NQF seeks to address these population health concerns by recruiting a diverse set of collaborative groups from across the country to provide input on the NQF Action Guide 1.0 - a handbook designed to promote improvement of health across a population, on the local, regional, state, or national levels. The Guide, developed by an NQF-convened, multi-stakeholder committee, and the field testing are part of a three-year project funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services to stimulate effective collaboration to improve the nation’s health.

Up to 10 groups will be selected for the 18-month field test to apply the content of the Guide to new or existing population health improvement projects, determining where it works and what needs enhancement, and offering examples and ideas for improvements based on their own experiences.

“This field test gives communities a unique opportunity to jump start or reinvigorate their population health efforts as well as contribute their experiences to this national initiative,” said committee member J. Lloyd Michener, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Community and Family Medicine at Duke University Medical Center.

The submission process to be considered as a field testing group closed October 14. Information regarding selection criteria and expectations (PDF) for field testing groups is available online.