The National
Health Council is a National Quality Forum (NQF) member, and Marc is involved
with the NQF Measure Incubator™ Partnership and Collaboration workgroup. NQF spoke with Marc recently
about the patient perspective in improving healthcare quality, and the NHC’s
work.
NQF: The patient perspective is vital
to improving quality, and capturing the patient voice is increasingly important
in quality measurement. How can we better reflect both in healthcare?
MB: What
is meaningful to patients is often not reflected in quality measures. It is
imperative that quality measures and programs capture the aspects of care that matter
most to patients. One way to achieve this is to ensure that the goals of
patients are understood in the context of their individual circumstances and
that care is designed to consider and achieve those goals.
For
patients to meaningfully participate in quality measure or program development
and use, patient-specific education is vital. That is why the NHC, in
collaboration with NQF and the University of Maryland, is creating a patient-specific
curriculum on healthcare quality to help patient advocacy organizations and
people with chronic diseases and disabilities understand their essential role in
health quality discussions. The project is funded
through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Eugene
Washington PCORI Engagement Award. The funding helps develop a skilled
community of patients to involve them in every aspect of PCORI’s work.
NQF: Can you tell us more about
the importance of your work for people living with chronic diseases and
disabilities? How does the National Health Council, with its multifaceted
membership, help address their concerns in the public and private sectors?
MB: One of the key values of the NHC is that we work with
our members on behalf of the patient. Our diverse membership may not always
agree on a given strategy, but we all believe that aligning care for the needs
of the patient is the purpose of healthcare delivery. We recognize that
compromise means everyone sacrifices something to come together for a solution
that works for the patient.
The NHC
advocates for a public policy agenda that includes meaningful access—which we broaden
to include delivery system design, payment models, and quality measures—and
innovation. The NHC identifies and tackles these complex health issues by convening
and collaborating with diverse stakeholders across healthcare. This process
ensures that all stakeholders’ views are captured and incorporated through the
lens of what is important to patients.
NQF: How is NQF membership
helping to advance the National Health Council’s work?
MB:
Our NQF membership helps the NHC further its work in getting us to a
patient-centered health ecosystem. As we continue to partner with NQF and work
more closely, we will see quality measures emerge that best reflect patients’
needs and wants.
