Supporting NCQA’s Data Aggregator Validation program to ensure data accuracy and integrity
Azara Healthcare, a leading provider of population health solutions, is pleased to announce that it has earned Certified Data Stream status for NCQA’s Data Aggregator Validation Program from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The NCQA Data Aggregator Validation program evaluates clinical data streams to help ensure that health plans, providers, government organizations and others can trust the accuracy of aggregated clinical data for use in Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) reporting and other quality programs. A Certified Data Stream has demonstrated capabilities to support data stream validation.
“NCQA’s Data Aggregator Validation program helps identify clinical data that can be trusted and sets a high bar for how the data are managed,” said NCQA President, Margaret E. O’Kane. “We are excited that organizations like Azara Healthcare are working to improve trust in clinical data and help ensure the data’s accuracy and broader usability.”
The Data Aggregator Validation program assesses two sets of standards looking at the ingestion, data management and output of clinical data:
- Process, System and Data Standards: Assess the processes, policies and procedures for ingesting, managing and aggregating data.
- Output Data Integrity Standards: Assess an organization’s adherence to the NCQA Continuity of Care Document (CCD) Implementation Guide and primary source verification by testing and reviewing CCD output files.
“We are very excited about Azara’s Certified Data Stream Status within NCQA’s Data Aggregator Validation Program,” said Sam Joseph, Sr. Vice President, Population Health at the Missouri Primary Care Association and Missouri Health+. “The ability of Azara DRVS to send standard supplemental data to the payer partners of our member FQHCs is critical to the long-term success of our members in their value-based, managed care contracts.”
NCQA validates one or more clusters of clinical data that are ingested, processed and ultimately output as CCD files. NCQA evaluates data streams from the point of ingestion through output of CCD files, ensuring that standards and protocols are met and that the data provided from the original source accurately reflects that reported for use as standard supplemental data for HEDIS® or for other quality programs.
“We are proud to support NCQA’s efforts to provide accurate data to our customers so they can effectively fulfill HEDIS® reporting requirements and focus energy where it will have the greatest impact,” said Jeff Brandes, Azara’s CEO. “Becoming a Certified Data Stream is a testament to Azara’s commitment to maintaining the highest data quality standards as well as the unrelenting dedication of our team.”
Azara Healthcare is one of 12 organizations that validated data streams or earned Certified Data Stream status as part of NCQA’s first program cohort, which began validation review in July 2021.
About Azara Healthcare
Azara Healthcare is the leading provider of data-driven analytics, quality measurement and reporting for the Community Health and physician practice market. Azara solutions empower more than 1,000 Community Health Centers, physician practices, Primary Care Associations, Health Center Controlled Networks, and clinically integrated networks in 39 states to improve the quality and efficiency of care for more than 25 million Americans through actionable data. Azara consistently earns accolades as a top population health vendor by industry market intelligence firm KLAS Research and was ranked number one in MACRA and MIPS Support Technology for Value-Based Care by Black Book Research.
About NCQA
NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA Accredits and Certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also Recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA’s website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make informed health care choices. NCQA can also be found on Twitter @ncqa, on Facebook at facebook.com/NCQA.org/ and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncqa.
HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).