Measure Harmonization 

Access the Final Report:  Guidance for Measure Harmonization 

The Opportunity 

In order to identify gaps in appropriate care at the appropriate junctures, further work is needed to adopt more global, harmonized quality measures in all settings. The opportunity to increasingly link measurement across providers and sites of care forms the foundation for a systems-based perspective to healthcare delivery, the reduction or elimination of preventable illnesses and the delivery of the highest quality and efficient care.

The current quality landscape includes many quality reporting initiatives and measure developers, and a proliferation of measures. Duplicative or overlapping measures often result from separate quality initiatives focused on different settings and patient populations and measure stewards that specialize in one setting or data source (e.g., claims, medical records, MDS, OASIS). Multiple measures with varying specifications while having essentially the same focus can create confusion in choosing measures for implementation. Differences in measure specifications also limit comparability and understanding of measure results across settings and/or patient populations.

About the Project 

NQF’s measure evaluation criteria call for measure harmonization (criterion 3b); however specific guidance on evaluating harmonization has not been developed. Achieving measure harmonization is both challenging and complex. NQF has convened a steering committee to develop operational guidance, including recommendations for both measure developers and steering committees engaging in the consensus development process projects in an effort to assist in meeting this criterion.

Objectives 

This project sought to develop operational guidance for achieving measure harmonization within NQF consensus projects and supported endorsement of global and harmonized measures that can be applied across settings and episodes of care.

Process 

A Steering Committee has been convened using NQF’s consensus processes related to nominations. This Steering Committee developed an operational guidance document for achieving harmonization within future NQF consensus development projects, which was submitted for public review and comment and then to the Consensus Standards Approval Committee for final approval. The process did not involve voting or result in the endorsement of any product.

Project Funding 

This project was funded under NQF’s contract with the Department of Health and Human Services, Consensus-based Entities Regarding Healthcare Performance Measurement.

Related NQF Work 

Influenza and Pneumococcal Immunizations 

Contact Information 

For more information, please contact Performance Measures at National Quality Forum via e-mail at performancemeasures@qualityforum.org.