You can get a sneak peek at hospice quality measures Medicare is likely to require in the future. The National Quality Forum has endorsed 14 quality measures on palliative and end-of-life care, it says. CMS tends to adopt NQF-endorsed quality measures unless it has a compelling reason not to, observers note.
Twelve of the 14 measures are new, while NQF endorsed the other two previously, NQF notes in a release. The measures range from clinical issues like treating dyspnea to spiritual issues such as documenting a discussion regarding religious concerns.
The measures are at www.qualityforum.org or e-mail editor Rebecca Johnson at rebeccaj@eliresearch.com with "NQF Hospice Measures" in the subject line.
