Recently, CMS contracted with the National Quality Forum (NQF) to “identify and endorse measures for public accountability and quality improvement related to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) care at both facility and physician levels.”
A new set of voluntary Clinical Performance Measures (CPMs), developed by the ESRD Measures Steering Committee/Technical Advisory Panel is up for public comment.
The previous set of CPMs for ESRD addressed only patient blood parameters:
[ul]
[li]Dialysis adequacy (PD & HD)
[/li][li]Vascular access
[/li][li]Anemia
[/li][/ul]
But, this time, one proposed measure is based on an annual assessment of eligible adult patients using the KDQOL-36, a reliable, valid survey of kidney-specific health-related quality of life.
The KDQOL is the SF-12 plus items to assess burden of kidney disease, symptoms/problems, and effects of kidney disease. For the first time, patients’ perceptions of their own lives (which have been shown in tens of thousands of ESRD patients to predict morbidity & mortality as strongly as Kt/V and serum albumin) can be assessed as a measure of ESRD care quality.
As long-time proponents of rehabilitation, we believe that including this KDQOL measure is the most important single thing we can do right now, as a community, to improve the quality of care for patients. If you agree, please take a few moments to leave your comments on-line at: http://www.qualityforum.org/projects/ongoing/esrd/comments/post.asp today! The deadline is 6 pm EDT Sept. 7, 2007.
Please feel free to share this information with anyone you believe would be interested in supporting this effort.