The 2027 Annual Update draft measure specifications are now available. Question and comment on Eligible Clinician eCQMs, Hospital - Inpatient eCQMs, and Hospital - Outpatient eCQM until December 19, 2025.
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Comparing QI-Core to QDM
Comparing QI-Core and QDM reveals the unique roles each plays in the landscape of health care quality measurement and improvement. Here is an explanation of the differences between the two:
- QI-Core Focuses on Interoperability vs. Data Definition
QDM focuses on the conceptual information used in quality measurement, standardizing the definition and relationships of data elements. QI-Core aligns with QDM and focuses on data interoperability using FHIR by building on the US Core standard and adding context required to enable proactive clinical decision support (CDS) and to evaluate and measure clinical and operational performance. Further, QI-Core harmonizes data requirements for quality measurement with those defined for CDS.
- QI-Core Offers Implementation Guidelines
QI-Core offers specific implementation guidelines and profiles for executing quality improvement initiatives, whereas QDM outlines the foundational data concepts necessary for creating eCQMs without delving into interoperability.
- QI-Core Provides More Usage Opportunities
QI-Core is often used in environments where there is a need for real-time data exchange and application of quality measures, such as in health information exchange networks. In contrast, QDM is more focused on the foundational elements that researchers and developers would utilize when designing eCQMs.
- QI-Core Supplies QDM Mapping to QI-Core
The QI-Core Implementation Guide provides direct mapping of all QDM concepts to their representation in QI-Core, considering all QDM categories and attributes. Measure developers can use the mapping outlined on the QDM to QI-Core page of the IG to provide additional context for expressing QDM-based measures and to convert such measures to the QI-Core FHIR model. Implementers can use this mapping to understand in greater detail what data must be retrieved and evaluated to analyze care and report results for QDM-based measures.