Multi-Stakeholder Coalition Applauds Congress for Bill to Continue Federal Funding for the National Quality Forum

June 20, 2019
The Honorable Judy Chu 2423 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Eliot Engel 2426 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Buddy Carter 2432 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representatives Chu, Engel and Carter,

As members of the Friends of NQF, we applaud your leadership and introduction of bipartisan legislation (H.R. 3031) continuing federal funding for the National Quality Forum.

Continued federal funding for the National Quality Forum (NQF) is foundational to efforts to achieve a cost-efficient, high-quality, value-based healthcare system that ensures the best care for Americans and the best use of the nation’s healthcare dollars. The introduction of your bill to reauthorize federal funding for NQF helps ensure that quality measures used in care delivery and payment reform continue to be reliable, effective and drive measurable improvements for our nation’s Medicare beneficiaries.

During the continued legislative process, we encourage the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means to consider other changes to modernize and enhance the impact of NQF’s contribution to our nation’s continued commitment to value-based care. These changes would include:

• Improve public transparency and accountability regarding the use and implementation of measures, enabling public input into emerging Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation models;
• Advance quality improvement reforms that reduce administrative burden and foster alignment across programs and payers; and,
• Advance national health priorities and high-value, high-impact quality measures through innovations in measurement.

Thank you for your leadership and commitment to NQF. Continuing the nation’s work to advance quality, safety, and cost-effective healthcare is one objective we all share.
Sincerely,

The Friends of NQF

Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy
AdvaMed
Adventist Health System
AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine
America’s Physician Groups
American Academy of Dermatology
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
American Academy of Ophthalmology
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
American Association for Physician Leadership
American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
American Association on Health and Disability
American Board of Medical Specialties
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
American College of Cardiology
American College of Emergency Physicians
American College of Medical Quality
American College of Physicians
American College of Surgeons
American Geriatrics Society
American Health Quality Association
American Healthcare Association
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
American Nurses Association
American Occupational Therapy Association
American Osteopathic Association
American Physical Therapy Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
American Society of Anesthesiologists
American Society of Clinical Oncology
American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
American Society of Nephrology
America’s Essential Hospitals
America’s Health Insurance Plans
AmeriHealth Caritas
AMGA
Anthem, Inc.
Association for Community Affiliated Plans
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of periOperative Registered Nurses
BD
bioMérieux
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield
Carilion Clinic
Center to Advance Palliative Care
Children’s National Medical Center
Coalition to Transform Advanced Care
Compassus
Connecticut Center for Patient Safety
Consumer Coalition for Quality Health Care
Council of Medical Specialty Societies
Dental Quality Alliance
eHealth Initiative
ElevatingHOME
Eli Lilly and Company
Federation of American Hospitals
Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes
Fresenius Medical Care North America
Geisinger
Genetech, Inc.
GlaxoSmithKline
Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health
Harborview Medical Center
HCA
Health Action Council
Health Care Service Corporation
Healthcare Leadership Council
HealthPartners, Inc., Bloomington Minnesota
HealthSouth
Henry Ford Health System
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
Human Services Research Institute
Humana
Informed Patient Institute
Integrated Healthcare Association
Intermountain Healthcare
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Johns Hopkins Health System
Johns Hopkins Medicine Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality
Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, Inc.
Kaiser Permanente
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Medicare Rights Center
Memorial Hermann Health System
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Memphis Business Group on Health
Merck & Co.
Minnesota Health Action Group
MN Community Measurement
National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions
National Association of ACOs
National Association of Behavioral Healthcare
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
National Business Group on Health
National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care
National Committee for Quality Assurance
National Council on Aging
National Health Policy Group
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
National Partnership for Hospice Innovation
National Partnership for Women and Families
National Patient Advocate Foundation
National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel
National Rural Health Association
National Sleep Foundation
Nemours Children’s Health System
Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement
New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute
New Jersey Hospital Association
Next Wave, Inc.
NICHE – Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders
Northeast Business Group on Health
Pacific Business Group on Health
Partners HealthCare
Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative
PCPI Foundation
PFCC Partners
Pharmacy Quality Alliance
PhRMA
Planetree International
Premier, Inc.
Press Ganey
Quality Insights, Inc.
SNP Alliance
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Society of Hospital Medicine
Society of Interventional Radiology
Society of Thoracic Surgeons
St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition
Suncoast RHIO
Tenet Healthcare, Inc.
The Alliance
The Council on Quality and Leadership
The Health Collaborative
The Joint Commission
The Leapfrog Group
University of Pennsylvania Health System Penn Medicine
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Vizient, Inc.
Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality
Women’s Care Florida

CC: Chairman Richard Neal House Committee on Ways and Means Washington, DC 20515
Ranking Member Kevin Brady House Committee on Ways and Means Washington, DC 20515
Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Washington, DC 20515
Ranking Member Greg Walden House Committee on Energy and Commerce Washington, DC 20515