Washington, DC—The National Quality Forum (NQF) is launching a new initiative to promote high-quality care for patients with advanced illness. The initiative is a major area of focus for National Quality Partners (NQP), which galvanizes NQF’s more than 430 organizational members to take action on significant healthcare issues.
Nine million Americans will be over 85 years old by 2030, and many will suffer from substantial disability and chronic conditions. At the same time, younger people with complex conditions may also require specialized care. Advanced illness care ensures that these individuals receive coordinated care that honors their personal preferences, goals, and values.
“Existing models of care, including advanced illness management programs, palliative care, and hospice services, must be more widely adopted to change the way people living with advanced illness are treated,” said Christine K. Cassel, MD, president and CEO of NQF.
NQF’s initiative will focus on the major barriers and corresponding solutions to accelerating the delivery of high-quality care for people with complex illnesses. Working in concert with experts and leaders in the field, including the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC), the initiative will contribute to the development of promising and successful models of care that empower patients and their families.
“To establish a comprehensive, person-centered standard of care for patients with advanced illness, we need meaningful metrics that reflect the person’s goals, values, and preferences, and tools to assess the quality of care they receive,” said David Longnecker, MD, chief clinical innovations officer at C-TAC and co-chair of NQP’s advanced illness care action team.
“The healthcare community must put patients first and integrate their personal experiences, goals, and objectives into treatment plans,” said Susan Frampton, PhD, president of Planetree, who also co-chairs NQP’s advanced illness care action team.
NQF is also working with the American Case Management Association, Anthem, Carolinas HealthCare System, Community Health Accreditation Partner, Compassus, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Patient & Family Centered Care Partners on this initiative.
NQP is planning a series of in-person and virtual meetings to bring the advanced illness care community together, including a TweetChat on October 29, 12:00 pm-1:00 pm ET, to discuss how to improve advanced illness care for patients, families, and providers. Follow @NatQualityForum and use the hashtag #advancedcare to participate.
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The National Quality Forum leads national collaboration to improve health and healthcare quality through measurement. Learn more at www.qualityforum.org.
