National Voluntary Consensus Standards for Patient Outcomes 2009 

The results or outcomes of an episode of healthcare are inherently important because they reflect the reason consumers seek healthcare, as well as the result healthcare providers are trying to achieve. Outcome measures also provide an integrative assessment of quality reflective of multiple care processes across the continuum of care. To date NQF has endorsed more than 200 outcome measures in a variety of topic areas. As greater focus is placed on evaluating the outcome of episodes of care, additional measures of patient outcomes are needed to fill gaps in the current portfolio. This report presents the results of the evaluation of 83 patient outcome measures considered under NQF’s Consensus Development Process. Thirty-five measures and three measure pairs are recommended for endorsement as voluntary consensus standards suitable for public reporting and quality improvement.