NextGen HQM: How it Can Elevate Your Clinical Practice

Practice leaders face often competing for demands from administrators and patients. Clinical outcomes are essential to the wellbeing of those who rely on superior healthcare; at the same time, bureaucratic efficiencies are fundamental to a sustainable, thriving institution.

More and more doctors are turning to technological solutions to achieve that mix of superior health care and sound financial management. One of these solutions is NextGen Health Quality Measures (HQM), a suite of reports that lets practice leaders analyze objective clinical quality measures for meeting various quality initiatives. Some of the quality programs NextGen HQM supports are: QPP, MIPS, ACO, Medicaid Promoting Interoperability, eCQM, CPC+, and Medicaid PI.

Getting the most out of NextGen HQM is not as simple as connecting to the program. Working with a TempDev consultant allows industry professionals to maximize their return from the solution, by using it to optimum efficiency. If you find yourself struggling with how to configure and utilize NextGen HQM, consider reaching out TempDev consultants so you don't miss out on precious quality measure money.

What is NextGen HQM?

NextGen HQM is a reporting tool for clinical data. It is a repository for all patient information. Its reporting features allow practice leaders to measure outcomes against goals. In that way, the solution is invaluable for institutions that use result metrics to qualify for various quality programs. It is also helpful to gauge the efficacy of individual practitioners and organization-wide initiatives.

The solution is offered by NextGen Healthcare, a California-based company that focuses exclusively on the support of ambulatory practices. The company has a number of solutions designed to optimize electronic health records (EHR) usage.

Components of NextGen HQM

The solution gives administrators the opportunity to run in-depth reports about recent metrics. Those metrics work on the basis of patient data recently put into the system, as well as planning and goal data set by administrators. From the home page of the program, users can generate a number of different reports including:

• Individual practices report

• Practice summary report

• Summary report

• Measure goal report

• Provider dashboard report

• Trending summary report

• Measure summary report

• Provider patient report

Using these options, practice leaders can gain a snapshot into organization performance, down to the provider level. Each of these categories expands into almost unlimited customized reports according to the data created by the user. It is therefore possible to run a report of how recent activity has performed according to a previously integrated goal standard.

For example, the measure goal report offers a scorecard for those who provide patient care. That way, administrators have hard numbers to which they can refer when they need to evaluate an individual's place in an organization, either during routine performance reviews or in response to a complaint or crisis. It also allows for attestation for quality programs.

The provider patient report is important when it is necessary to go back to the care offered to a specific individual. This report gives doctors the chance to learn from the daily work that occurs in medical settings, in order to improve the health outcomes of patients.

In more general terms, NextGen HQM gives practice leaders the ability to have a look at what doctors have done in their practice. They can then measure those activities against the goals set by the organization. Detailed summary pages list out where opportunities exist for more advanced patient care, further testing, or options for procedures that elevate patient health and help the bottom line of the organization.

For practice leaders who need objective data to evaluate individual physician performance and to set goals and targets for organizations, NextGen HQM is an invaluable tool. It is an efficient way to demonstrate to stakeholders that the organization is meeting its targets, or as a way to show where improvement is necessary.

Using NextGen HQM

Despite its ability to provide next-level metrics, NextGen HQM has a user-friendly interface. The home pages provide easy navigation from one report to another. Each user can keep a record of their past search history, to make it simple to rerun important reports or to find necessary data that is needed for additional analysis. NextGen HQM is also now integrated within the NextGen EHR in the latest versions so doctors and administrators can see their scores and feedback without ever having to leave NextGen EHR.

The aesthetic aspects of the software make it easy for time-strapped users to scan for important data. They can quickly run reports and see at a glance when metrics are met or missed; in other words, it's quick and easy to hone in on those potential problem spots where a practice, doctor, or other team member has failed to meet the goal set. Then leaders can quickly zero in on the details, to see if the missed opportunity was a mere anomaly, or whether it was the failure on the part of the practitioner or perhaps ill-conceived targets that need re-evaluation.

With proper training, NextGen HQM provides optimal access to practitioner and practice information while safeguarding patient privacy. It gives healthcare leaders the tools they need to stay on solid financial footing while meeting their ethical obligations to prioritize the wellbeing of patients.

Benefits and Drawbacks

NextGen HQM is an important tool. But it must be used with care by those who understand the limitations of its data. For example, some reporting functions are often run on delayed data, or summarized data, in order to remove potential outliers that can skew results. To find the right balance of data and the appropriate timeline for inclusion, practices that utilize NextGen HQM should do so with a qualified consultant that is a trusted partner of NextGen.

Working With TempDev Consultants

To get the most out of NextGen HQM, trust the advice and assistance of TempDev Consultants. We are NextGen Preferred Partners and are dedicated to optimizing the accurate and optimal use of their software