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"Medication, Active"

Performance/Reporting Period
2023
QDM Datatype (QDM Version 5.6):

Data elements that meet criteria using this datatype should document that the medication indicated by the QDM category and its corresponding value set is being taken by the patient. Keep in mind that when this datatype is used with timing relationships, the criterion is looking for a medication being taken for the time frame indicated by the timing relationships.

Timing:

  • relevant dateTime references the time the medication is active on the medication record if it was given or taken at a single point in time.
  • relevantPeriod references a start and stop time for an active medication on the medication record that is given or taken over a time interval:
  • The relevantPeriod addresses:
    • startTime = when the medication is first known to be used (generally the time of entry on the medication list).
    • stopTime = when the medication is no longer active.
QDM Datatype and Definition

Medication

Medication represents clinical drugs or chemical substances intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease. Medications are defined as directly referenced values or value sets containing values derived from code systems such as RxNorm.
Data Elements defined by this QDM Datatype:
["Medication, Active": "ACE Inhibitor or ARB or ARNI"]
["Medication, Active": "ADHD Medications"]
["Medication, Active": "Androgen deprivation therapy for Urology Care"]
["Medication, Active": "Antibiotic Medications for Pharyngitis"]
["Medication, Active": "Anticoagulant Medications, Oral"]
["Medication, Active": "Antidepressant Medication"]
["Medication, Active": "Aromatase Inhibitors"]
["Medication, Active": "Beta Blocker Therapy for LVSD"]
["Medication, Active": "Beta Blocker Therapy"]
["Medication, Active": "Chemotherapy for Advanced Cancer"]
["Medication, Active": "Contraceptive Medications"]
["Medication, Active": "Dementia Medications"]
["Medication, Active": "Glucocorticoids (oral only)"]
["Medication, Active": "High Intensity Statin Therapy"]
["Medication, Active": "Immunosuppressive Drugs for Urology Care"]
["Medication, Active": "Low Intensity Statin Therapy"]
["Medication, Active": "Moderate Intensity Statin Therapy"]
["Medication, Active": "Tobacco Use Cessation Pharmacotherapy"]
QDM Attributes

dosage

Quantity (e.g., mg, mL) of medication per unit.

frequency

Number of units per time period the medication or substance:
  • Is administered to a patient for an active medication (a).
  • Was administered to the patient (b).
  • Should be taken by the patient or administered to the patient (c).
  • Is recommended to be given to the patient (d).

recorder

The recorder indicates who recorded (or documented) the information (e.g., the individual or organization documenting the information). Note that FHIR modeling includes reference to asserter for concepts such as diagnosis and allergy/intolerance. Feedback from implementers and EHR vendors suggest that asserter fields default to the individual entering the information without clear evidence about how often clinicians change the default to the person who reported the information. Therefore, QDM retains a recorder attribute for the referenced QDM datatypes.

The prescriber attribute references the new QDM entities (Patient, Care Partner, Practitioner, or Organization) and any or all of the attributes of the respective QDM entity. For example, to reference that a physician who recorded a diagnosis is the same person who was the primary participant in an "Encounter, Performed" and to assure the physician’s specialty meets the measure’s requirements, the eCQM can use the Practitioner entity and its attributes. Should the eCQM choose to reference a physician practice or a hospital, the performer can reference the Organization entity and indicate the identifier and/or the organization type.

[See Section 2.6 for description of QDM entities]

relevantDateTime

relevant dateTime addresses the time an activity occurs as a single point in time. If the activity occurs over a period of time, use relevantPeriod.

relevantPeriod

relevantPeriod addresses the time between the start of an action to the end of an action. Each QDM datatype using relevantPeriod 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 datatype-related actions for a reason always use the author dateTime attribute to reference timing and must not use relevantPeriod

route

Refers to the path by which the medication or substance should be taken into the body system, such as intradermally, intrathecally, intramuscularly, intranasally, intravenously, orally, rectally, subcutaneously, sublingually, topically, or vaginally.
Last Updated: Jan 15, 2024

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