WISHIN Is Among the First HIEs in the Nation to Earn NCQA Data Aggregator Validation Status
Validated Data Flows Promote Trust, Support Value-Based Contracting, Ease Quality Measurement Burden for Payers and Providers
WISHIN has earned the Validated Data Stream designation in the new National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Data Aggregator Validation (DAV) program. WISHIN is part of the first cohort of HIEs to voluntarily seek and earn the new NCQA validation. As part of the same cohort of organizations, WISHIN’s vendor KPI Ninja of Lincoln, Nebraska, received a Certified Data Partner designation from NCQA. “The Validated Data Stream designation is a substantial achievement because it positions WISHIN to deliver more value to our clients. And it’s a win-win for our customers — it’s a win for health plans because their ‘chart chase’ burden for HEDIS ® measures can be substantially reduced, and it’s a win for providers, who won’t have to accommodate the ‘chart chasers,’” said retired WISHIN CEO Joe Kachelski.
The validation applies to a wide swath of data sources in the WISHIN network. Data streams that earn validation undergo a rigorous, end-to-end look at the quality and integrity of data and the procedures used to manage and safeguard it. WISHIN’s DAV designation verifies adherence to NCQA process, system and data standards. The NCQA means that health plans can use use data from the WISHIN system in their HEDIS ® process, instead of accessing the data from individual providers.
“Utilizing the data (provided by WISHIN) increased our rates and reduced administrative time and expense.”
Mallory Mueller, Director of Quality and Health
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WISHIN Works to Reduce the HEDIS® Chart-Chase Burden
The process of collecting clinical data to document performance on HEDIS® measures is time-consuming and expensive for both health plans and providers. WISHIN can ease that burden for its participants. HEDIS®, the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, is a set of performance measures developed and maintained by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Nearly 200 million people are enrolled in plans that report HEDIS® results. But health plans face challenges in collecting clinical data and documenting their HEDIS® performance. That’s where WISHIN can help. WISHIN has the clinical data health plans need, and the technical expertise to deliver it- reducing the time and money spent by payers and providers on the HEDIS® “chart chase.” It is another way WISHIN provides a unique and indispensable value to its participants.
“Utilizing the data (provided by WISHIN) increased our rates and reduced administrative time and expense.”- Mallory Mueller, director of quality and health integration at Network Health Another WISHIN participant said WISHIN “definitely made an impact” in the HEDIS® process. The company said WISHIN provided a substantial “bump” in the plan’s numerators for hemoglobin A1C and blood-pressure measures.
WISHIN LEADS THE WAY
WISHIN was among the first health information exchanges (HIEs) in the nation to earn NCQA Data Aggregator Validation (DAV) status. WISHIN’s DAV status means HEDIS® auditors can consider clinical data sourced by WISHIN to be primary-source verified. As Nancy Lin, assistant director of product development for NCQA, noted, DAV status gives WISHIN’s participants more peace of mind and makes their data more valuable.
For more information on how WISHIN can reduce the HEDIS® chart-chase burden, contact Steve Rottmann at srottmann@wishin.org.