
  • rank (positive integer)

To reference an encounter diagnosis, the expression must include the diagnosis code component. The other components are optional. The expression should only include the presentOnAdmissionIndicator if it is necessary to reference present on admission and should only include the rank if it is necessary to reference principal diagnosis.

The "Encounter, Performed" diagnosis attribute is intended to capture ALL diagnoses, including the principal diagnosis, i.e., all diagnoses addressed during the encounter represented by the diagnosis (code) used in the expression.The presentOnAdmissionIndicator (code) allows the eCQM developer to include criteria about whether each specific "Encounter, Performed" diagnosis was present at the time of admission (an indicator used to evaluate patient safety and adverse events). See presentOnAdmissionIndicator attribute definition for information about using the "Encounter, Performed" diagnosis attribute.

The "Encounter, Performed" diagnosis (rank) replaces the principal diagnosis attribute. To reference a principal diagnosis, eCQM developers should express the "Encounter, Performed" diagnosis with a diagnosis (code) and a rank of 1. See definition of rank attribute.

With an "Encounter, Performed" diagnosis, there is no dependency on the timing of the diagnosis in relation to the encounter.

  • Use of the "Encounter, Performed": diagnoses attribute component and the "Diagnosis" datatype is redundant for relating the diagnosis to the "Encounter, Performed". The "Encounter, Performed": diagnoses component syntax is preferred.
  • Referencing the same diagnosis using "Encounter, Performed" (diagnoses attribute) and "Diagnosis" (datatype) should only occur if the measure must define a specified length of a prevalencePeriod, e.g.,
    • The measure must assure that the diagnoses
      • have been present for at least some defined time period before the encounter, and
      • were addressed during the "Encounter, Performed"

dischargeDisposition

The disposition, or location to which the patient is transferred at the time of hospital discharge.

facilityLocations

The particular locations in a facility in which the diagnostic study or encounter occurs or occurred. Examples include intensive care units (ICUs), nonICUs, burn critical care unit, neonatal ICU, and respiratory care unit. Each "Encounter, Performed" may have one or more locations. For example, a patient treated in multiple locations during an individual encounter might be expressed as:
  • "Encounter, Performed": Inpatient Admission, facility locations
    • ICU (locationPeriod)
    • Non-ICU Admission (locationPeriod)
    • Rehab (locationPeriod)

lengthOfStay

The difference of the admission date/time and the discharge date/time for the encounter. This attribute should not be used for outpatient encounters.

negationRationale

Indicates the reason that an action was not performed. Only QDM datatypes that represent actions (e.g., performed, recommended, communication, order, dispensed) allow the negation rationale attribute. The intent is to indicate a justification that such action did not happen as expected. This attribute specifically does not address the presence or absence of information in a clinical record (e.g., documented absence of allergies versus lack of documentation about allergies). QDM assumes a world view that absence of evidence indicates information does not exist or an action did not happen. To express such lack of evidence, an eCQM author should use the CQL expression not exists with reference to the data element rather than the QDM data model. negation rationale in QDM signifies only a reason for such absence, i.e., the reason must be present to qualify for negation rationale. The syntax in the human readable HQMF is addressed in CQL examples and in the MAT User Guide. Prior versions of QDM used the syntax, "Procedure, Performed not done." QDM versions starting with 5.3 use the syntax, "Procedure, not Performed." Section A-5 provides examples for expressing negation rationale in CQL.

A QDM Known Issue has been identified related to this attribute. To see this QDM known Issue, please click here.

Note: negation rationale indicates a one-time documentation of a reason an activity is not performed. Negation of QDM datatype-related actions for a reason always use the author dateTime attribute to reference timing and must not use relevantPeriod.

relevantPeriod

Relevant Period addresses the time between the start of an action to the end of an action. Each datatype using relevant period defines specific definitions for the start and stop time for the action listed.

Note: negation rationale indicates a one-time documentation of a reason an activity is not performed. Negation of QDM datatyperelated actions for a reason always use the author dateTime attribute to reference timing and must not use relevantPeriod

Last Updated: Jul 08, 2021