7 Reasons Why Your HIE Should Obtain NCQA Data Aggregator Validation (DAV) Status
Value-based care is forcing all of us to change in different ways, but mostly with the way we share and use electronic health data. No doubt health information exchanges (HIEs) are at the center of this conversation as every HIE has the goal of improving outcomes using electronic health data. So how can HIEs revolutionize the workings of their organizations with the industry?
One answer is by achieving NCQA Data Aggregator Validation (DAV) status to support health plans that have a need for HEDIS® standard supplemental data.
Change is here to stay, and I want to present you with 7 reasons why the DAV program will be a part of every successful HIE’s future.
#1 It’s Proof of Quality Data
Your data is the most important thing to your participants. So, to verify the accuracy of your data, achieving NCQA DAV is a great idea. It has been noted that health plans have concerns about the quality of HIE data, which suggests that having confirmation that your data maintains its integrity from the original electronic health record would be extremely beneficial. Never have HIEs had the opportunity to evaluate their processes and protocols up against a set of aggregation standards like the ones in this program. Earning validation status will enhance confidence in the data and make the HIE not just a place, but the go-to place to tackle health data obstacles.
#2 It Demonstrates Your Mission
HIEs are known for their tremendous ability to rise above the silos of care settings and move data to where it is needed. What is less recognized is how powerful HIEs can be in reducing reporting burdens and offering analytics for improved population health. Obtaining NCQA DAV makes a bold statement about your mission and the commitment to improving health outcomes.
#3 It’s a Revenue Opportunity
If the above two reasons were not compelling enough to motivate you to consider the DAV program, this one will. It’s fairly simple if you think about it – health plans want data, HIEs have it. When HIEs can offer their data as HEDIS® standard supplemental data, meaning health plans are freed of having to do resource-intensive primary source verification, they want your data even more. Obtaining DAV status solves a real problem for health plans – it reduces the time, effort, and frustration of manual chart chases. So much so that they are willing to pay for your validated data, creating a new revenue stream for you.
#4 It Benefits More Than Just Health Plans
One of the core requirements of the DAV program is the ability to generate a Continuity of Care Document (CCD) to NCQA’s Implementation Guide. While some HIE use cases require point solutions, meaning a single capability to solve a single problem, generating CCDs does not. CCDs are used widely across health care sectors. It’s a data format that supports health plans, as well as many other participants like health systems, accountable care organizations, and providers. Even if there are problems with your health plans, your ability to generate Community-level CCDs benefits numerous participants’ reporting and improvement goals, and creates another opportunity to generate new revenue.
#5 It’s an Industry Standard
Aligning to and supporting new standards is one of the more significant contributions HIEs can offer the industry. It opens up the possibility of sharing data in more efficient and sustainable ways while increasing your positioning as an enabler of value-based care. The standards that comprise NCQA’s DAV program are just that, standards, and they are no different than the other standards – like the Information Blocking Rule, USCDIv2, TEFCA – that we use to create better systems of exchanging and using data to improve outcomes.
#6 It Can Help with Engagement
Every HIE is impacted by evolving standards, varying integration feeds and complex data infrastructures. HIEs will never not be working on data quality. Yet, building up a positive brand with your participants might be difficult if all they see you do is work on data quality without any sort of confirmation of the existing state and value of your data. An external recognition, like achieving DAV status, can help combat inaccurate perceptions about the quality of your data. Plus, your participants are more likely to engage in data quality efforts with you if they know your achievement of DAV will reduce the time and frustration they experience with reporting, while also helping the broader community – a powerful recipe for improved participant engagement.
#7 You Can Partner Up
You are already overseeing your operations, managing relations with your participants while trying to stay up with the latest health care trends and so much more. While successfully achieving DAV status is a positive move for your HIE, being able to align your internal resources to go through the rigorous program may be a very real challenge. Thankfully, NCQA has created the Data Partner option so that HIEs can partner up with organizations that are certified for certain standards to reduce your lift of getting data streams validated.
Now that NCQA’s DAV program is formally released and there is more information about its requirements, some still have doubts about whether to pursue validation status or not. When you enter the world of health data, you know that work and value go hand in hand. It would be great if HIEs could offer their data as standard supplemental data as is, but NCQA DAV is a great opportunity for HIEs to demonstrate the integrity of their data and the tremendous value it can offer to participants. HIEs that have started the transition to value-based care have seen the advantages of this evolution, and NCQA DAV is one of those opportunities that can enable a sustainable future for our nation’s HIEs.
About the Author
Renee Towne
VP of Population Health at KPI Ninja, Inc.
Renee provides operational leadership of quality initiatives at KPI Ninja. Towne has a background in occupational therapy, education and experience in operational excellence across a variety of healthcare domains. Based on prior experience as a clinician that drove outcomes patient by patient, she is leaving a larger footprint by improving health care more comprehensively, population by population.
About KPI Ninja
KPI Ninja is a data analytics company that helps healthcare organizations accelerate their quality, safety, and financial goals with a unique combination of software and service. We are differentiated by our signature mix of technology, performance management consulting and healthcare expertise. We don’t merely offer software solutions but work shoulder to shoulder with clients to help them draw on the power of analytics and continuous improvement methodologies to become more efficient. In harmony with our data-centered ethos, we truly believe that our success is strongly co-related with yours.