National Quality Forum Comment Period on Measures to Review Still Open

The National Quality Forum (NQF) last week opened its annual review cycle of performance measures, which HHS uses to in 16 federal health programs including Medicare.

This year, 130 measures are scheduled for review, including 60 that will be part of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System or MIPS, which was created as part of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, the legislation that elimination the Sustainable Growth Rate.

The annual review is the work of the Measurement Applications Partnership, or MAP. According to NQF, it includes more than 150 healthcare leaders from 90 private- and public-sector organizations that involve stakeholders across healthcare: consumers, providers, clinicians, health plans, employers, and purchasers of healthcare.

“MAP convenes stakeholders from across the healthcare continuum to come to consensus on how to best measure quality for federal health programs,” said Christine K. Cassel, MD, president and CEO of NQF. “Their recommendations inform future CMS rulemaking focused on programs integral to improving the quality of care that patients receive.”

Other measures to be considered include cross-cutting healthcare issues, such as kidney health, prostate cancer, and heart disease.

In the first part of the process, MAP accepts public comment on the measures it is reviewing this cycle. Public comment will be accepted through December 7, 2015, at 6 p.m. ET.

The review of measures for MIPS makes this year’s review a critical one for physicians, as this will mark a major transition for their system of reimbursement as the nation moves away from older healthcare payment models.