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Health and Well-Being 2010 Safe Practices Audit

Patient Safety
Prevention and Treatment of
Leading Causes of Mortality NQF Safe Practices and Related
Processes
Person- and Family-Centered Medical errors and unsafe care harm and kill tens of thousands of Americans each year. The
Care facts are alarming: approximately two million healthcare-associated infections occur
annually in the United States, accounting for an estimated 90,000 deaths and more than
Effective Communication and $4.5 billion in hospital healthcare costs. Unplanned, often preventable, hospital admissions
Care Coordination and readmissions cost Medicare and the private sector billions of dollars each year and take NQF Resources
a significant toll on patients and families, who suffer from prolonged illness or pain,
Patient Safety emotional distress, and loss of productivity.
Solicitation of Measures and
Affordable Care As a result, the National Quality Strategy has made making care safer a national priority, Concepts/Submission
focusing on three goals: Deadlines (PDF)
Palliative Care and End-of-Life NQF Glossary (PDF)
Care 1. Reduce preventable hospital admissions and readmissions. Standing Committee Policy
2. Reduce the incidence of adverse healthcare-associated conditions. (PDF)
Disparities
3. Reduce harm from inappropriate or unnecessary care. Standing Committee
Health IT Guidebook (PDF)
Related NQF Work Measure Developer Guidebook
(PDF)
NEW! Patient Safety 2015
The Patient Safety project is entering its second phase. This project will evaluate
measures related to patient safety that can be used for accountability and public
reporting for all populations and in all settings of care.
Find Measures
NEW! HIT Safety
NQF will explore the intersection of HIT and patient safety in order to create a
report that will provide a comprehensive framework for assessment of HIT safety Use NQF's Quality Positioning
measurement efforts, a measure gap analysis and recommendations for gap-filling, System (QPS) to find measures
and best practices and challenges in measurement of HIT safety issues to-date. related to Affordable Care.

NEW! Surgery 2014 Find measures now!

The Surgery Project is now beginning its second phase. This project will include
performance measures in the areas of general and specialty surgery that address
surgical processes, including pre and post-surgical care, timing of prophylactic
antibiotic, adverse surgical outcomes, and other related topics.
Serious Reportable Events (SREs)
Patient Safety Measures
NQF is seeking to endorse cross-cutting patient safety measures that span
conditions, populations, and settings of care. To ensure that all patients are
protected from injury while
Prioritizing Measures: Health Workforce
Health Workforce emphasizes the role of the workforce in prevention and care receiving care, NQF has
coordination, linkages between healthcare and community-based services, and developed and endorsed a set of
workforce deployment. This project is one of five Prioritizing Measures initiatives. Serious Reportable Events
Access the Final Report
(SREs).
Infectious Disease Endorsement Maintenance 2012
Learn more about SREs.
NQF sought performance measures that can be used for accountability and public
reporting in topic areas related to infectious disease (viral, bacterial, fungal, or
parasitic infections) for adults and children in all settings of care.
Endorsement Summary

All-Cause Readmissions Measures Project

In May 2012, NQF endorsed two measures that address all-cause unplanned
readmissions in hospitals an area of healthcare targeted for improvement given
national imperatives to make healthcare safer, more affordable, and keep people
healthy. Following an appeal in June, NQF upheld endorsement of both measures.
Press Release | Endorsement Summary

Critical Paths: Patient Safety

This project assessed the readiness of electronic data and health IT systems to
support data capture, normalization, and standardization to support patient safety
reporting and evaluation across clinical information systems, with a specific focus on
acute care infusion devices. Read the Report

Measure Applications Partnership (MAP)

MAP has submitted a number of reports to the Department of Health and Human
Services outlining strategies to help improve care through the selection of
performance measures for public reporting and performance-based payment
programs. Recent reports highlight the unique needs of the dual-eligible patients,
hospice and palliative care patients, and PPS-Exempt Cancer Hospitals, including the
 importance of care coordination and patient and family engagement.

MAP Families of Measures: Safety and Care Coordination Task Force

The Safety and Care Coordination Task Force have developed a "family" of aligned
measures that includes available measures and measure gaps that span programs,
care settings, and levels of analysis related to patient safety and care coordination.
This family of measures addresses cost of care as related to these topics. Findings
were included in the MAP Families of Measures Report, submitted to HHS on October
1, 2012.

National Priorities Partnership-Partnership for Patients

The National Priorities Partnership (NPP) is a group of 52 major national
organizations with a shared vision to achieve better health, and a safe, equitable,
and value-driven healthcare system. The NPP oversees several initiatives of the
Department of Health and Human Services Partnership for Patients initiative,
including a patient safety webinar series and quarterly meetings to help meet the
aims of the partnership.

NPP Readmissions and Maternity Action Teams

NPP formed two Action Teams comprised of nearly two-dozen stakeholders
representing providers, purchasers, consumers, health plans, accreditation and
certification bodies, and state, regional and local entities. Focused on improving
maternity care and reducing hospital admissions and readmissions across multiple
care settings, each group has developed plans of action that address the who, what,
how and when of reducing hospital readmissions and harm.

Patient Safety: Complications Phase I Measures Project

In June 2012, NQF endorsed 14 patient safety measures with a focus on
complications, addressing a range of quality concerns, including medication safety,
venous thromboembolism, surgical safety, and care coordination. Two additional
measures focused on venous thromboembolism prophylaxis and current medication
documentation in medical records were endorsed in August 2012 following
additional review from the projects steering committee.
Press Release | Endorsement Summary

Patient Safety: Healthcare-Associated Infections Measures Project

In January 2012, NQF endorsed four patient safety measures focused on healthcare-
associated infections. During this project, two similar and competing surgical site
infection measures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the
American College of Surgeons were harmonized with NQFs support.
Press Release | Endorsement Summary

Perinatal and Reproductive Health Measures Project

In April 2012, NQF endorsed 14 quality measures on perinatal care. The measures
address a wide range of care concerns, including childbirth, pregnancy and post-
partum care, and newborn care. Several of the measures have the potential to
dramatically affect the health and well-being of both mothers and newborns,
including a measure focused on elective vaginal deliveries or cesarean sections
before 39 weeks, as well as a measure focused on women receiving prophylactic
antibiotics prior to a cesarean section.
Press Release | Endorsement Summary

Serious Reportable Events (SRE) Project

Preventing adverse events in healthcare is central to NQF's patient safety efforts. To
ensure that all patients are protected from injury while receiving care, NQF has
developed and endorsed a set of Serious Reportable Events (SREs). This set is a
compilation of serious, largely preventable, and harmful clinical events, designed to
help the healthcare field assess, measure, and report performance in providing safe
care.

Surgery Measures Project

In January 2012, NQF endorsed 24 quality measures on surgical care performed in
hospitals and in outpatient facilities, including measures focused on complications in
patients undergoing hip and knee replacements; prophylactic antibiotic use in
surgical patients; and mortality rates for patients experiencing complications. In May
2012, nine additional measures were endorsed as part of this work, including a new
measure evaluating patient experience of care following surgical procedures.
Press Release | Endorsement Summary

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