2026 MIPS Measure #515: Screening for Abnormal Glucose Metabolism in Patients at Risk of Developing Diabetes

Percentage of adult patients with risk factors for type 2 diabetes who are due for glycemic screening for whom the screening process was completed during the measurement period.

This measure is critical to identifying patients with prediabetes who may benefit from interventions to prevent type 2 diabetes and identification of undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximately 97.6 million American adults have prediabetes (CDC, 2024). They note that more than 80% of adults with prediabetes are not aware that they have the condition. Regular screening for prediabetes is a critical first step to helping patients avoid the disability and costs associated with progression to type 2 diabetes.

The measure gives credit for three types of tests that can be used to detect abnormal glucose metabolism: HbA1c, oral glucose tolerance, and fasting plasma glucose. When considering which plasma glucose screening codes to include in the measure, the measure development team carefully considered two potential unintended consequences related to the limited use of accompanying fasting status codes. If the measure specified plasma glucose screening too narrowly, it could incentivize over screening, which would impose added burden on clinicians and increased costs to some patients. Alternatively, if the measure specified plasma glucose screening too broadly, it could give credit for non-fasting plasma glucose tests that are not adequate for diagnostic purposes.