Issue Briefs

NQF’s Issue Briefs profile new and important developments in the quality environment, focusing on public reporting, new approaches to payment and use of information technology to drive quality improvements.

WIRED FOR QUALITY: The Intersection of Health IT and Healthcare Quality. Explores how health IT can improve the quality of healthcare; the benefits of EHRs to clinical practitioners (e.g., clinical decision support); and the importance of ensuring that quality improvement and health IT adoption go hand-in-hand. March 2008.

Responding to the Call for Efficiency. Examines Virginia Mason Medical Center's (VMMC)'s response to the rollout of performance measurement based on efficiency across episodes of care. June 2007.

Strengthening Pediatric Quality Measurement and Reporting. Reviews the ongoing work to bring pediatric care into the fold of pay-for-performance and public reporting initiatives and how it can improve children's healthcare. May 2007

The Promise of Personal Health Records for Quality Improvement. Describes the many distinct ways Personal Health Records (PHRs) can contribute to quality improvement and discusses the key challenges that need to be addressed to realize this potential. April 2007

Local Coalitions Identified as Platform for National Quality Reporting Effort. Provides an overview of the new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) pilot project that relies on local coalitions for physician performance measurement and reporting and the planned national expansion of this model under Secretary Leavitt’s “Value-Driven Health Initiative.” March 2007.

Newsletter: Navigating Quality

NQF’s Navigating Quality Newsletter focuses on developments among payers, policy makers, and industry to promote quality healthcare.  News items focus on three key drivers of change: public reporting; payment strategies, and information technology.

Navigating Quality November / December 2007

Navigating Quality / March/April 2007

Navigating Quality /January/February 2007

 We welcome your feedback and suggestions about our publications.  E-mail us at info@qualityforum.org