NQF endorses chronic conditions framework, 28 quality measures

The National Quality Forum on Thursday endorsed a measurement framework for individuals with multiple chronic conditions. "Performance measurement is critical to improving the health and well-being of individuals with multiple chronic conditions," NQF President and CEO Janet Corrigan said in a statement last week. Making up one-quarter of the population, multiple chronic condition patients are more likely to have adverse outcomes, see multiple clinicians, take several medications and receive fragmented care. The NQF-endorsed framework, therefore, aims to establish a definition for multiple chronic conditions for a shared vision, identify measurement areas, offer an organizational structure for prioritizing measures and provide guiding principles for methodology.

The standards-setting organization this month also released nine surgical measures performed in hospitals and in outpatient facilities, 19 quality measures for preventative care on population health and two nursing home measures that expand the setting to include inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term acute care hospitals. Statement