Quality-Related Web Links and Recommended Reading
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: The AHRQ is the lead Federal agency charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of healthcare for all Americans. As one of 12 agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, AHRQ supports health services research that will improve the quality of healthcare and promote evidence-based decision making. www.ahrq.gov/qual/
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. National Quality Measures Clearinghouse. www.qualitymeasures.ahrq.gov/about/about.aspx.
American Geriatrics Society. (2006) Pay for Performance Glossary. The American Geriatrics Society Web site: www.americangeriatrics.org/policy/2006p4p_glossary.shtml.
American Medical Association Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement: The Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement (Consortium) includes physicians and experts in methodology convened by the American Medical Association. The Consortium includes representatives from more than 100 national medical specialty and state medical societies, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and others. The AMA recently reached an agreement with Congress to work with physician groups and CMS to develop a starter set of approximately 140 evidence-based quality measures in 2006. Physicians will begin voluntarily reporting on between 3 and 5 quality measures per physician in 2007. The ACR has representation on the AMA’s Consortium. www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2946.html
AQA Alliance (formerly the Ambulatory care Quality Alliance): In September 2004, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Physicians, America’s Health Insurance Plans, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, joined together to lead a collaborative effort for determining, under the most expedient timeframe, how to most effectively and efficiently improve performance measurement, data aggregation and reporting in the ambulatory care setting. The mission and goals of this effort focus on key areas that can help identify quality gaps, control skyrocketing cost trends, reduce confusion and burdens in the marketplace, and otherwise address the challenges of the current healthcare system. CMS has encouraged the AQA’s activities, and the ACR is represented at the AQA. www.aqaalliance.org
HHS - Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology: www.hhs.gov/healthinformationtechnology/
National Committee for Quality Assurance: an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of healthcare through measurement, transparency and accountability. The ACR has established a regular dialogue with the NCQA, including an NCQA representative on the ACR Quality of Care Subcommittee. www.ncqa.org
NCQA’s Physician Practice Connections: A program through which the NCQA recognizes physician practices that alter their practice design to regularly measure quality indicators and refine their practices. NCQA PPC standards promote the use of electronic information systems and related tools to improve patient care. Bridges to Excellence, a P4P program, is among those that offer financial rewards to physician practices that NCQA recognizes through the PCC program.
Recommended Reading
American Medical Association Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement: The Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement (Consortium) includes physicians and experts in methodology convened by the American Medical Association. The Consortium includes representatives from more than 100 national medical specialty and state medical societies, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and others. The AMA recently reached an agreement with Congress to work with physician groups and CMS to develop a starter set of approximately 140 evidence-based quality measures in 2006. Physicians will begin voluntarily reporting on between 3 and 5 quality measures per physician in 2007. The ACR has representation on the AMA’s Consortium. Below is a link to the AMA Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement: www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2946.html
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: The federal agency that administers the nation’s Medicare program and partners with the states to administer Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. CMS has additional responsibilities including ensuring quality in healthcare facilities. Among other things, CMS is “working to improve the quality of healthcare by measuring and improving outcomes of care.” CMS will play a key role in efforts to incorporate pay for performance into Medicare policy, is working with a wide range of organizations and stakeholders to evaluate possible measures of quality and cost-effectiveness, and has begun launching pilot Medicare pay-for-performance programs. CMS’ Office of Clinical Standards and Quality serves as the focal point for all quality, clinical and medical science issues and policies for Agency programs. The office provides leadership and coordination for the development and implementation of a cohesive, Agency-wide approach to measuring and promoting quality and leads Agency priority-setting process for clinical quality improvement. It coordinates quality-related activities with outside organizations. Below is a link to the CMS Physician Voluntary Reporting Program: http://new.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press/release.asp?Counter=1701
Institute of Medicine: The IOM’s 1999 and 2001 reports made it clear to the public as never before that there are significant gaps between the quality of care that Americans actually receive and the quality of care that is possible. Those reports are the basis for healthcare purchasers’ endorsement of pay-for-performance. Below are the two reports:
Institute of Medicine. To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System. L. T. Kohn, J. M. Corrigan, and M. S. Donaldson, eds. Washington, D.C: National Academy Press; 1999.
Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, Institute of Medicine. Crossing the quality chasm: a new health system for the 21st century. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2001.
