Care Management
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Is Supplemental Data?
Why Supplemental Data Matters for Stars and Quality
Closing Gaps with Confidence
Strategic Advantages of Using Supplemental Data
Final Thoughts
Knowledge hub
Last updated: Aug 19, 2025
Using Supplemental Data Effectively for Stars and Quality Optimization
The landscape of healthcare constantly evolves, and data is the compass that guides health plans toward better outcomes, higher Stars ratings, and improved member satisfaction. Among the many types of data available, supplemental data stands out as a powerful asset for closing care gaps and optimizing quality performance.
What Is Supplemental Data?
Supplemental data refers to clinical information that goes beyond traditional claims and encounter data. This can include:
Lab results
Medical record gap closure feeds
Health assessments
Patient-reported outcomes
Data from electronic health records (EHRs)
Unlike claims data, which only reflects billed services, supplemental data provides a more complete view of a member’s health journey. It captures services that may occur outside of the network or aren’t submitted through standard billing processes like a flu shot at a community clinic or a mammogram at a mobile screening unit.
Why Supplemental Data Matters for Stars and Quality
Medicare Advantage plans are measured by their Stars ratings, which impact everything from member enrollment to bonus payments. These ratings are based on performance across multiple domains, including clinical quality outcomes, member experience, and access to care. To achieve high scores, plans must demonstrate that they’re closing gaps in care and delivering consistent, high-quality services.
Here’s how supplemental data helps:
Fills in the blanks: It captures care that claims data misses, ensuring that services like screenings, immunizations, lab results, and chronic condition management are accurately reflected
Improves measure accuracy: With more complete data, plans can better report on HEDIS® measures and other quality benchmarks
Boosts financial performance: Higher Stars ratings lead to increased reimbursement and bonus payments, making supplemental data a strategic investment
Enhances member experience: By identifying and addressing gaps proactively, plans can deliver more personalized and timely care
Closing Gaps with Confidence
UST HealthProof’s Quality Improvement and Stars solutions are designed to help health plans harness the full power of supplemental data. Our NCQA-certified Quality360™ HEDIS® engine integrates multiple data sources to:
Identify gaps in real time
Retrieve and abstract records efficiently
Analyze results with precision
Drive targeted interventions at the point of care
Our end-to-end approach allows health plans to move from reactive to proactive and close gaps before they become missed opportunities. Whether it’s identifying members overdue for colorectal cancer screening or flagging those with uncontrolled diabetes, supplemental data enables plans to act swiftly and strategically.
Strategic Advantages of Using Supplemental Data
Beyond gap closure, supplemental data supports broader quality improvement initiatives:
Smarter forecasting: With robust reporting and predictive analytics, plans can model future performance and adjust strategies accordingly
Tailored interventions: Data-driven insights allow for customized outreach, such as sending reminders or scheduling follow-ups
Continuous performance monitoring: Dashboards and analytics tools help track progress and refine tactics in real time
Final Thoughts
In such a competitive environment, relying solely on claims data is like trying to complete a puzzle with missing pieces. Supplemental data fills in those gaps, offering a richer, more accurate picture of member care. Let’s tell the full story, improve outcomes, and elevate the member experience.
If your plan is ready to take Stars and Quality optimization to the next level, it’s time to embrace supplemental data. When it comes to healthcare performance, more data means better care for everyone.
