NCQA Completes First Data Aggregator Validation Cohort 

The National Committee for Quality Assurance announced the successful conclusion of its first Data Aggregator Validation cohort as well as the validation of ten clinical data streams and certification of two data partners.  

The Data Aggregator Validation program examines clinical data streams to ensure that health plans, providers, government organizations, and others can guarantee the accuracy of clinical data in decision-making regarding quality reporting, value-based contracting, and closing care gaps.  

The data validated during the first cohort comes from more than 2,300 ingestion sites representing tens of millions of patients.  

The NCQA Data Aggregator Validation program implements the industry’s trusted Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) standards to validate the quality and fitness of clinical data streams for quality measurement purposes.  

According to the committee, Data Aggregator Validation is a critical early step in realizing NCQA’s vision of a digital measurement system in which trusted data can flow freely between organizations to improve patient outcomes and drive advancements in value-based contracts. 

“Most discussions of interoperability focus on technical challenges, like formats for data exchange,” NCQA Chief Product Officer Brad Ryan said in a press release. 

“Data Aggregator Validation is about something bigger: Ensuring people across organizations can trust the data that drive high-quality care and value-based reimbursements.”   

The Data Aggregator Validation program ensures that data streams adhere to NCQA process standards and accuracy from source to transmission. The validation process follows data from physician offices into electronic health records, studying documentation practices, data capture, data integrity checks, data mapping, and resiliency to workflows.  

Additionally, the Data Aggregator Validation program checks how data is managed, focusing on security, governance, and management protocols. 

“Finally, the assessment evaluates the continuity of care document (CCD) for conformity with the NCQA CCD Implementation Guide and checks to confirm the data in the CCD matches primary source data.,” the press release stated. 

In addition to advancing the digital landscape, the Data Aggregator Validation program improves the efficiency of HEDIS reporting. According to NCQA, primary source validation is not required for HEDIS reporting when health plans use data validated through the Data Aggregator program, saving health plans and providers time and money.  

NCQA also revealed the 12 organizations that validated data streams or earned Certified Data partner status. All the organizations were part of the first cohort, which began validation review in July.  

A cohort of additional organizations began the Data Aggregator Validation process in October as part of the second cohort. The team is expecting to complete it in spring 2022 and begin Cohort 3 in February.