This NQF project seeks to identify and endorse clinician level measures for public accountability and quality improvement related to non-physician professionals.
Providing high-level health care requires a multidisciplinary approach. By merging the clinical expertise of multiple health care professions, the patient is receiving the best possible care available. Consensus measures endorsed to date have targeted the physician as the ultimate responsible party, when in fact they are often dependent on other health care professionals for their expertise. These endorsed measures have also been appropriate for evaluation of physician assistants, nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists (prevention and screening, hypertension, diabetes, etc), and optometrists (eye care) but have not been endorsed for other professions.
In order to fill the gap for measures for other health care professionals, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has limited the scope of this project to identify measures for the following practitioners: podiatrists, chiropractors (manipulation only), oral surgeons, dentists, nurse anesthetists, clinical social workers, clinical psychologists and dietician/nutritionists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and qualified speech-language pathologists. These measures will go through the NQF consensus standards endorsement process. In addition, previously endorsed measures will be reviewed in order to see if they are appropriate for use by other health care professions.
This project, like all NQF activities, involves the active participation of representatives from across the spectrum of healthcare stakeholders. The project is guided by a Steering Committee. Agreement around the recommendations will be developed through NQF’s formal Consensus Development Process.
Funding for this project has been provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
For more information, contact Lisa Hines at 202.783.1300 or info@qualityforum.org.