Hepatitis C: Testing for Chronic Hepatitis C - Confirmation of Hepatitis C Viremia

INACTIVE REVIEW: This measure review is older than five years.

Percentage of patients aged 18 years and older with a diagnosis of hepatitis C seen for an initial evaluation who had HCV RNA testing ordered or previously performed

Date Reviewed: July 26, 2014
Support
    Group/Practice Individual Clinician

Measure Info

NQF 0393 CMS 83 NQF Endorsement Removed
Measure Type
Process
Measure Steward
American Gastroenterological Association
Clinical Topic Area
Hepatitis C
Care Setting
Outpatient
Data Source
Electronic Health Data
Electronic Health Records
Registry

ACP does not support NQF 0393: “Hepatitis C: Testing for Chronic Hepatitis C – Confirmation of Hepatitis C Viremia.” Although we recognize that this measure reflects good clinical practice, there are flaws in the measure specification. The use of “initial evaluation” in the denominator is ambiguous. Specifically, it is unclear whether this refers to the initial visit with a provider or the first visit in which a provider diagnoses the patient as having been exposed to Hepatitis C. As specified, the measure could lead to repeated testing that does not improve the quality of care.