Background
Quality measures within federal payment programs reward physicians and hospitals for delivering the best possible care. A long overdue measure of appropriate heart failure medication use in African Americans is working its way through the process and needs your support to ensure it is successfully adopted.
NQF Role
The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) has developed the first quality measure of appropriate heart failure care specifically in African Americans. The measure is currently being reviewed by the National Quality Forum (NQF), a non-profit organization that provides a key stamp of approval – endorsement – that reflects widespread consensus that a measure helps improve care.
CMS Role
Once measures have been considered by the NQF, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) incorporates them into federal payment and quality programs that seek to improve care at hospitals, physician offices and other care settings for the more than 100 million people covered by Medicare and Medicaid. CMS is awaiting NQF’s decision before deciding whether to incorporate a measure of African-American-specific heart failure treatment into its quality incentive programs.
Next Steps
Having completed its initial review of the proposed measure – which assesses the use of expert-recommended heart failure medication among African Americans – the NQF now seeks input from the public on the proposed measure and the critical need it fills. We encourage you to voice your support.
Quality measures within federal payment programs reward physicians and hospitals for delivering the best possible care. A long overdue measure of appropriate heart failure medication use in African Americans is working its way through the process and needs your support to ensure it is successfully adopted.
NQF Role
The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) has developed the first quality measure of appropriate heart failure care specifically in African Americans. The measure is currently being reviewed by the National Quality Forum (NQF), a non-profit organization that provides a key stamp of approval – endorsement – that reflects widespread consensus that a measure helps improve care.
CMS Role
Once measures have been considered by the NQF, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) incorporates them into federal payment and quality programs that seek to improve care at hospitals, physician offices and other care settings for the more than 100 million people covered by Medicare and Medicaid. CMS is awaiting NQF’s decision before deciding whether to incorporate a measure of African-American-specific heart failure treatment into its quality incentive programs.
Next Steps
Having completed its initial review of the proposed measure – which assesses the use of expert-recommended heart failure medication among African Americans – the NQF now seeks input from the public on the proposed measure and the critical need it fills. We encourage you to voice your support.
