Using Registry Data to Support National Quality Forum Endorsement of Quality Measures for Home-Based Medical Care

Am J Med Qual. 2021 Nov-Dec;36(6):402-407. doi: 10.1097/01.JMQ.0000735496.32223.40.

Abstract

Homebound older adults receiving home-based medical care (HBMC) are high-need, high-cost patients. National Quality Forum (NQF)-endorsed quality measures for this population are lacking. The objective is to describe the reliability and validity testing of 2 new quality measures for such patients to support NQF endorsement. The authors developed 2 new clinical quality measures for HBMC: evaluation of (1) functional status and (2) cognitive function. Data from a large multistate HBMC practice in a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-approved qualified clinical data registry were used to test both measures for reliability and validity. In 63 000 patient encounters, provider performance rates were 68% for evaluation of functional status and 40% for cognitive function. Reliability and validity were high for both. This article describes a replicable approach to leverage registry-type data to systematically address quality gaps for high-need, high-cost populations that will raise the profile of HBMC with measure developers and payers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Home Care Services*
  • Humans
  • Medicare
  • Quality Indicators, Health Care*
  • Registries
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • United States