Opportunity to Comment on Proposed Changes to the CRC Screening HEDIS Measure

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) invites the public to comment on proposed changes to the HEDIS (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) measure set. Items available for public comment include the following proposed changes to the Colorectal Cancer Screening measure:

1. Expanding the measure to assess appropriate screening for CRC in ages 45-49 (from the current 50-75) in measurement year (MY) 2022.
2. Adding the Medicaid product line for reporting in MY 2022.
3. Removing the hybrid reporting option in MY 2022 and establish reporting using only the Electronic Clinical Data Systems Method in MY 2023 (to reduce the burden of manual chart review).

Public comment on these proposed changes will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday, October 21.

How to Comment:

1. Go to My NCQA.
2. Once logged in, click to select Public Comments.
3. Click Add Comment.
4. In the Product field, click to select HEDIS ad hoc Public Comment from the drop-down menu.
5. Click the Instructions link to view public comment materials, including instructions and proposed measure specifications.
6. Click to select the Topic and Element (measure) on which you want to comment.
7. Click to select your support option (e.g., Support, Do not support, Support with modifications). Note: If you chose Do not support, include the reason in the text box. If you chose Support with modifications, enter the suggested modifications in the text box.
8. Enter your comments in the Comments box. Note: Comments may not be more than 2,500 characters. We suggest you develop comments in Word to check your character limit and save a copy for reference. Use the “cut and paste” function to copy your comment into the Comments box.
9. Click Submit after each comment. After you have submitted all comments, click Close. You will be able to view and download all your submitted comments.

Updates: 2021 NCCRT Annual Meeting & 80% in Every Community Conference

We’re making exciting progress in planning the 2021 NCCRT Annual Meeting & 80% in Every Community Conference, which will be hosted virtually the afternoons of November 15-17, 2021. The theme this year is: Urgency and Resolve: Sharpening our focus on 80% in Every Community, and the event will feature presentations by nationally known experts, thought leaders, and decision makers on colorectal cancer screening policy and delivery, with opportunities to network and learn from each other.

Please note the following updates for NCCRT Members and 80% Partners:

• Agenda: We’ve added several new speakers and will continue to update our agenda on our meeting webpage with additions over the coming weeks.
• Pre-conference sessions: Please save the date for our two pre-conference sessions:
  • What Do the Data Tell Us: What Can We Learn from the Latest Colorectal Cancer Screening Rate Trends Over Time? – Wednesday, Nov. 3, 1:00-2:00 PM
  • NCCRT Orientation – Thursday, Nov. 4, 2:00-3:00 PM (NCCRT Members only)
• Registration: Please keep an eye out for an email invitation to register for our meeting next week, which will come from our conference platform, CVENT, and will include our meeting name in the subject line. There is no cost to attend the event
• Sponsorship: Each year our program is made possible by the generous support of our members and partners. Visit our Sponsorship Opportunities webpage to learn more about sponsorship and recognition. And, thank you to the organizations that have already pledged their support!

Updates for NCCRT Members:

• Strategic Priority Team Meetings: If you have not done so already, please sign up to participate in a Strategic Priority Team meeting of your choice. These teams are incredibly vital to NCCRT’s success and we use this time to focus on critical topics and emerging issues surrounding colorectal cancer prevention and early detection in preparation for the NCCRT Annual Meeting. There’s still time to sign up for one of our four remaining sessions. Please complete this form to register.
• Changes to your NCCRT Member Representatives? NCCRT member invitations to the NCCRT Annual Meeting are sent to each member representative. If there have been changes to your staff or if you’d like to ensure that we have the right names on our list, please email [email protected] so that we can update our lists before registration invitations go out.

Blog Post with Esperanza Health Centers, 2021 80% in Every Community National Achievement Award Honoree

Don’t miss the latest post on the 80% Blog featuring Esperanza Health Centers, our 2021 80% in Every Community National Achievement Award honoree in the Community Health Centers category. Learn about how Esperanza used a team-based care approach to increase colorectal cancer screening rates from a baseline of 43% in 2015 to 80% in 2017, with rates remaining above 80% through 2019. Congratulations again to Esperanza Health Centers, and many thanks to Andrew Van Wieren, MD and Ted Hufstader, MPH for spending time with us to share how they achieved success!

Lastly, the call for nominations to the 2022 80% in Every Community National Achievement Awards program is coming soon!

Stand Up To Cancer and Hip Hop Public Health Launch CRC Screening Education Initiative

Stand Up To Cancer® and Hip Hop Public Health, an organization dedicated to building health equity through the transformative power of music, art and science, have joined forces to create a health literacy initiative featuring an original song and music video that raise awareness about the importance of colorectal cancer screening. The PSAs specifically focus on reaching Black and Hispanic Americans, who are disproportionally impacted by low colorectal cancer screening rates. Visit the Hip Hop Public Health website to view the music videos and press releases.