The numerator statement describes the process, condition, event, or outcome that satisfies the measure’s focus or intent. The numerator statement includes parameters such as the

• Event or events that will satisfy the numerator inclusion criteria
• Performance period or time interval in which the numerator event must occur, if it is different from that used for identifying the denominator

Format: Patients who received/had [measure focus] {during [time frame] if different than for target/initial population}

Examples 

• Patients with documented spirometry results in the medical record (FEV1 and FEV1/FVC) (CMIT Family ID 00131) (CMS CBE# 0091)
• Patients with a suicide risk assessment completed during the visit in which a new diagnosis or recurrent episode was identified (CMIT Member ID 30) (CMS CBE #0104e)

Numerator Exclusion 

The measure developer should use numerator exclusions only in ratio and proportion measures to define elements excluded from the numerator data. 

Example

• If the number of central line bloodstream infections per 1,000 catheter days were to exclude infections with a specific bacterium, the measure developer would list that bacterium as a numerator exclusion.