Chart-abstracted measures require manual chart review by abstraction staff. The data is manually extracted from the medical record and calculated for reporting. For eCQMs, data must be codified and/or captured as structured data and entered in the electronic health record by the clinician. The data is then available for electronic extraction forcalculation and reporting.
At a more granular level, chart abstracted CQMs utilize a human-readable narrative definition for how to collect the data. Chart-abstracted CQMs allows data collection from any documentation in the medical record. Inconsistent provider documentation can be mediated by abstraction staff trained to interpret clinical process of care from patient records. The data does not require codification of data elements to be captured at the point of care.
eCQMs utilize eMeasure specifications and value sets. For CMS programs, EHR certification requirements demand specific data coding in software. Only structured and encoded documentation is acceptable. Data is typically extracted from a single field. When conflicting data exists, typically only one value is accepted. There is no opportunity for mediation.