Exact Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ:EXAS) has recently revealed the inclusion of Cologuard in the 2017 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) quality measures for colorectal cancer screening.

HEDIS Inclusion

“Cologuard’s inclusion in the preeminent quality measures and its standing as an A-graded service in a leading screening guideline are critical steps toward becoming a standard of care for colon cancer screening,” noted Kevin Conroy, Exact Sciences Chairman and CEO.

Cologuard being included in HEDIS quality measures with a three-year interval will provide health plan consumers and healthcare providers alike a quality credit during audits. The 2016 HEDIS audit will include Cologuard evaluations that had been completed since the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted exact Sciences a commercial approval for Cologuard in 2014.

Anas Daghestani, M.D., Austin Regional Clinic (ARC) CEO and Medical Director for Population Health and Clinical Quality, believes that adopting the likes of Cologuard will enable healthcare providers to lift colorectal cancer screening rates easily without exploiting massive resources.

HEDIS Quality Measures

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has published the new HEDIS quality measures recently. As of this writing, over 90% of health plans in the US are based on the HEDIS quality measures. By carefully evaluating the health plan performance based on significant factors, they facilitate evidence-based healthcare provision to ensure high-quality, efficient services for patients.

Colorectal cancer screening compliance is among the many factors evaluated in the process. Cologuard, presently, has a 70% colorectal cancer screening compliance rate.

The NCQA has recently unveiled the 2016 Health Insurance Plan Ratings, which gives consumers a glimpse at the performance of health plans in major areas such as prevention, satisfaction, and treatment. For this year, over 1,000 health plans in the US have been compared and assessed.

The 2016 Health Insurance Plan Ratings will be published by WebMD on its website as part of a new deal with the NCQA.

On the other hand, Exact Sciences will publish its third quarter results on October 26. It will be followed by a conference call on the same day. The stock has closed at $18.85 on Monday, jumping 1.51% from $18.32.