High Priority Status: Yes / Care Coordination
NQF Number: N/A
Measure Description:
Percentage of patients aged 60 years and older who failed a hearing screening and/or who report suspected hearing loss who received, were ordered, or were referred for comprehensive audiometric evaluation within 4 weeks of the office visit.
Instructions:
This measure is to be submitted a minimum of once per performance period for patients seen for suspected/unspecified hearing loss during the performance period. This measure may be submitted by clinicians based on the services provided and the measure-specific denominator coding.
Denominator:
All patients aged 60 years and older who failed a hearing screening and/or who report suspected hearing loss.
Denominator Note:
To meet the denominator criteria, a patient must present with first time hearing difficulties, or hearing difficulties are suspected. Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of hearing loss are excluded from this measure.
Denominator Exclusions:
None
Numerator:
Patients who received, were ordered, or were referred for comprehensive audiometric evaluation* within 4 weeks of the office visit
*Comprehensive audiometric evaluation: The hearing evaluation should include a physical examination of the patient’s ears and an evaluation of the patient’s hearing acuity using an audiometer in a sound booth. The hearing evaluation may include the use of pure tone audiometry, bone conduction hearing testing, Hearing in Noise Test, speech tests, acoustic reflex text, auditory brainstem response testing (e.g. when patient is not able to complete behavioral audiometry) or other appropriate hearing evaluation tests
Numerator Note:
To meet the intent of the measure, the numerator quality action must be performed during or within 4 weeks of the encounter in which suspected hearing loss is documented.
Denominator Exceptions:
Medical reason(s) for not evaluating for hearing loss include patients who had an audiogram within last year; patients with an active diagnosis of deafness, hearing impairment, head or ear trauma, history of other hearing impairment. Patient refusal.
Measure Classifications:
- Submission Pathway: Traditional MIPS
- Measure Type: Process
- National Quality Strategy (NQS) domain: Communication and Care Coordination
- Meaningful Measures Area: Preventive Care
- Care Setting(s): Ambulatory Care: Clinician Office/Clinic
- Includes Telehealth: Yes
- Number of Performance Rates: 1
- Inverse measure: No
- 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.
