Improving quality measure maintenance: navigating the complexities of evolving evidence.

To be effective, healthcare quality measures must communicate clear, evidence-based standards to promote improved quality of care and outcomes. When the evidentiary foundation for measures changes, revisions must be made quickly and communicated clearly; otherwise, measures can confuse providers who are trying to reconcile the evidence-based care they deliver with outdated measure specifications. Outdated measures can also affect clinical decision making, potentially harming patients if the measures promote care that is not the best treatment for their condition according to the most recent evidence. This case study focuses on 2 measures for which the evidence base changed, yet implementation of revised specifications lagged and subsequently affected the payment programs in which the measures are used. The case study is shared to motivate collaboration among quality measurement stakeholders to advance shared responsibility for timely measure updates when evidence changes and to avoid confusion in measure implementation. Multiple parties share the responsibility for ensuring that measures are updated and aligned with evidence and practice recommendations. Issues of coordination among clinical experts, measure developers or stewards, and program implementers, including health plans, are not unique to any steward or implementer. The timing of new evidence releases and guidelines for the condition, service, or product being measured will always vary regardless of the measure update cycle for any one program. Changes to measure maintenance processes cannot totally negate these underlying challenges but can mitigate their impact. This case study calls for a national conversation to address opportunities for measure update process improvements.

Use of health information technology (HIT) to improve statin adherence and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goal attainment in high-risk patients: proceedings from a workshop.

The workshop discussions focused on how low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal attainment can be enhanced with the use of health information technology (HIT) in different clinical settings. A gap is acknowledged in LDL-C goal attainment, but because of the passage of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Acts there is now reason for optimism that this gap can be narrowed. For HIT to be effectively used to achieve treatment goals, it must be implemented in a setting in which the health care team is fully committed to achieving these goals. Implementation of HIT alone has not resulted in reducing the gap. It is critical to build an effective management strategy into the HIT platform without increasing the overall work/time burden on staff. By enhancing communication between the health care team and the patient, more timely adjustments to treatment plans can be made with greater opportunity for LDL-C goal attainment and improved efficiency in the long run. Patients would be encouraged to take a more active role. Support tools are available. The National Lipid Association has developed a toolkit designed to improve patient compliance and could be modified for use in an HIT system. The importance of a collaborative approach between nongovernmental organizations such as the National Lipid Association, National Quality Forum, HIT partners, and other members of the health care industry offers the best opportunity for long-term success and the real possibility that such efforts could be applied to other chronic conditions, for example, diabetes and hypertension.