The Opportunity
This project seeks to identify and endorse measures for public reporting and quality improvement that specifically address cardiovascular conditions including hypertension, coronary artery disease, acute myocardial infarction, PCI, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, or any other heart disease and any treatments, diagnostic studies, interventions, or procedures associated with these conditions.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. It accounts for approximately $312.6 billion in health care expenditures annually. Coronary heart disease (CHD), the most common type, accounts for 1 of every 6 deaths in the United States.1 Hypertension—a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease—affects 1 in 3 Americans, with an estimated annual cost of $156 billion in medical costs, lost productivity, and premature deaths.2
A total of 78 cardiovascular measures--including 16 outcome measures, 54 process measures, 4 efficiency measures, and 4 composite measures—have been endorsed by NQF, making this group of measures one of the largest in NQF's measure portfolio. Of these 78 measures, 24 currently are due for maintenance review. Because many cardiovascular measures are in use, harmonization of measures will be a critical aspect of the upcoming evaluation, particularly for similar measures at different levels of analysis or similar measures specified for different settings of care.
Objectives
A multi-stakeholder Standing Committee will be established to evaluate newly submitted measures and measures undergoing maintenance review and make recommendations for which measures should be endorsed as national consensus standards. This Committee will work to identify and endorse new performance measures for accountability and quality improvement that specifically address the area of cardiovascular care. Measures concerning outcomes, treatments, diagnostic studies, interventions, or procedures associated with cardiovascular conditions will be considered except cardiovascular surgery measures, which are considered under the “surgery” topic area at any level analysis or setting of care, or cerebrovascular measures, which are considered under the "neurology" topic area.
NQF Process
Measures will be considered for NQF endorsement as national voluntary consensus standards. Consensus on the recommendations developed through NQF’s formal Consensus Development Process (CDP, Version 1.9). This project involves the active participation of representatives from across the spectrum of healthcare stakeholders and will be guided by a Standing Committee.
Related NQF Projects
Cardiovascular Endorsement Maintenance 2010
Funding
This project is supported under a contract provided by the Department of Health and Human Services.
For information about the availability of auxiliary aids and services for NQF’s federally funded projects, please visit: http://www.medicare.gov/about-us/nondiscrimination/nondiscrimination-notice.html.
Contact Information
For more information, please contact Wunmi Isijola at 202-783-1300 or via email at cardiovascular@qualityforum.org.
Notes
- Lloyd-Jones D, Adams RJ, Brown TM, et al., Heart disease and stroke statistics—2013 update: a report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee , Circulation, 2013;127:e6-e10.
- "HHS Secretary Sebelius Statement on National High Blood Pressure Education Month." U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), 2 May 2012. Available at http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2012pres/05/20120502a.html. Last accessed October 2013.