National Quality Forum (NQF) Convenes Value Set Harmonization Committee (VSC)

Columbia, MD, May 7, 2015 –The National Quality Forum (NQF) has convened a national multi-stakeholder Value Set Committee (VSC) to determine an overall approach to harmonization and approval of value sets, including development of evaluation criteria; evaluating the results of the harmonization process; and providing broader recommendations on how harmonized and approved value sets should be integrated into the measurement endorsement process. Working under the guidance of the VSC, separate Technical Expert Panels (TEPs) will then use the process developed by the VSC to conduct the actual technical analysis and harmonization of value-sets related to electronic quality measures (eCQM) used in Meaningful Use and other CMS quality reporting programs using eCQM’s.

The VSC will comprise experts with broad expertise in health IT policy, measure development, clinical information systems, coding, and interoperability. The subject-specific TEPs will consist of clinical coding experts, measure developers and methodologists, EHR vendors, and specialists in clinical process and structure (e.g., defining encounters). Dr. Zahid Butt, CEO of Medisolv, and Dr. Michael Lieberman, Acting Chief Information Officer of Oregon Health and Science University, have been appointed Co-Chairs of the VSC. This project is funded under NQF’s contract with the Department of Health and Human Services, “National Strategy and Priorities for Healthcare Performance Measurement.”

For a complete description of the Value Set Harmonization project and VSC bios, please visit http://www.qualityforum.org/Value_Set_Harmonization.aspx.

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