NQF Home Health Steering
Committee Holds First Meeting
May 28, 2004 - The steering committee of the National
Quality Forum's Home Health Performance Measures project met
on May 25 to examine existing measures and identify a framework
and criteria to evaluate them. The purpose of the project
is to develop a comprehensive set of performance measures
that can be used to accesses the quality of home health care.
The co-chairs of the committee are Kathleen Chavanu, MSN,
RN, and Charles Sabtino, Esq.
The steering committee agreed to evaluate existing home health
measures using the framework created in the National Quality
Forum's Hospital Measures project. There was agreement that
the standardized set would contain some measures suitable
for public reporting and some used only for quality improvement
by providers. In addition, the standardized measure set will
incorporate measures of outcome, process, and structure. The
committee agreed, per staff recommendation, that the measure
set should apply to all health care organizations providing
home health services and to skilled and unskilled providers.
There was consensus around the idea that the measures should
be fully developed with priority given to measures in common
use. The committee agreed on the following criteria for prioritizing
home health measures:
- Some measures must apply to all patients including
those that address high risk, high volume an/or high cost
conditions and/or treatments;
- Measures should address priorities for national healthcare
quality;
- Some measures must apply to all home health care organizations;
- Measures should address systems of care as the measures
are outcomes and/or related by evidence to patient outcomes;
- Measures should address the six NQF aim areas; and
- Measures should be in widespread use and/or required
for other purposes.
The steering committee will have another public meeting later
this summer.
Information:
Jeff Patyk, Staff Specialist
AAMC Health Care Affairs
jpatyk@aamc.org
(202) 828-0498
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