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ACP, NMQF partner to better care for African Americans with heart failure

In partnership with the National Minority Quality Forum, the ACP has added a performance measure to their Genesis Qualified Clinical Data Registry to improve the treatment of heart failure in black patients, according to a press release.

The measure, developed by the National Minority Quality Forum, is designed to help improve patient outcomes in self-identified black patients with heart failure through a fixed-dose combination of hydralazine and isosorbide dinitrate therapy.

The Genesis Qualified Clinical Data Registry, a CMS-approved archive comprising all 53 electronic clinical quality measures, aims to help internists and other health care professionals improve performance and outcomes in the care of patients. This addition will include the 2017 Reporting Period for CMS’ new Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), allowing physicians to fulfill the MIPS reporting requirements by improving the quality of care while also promoting health equity in the treatment of these patients. This fixed-dose combination therapy can improve outcomes of care, prevent or delay initial hospitalizations for heart failure and better quality of life.

ACP’s Genesis Registry is currently the only CMS-approved registry that supports reporting of prescribing of this adjunctive therapy for treating heart failure in the specified patient group. Although roughly 27% of black patients with heart failure in the U.S., are eligible for this FDA-approved therapy, it has been prescribed for less than 2% of these patients.