HEDIS 2023 Electronic Clinical Data Systems (ECDS)

HEDIS^® measure data is collected by one or more methods:

• Administrative method — claims and supplemental data
• Hybrid method — administrative and medical record data
• Survey method — Health Outcomes Survey(HOS) & Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS^®)
• Electronic Clinical Data Systems (ECDS) — HEDIS reporting standard that leverages electronic data from multiple sources. See below.

The HEDIS Electronic Clinical Data Systems (ECDS) Reporting Standard was introduced in HEDIS 2016 (measurement year 2015) by the National Committee of Quality Assurance (NCQA) and encourages health information exchange, which is the secure sharing of patient medical information electronically. ECDS data collection is part of NCQA’s nationwide plan to capture information regarding aspects of care quality with less reliance on clinical medical record review.

There are four types of ECDS:

1. Electronic Health Record (EHR)/Personal Health Record (PHR): Real-time, patient-centered records that make information available instantly and securely to authorized users. EHRs eligible for this category of ECDS reporting include the NCQA eMeasure certification program or any system that meets the 2015 Edition Base Electronic Health Record (EHR) definition.
2. Health Information Exchange (HIE)/Clinical Registry: HIEs and clinical registries eligible for this reporting category include state HIEs, immunization information systems (IIS), public health agency systems, regional HIEs (RHIO), Patient-Centered Data Homes™ or other registries developed for research or to support quality improvement and patient safety initiatives. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other health care providers and patients can use HIEs to access and share vital medical information, with the goal of creating a complete patient record. Clinical registries can be sponsored by a government agency, nonprofit organization, health care facility or private company, and decisions regarding use of the data in the registry are the responsibility of the registry’s governing committee.
3. Case Management System: A shared database of member information collected through a collaborative process of member assessment, care planning, care coordination or monitoring of a member’s functional status and care experience. Case management systems eligible for this category of ECDS reporting include any system developed to support the organization’s case/disease management activities, including activities performed by delegates.
4. Administrative: Includes data from administrative claim processing systems for all services incurred (in other words, paid, suspended, pending and denied) during the period defined by each measure’s participation as well as member management files, member eligibility and enrollment files, electronic member rosters, internal audit files, and member call service databases.

Having more time to focus on patient care rather than responding to medical record requests is possible by participating in Electronic Clinical Data Systems (ECDS). We are focused on reducing administrative burdens, so you can do what you do best – care for our members. Let us help by granting EMR Direct Remote access to our EMR team.

Need more information or ready to sign up?

Please email us today at: Centralized_EMR_Team@unicare.com.