October 28, 2021

ACR Supports Proposed Changes to the CRC Screening HEDIS Measure

The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) Colon Cancer Committee responded to changes to the 2022 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) Health Plan Colorectal Cancer Screening measure proposed by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) during an ad-hoc public comment period that closed Oct. 21.

The current colorectal cancer screening measure assesses the percentage of adults 50–75 years of age who had appropriate screening for colorectal cancer. The existing measure was updated to include Computed Tomography Colonography (CTC) as a screening test option in 2017, following the 2016 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation.

NCQA proposes adding adults 45–49 years of age to the measure and adding the Medicaid product line for reporting in measurement year 2022. These proposed changes would align the measure to the recently updated guideline recommendations for screening from the USPSTF and other national organizations. The ACR strongly supports proposed changes to the Colorectal Cancer Screening measure. HEDIS is one of healthcare’s most widely used performance improvement tools. 191 million people are enrolled in plans that report HEDIS results. HEDIS includes measures for physicians, PPOs and other organizations. Learn more.

If you have questions or would like more information about ACR colon cancer screening resources and activities, contact Alicia Blakey, Senior Economic Policy Analyst.