High Priority Status: Yes; Appropriate Use
NQF Number: N/A
Percentage of patients age 16 years and older with a new onset diagnosis of Bell’s palsy within the past 3 months who had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or a computed tomography (CT) scan of the internal auditory canal, head, neck, or brain ordered for the primary diagnosis of Bell’s palsy.
Denominator:
All patients age 16 years and older with a diagnosis of new onset Bell’s palsy within the past 3 months.
Denominator Exclusions:
None
Denominator Exceptions:
Medical reason(s) for ordering an MRI or CT scan of the internal auditory canal, head, neck, or brain for the primary diagnosis of Bell’s palsy including:
- Patients with a diagnosis of Bell’s palsy more than 3 months prior to the date of the referral or performance of imaging with no signs of recovery.
- Patients with recurrent diagnosis of Bell’s palsy.
- Patients with paralysis limited to a specific branch, or branches, of the facial nerve.
- Patients with paralysis associated with other cranial nerve abnormalities, including olfactory nerve, glossopharyngeal nerve, vagus nerve, and hypoglossal nerve.
- Patients with other diagnosed neurological abnormalities, including simultaneous sudden hearing loss, tinnitus, and/or dizziness; stroke; tumor; seizures; extremity weakness; and/or extremity hypoesthesia.
Numerator:
Patients for whom an MRI or CT scan of the internal auditory canal, head, neck, or brain was ordered for a primary diagnosis of Bell’s palsy.
Numerator Exclusions:
None
Measure Classifications:
- Measure Type: Process
- National Quality Strategy (NQS) domain: Efficiency and Cost Reduction
- Meaningful Measures Area: Appropriate Use of Healthcare
- Care Setting(s): Ambulatory Care: Clinician Office/Clinic
- Includes Telehealth: Yes
- Number of Performance Rates: 1
- Inverse measure: Yes
- Continuous measure: No
- Proportional measure: Yes
- Ratio measure: No
- Risk-adjusted measure: No
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The measure is not a clinical guideline, does not establish a standard of medical care, and has not been tested for all potential applications. The measure and specifications are provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. Neither the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), nor its members shall be responsible for any use of the measure. The AAO-HNSF and its members disclaim all liability for use or accuracy of any Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) or other coding contained in the specifications.
