Healthcare payment and reform strategies intended to improve quality and limit spending are causing rapid and profound changes in the U.S. healthcare system. The success of these strategies depends upon good quality measurement, now widely viewed as central to the transformation of healthcare.
How is NQF planning to meet these challenges?
The Strategic Plan charts a new course for NQF that diversifies its role from the current reactive state of evaluating submitted measures to a future, proactive state where we also lead and contribute to:
- accelerating development of needed measures;
- identifying priority measures;
- reducing, selecting, and endorsing measures;
- driving more effective implementation of priority measures; and
- better understanding what works and what doesn’t work in measurement
A key focus will be on filling important measure gaps through the newly launched Measure Incubator, which matches stakeholders with measure concepts to the measure development experts, data resources, and funding needed to speed measure development. NQF does not itself develop measures, but in this convening role can accelerate the development of needed measures and help to address persistent measurement deficits, such as measures that capture the voice of the patient.
The plan also calls for NQF to identify the most important measures to improve U.S. healthcare. By identifying priority measures for the nation as a whole as well as for specific settings or populations, NQF can focus the quality community on specific metrics needed to improve the quality, safety, and affordability of care. This prioritization work holds promise to yield fewer, more meaningful measures overall.
Who is involved?
The Strategic Plan is championed by the NQF Board of Directors. It reflects the guidance and input from leaders and stakeholders across the healthcare spectrum. Implementation will be led by senior staff, but NQF’s 430+ member organizations are essential to achieving the goals of the plan. NQF’s members are the nation’s essential forum for developing and implementing focused solutions to improve U.S. healthcare and healthcare outcomes.
What’s the timeframe for the Strategic Plan?
Full implementation of the three-year Strategic Plan will begin in July 2016.
How will NQF define success?
When the plan is fully implemented, healthcare providers, patients, and payers will use and rely upon high-value, comparable measures that enhance the quality, safety, and affordability of care.
