What GSD is
GSD stands for Glycemic Status Assessment for Patients with Diabetes. It is the HEDIS measure, maintained by NCQA, that reports the glycemic control of members 18 to 75 with diabetes based on their most recent glycemic status during the measurement year. GSD replaced the older Comprehensive Diabetes Care HbA1c indicators.
Glycemic status is read from the most recent hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) lab result, or from a glucose management indicator (GMI) derived from continuous glucose monitoring. Allowing the GMI reflects how diabetes is increasingly managed with continuous monitors rather than periodic lab draws alone.
Why GSD matters
GSD is a clinical quality measure in Medicare Star Ratings, so its rate contributes to the quality bonus payments CMS pays Medicare Advantage plans. Diabetes is one of the most prevalent and costly chronic conditions in the Medicare population, so glycemic control is a marquee measure of how well a plan manages chronic disease.
GSD has two indicators that move in opposite directions. Glycemic Status under 8.0% reflects good control, where higher is better, and Glycemic Status over 9.0% reflects poor control, where lower is better. Teams have to read which indicator they are working before they act.
How GSD is scored
The denominator is members 18 to 75 with a diagnosis of diabetes. The score is based on the most recent HbA1c result, or glucose management indicator, during the measurement year. A member with no glycemic test on record is counted as poorly controlled, which makes simply getting a current result the first lever.
Because only the most recent value counts, a controlled result later in the year overwrites an earlier high one. Continuous glucose monitor data, expressed as a GMI, is accepted alongside laboratory HbA1c.
Exclusions include end-stage renal disease or dialysis, hospice enrollment or services, and, for members 66 and older, frailty with advanced illness.
Common mistakes teams make with GSD
- Leaving members untested. A member with no HbA1c on record is scored as poorly controlled. Getting any current result is often the highest-yield action before any clinical change.
- Confusing the two indicators. Under-8% rewards higher rates and over-9% rewards lower rates. Working them as if they were one measure leads to misdirected effort.
- Acting only on the earliest reading. Only the most recent result counts, so a controlled retest late in the year can move a member out of the poor-control group.
- Overlooking continuous monitor data. A glucose management indicator from a CGM is accepted, so members managed on monitors should not be treated as untested.
How Pelica handles GSD
Pelica's Quality and Stars Copilot tracks GSD on one canonical record, flags members with no current glycemic result and those whose most recent value still falls in the poor-control range, and reads both indicators correctly so outreach targets the members who can still move before the year closes. Across Pelica deployments, gap closure improves by 41%.
Related terms
GSD sits inside the HEDIS and Stars diabetes framework. See KED for the diabetic kidney measure, EED for the diabetic eye exam, and cut points for how a control rate becomes a star.