Find NQF-Endorsed Measures Faster and Easier: NQF Launches its Quality Positioning System Version 1.0 



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCT 24, 2012

CONTACT: Erin Reese, NQF
202-478-9326
press@qualityforum.org

Find NQF-Endorsed Measures Faster and Easier: NQF Launches its Quality Positioning System Version 1.0
Webinar to Preview the New Online Tool, Showcase Groups Using Measures


Washington, DC - On October 31, The National Quality Forum (NQF) will launch its Quality Positioning System (QPS) Version 1.0 , the most reliable and comprehensive online source for finding all NQF-endorsed measures. NQF-endorsed measures generate performance information that is necessary for accountability and to achieve national goals for better, more affordable care and healthier people. Developed with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, QPS v1.0 has features designed to for use by anyone involved in healthcare performance measurement, including healthcare providers, consumers and their advocates, health plans, Medicaid agencies, the federal government, and those who purchase healthcare on behalf of their employees or members.

QPS Version 1.0 allows users to:

  • Search with greater speed and better results – Search by measure title, NQF measure number, key search terms, or by various categories, including condition, care setting, data source, or measure steward. All measure search results are ranked by relevancy.
  • Organize measures –Create customized lists of NQF-endorsed measures in ‘portfolios’ to fit specific interests or needs. Creating a portfolio is an easy way to keep all the measures in which you are interested in one place. Portfolios can be kept private or published for others to view and use.
  • Compare measures or portfolios – Compare measures by data source, care setting, or other characteristics. Side-by-side comparison of portfolios shows where there is alignment in the NQF-endorsed measures that different organizations are interested in or are using.
  • Share your work – Privately share portfolios with others, or view and copy portfolios that others have created. QPS provides simple URLs for each measure, so you can hyperlink the measure information to your own work to show where you are using NQF-endorsed measures and to eliminate the need to gather and store the information yourself.

QPS beta was initially launched in 2011. Since then, thousands of users have tested and used the interactive features. Their input and ideas helped to guide improvements that are part of the new QPS version 1.0.

“NQF-endorsed measures are used by different organizations in different ways, with one goal in mind: improving health and healthcare,” said Diane Stollenwerk, vice president of Stakeholder Collaboration, NQF. “QPS version 1 takes into account users’ complex and varied information needs, and enables people to efficiently store, share, and compare NQF-endorsed measures. It is also designed to help people learn from each other, to drive a more synchronized approach to measurement across public and private sectors.”

NQF will host a QPS Version 1.0 launch webinar on October 31 from 1:30pm – 3:30pm ET. Registration is now available online. The webinar will present a quick QPS tutorial, followed by real world examples of how various organizations are using QPS to achieve measurement and improvement goals. Anne Weiss, team director at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will offer opening remarks. Speakers will include: 

  • Christopher Dezii, director, Healthcare Quality and Performance Measures, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
  • Louis Galterio, president, SunCoast Regional Health Information Organization
  • Anisha Dharshi, senior director, Stakeholder Collaboration, National Quality Forum
  • Diane Stollenwerk, vice president, Stakeholder Collaboration, Nation Quality Forum 

For more information, or to test drive QPS Version 1.0, please visit www.qualityforum.org/QPS/.  

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The National Quality Forum (NQF) operates under a three-part mission to improve the quality of American healthcare by: 

  • building consensus on national priorities and goals for performance improvement and working in partnership to achieve them;  
  • endorsing national consensus standards for measuring and publicly reporting on performance; and  
  • promoting the attainment of national goals through education and outreach programs.