NQF Endorses Additional Complication-Related Patient Safety Measures 

 
Washington, DC – the National Quality Forum (NQF) Board of Directors has endorsed two additional patient safety measures with a focus on complications. The measures address venous thromboembolism prophylaxis and current medication documentation in medical records.

The measures were evaluated in an addendum to NQF’s patient safety-complications project, which saw 14 measures endorsed in June 2012.   

Measure developers requested reconsideration of the two measures following the Patient Safety Steering Committee’s decision to not recommend them for endorsement. Following a second round of member voting, the Board of Directors agreed that the measures address important, high-impact areas with significant implications for patient care and should be endorsed.

The measures have been endorsed for at least three years and are now undergoing NQF endorsement maintenance. The ongoing evaluation and updating of endorsed measures ensures they are current and relevant to NQF’s patient safety portfolio.

NQF is a voluntary consensus standards-setting organization. Any party may request reconsideration of any of the two endorsed quality measures listed below by submitting an appeal no later than September 10 (to submit an appeal, go to the NQF Measure Database). For an appeal to be considered, the notification must include information clearly demonstrating that the appellant has interests directly and materially affected by the NQF-endorsed recommendations and that the NQF decision has had (or will have) an adverse effect on those interests.

Endorsed Measures 

• 0371: Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis (Joint Commission)
• 0419: Documentation of Current Medications in the Medical Record (CMS)

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.