The Opportunity
This project seeks to identify and endorse performance measures for accountability and quality improvement that address eye care and ear nose and throat health. NQF currently has over twenty (20) endorsed measures that are due for maintenance in the areas of glaucoma, macular degeneration, hearing screening and evaluation, and ear infections. These maintenance measures will be reevaluated against the most recent NQF measure evaluation criteria along with newly submitted measures.
Glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration are common eye conditions that threaten the eyesight of many patients annually. Blindness and vision impairment are major public health problems that take a substantial toll on individuals and society including significant suffering, disability, loss of productivity, and diminished quality of life for millions of people. More than 3.4 million (3%) Americans 40 years and older are either blind or are visually impaired and millions more are at risk for developing vision impairment and blindness.1
Hearing loss affects one in ten Americans. About 35 million people develop chronic sinusitis each year, making it one of the most common health complaints in America. In 2010 there were an estimated 20 million visits to otolaryngologists in America, and one-fifth of the visits were made by persons less than 15 years of age.2
While measures in these areas have been evaluated in setting-specific projects (e.g., ambulatory care, surgery), this project will be the first project devoted to these areas across settings. Measures of interest to NQF for this project include outcome measures; measures applicable to more than one setting; measures for adults and children; measures that capture broad populations; measures of chronic care management and care coordination for these conditions, and eMeasures.
About the Project
A multi-stakeholder Standing Committee will be established to evaluate newly submitted measures and make recommendations for which measures should be endorsed as consensus standards. This Committee will work to identify and endorse new performance measures for accountability and quality improvement that specifically address diseases and disorders of the visual pathways, including the eye, brain, and areas surrounding the eye, and measures and concepts relating to diseases and disorders of the ear, nose, throat and related structures of the head and neck. Additionally, the Committee will evaluate consensus standards previously endorsed by NQF under the maintenance process.
NQF Process
Measures will be considered for NQF endorsement as national voluntary consensus standards. Consensus on the recommendations developed through NQF’s formal Consensus Development Process (CDP, Version 1.9). This project involves the active participation of representatives from across the spectrum of healthcare stakeholders and will be guided by a Standing Committee.
Funding
This project is supported under a contract provided by the Department of Health and Human Services.
For information about the availability of auxiliary aids and services for NQF’s federally funded projects, please visit: http://www.medicare.gov/about-us/nondiscrimination/nondiscrimination-notice.html.
Related NQF Work
Contact Information
For more information, please contact Vy Luong at 202-783-1300 or EENT@qualityforum.org.
Notes
- CDC, Improving the Nation's Vision Health: A Coordinated Public Health Approach, 2009. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/publications/vhi_report.htm.
- CDC, NAMCS Fact Sheet for Otolaryngology, 2010. Available at www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ahcd/NAMCS_2010_factsheet_otolaryngology.pdf.