Health Care Quality Measures
Adopted Rule - November 13, 2012
Minnesota Statutes 62U.02 requires the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to establish a standardized set of quality measures for health care providers across the state and to produce an annual report on health care quality. A subset of the standardized set of quality measures will be used for public reporting purposes.
To implement the collection of quality measurement data, MDH has developed the Minnesota Statewide Quality Reporting and Measurement System, created through Minnesota Rules, Chapter 4654. This rule compels physician clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, and hospitals to submit data on a set of quality measures to be publicly reported and also establishes a broader standardized set of quality measures for health care providers across the state. MDH will collect data on those measures to be publicly reported, while health plans may only require providers to submit data on those measures that are part of the standardized set.
The Commissioner of Health is required to annually evaluate the measures included in the standardized set of quality measures. These rules were adopted in December 2009 and amended in November 2010 and 2011. The 2012 amendments to Minnesota Rules, Chapter 4654, Permanent Rules Relating to Health Care Quality Measures, were approved by the Office of Administrative Hearings on October 16, 2012, and published in the November 13, 2012, edition of the State Register. The final and adopted rule and appendices are available for download below.
Minnesota Statewide Quality Reporting and Measurement System, adopted rule (PDF: 37KB/ 1 page)
Measure information
Physician Clinic Measure Specifications
- Optimal Diabetes Care (ODC) Composite Measure Specifications Referenced in Appendix A (PDF: 168KB/7 pages)
- Optimal Vascular Care (OVC) Composite Measure Specifications Referenced in Appendix A (PDF: 165KB/5 pages)
- Depression Remission at Six Months Measure Specifications Referenced in Appendix A (PDF: 146KB/5 pages)
- Optimal Asthma Care Composite Measure Specifications Referenced in Appendix A (PDF: 159KB/4 pages)
- Colorectal Cancer Screening Measure Specifications Referenced in Appendix A (PDF: 227KB/4 pages)
- Primary C-Section Rate Measure Specification Referenced in Appendix A (PDF: 156KB/4 pages)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) Survey for Physician Clinics Referenced in Appendix A (PDF: 293KB/45 pages)
- Patient Experience of Care Survey for Physician Clinics Referenced in Appendix A (PDF: 79KB/1 page)
Hospital Measure Specifications
- Appropriate Care Measure (AMI-ACM, HF-ACM, PN-ACM) Specifications Referenced in Appendix B (PDF: 92KB/2 pages)
- Minnesota Stroke Registry Indicator Specifications Referenced in Appendix B (PDF: 144KB/4 pages)
- University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center Measure Specifications Referenced in Appendix B (PDF: 100KB/3 pages)
Ambulatory Surgical Center Measure Specifications
Other Measure Specifications
- Pediatric Asthma Measure Specifications Referenced in Appendix D (PDF: 21KB/1 page)
- Additional Information about Minnesota Department of Human Services Quality Measures as Referenced in Minnesota Rules, Chapter 4654.0200, Subp. 19C (PDF: 21KB/1 page)
Technical Corrections
The Minnesota Department of Health has amended SQRMS requirements by not requiring that hospitals report the following measures for discharge dates July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013:
- Troponin results for Emergency Department acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients or chest pain patients (with probable cardiac chest pain) received within 60 minutes of arrival (OP-16); and
- Surgery patients with recommended venous thromboembolism prophylaxis ordered (SCIP-VTE-1).
Variances
Minnesota Rule 4654.0700 provides discretionary authority for the Commissioner of Health to grant variances to a data submitter for a reported quality measure collection or submission specification if the data submitter demonstrates good cause.
Variance procedure (PDF: 19KB/1 page)
