Health and Recovery Plan (HARP)

Value Based Payment Quality Measure Set
Measurement Year 2022

  • Measure Set is also available in Portable Document Format (PDF)

December 30, 2021                     NYS Medicaid Value Based Payment


INTRODUCTION

The Measurement Year (MY) 2022 Health and Recovery Plan (HARP) Quality Measure Set was created in collaboration with the Behavioral Health/HARP Clinical Advisory Group (CAG), the Primary Care (Physical Health) CAG, the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) CAG Strategy team, as well as subject matter experts (SME) from both the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) and NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). The goal of this measure set is to align with measures put forth in the NYS Quality Assurance Reporting Requirements (QARR), the HEDIS®1 Technical Specifications for Health Plans, the CMS Core measure set, and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), where applicable. The measure set is designed to encourage providers to meet high standards of patient-centered clinical care and coordination across multiple care settings.

MEASURE SELECTION AND FEASIBILITY

During the spring and summer of 2021, the Behavioral Health/HARP CAG reconvened and made recommendations to the State on quality measures, data collection, data reporting, and support required for providers to be successful in a VBP environment.

Upon receiving recommendations from the CAGs, other NYS agencies, the release of guidelines from national measure stewards, such as NCQA/HEDIS® and in accordance with the NYS VBP Roadmap,2 the State defined a final list of measures to be included in the Behavioral Health/HARP Measure Set for MY2022. For MY2022, eight measures have been removed or replaced, and three measures have been added, culminating in a total of thirty-two Category 1 and 2 HARP Quality Measures.

PROPOSED VBP ARRANGEMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR MY2023 - HEALTH EQUITY

For MY2022, NCQA is adding race and ethnicity stratification for five HEDIS measures to help promote transparency into health plan performance. By doing so, NCQA hopes to better identify where disparities exist, so they can be addressed. They also hope to identify and learn from top performers in areas where disparities don´t exist. To align with this initiative, NYS will require payers and providers to incorporate race and ethnicity measure stratification in Value Based Payment (VBP) arrangements starting in July 2022.

Stratification Specifications:

  1. Payers will be required to include at least one of the following measures in all level 1 or higher VBP arrangements and stratify results by race and ethnicity categories as outlined in the HEDIS MY2022 specifications.3 The table below depicts available quality measures by arrangement type.
NQCA Measure Name Measure Inclusion by Arrangement Type
TCGP IPC HARP/BH Maternity HIV/AIDs Children´s
Colorectal Cancer Screening    
Controlling High Blood Pressure    
Hemoglobin A1c Control for Patients with Diabetes    
Prenatal and Postpartum Care        
Child and Adolescent Well–Care Visits      
  1. Stratification of selected measures will be classified as pay-for-reporting (P4R).
  2. Payers will be required to include the following detail in the Provider Contract Statement and Certification form and Contract language:
    1. Indicate what measure(s) will be included for race and ethnicity stratification.
    2. Indicate how the stratified measure results for applicable measures will be shared with the VBP contractor.
  3. Plans will be required to include the race and ethnicity data submitted to NYS using the following method:
Race and ethnicity fields will be added to the annual VBP member attribution submission file specifications. This will allow the State to stratify measure performance by race and ethnicity categories for applicable performance measures at the VBP contract and VBP Contractor levels.

The DOH recognizes that MCOs and providers are in the process of negotiating VBP arrangements to meet Statewide VBP goals. Therefore, all new contracts submitted on or after July 1, 2022, must meet this requirement. All other existing contracts must be updated at the end of the contract´s current measurement period and before the contract´s next measurement period begins, or no later than April 1, 2023.


MEASURE CLASSIFICATION

Each measure has been designated by the State as Category 1, 2, or 3 with associated recommendations for implementation and testing for future use in VBP Arrangements. The measures below are classified by category based on an assessment of reliability, validity, and feasibility, and according to suggested method of use (either Pay for Reporting (P4R) or Pay for Performance (P4P)).

    Categorizing and Prioritizing Quality Measures

CATEGORY 1
Approved quality measures that are deemed to be clinically relevant, reliable, valid, and feasible.

CATEGORY 2
Measures that are clinically relevant, valid, and reliable, but where the feasibility could be problematic. These measures were investigated during the 2017 & 2020 pilot programs.

CATEGORY 3
Measures that are insufficiently relevant, valid, reliable and/or feasible.

Category 1

Category 1 quality measures as identified by the CAGs and accepted and deemed reportable by the State are to be reported by VBP Contractors to the MCOs. These measures are also intended to be used to determine the amount of shared savings for which VBP contractors are eligible.4 At least one Category 1 P4P measure must be included in a VBP contract.

The State classified each Category 1 measure as either P4P or P4R:

  • P4P measures are intended to be used in the determination of shared savings amounts for which VBP Contractors are eligible. Measures can be included in both the determination of the target budget and in the calculation of shared savings for VBP Contractors.
  • P4R measures are intended to be used by the Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) to incentivize VBP Contractors for reporting data to monitor quality of care delivered to members under the VBP contract. Incentives for reporting will be based on timeliness, accuracy, and completeness of data. Measures can be reclassified from P4R to P4P through annual CAG and State review or as determined by the MCO and VBP Contractor.

Not all Category 1 measures will be reportable for the measurement year, as reporting on some of these measures will be phased in over the next few years. Please refer to the Value Based Payment Reporting Requirements Technical Specifications Manual (MY2022) for details as to which measures must be reported for the measurement year. This manual will be updated annually each fall, in line with the release of the final VBP measure set for the subsequent year.

Categories 2 and 3

Category 2 measures have been accepted by the State based on agreement of clinical importance, validity, and reliability, but flagged as presenting concerns regarding implementation feasibility.

Measures designated as Category 3 were identified as unfeasible at this time or as presenting additional concerns including accuracy or reliability when applied to the attributed member population for an arrangement, therefore Category 3 measures are not included in the measure set.

MY2022 BEHAVIORAL HEALTH/HARP QUALITY MEASURE SET

The measures and State-determined classifications provided on the following pages are recommendations for MY2022. Note that measure classification is a State recommendation and implementation is to be determined between the MCO and VBP Contractor.

Measure sets and classifications are considered dynamic and will be reviewed annually. Updates will include measure additions, deletions, recategorizations, and/or reclassifications from P4R to P4P or vice versa, based on experience with measure implementation in the prior year. During 2022, the CAGs and the VBP Workgroup will re-evaluate measures and provide recommendations for MY 2022. Please see Appendix A for a full list of these changes.


Category 1

The table below displays the Category 1 MY2022 Behavioral Health/HARP Quality Measure Set, arranged alphabetically, and includes measure title, measure steward, the National Quality Forum (NQF) number and/or other measure identifier (where applicable), and State-recommended classification for measure use. The measure set is redlined to highlight changes made between MY2020 and MY2022, please refer to the key at the end of this table for an explanation of redlined formatting.

Measure Measure Steward Measure Identifier Classification
Adherence to Antipsychotic Medications for Individuals with Schizophrenia Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) NQF 1879 P4P
Asthma Medication Ratio National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) NQF 1800 P4P
Breast Cancer Screening NCQA NQF 2372 P4P
Cervical Cancer Screening NCQA NQF 0032 P4P
Chlamydia Screening in Women NCQA NQF 0033 P4P
Colorectal Cancer Screening** NCQA NQF 0034 P4P
Completion of Home and Community Based Services Annual Needs Assessment* NYS   P4P
Comprehensive Diabetes Care: Eye Exam (retinal) Performed* NCQA NQF 0055 P4P
Comprehensive Diabetes Care: Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) Poor Control (>9.0%)* NCQA NQF 0059 P4P
Controlling High Blood Pressure** NCQA NQF 0018 P4P
Diabetes Screening for People with Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder Who Are Using Antipsychotic Medications NCQA NQF 1932 P4P
Employed, Seeking Employment or Enrolled in a Formal Education Program* NYS - P4R
Eye Exam for Patients With Diabetes* NCQA NQF 0055 P4P
Follow-Up After Emergency Department Visit for Alcohol and Other Drug Dependence* NCQA NQF 2605 P4P
Follow-Up After Emergency Department Visit for Substance Use* NCQA NQF 3488 P4P
Follow-Up After Emergency Department Visit for Mental Illness NCQA NQF 2605 P4P
Follow-Up After High-Intensity Care for Substance Use Disorder NCQA   P4P
Follow-Up After Hospitalization for Mental Illness NCQA NQF 0576 P4P
Hemoglobin A1c Control for Patients with Diabetes (HBD)** NCQA NQF 0059 P4P
Initiation of Pharmacotherapy upon New Episode of Opioid Dependence NYS - P4P
Kidney Health Evaluation for Patients With Diabetes (KED) NCQA   P4R
No Arrests in the Past Year* NYS - P4R
Percentage of Members Enrolled in a Health Home* NYS - P4R
Pharmacotherapy for Opioid Use Disorder NCQA NQF 3175 P4P
Potentially Preventable Mental Health Related Readmission Rate 30 Days NYS - P4P
Preventive Care and Screening: Body Mass Index (BMI) Screening and Follow-Up Plan CMS NQF 0421 P4R
Preventive Care and Screening: Influenza Immunization (AMA PCPI) American Medical Association Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement NQF 0041 P4R
Preventive Care and Screening: Tobacco Use: Screening and Cessation Intervention AMA PCPI NQF 0028 P4R
Stable Housing Status* NYS - P4R
Statin Therapy for Patients with Cardiovascular Disease NCQA - P4R
Use of Pharmacotherapy for Alcohol Abuse or Dependence NYS - P4R
Use of Spirometry Testing in the Assessment and Diagnosis of COPD NCQA NQF 0577 P4R

* Measure removed from HEDIS/NYS 2022 Measure Set
** Measure specifications/name revised by NCQA/NYS for 2022 HEDIS Measure set

** HEDIS Stratified Measure


Category 2

The table below displays the Category 2 MY2022 Behavioral Health/HARP Quality Measure Set and includes measure title, measure steward, and the NQF number and/or other measure identifier (where applicable). All Category 2 measures are classified as P4R in MY2022. There are no changes in CAT2 measures between MY2020 and MY2022.

Measure Measure Steward Measure Identifier
Adherence to Mood Stabilizers for Individuals with Bipolar I Disorder CMS NQF 1880
Asthma Action Plan American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) -
Asthma: Assessment of Asthma Control – Ambulatory Care Setting AAAAI -
Asthma: Spirometry Evaluation AAAAI -
Continuing Engagement in Treatment Alcohol and Other Drug Dependence NYS -
Mental Health Engagement in Care 30 Days NYS -
Percentage of HARP Enrolled Members Who Received Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) or Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) NYS -
Use of Opioid Dependence Pharmacotherapy NYS -

Appendix A


The table below identifies the changes to the Category 1 and Category 2 measures for the MY2022 HARP Quality Measure Set.

Category 1 Measure Changes from 2021 to 2022

Measure Name Change Rationale for Change
Completion of Home and Community Based Services Annual Needs Assessment Removed Measure removed from NYS reporting requirements
Comprehensive Diabetes Care: Eye Exam (retinal) Performed Replaced Measure name and specifications revised by NCQA for 2022 Measure set
Comprehensive Diabetes Care: Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) Poor Control (>9.0%) Replaced Measure name and specifications revised by NCQA for 2022 Measure set
Employed, Seeking Employment or Enrolled in a Formal Education Program Removed Measure removed from NYS reporting requirements
Eye Exam for Patients with Diabetes Added Measure added by NCQA for HEDIS MY2022 – replaced CDC measure
Follow-Up After Emergency Department Visit for Alcohol and Other Drug Dependence Replaced Measure name and specifications revised by NCQA for 2022 Measure set
Follow–Up After Emergency Department Visit for Substance Use Added Measure name and specifications revised by NCQA for 2022 Measure set
Hemoglobin A1c Control for Patients with Diabetes Added Measure added by NCQA for HEDIS MY2022 – replaced CDC measure
No Arrests in the Past Year Removed Measure removed from NYS reporting requirements
Percentage of Members Enrolled in a Health Home Removed Measure removed from NYS reporting requirements
Stable Housing Status Removed Measure removed from NYS reporting requirements

__________________________________________________________

1. HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).1
2. New York State Department of Health, Medicaid Redesign Team, A Path Toward Value-Based Payment: Annual Update, September 2019. (Link) 2
3. HEDIS® Measurement Year 2022 Volume 2 Technical Specification for Heath Plans, General Guidelines section 33.3

4. New York State Department of Health, Medicaid Redesign Team, A Path Toward Value-Based Payment: Annual Update, September 2019. (Link) 4