The procedure for creating an NMD data file varies according to the software you use. In general, you specify beginning and ending dates for the period for which you would like to submit data. The software generates an NMD data file with data from all mammography exams within that period that qualify for inclusion in the NMD (please refer to the NMD Version 2.x and Version 3.x file format attachments in NMD Data Submission Overview for data file requirements).
When generating your NMD file, it's important to use a timeframe that includes updated records. If you suspect that there have been updates to exams from prior quarters, you should use a timeframe that includes those exam dates. It does not duplicate any records when you resubmit; they will simply overwrite existing records in NMD with the same values as they had before. Since performance measures are recalculated every quarter, any updates from previous quarters will be included in calculations for the corresponding year. For this reason, we recommend that you upload the last six months of your data routinely, to make sure you've captured all the updates to follow-up data.
Uploading the File
Follow the steps described in Data File Uploads to upload the file, check the status of the file, and view rejected records. You should also review the more detailed NMD Data Quality Report generated for each data upload. This report provides detailed counts of data for each variable, including errors and missing data.
NMD-Certified Software Partners
For a list of vendors that provide NMD-certified software, refer to the National Mammography Database page on ACR's website.
For more detailed information on creating an NMD data file, contact your software vendor.
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