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AMA, ACP support quality measures unveiled by CMS, insurers
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The American College of Physicians and AMA have announced their participation in and support of standardized core quality measures released by CMS and America’s Health Insurance Plans, according to a press release from both organizations.
As detailed by CMS, the measures were developed by a collaborative of health care system participants and, ultimately, will be used as the basis for quality-based payments.
“In the U.S. health care system, where we are moving to measure and pay for quality, patients and care providers deserve a uniform approach to measure quality,” Andy Slavitt, CMS acting administrator, said in a release. “This agreement today will reduce unnecessary burden for physicians and accelerate the country's movement to better quality.”
CMS specified that the goal in developing the core measure sets is to "establish broadly agreed upon measure sets that could be harmonized across both commercial and government payers."
The evidence-based quality measures released Tuesday include seven sets in the areas of accountable care organizations, patient-centered medical homes and primary care; cardiology; gastroenterology; HIV and hepatitis C; medical oncology; obstetrics and gynecology; and orthopedics.
The primary care set includes measures on controlling high blood pressure, treatment of vascular disease, diabetes care, patient safety, behavioral health, as well as screenings for cervical cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, BMI and tobacco use.
The American College of Physicians (ACP) announced its support of specific core measure sets.
“Clinicians, consumers, employers, and public and private payers benefit from making quality measurement more useful and meaningful,” Wayne J. Riley, MD, MPH, MBA, MACP, ACP president, said in the release. “This collaborative effort is a major step forward to reduce variability in measure selection, specifications and implementation. It sets a model for future work on performance measurement alignment in these and other areas.”
ACP did not participate in the work groups for medical oncology, obstetrics and gynecology, and orthopedics, and it did not directly comment on them, a spokesperson for ACP told Healio Internal Medicine.
AMA called the measures "still a work in progress," but noted that they represent "an important first step in establishing a model for future collaboration on performance measure alignment."
"The AMA looks forward to continuing to participate in this initiative dedicated to alignment of quality measures because it has the potential to improve the health of the nation while also reducing administrative hassle that can lead to improved professional satisfaction and sustainability of physician practices," Steven J. Stack, MD, AMA president, said in a release.
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) also participated in the collaborative and called the agreement "a big step toward the goal of administrative simplification for family physicians and improved quality of care."
“The AAFP’s involvement in the Collaborative is aimed at improving the quality of care while making family physicians’ lives easier by simplifying the information they are being asked to provide to payers,” Douglas E. Henley, MD, executive vice president and CEO of AAFP, said in a release. “We are acutely aware of the huge amount of administrative complexity and burden that impacts the daily work of our members and diverts time and resources away from direct patient care. A major part of this is the burden of multiple performance measures in quality improvement programs with no standardization or harmonization across payers."
CMS stated that this release is the first and it expects to add more measure sets and update current sets "over time."
“Members of the Collaborative have taken a leadership role in identifying measures that will drive quality improvement and outcomes for patients,” Carmella Bocchino, executive vice president of America’s Health Insurance Plans, said in the release. “This is a first step of an ongoing process to ensure both public programs and the private sector align measures and reporting, especially as we advance alternative payment models.” – by Chelsea Frajerman Pardes
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