NQF Begins Annual Review of Performance Measures for Federal Programs 

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the National Quality Forum’s (NQF) Measure Applications Partnership (MAP) initiated its annual review of standardized performance measures that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is considering for use in federal programs. This project is funded by CMS. The Measures Under Consideration (MUC) List is available for an initial public comment period until 6:00pm ET on January 6.

This year, the MUC List consists of 20 measures spanning across several programs and is comprised of primarily digital measures. In response to the ongoing pandemic, the list also includes three measures related to COVID-19 vaccination for patients and healthcare personnel to be considered for multiple federal quality programs.

"As we celebrate a decade of convening MAP, this initiative remains true to the core of all NQF activities in leading a transparent process to gather the input of multiple stakeholders to inform consensus-based measure recommendations that drive better measurable health outcomes for all," said Sheri Winsper, RN, MSN, MSHA, Senior Vice President, Quality Measurement, National Quality Forum.

Since its inception, MAP has brought together more than 150 healthcare leaders and experts from over 100 private and public sector organizations representing consumers, purchasers, employers, health plans, clinicians and providers, communities and states, suppliers, and federal agency liaisons. The MAP Coordinating Committee and its Hospital, Clinician, Post-Acute and Long-Term Care, and Rural Health Workgroups, is convened each year to provide recommendations to CMS by reviewing quality measures under consideration for rulemaking, identifying measurement gaps across settings, prioritizing high-impact measures, and assessing alignment of measures across federal programs.

MAP will deliver its measure recommendations to CMS by February 2021 and publish its reports in March 2021. NQF encourages anyone interested in receiving the most up-to-date information and notifications related to upcoming MAP activities to sign-up for project alerts.

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About National Quality Forum

The National Quality Forum (NQF) works with members of the healthcare community to drive measurable health improvements together. NQF is a not-for-profit, membership-based organization that gives all healthcare stakeholders a voice in advancing quality measures and improvement strategies that lead to better outcomes and greater value. Learn more at www.qualityforum.org.