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What is the NQF?
What is the history of NQF?
What are voluntary consensus standards?
How are voluntary consensus standards different from other standards or professional guidelines, statements or policies?
How do we receive regular updates on the activities of the NQF?
What is the NQF?
NQF’s mission is to dramatically improve quality of care through the endorsement of performance measurement consensus standards, educational programs for healthcare leaders on key environmental trends, and award recognition programs. NQF’s philosophy embodies the concept that healthcare quality data are a public good and should be in the public domain. NQF Members embrace a statement of principles, which includes a willingness to use indicators of healthcare quality and publicly disclose the results.
NQF engages in many types of activities aimed at promoting the use of standardized quality measures and indicators, linking quality measurement and reporting to strategies for quality improvement, providing quality improvement leadership, disseminating quality information, exchanging knowledge and ideas, providing educational opportunities for key leaders, and recognizing organizations and individuals through national award programs.
What is the history of NQF?
In 1998, the President’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry reported on the broad range of quality problems in the U.S. healthcare system. The Commission concluded, among other things, that the lack of accepted, standardized quality measures prevented providers from accurately assessing the quality of care against useful benchmarks and prevented consumers and purchasers from acting on information about quality to provide a market stimulus for its improvement.
A Quality Forum Planning Committee proposed a basic operating and governance structure for the NQF, at it was formally incorporated as a 501c3 public benefit corporation in May 1999. NQF became operational in February 2000 and is a voluntary consensus standards setting organization pursuant to the 1995 National Technology Transfer Advancement Act (NTTAA) and OMB Circular A-119.
In February 2006, NQF merged with the National Committee for Quality Health Care, broadening its mission to include an Executive Institute and the National Quality Healthcare Award.
What are voluntary consensus standards?
Voluntary consensus standards have special legal status with the federal government. They are measures, measure sets, practices, recommendations, definitions, and/or guidelines that have been endorsed by a voluntary consensus body through a process that comports with the National Technology Transfer Advancement Act (NTTAA). NQF’s Consensus Development Process (CDP) meets the requirements of the NTTAA, and NQF is considered a voluntary consensus standard-setting body.
Voluntary consensus standards have increased in use in recent years as the federal government has moved away from being a developer of standards to being more a user of standards promulgated by stakeholders in the private sector. Technical standards defined as "performance-based or design-specific technical specifications and related management systems practices" in the NTTAA are developed and adopted by voluntary consensus standards bodies like the NQF as a means to promote changes in policy and practice. One advantage to the federal government is that it may more readily adopt and use voluntary consensus standards in its regulations and/or contract requirements.
In healthcare, voluntary consensus standards can be used by various stakeholders to drive improved quality and patient safety. For example, consumers might use consensus standards-related information when selecting a facility or when making a decision about undergoing a specific medical procedure. Purchasers may use similar information when selecting a health plan or other services for its employees. Research and quality improvement organizations drive important improvements by promoting the use of consensus standards and other quality-related information. Providers use standards to improve healthcare delivery processes and practices.
NQF has developed a reliable and transparent Consensus Development Process (CDP) to guide standards endorsement. The entire document can be accessed here. NQF’s general CDP consists of five principal steps:
How are voluntary consensus standards different from other standards or professional guidelines, statements or policies?
NQF endorses consensus standards through a unique Consensus Development Process involving both the public and private sectors and representatives from a myriad of professional healthcare organizations and related supporting industries, and it does so in a manner specifically designed to meet the Federal government’s requirements for voluntary consensus standards. Consensus statements or guidelines issued by professional societies, consumer coalitions, or research bodies typically do not involve broad-based participation from all stakeholders and the public in a prescribed and transparent manner.
How do we receive regular updates on the activities of the NQF?
Updates are posted on the NQF web site. There is also an email group that you may join if you wish to receive periodic notifications. If you would like to receive updates on the activities of NQF, please sign up for electronic communications.