Cost and Efficiency Final Report - Fall 2018 Cycle 

The concerning trends in healthcare spending in the United States have been attributed to a wide variety of causes, including high costs for drugs, procedures, and administrative services, as well as poor coordination and overutilization of health services. Improving efficiency has the potential to simultaneously reduce the rate of cost growth and improve the quality of care provided. During this cycle of work, the Cost and Efficiency Standing Committee evaluated one newly submitted measure against NQF’s standard evaluation criteria, 3474 Hospital-Level, Risk-Standardized Payment Associated with a 90-Day Episode of Care for Elective Primary Total Hip and/or Total Knee Arthroplasty (THA/TKA). The Committee recommended endorsement for the measure. The CSAC ratified this recommendation and the measure was endorsed.