Health Care Quality Measures - Recommendations
Minnesota Statutes 62U.02 requires the Commissioner of Health to establish a standardized set of quality measures for health care providers across the state. A subset of the standardized set of quality measures will be used for public reporting purposes. To implement the collection of quality measurement data, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has developed the Minnesota Statewide Quality Reporting and Measurement System (SQRMS), created through Minnesota Rules, Chapter 4654. This rule compels physician clinics 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 evaluate the measures included in the set of quality measures to be publicly reported on an annual basis. MDH contracted with MN Community Measurement (MNCM) and other community partners to make recommendations about new, modified and/or retired quality measures to be publicly reported for the Statewide Quality Reporting and Measurement System (SQRMS).
2013 Preliminary Recommendations
MDH invites interested stakeholders to review and comment on MNCM's preliminary recommendations for physician clinic and ambulatory surgical center measures for the 2013 administrative rule and subsequently, the 2014 Statewide Quality Reporting and Measurement System. Recommendations must be submitted to MDH at health.reform@state.mn.us by 4:30 PM on May 17, 2013, to be considered.
Summary Chart of 2013 Preliminary Recommendations (PDF: 308KB/ 8 pages)
2013 Standardized Measure Recommendations
The standardized set of quality measures includes the measures for which MDH directly collects data, as well as a broader set for which health plans may require providers to submit data. The Commissioner of Health established these measures in Minnesota Rules, Chapter 4654, and is required to review them on an annual basis. MDH invites interested stakeholders to submit recommendations on the addition, removal, or modification of standardized quality measures to MDH by June 1, 2013. Recommendations must be submitted to MDH at health.reform@state.mn.us by 4:30 PM on June 1, 2013, to be considered. The Commissioner will take these recommendations into consideration in determining what changes, if any, should be made to the Statewide Quality Reporting and Measurement System (SQRMS).
To better align with other state and federal reporting requirements—most notably, Minnesota Health Care Homes, the CMS Shared Savings Program (i.e., Accountable Care Organizations), and the CMS Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS)—MDH is considering changing the required patient experience survey tool that is to be administered every-other-year from the CG-CAHPS Visit Survey to the CG-CAHPS 12-month core survey. Clinics that are seeking Health Care Homes certification or are certified Health Care Homes can add the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) supplemental items to the 12-month CG-CAHPS core survey. The next patient experience survey under SQRMS would commence in 2014. MDH is requesting community feedback on this potential change in particular.
Recommendations must address how addition, removal, or modification of a quality measure relates to one or more of the following criteria:
- the magnitude of the individual and societal burden imposed by the clinical condition being measured by the quality measure, including disability, mortality and economic costs;
- the extent of the gap between current practices and evidence-based practices for the clinical condition being measured by the quality measure, and the likelihood that the gap can be closed and conditions improved through changes in clinical processes;
- the relevance of the quality measure to a broad range of individuals with regard to (1) age, gender, socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity (2) the ability to generalize quality improvement strategies across the spectrum of health care conditions, and (3) the capacity for change across a range of health care settings and providers;
- the extent to which the quality measure has either been developed or accepted, or approved through a national consensus effort;
- the extent to which the results of the quality measure are likely to demonstrate a wide degree of variation across providers; and
- the extent to which the quality measure is valid and reliable.
