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Diameter Health, now Availity, Once Again Earns Certified Data Partner Designation in NCQA Data Aggregator Validation Program

We are proud to announce that Diameter Health, now part of Availity, has once again successfully achieved the Certified Data Partner designation in the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Data Aggregator Validation program. As a team that has spent more than a decade committed to making clinical data actionable, we are thrilled to be part of this initiative to collectively help improve the quality and usability of the critical data assets required to improve health and make our healthcare system more efficient.   

NCQA established the program to ensure that the integrity of data used for reporting on Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) measures is maintained as it travels from various sources such as hospital electronic health records (EHRs) and lab results to end users such as health plans and healthcare providers. To ensure the accuracy and reliability of aggregated clinical data, the program evaluates the quality of clinical data streams and certifies a rigorous set of processes and data standards.  

As a Certified Data Partner through the end of 2023, we are responsible for specific standards as part of our customers’ validation. Our technology automatically produces an NCQA-compliant continuity of care document (CCD), a critical requirement for successful validation. Customers that select Diameter Health, now part of Availity, as their Certified Data Partner meet the requirements for validation while simultaneously delivering their end users a consistent, structured, standards-based data asset that will improve HEDIS compliance.  

Validated digital clinical data streams can be used as standard supplemental data for HEDIS reporting and do not require primary source validation, reducing the audit burden for health plans and others using the data. Quality measurement programs such as HEDIS leverage clinical data from EHRs, healthcare information exchanges (HIEs), and data aggregators to supplement claims data. While clinical data holds tremendous promise to identify gaps in care or demonstrate compliance, poor quality data can limit its value.  

The program has given us the opportunity to share our approach to improving data quality with NCQA and the auditors. Our organization is unique in that we transform data to conform with required code sets and other requirements for interoperability, in a process we call Upcycling Data™. Upcycling is a comprehensive data quality improvement process that normalizes and enriches data while maintaining clinical intent and data provenance. 

“Organizations that participate in NCQA’s Data Aggregator Validation program follow high standards that help ensure clinical data integrity,” said Brad Ryan, M.D., Chief Product Officer at NCQA. “We commend Diameter Health, now part of Availity, on their participation in this program that supports more trusted and valuable data for use by health plans, providers and their partners to improve the quality of care for the people they serve.”  

Our certified technology is designed to reduce the time, risks, and costs associated with the validation process. We partnered with leading HIEs, including KONZA and HealtheConnections, to help them successfully validate data streams. Here’s what they had to say about working with us through this process:  

“Diameter Health, now part of Availity, has been our designated data partner through multiple cohorts. Together, we have validated 98% of our data streams in the latest cohort. Diameter Health, now part of Availity, is the cornerstone of our commitment to the improvement of clinical data quality,” said Laura McCrary, Ed.D., CEO of KONZA.   

Rob Hack, president and CEO of HealtheConnections, added “The NCQA Data Aggregator Validation program gives HealtheConnections a way to ensure that the data we deliver to our participants accurately reflects the quality of care provided in our community. A successful designation only comes from the right combination of people, process, and technology, and Diameter Health, now part of Availity, has been a valued technology partner throughout the years.” 

My team and I are committed to the NCQA DAV program because we have a shared goal to improve the quality of data across the care continuum. Over the years, completing the rigorous 18-week program with the NCQA and our customers on an annual basis has helped enhance our standards and protocols for ingesting, managing, and aggregating clinical data. I’m confident and optimistic that the work we’re doing with our valued partners will lead to a more efficient and effective healthcare delivery system. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how leading HIEs are succeeding with Fusion, our API, cloud-based technology engine for Upcycling Data, contact us.  

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