NQF Begins Annual Review of Quality Measures for Federal Programs 

Washington, DC —The National Quality Forum’s Measure Applications Partnership (MAP) has begun its annual review of standardized performance measures that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is considering for use in federal health programs. The list of approximately 100 Measures Under Consideration is open for public comment through Dec. 2, 2016, at 6:00 pm ET.

MAP reviews standardized performance measures and makes recommendations to HHS for 18 Medicare programs that use measures for public reporting or payment purposes. The programs include the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) program legislated by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).

This year, in addition to recommending meaningful measures for use in Medicare programs, MAP will provide guidance on the future removal of measures. MAP’s important new role can help contribute to reducing the administrative burden of measurement while ensuring that the measures in use are high-value measures.

“MAP’s recommendations provide guidance on quality measures for the nation. This is key to ensuring that the more than 55 million Americans who depend on Medicare get the quality care they deserve,” said Chip Kahn, MPH, president and chief executive officer of the Federation of American Hospitals, who co-chairs the MAP Coordinating Committee along with Harold Pincus, MD, professor and vice chair of psychiatry at Columbia University and director of quality and outcomes research at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

“MAP’s work is consensus-based and transparent to determine the best measures to assess quality,” said Dr. Pincus. ”That’s never been more important as consumers, payers, and policymakers demand more value from their healthcare services.”

For six consecutive years, NQF has convened MAP, which includes more than 150 healthcare leaders and experts from nearly 90 private- and public-sector organizations. MAP volunteers represent consumers, purchasers, employers, health plans, clinicians and providers, communities and states, suppliers, and federal agency liaisons. The MAP hospital, clinician, and post-acute and long-term care workgroups identify measurement gaps across settings, prioritize measures, and recommend areas for alignment. Outside of its pre-rulemaking work for HHS, MAP also makes recommendations for measures to assess the quality of care for individuals who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, as well as for children and adults covered by Medicaid.

MAP will deliver its recommended measures to HHS by Feb. 1, 2017, and publish its final reports in February and March.

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The National Quality Forum leads national collaboration to improve health and healthcare quality through measurement. Learn more at www.qualityforum.org.