Measure Description
The percentage of adolescents 12 to 20 years of age with a primary care visit during the measurement year for whom tobacco use status was documented and received help with quitting if identified as a tobacco user
Instructions
This measure is to be submitted once per performance period for patients seen during the performance period. This measure is intended to reflect the quality of services provided for preventive screening for tobacco use. This measure may be submitted by Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligible clinicians who perform the quality actions described in the measure based on the services provided and the measure-specific denominator coding.
NOTE: Patient encounters for this measure conducted via telehealth (e.g., encounters coded with GQ, GT, 95, or POS 02 modifiers) are allowable.
Measure Submission Type:
Measure data may be submitted by individual MIPS eligible clinicians, groups, or third party intermediaries. The listed denominator criteria are used to identify the intended patient population. The numerator options included in this specification are used to submit the quality actions as allowed by the measure. The quality data codes listed do not need to be submitted by MIPS eligible clinicians, groups, or third party intermediaries that utilize this modality for submissions; however, these codes may be submitted for those third party intermediaries that utilize Medicare Part B claims data. For more information regarding Application Programming Interface (API), please refer to the Quality Payment Program (QPP) website
Denominator
All patients aged 12-20 years with a visit during the measurement period
Denominator Criteria (Eligible Cases):
Patients aged 12-20 years on date of encounter
AND
Patient encounter during the performance period (CPT or HCPCS): 90791, 90792, 90832, 90834, 90837, 90839, 90845, 92002, 92004, 92012, 92014, 96156, 96158, 97165, 97166, 97167, 97168, 99202, 99203, 99204, 99205, 99212, 99213, 99214, 99215, 99406, 99407, G0438, G0439
Numerator
Patients who were screened for tobacco use at least once within 18 months (during the measurement period or the six months prior to the measurement period) AND who received tobacco cessation counseling intervention if identified as a tobacco user
Definitions:
Tobacco Use Status – Any documentation of smoking or “tobacco use status”, including ‘never’ or ‘non-use’.
Tobacco User – Any documentation of active or current use of tobacco products, including smoking.
NUMERATOR NOTE: In the event that a patient is screened for tobacco use and identified as a user but did not receive tobacco cessation counseling, submit G9460.
Numerator Options:
Performance Met: Patient documented as tobacco user AND received tobacco cessation intervention (must include at least one of the following: advice given to quit smoking or tobacco use, counseling on the benefits of quitting smoking or tobacco use, assistance with or referral to external smoking or tobacco cessation support programs, or current enrollment in smoking or tobacco use cessation program) if identified as a tobacco user (G9458)
OR
Performance Met: Currently a tobacco non-user (G9459)
OR
Performance Not Met: Tobacco assessment OR tobacco cessation intervention not performed, reason not given (G9460)
Rationale
This measure is intended to promote adolescent tobacco screening and tobacco cessation interventions for those who use tobacco products. There is good evidence that tobacco screening and brief cessation intervention (including counseling and/or pharmacotherapy) is successful in helping tobacco users quit. Tobacco users who are able to stop smoking lower their risk for heart disease, lung disease, and stroke.
Clinical Recommendation Statements
The following evidence statements are quoted verbatim from the referenced clinical guidelines:
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that primary care clinicians provide interventions, including education or brief counseling, to prevent initiation of tobacco use in school-aged children and adolescents. (Strength of Recommendation = B) (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2013)
All patients should be asked if they use tobacco and should have their tobacco use status documented on a regular basis. Evidence has shown that clinic screening systems, such as expanding the vital signs to include tobacco use status or the use of other reminder systems such as chart stickers or computer prompts, significantly increase rates of clinician intervention. (Strength of Evidence = A) (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service, 2008)
All physicians should strongly advise every patient who smokes to quit because evidence shows that physician advice to quit smoking increases abstinence rates. (Strength of Evidence = A) (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service, 2008)
Minimal interventions lasting less than 3 minutes increase overall tobacco abstinence rates. Every tobacco user should be offered at least a minimal intervention, whether or not he or she is referred to an intensive intervention. (Strength of Evidence = A) (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service, 2008)
The combination of counseling and medication is more effective for smoking cessation than either medication or counseling alone. Therefore, whenever feasible and appropriate, both counseling and medication should be provided to patients trying to quit smoking. (Strength of Evidence = A) (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service, 2008)