NQF Endorses Measures for End Stage Renal Disease 

The National Quality Forum (NQF) Board of Directors has recently endorsed 10 measures focused on improving quality of care delivered to End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients, particularly pediatric patients. The measures, intended to supplement NQF-endorsed measures related to dialysis care, are critical to measuring ESRD care quality, where survival is dependent on dialysis treatments or renal transplant.

Endorsed Measures 

Dialysis Adequacy
1418: Adequacy measurement for pediatric hemodialysis patients
1421: Method of adequacy measurement for pediatric hemodialysis patients
1423: Minimum spKt/V for pediatric hemodialysis patients

Nutrition
1425: Measurement of nPCR for pediatric hemodialysis patients (Time-limited)

Anemia
1433: Use of iron therapy for pediatric patients (Time-limited)
1424: Monthly hemoglobin measurement for pediatric patients

Fluid Management
1438: Periodic assessment of post-dialysis weight by nephrologists (Time-limited)

Mineral Metabolism
1454: Proportion of patients with hypercalcemia

Hospitalization
1463: Standardized hospitalization ratio for admissions

Infection
1460: National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) bloodstream infection measure

NQF is a voluntary consensus standards-setting organization. Any party may request reconsideration of the 10 endorsed recommendations, in whole or in part, by notifying NQF in writing no later than September 14. (To access the appeals form, go to the End State Renal Disease page. Then go to the section on appeals and click on the link to the standards directory). For an appeal to be considered, the notification must include information clearly demonstrating that the appellant has interests that are directly and materially affected by the NQF-endorsed recommendations and that the NQF decision has had (or will have) an adverse effect on those interests.

The National Quality Forum operates under a three-part mission to improve the quality of American healthcare by: 

• Building consensus on national priorities and goals for performance improvement and working in partnership to achieve them; 
• Endorsing national consensus standards for measuring and publicly reporting on performance; and 
• Promoting the attainment of national goals through education and outreach programs.