About the Projects
NQF's work on Patient Outcomes Measures will take place in two projects:
NQF's work on patient outcomes measures will identify and endorse measures for public reporting and quality improvement that specifically address patient outcomes of healthcare. This will include cross-cutting outcome measures and measures that address 20 common, high-impact conditions that have been defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). More information is available in the full Patient Outcomes Project Description.
Process
Candidate measures will be considered in one of two projects, summarized below, for NQF endorsement as voluntary consensus standards. Agreement around the recommendations will be developed through NQF’s formal Consensus Development Process (CDP). This project involves the active participation of representatives from across the spectrum of healthcare stakeholders and will be guided by three Steering Committees and multiple, condition-specific Technical Advisory Panels (TAPs).
NQF issued a Call for Intent to Submit Candidate Standards for all phases in early August 2009. The Call for Nominations for the Steering Committees and Technical Advisory Panels for all phases is now closed; rosters will be posted when available. More information on these and other project-related activities, including the current Call for Candidate Standards for measures related to Phase I, is available in the individual project pages. The scope of each phases is described below.
Patient Outcomes Measures: Phases I and IIThe work of the first project will be subdivided into two phases. Each phase will issue its own Call for Candidate Standards; anticipated dates are indicated below. The opportunity for public and NQF member comment on candidate measures from both phases is expected to open in spring 2010.
| Phase I The Phase I Call for Candidate Standards for measures related to the following conditions closed on September 18, 2009. |
| | - Acute myocardial infarction
- Asthma
- Atrial fibrillation
- Chronic kidney disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
| - Congestive heart failure
- Diabetes mellitus
- Ischemic heart disease
- Stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA)
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| Phase II The Phase II Call for Candidate Standards for measures related to the following conditions closed on October 30, 2009. |
| | - Biliary and GI conditions
- Breast cancer
- Cataract
- Colorectal cancer
- Endometrial cancer
- Glaucoma
| - Hip fracture
- Lung cancer
- Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Pneumonia
- Prostate cancer
|
Patient Outcomes Measures: Child Health and Mental Health (Phase III)
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| Phase III The Call for Candidate Standards for measures in two additional areas, child health and mental health, will begin in January 2010. |
| | - Mental health: Depression; Alzheimer’s Disease and related disorders; serious mental illness
- Child health: Cross-cutting and condition-specific outcomes
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Funding
This project is supported under a contract provided by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Related NQF Work
Contact Information
For further information, contact Alexis Forman, MPH; Reva Winkler, MD, MPH for Phase I & II or Ian Corbridge RN, BSN, MPH; Nicole McElveen, MPH for Phase III at 202-783-1300 or via e-mail at outcomes@qualityforum.org.
NQF seeks to identify and endorse measures that specifically address patient outcomes of healthcare. This will include measures of cross-cutting outcomes and related to 20 common medical conditions. This work will take place in multiple stages.
