@article{8a5d2eb4c0d446669910178b7146bbcc,
title = "The National Agenda for Quality Palliative Care: The National Consensus Project and the National Quality Forum",
abstract = "The release in 2007 of the National Quality Forum (NQF) preferred practices is a significant advance in the field of palliative care. These NQF preferred practices build on the clinical practice guidelines for palliative care developed by the National Consensus Project (NCP). The NQF is dedicated to improving the quality of American health care, and their focus on palliative care recognizes its growing place within the broader scope of health care. This article reviews the work of both the NCP and NQF and presents the domains and preferred practices that should guide quality improvement efforts in hospice and palliative care.",
keywords = "Palliative care",
author = "Betty Ferrell and Connor, {Stephen R.} and Anne Cordes and Dahlin, {Constance M.} and Fine, {Perry G.} and Nancy Hutton and Mark Leenay and Judy Lentz and Person, {Judi Lund} and Meier, {Diane E.} and Ken Zuroski",
note = "Funding Information: The NQF is a broad-based nonprofit “organization of organizations” tasked with the mission of developing ways to improve the quality of American health care. The NQF effects this goal through endorsement of consensus-based national standards for measurement and public reporting of health care performance data that provide meaningful information about whether care is safe, timely, beneficial, patient-centered, equitable, and efficient. Established as a public-private partnership, the NQF has broad participation from all parts of the health care system, including national, state, regional, and local groups representing consumers, public and private purchasers, employers, health care professionals, provider organizations, health plans, accrediting bodies, labor unions, supporting industries, and organizations involved in health care research or quality improvement. Together, the members of the NQF work to promote a common approach to measuring health care quality and fostering system-wide capacity for quality improvement. More information can be found at http://www.qualityforum.org . The NQF utilizes a five-step process: consensus standard development, widespread review, member voting and council approval, Board of Directors action, and subsequent evaluation. The NQF process is characterized by openness, balance, due process, consensus, and appeals mechanisms, and approval subsequent to this rigorous process is an accepted means of identifying standards appropriate for reimbursement by major payers. The implications of endorsement by the NQF for the field of palliative care are profound and include legitimacy in the eyes of policy makers; legitimacy, stable reimbursement structures, and coverage implications for payers; and a first step toward development of actionable measures for quality improvement, benchmarking, accreditation, and public reporting. In recognition of the importance of engagement of the NQF to achieve these goals, NCP leaders approached the NQF to request their review and endorsement of the clinical practice guidelines. Again, with support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the NQF agreed to convene a review committee to evaluate and modify the NCP guidelines to fit the NQF approach to developing a framework. The process was greatly facilitated and expedited by the previously accomplished development of consensus guidelines, a process that did not have to be repeated. Most importantly, the NQF accepted and endorsed the definition of palliative care as offered by the NCP. The NCP definition for palliative care stipulates that “Palliative care is both a philosophy of care and an organized, highly structured system for delivering care. The goal of palliative care is to prevent and relieve suffering and to support the best possible quality of life for patients and their families, regardless of the stage of the disease or the need for other therapies. Palliative care expands traditional disease-model medical treatments to include the goals of enhancing quality of life for patients and family members, helping with decision making, and providing opportunities for personal growth.” 1 The NQF also opted to accept the NCP domains for its framework structure and then proceeded to write preferred practices or actions that could be taken to operationalize the NCP guidelines in clinical settings and whose implementation could be measured and evaluated. For example, these preferred practices include use of an interdisciplinary palliative care team, 24-hour-per-day, seven-days-per-week access to palliative care, staff training, support, and credentialing. 3 ",
year = "2007",
month = jun,
doi = "10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2007.02.024",
language = "English",
volume = "33",
pages = "737--744",
journal = "Journal of Pain and Symptom Management",
issn = "0885-3924",
publisher = "Elsevier Inc.",
number = "6",
}