Joint Commission Guide for Data Entry of Chart-Abstracted Measures for Assisted Living Community (ALC)
Applicable calendar years:

- 01-01-23 (1Q2023) through 12-31-23 (4Q2023)

- 01-01-24 (1Q2024) through 12-31-23 (4Q2024); as of March 2024

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Direct Data Submission Platform (DDSP)

The Direct Data Submission Platform (DDSP) is used to submit chart-abstracted performance measurement data for Assisted Living Community (ALC) accreditation purposes.

The key benefits of the DDSP for chart-abstracted measure data entry includes 24/7 access during the submission period, easy to-use data visuals, a cloud-based platform environment, robust security, and transparency. ALC organizations using the Platform can review their calculated results real-time as the aggregate data is being entered and the aggregate data can be updated at any time prior to the submission deadline for the quarter.

Assisted living organizations that did not use the DDSP for submission of chart-abstracted data during the previous year will need to be onboarded. Detailed instructions regarding the onboarding process will be sent in a separate communication.

How to Use the DDSP

The DDSP contains help screens, links, and “how to” videos to assist with answering frequent questions and the ability to ask The Joint Commission questions via the "Need Help?" feature on the Platform.

The Joint Commission conducts DDSP "Office Hours". Content includes tips for successful use of the DDSP and frequently asked questions. During the webinars, Joint Commission staff responsible for the DDSP are available to answer questions asked by the participants.

Chart-Abstraction Measure Selections

All measure selections are managed within the DDSP. See the Measurement section of the external Joint Commission website for more information on chart-abstracted measure reporting requirements for the Assisted Living Communities (ALC) program                                                                                                                                             

Aggregate Data Entry

Assisted living organizations aggregate and report monthly data points on chart-abstracted measures on a quarterly basis using the DDSP. No resident level data is submitted.

The DDSP will validate the entered aggregate data by performing consistency and edit checks to assure the integrity of the submitted aggregate data. Errors will be displayed on the screen when issues exist.

Data Entry Open and Close

DDSP users will be able to enter a month's aggregate data for chart-abstracted measures as soon as that month has completed. For example. September data can be entered starting on October 1st.

The DDSP does not allow for retransmission of data. All chart-abstracted data for a specific calendar quarter needs to be submitted for that calendar quarter by the submission deadline. The submission deadlines are available within the platform as well as posted in the timeline document with the ALC FAQs.

Quality Measure Specifications

This Guide is not intended to repeat information that is contained within the Joint Commission’s Specification Manual for Joint Commission Assisted Living Community Quality Measures. Refer to the Specification Manuals for, among other items, information concerning the measure information forms, measure algorithms, and data elements.

It is of primary importance that all assisted living organizations use the appropriate version of the Specification Manual for the submission period. This will ensure that the data are standardized and comparable across assisted living organizations.

This Guide will typically be updated in conjunction with the ORYX Performance Measurement reporting period and after the 1Q/2Q and 3Q/4Q releases of the Joint Commission’s Specification Manual for Joint Commission Assisted Living Community Quality Measures for the given year.

Continue to the next section: Section 2: Aggregate Data Dictionary

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