06/15/2026    Lawrence Rubin, DPM

Diabetic Foot Exam as a HEDIS Measure? (Tom Hardiman, DPM)

Dr. Hardiman, thanks for bringing up this
incredibly important topic. Your sensed
frustration is completely understandable, given
how crucial the diabetic foot exam is for
preventing severe lower extremity complications.

I actually have some direct updates on this.
Through regular communications via the Lower
Extremity Amputation Prevention (LEAP) Alliance, I
have been in personal contact with current NCQA
administrators. They shared the exact present
published status of where things stand regarding
the integration of the diabetic foot exam. To the
best of my knowledge Here is the substance of the
HEDIS status information points as they have been
published to date by NCQA:

Current Baseline Status: The Foot Examination has
officially been added to the updated NCQA Diabetes
Recognition Program (DRP) measure set. This
program recognizes individual clinicians who
utilize evidence-based standards to provide high-
quality care.

The Digital Transition (ECDS): NCQA is actively
shifting its entire ecosystem toward Electronic
Clinical Data Systems (ECDS) and Fast Healthcare
Interoperability Resources (FHIR) data standards
to pull clinical info directly from EHRs. The Foot
Examination measure is explicitly part of this
digital pipeline.

The HEDIS Evolution Pathway: The data
infrastructure built for the DRP digital measures
serves as the foundational validation step. NCQA
administrators explained that establishing the
data tracking capabilities within digital systems
is the required stepping stone before a measure
can expand into a full health-plan level HEDIS
measure.

While it has taken far too long to get past the
bureaucratic bottlenecks of claims-based data, the
modern digital infrastructure is finally forcing
these preventative protocols into the official
quality ecosystem. I'd be happy to dive deeper
with you into the specific data standards the LEAP
Alliance has recommended to NCQA in 2025 and are
still under NCQA consideration.

Lawrence Rubin, DPM, Las Vegas, NV

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