UDS Reporting
What Counts as a Qualifying Encounter for UDS Clinical Measures?
How encounter capture drives clinical measure populations, and where health centers commonly lose or over-count visits.
By Jessica R. Smith, BSN · Updated · 7 min read
Encounter capture is the upstream control
Clinical measure populations are built from encounters. When visit types, providers, or service locations are mapped inconsistently, the effect shows up as denominators that move without a clinical explanation.
Content in review
The qualifying encounter criteria for UDS clinical measures are awaiting verification against the current UDS manual and will be published with a citation.
Mapping questions worth asking your EHR team
- Which visit types are mapped as qualifying, and who approved that mapping
- How telehealth and nurse-only visits are treated
- Whether any location or provider type is silently excluded
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Watch measure populations across periods to catch a mapping change the month it happens.
See UDS measure tracking