Current Release Notes

This October release implements the new FY26 CMS defined focused populations.

Notes:

• The "CMS Readmissions and Mortality Population (Current)" prompt folder now includes the new FY2026 CMS defined focused populations
• The previous populations from the Current prompt folder are now shifted to the Historical prompt folder*
• The populations that were previously in the Historical prompt folder are now removed**

*As per usual, if no changes are made to a specific population between CMS fiscal years, then the existing version of the population is considered "current" and will be retained in the current folder. If a focused population has no changes between the FY25 and FY26 version, a tag is added to the name of the current population to indicate which FY is valid (e.g., Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - CMS Readmission and Mortality (FY23-FY26)).

**In cases where no changes are made to a specific population, resulting in the population remaining in the Current folder, the existing Historic version for the population is not retired and remains in the Historic folder.

Important Note:

• Remember to update your Saved Analyses, Saved Selections and/or Favorites. These options are not updated with the new CMS defined focused population definitions and will continue to use selections from what may now be the Historical CMS defined focused populations, or populations no longer available in QualityAdvisor. If your prompt selections include a historical version of the CMS defined focused populations that have since been removed/retired from QualityAdvisor, your analysis results will only include data for those focused populations still available within QualityAdvisor

Summary of Updates

• Acute Myocardial Infarction - CMS Readmission and Mortality — One code added to population inclusions

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - CMS Readmission and Mortality — No changes

• Coronary Artery Bypass Graft - CMS Readmission and Mortality — Five codes added to population exclusions

• Heart Failure - CMS Readmission and Mortality — Four codes added to population exclusions

• Pneumonia - CMS Readmission and Mortality — Three codes added to population inclusions

• Stroke - CMS Mortality — No changes

• Total Hip Arthroplasty and /or Total Knee Arthroplasty - CMS Readmission and Mortality — 36 codes added to population exclusions

CMS Readmission and Mortality Populations (Current):

• Acute Myocardial Infarction - CMS Readmission and Mortality (FY26)
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - CMS Readmission and Mortality (FY23 — FY26)
• Coronary Artery Bypass Graft - CMS Readmission and Mortality (FY26)
• Heart Failure - CMS Readmission and Mortality (FY26)
• Pneumonia - CMS Readmission and Mortality (FY26)
• Stroke - CMS Mortality (FY23 — FY26)
• Total Hip Arthroplasty and/or Total Knee Arthroplasty - CMS Readmission and Mortality (FY26)

CMS Readmission and Mortality Populations (Historical)

• Acute Myocardial Infarction - CMS Readmission and Mortality (FY23—FY25)
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - CMS Readmission and Mortality (FY20—FY22)
• Coronary Artery Bypass Graft - CMS Readmission and Mortality (FY24—FY25)
• Heart Failure - CMS Readmission and Mortality (FY24—FY25)
• Pneumonia - CMS Readmission and Mortality (FY24—FY25)
• Stroke - CMS Mortality (FY21—FY22)
• Total Hip Arthroplasty and/or Total Knee Arthroplasty - CMS Readmission and Mortality (FY25)

 

The FY2026 ICD-10 Code Table Appendix is now available on the ICD-10 Focused Population (Current) page.

 

Each year, Premier reviews current clinical populations that are available within our tools and revises or adds new ones based on updated coding and programmatic changes.

The following updates are included with this release:

• Spine Surgery - Back and Neck — Six New codes added (effective 10/1/2025) and One existing code (00PU00Z) is also added (effective 10/1/2015). Note: Because an existing code is being added to the population, patients from 10/1/2020 forward are regrouped to capture patients that were not previously added to the population

• Spinal Fusion Dorsal Lumbar Spine — 13 New codes added

• Vascular Surgery — Five New codes added

 

In 2020, Inpatient and Outpatient Coronavirus Focused Populations were added to QualityAdvisor. Subsequent Focused Populations were created for COVID-19 (both IP and OP) and the effective date for the original Coronavirus populations ended 3/31/2020. The COVID-19 populations continue to be effective for discharges 4/1/2020 and forward.

Since data through 9/30/2020 was archived from QualityAdvisor with the recent July 2025 release, the Focused Population attributes for IP and OP Coronavirus are now removed:

Additionally with the recent archiving of 2020 data, the COVID-19 Timeframe attribute is also removed. When this attribute was selected, the report results sorted data into pre and post April 2020 columns:

• Pre April 2020 - inclusive of data from 10/1/2019 - 3/31/2020

• Post April 2020 - inclusive of data from 4/1/2020 and forward

With 2020 data being archived through 9/30, this separation of data on reports is no longer valid. Therefore the COVID-19 Timeframe attribute is removed from the Row Header prompt, the Column Groupings prompt, and from patient drill options.

Row Header Sample: