Projects

Through 2006 NQF has endorsed more than 300 measures, indicators, events, practices, and other products to help assess quality across the healthcare continuum. In that time NQF endorsement has become the "gold standard" for the measurement of healthcare quality. As the healthcare system evolves, NQF will continue endorsing consensus-based national standards for the measurement and public reporting of healthcare performance data, which provides meaningful information about whether care is safe, timely, beneficial, patient-centered, equitable, and efficient.

Each year, the NQF engages in a variety of projects including summits, workshops, and other activities that support our mission to improve American healthcare through endorsement of consensus-based standards. Our projects, like all NQF activities, involve active participation of representatives from across the spectrum of healthcare stakeholders and will guided by a Steering Committee, with the possible assistance of Technical Advisory Panels. Agreement around the measures will be developed through NQF’s formal Consensus Development Process.

Featured Project

Laboratory Communication Practices
The laboratory is an integral part of the continuum of care.  According to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, laboratory charges are incurred in 98% of all hospital admissions.  This highlights the extent to which diagnostic tests inform patient care and influence health outcomes.  In a review of errors and patient safety events involving diagnostic services, error rates were higher in the pre- and post-analytic stages than during the actual analytic testing stage, indicating a significant opportunity for quality improvement. More...

Learn more about our Ongoing Projects