The governance and leadership of the National Quality Forum (NQF) reflects its three-part mission to improve the quality of American healthcare by setting national priorities and goals for quality improvement, endorsing national consensus standards for measuring and publicly reporting on performance, and promoting the attainment of national goals through education and outreach programs.
NQF’s work is overseen by its Board of Directors, whose three major Board Committees guide the organization’s actions on matters related to specific elements of NQF’s mission. In addition, eight NQF Member Councils serve in an advisory capacity to the Board of Directors and its standing committees.
Board of Directors
The NQF Board of Directors oversees the entirety of the organization, with a specific focus on strategic policy issues. The Board also performs important fiduciary duties. The 27-member Board is comprised of key public- and private- sector leaders who represent all major stakeholder groups. Each member of the Board serves a three-year term. Three of the Board’s twenty-seven seats are reserved for the directors of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the National Institutes of Health. Consumers and purchasers hold a simple majority of the at-large seats, and the NQF president serves ex-officio.
Overview and Meetings | Roster
New Board Report on Measure Portfolio - Read Report | Presentation Slides
Board Committees
To guide the work of NQF, much which is done in partnership with other key organizations, the NQF Board of Directors has established four standing committees: the National Priorities Partnership, the Consensus Standards Approval Committee, the Health IT Advisory Committee, and the Leadership Network.
Consensus Standards Approval Committee (CSAC)
The Consensus Standards Approval Committee (CSAC) considers all candidate consensus standards recommended for endorsement by NQF. Members of the Committee possess breadth and depth of expertise in healthcare quality improvement and performance measurement and are drawn from a diverse set of stakeholder perspectives. After their detailed review of a candidate standard, the CSAC submits decisions regarding endorsement to the Board of Directors. The Board can affirm or deny CSAC's decisions.
CSAC Composition and Charge
Health IT Advisory Committee (HITAC)
The Health IT Advisory Committee (HITAC) provides ongoing guidance to NQF’s HIT portfolio and offers specific expertise on HIT projects, including specification of testing requirements for eMeasures and maintenance of the quality data set. HITAC is a standing committee of the Board of Directors and was created in December 2009.
HITAC Composition and Charge
Leadership Network
The Leadership Network provides guidance on NQF’s leadership convening, education, and recognition programs. The Committee is comprised of the elected chairs of the eight NQF Member Councils and up to seven other leaders from the public and private sectors. The Leadership Network meets in person annually and convenes via conference call as needed.
Composition and Charge | Roster | Bios
National Priorities Partnership (NPP)
The National Priorities Partnership (NPP), convened by NQF in 2008, is a collaborative effort of 48 major national organizations that collectively influence every part of the healthcare system. By focusing on high-leverage Priorities and Goals and taking collective action to reach them, the Partners aim to transform healthcare from the inside out—where it has the best chance to succeed.
Member Councils
NQF’s diverse and growing multi-stakeholder membership is organized under eight member councils that serve in an advisory capacity to the Board of Directors and its standing committees.
Member organizations of NQF have the opportunity to take part in a national dialogue about how to measure healthcare quality and publicly report the findings. Members participate in NQF through one of eight Member Councils:
- Consumer Council
- Health Plan Council
- Health Professionals Council
- Provider Organizations Council
- Public/Community Health Agency Council
- Purchasers Council
- Quality Measurement, Research, and Improvement (QMRI) Council
- Supplier and Industry Council
Each of these councils provides unique experiences and views on healthcare quality that are vital to building broad consensus on improving the quality of healthcare in America.
Consumer Council
The Consumer Council is comprised of consumer organizations at the national, state, regional and local levels. These groups provide information, experience and perspectives of those receiving healthcare. As the end users of care, the Consumer Council provides a viewpoint on the true quality of healthcare for the consumer. The Council also provides insight into NQF’s work to develop and disseminate quality information to enhance consumer choice and to foster public understanding and use of this information.
Chair: Tanya Alteras, National Partnership for Women & Families
Vice Chair: Maureen Corry, Childbirth Connection
Health Plan Council
The Health Plan Council is comprised of healthcare plans and organizations involved in the administration of health insurance programs. As the organizations often directly involved in paying for healthcare services, members of the Health Plan Council have an important role in population-based improvement programs as well as incenting provider efforts to improve healthcare performance. These organizations, representing many of the more than 200 million Americans who receive healthcare coverage from health plans, play an important role in discussions of improving healthcare quality, safety, and affordability.
Chair: Thomas James, Humana, Inc.
Vice Chair: Dick Salmon, CIGNA HealthCare
Health Professionals Council
As health professionals such as doctors, nurses, and clinicians are the primary providers of healthcare, the members of the Health Professionals Council play an integral role in improving the quality of our healthcare system. The members of this council provide a unique on-the-ground perspective of performance measurement and public reporting. Members of the Health Professionals Council include associations representing physicians, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists.
Chair: William Rich, American Academy of Ophthalmology
Vice Chair: David Shahian, Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Provider Organizations Council
As organizational providers of healthcare, the members of the Provider Organizations Council hold a key stake in the quality agenda. As the organizations that most often implement endorsed measures, members of this council offer a unique and valuable perspective. Members of the Provider Organizations Council include hospitals, group practices, rehabilitation facilities, ambulatory care centers, long-term care facilities, and pharmacies.
Chair: Carol Mullin, Virtua Health
Vice Chair: Michael Phelan, Cleveland Clinic
Public/Community Health Agency Council
As the main advocates for improving the quality of care in communities, members of the Public/Community Health Agency Council represent quality improvement in healthcare at the population and community level. In considering policies and projects to improve the quality of healthcare, the Public/Community Health Agency Council provides a voice and support for communities to empower themselves as agents of change and improve the quality of healthcare they receive.
This council is comprised of public/private partnerships and public health organizations focused around a variety of areas including eliminating health disparities and addressing equity, chronic disease management, health promotion and disease prevention and patient safety.
Chair: Marcia Wilson, Center for Health Care Quality, The Georgia Washington University
Purchasers Council
In their role as purchasers of healthcare and as employers, private corporations and government agencies have an enormous stake in improving quality, reducing the cost of illness, and enhancing the health and productivity of the workforce. The Purchaser Council provides a venue for public and private purchasers to build demand and capacity for quality improvement.
This Council includes public purchasers, regional purchasing coalitions, corporations, and business groups.
Chair: David Hopkins, Pacific Business Group on Health
Vice Chair: Louise Probst, St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition
Quality Measurement, Research and Improvement Council
Members of the Quality Measurement, Research, and Improvement Council are organizations that conduct research, education, or initiatives to improve healthcare quality, measurement and reporting. The council also includes accrediting bodies, policy and quality centers, and information and data services providers. Members of this council are entrenched in the everyday measurement, evaluation, and research of quality in healthcare. Their expertise in healthcare quality is essential to NQF members as they consider new measures, practices, frameworks, and guidelines for endorsement.
Chair: Barbara Corn, National Association of Health Care Quality
Vice Chair: Hussein Tahan, New York Presbyterian Hospital
Supplier and Industry Council
As organizations that support the healthcare field with device and diagnostic products, medications, tools and other information and resources, members of the Supplier and Industry Council are an integral part of ensuring overall healthcare quality. Members of this council provide a unique perspective of how medical suppliers, through their research, consultation, and products, can contribute to improving quality of care. Supplier and Industry Council members include consultants, manufacturers, service providers and distributors.
Chair: Kathleen Shoemaker, Eli Lilly and Company
Vice Chair: Deborah Fritz, GlaxoSmithKline
