Trends

EQUIPP® users can filter data date ranges for various reasons based on their goals, patient population, and medication-related quality measure performance they are looking to improve. Patients who have filled an eligible medication with a participating health plan through the selected measurement period will be attributed to your pharmacy’s data. Within EQUIPP, end-users can review their performance on a rolling 6-Month or Year to Date data date range.

Users should view performance according to the measurement periods that align with either the pharmacy or organization’s strategic approach or performance-based programs that the pharmacy or organization may be participating in. Most health plans and performance programs are focused on YTD performance which is the defaulted trend period in EQUIPP.

6-Month Trend

The 6-Month Trend view is a rolling evaluation of quality measure performance with the latest six months of data from the attributed pharmacy. This view provides a consistent window to assess performance and determine how activities or new strategies for improvement are impacting scores. 

6-Month Trend Key Details:

• Provides performance information on quality measures continuously
• Assists with identifying patient engagement opportunities on quality measures
• Some quality improvement programs may expect performance goals for specific time periods within identified 6-Month date ranges
  • Pharmacies should review their health plan contracts for guidance on performance expectations

Year to Date Trend

The “Year-To-Date” (YTD) measurement period assesses performance throughout the calendar year with the beginning of the measurement period starting on January 1st. The first YTD period calculated in EQUIPP occurs in May of each year and represents data from January through March. In June, the YTD period would display data from January to April. This continues throughout the year until February of the following year when the measurement represents a full calendar year.

Year to Date Trend Key Details:

• Includes performance data on quality measures with pharmacy claims beginning Jan. 1 of the current or prior calendar year
• EQUIPP begins hosting Year-to-Date data in the May Refresh once there are 91 days of performance data available, with a reporting period of January – March.
• Health plans have goals for quality measures within the applicable year
• Pharmacies should see patients with an eligible fill and meet the intent of the quality measure from Jan. 1 to the current EQUIPP refresh date

EQUIPP Goals

EQUIPP is a data management tool for reviewing performance on medication-related quality measures, with patient details which directly influence your goals.  Users can select a goal set from the list in the drop-down menu in the upper left corner of the dashboard.

Note: Some Performance Dashboards may default to a goal setting determined by a pharmacy's organization preferences

Performance Dashboard Goals

There are currently 3 measure goal settings available within the EQUIPP Performance Dashboard:

• Full Measure Set 
  • The Full Measure Set goal is the default setting for most Performance Dashboards. This setting will display all available measures. The goals for each measure depend on the measure type. For CMS Star Measures, the goals are aligned with the CMS MAPD 5-star cut point. Other measures are determined through benchmarking data or by health plans for hosted custom health plan measures. 
• Top 20%
  • The Top 20% goal shows the percentage needed to be among the top performers across EQUIPP within a specific measure. This is determined by evaluating the performance score of more than 60,000 pharmacies that have at least ten (10) patients for the quality measure during the applicable measurement period. This value is updated monthly with the latest EQUIPP refresh.
    • NOTE: The Top 20% goal is typically higher than the CMS 5-Star goal and the highest program goal found in the QIP Table. You may notice two different Top 20% goals in the goal set drop down, 6-month and year-to-date (YTD). Top 20% goals differ between 6 month trend and YTD because a different set of data is being used.
• CMS Star Measures 
  • The CMS Star Measures goal set includes only measures included in the CMS Star Ratings. The goals are aligned with the CMS MAPD 5-Star cut point for each applicable measure.  

Quality Improvement Programs (QIP) Table Goals

The goals displayed in the QIP table are established by the health plan with the intent to provide guidance on the measure specific health plan performance expectation. These goals may differ from the goals displayed within the Performance Dashboard, as the QIP data represents program specific information applicable to your pharmacy for the selected measure. This plan-specific information can be used to create an action plan and to prioritize outliers by program. 

Here’s a tip: Focus on programs with the largest patient attribution to maximize your reimbursement opportunity.  

You can sort any column here to direct your efforts. The color-coded icons in the table should be used for performance guidance.

• Green checks next to the program name indicate the goal has been met along with the green thumbs up in the gap column.  
• A red thumbs down means you have not met the program goal, and displays the percentage gap needed to close so you can achieve the program expected goal.  

Each program will display the square and arrow icon which navigates to the patients impacting the specific program in the indicated measure. 

Your Action

• Review your network and pharmacy-level contracts for performance expectations
• Establish a quality champion who will utilize EQUIPP for performance and goal tracking
• Create a plan focusing on your annual performance in specific measures and patient engagement.