NCI Included in Recommendations Made by National Quality Forum
The National Quality Forum has released recommendations that include National Core Indicators (NCI) in a report titled “Quality Measurement in the Medicaid Innovations Accelerator Project.” NCI is included as a measure concept in recommendations made by the National Quality Forum for use by states participating in the Innovation Accelerator Program, within the Community Based Long Term services and supports.
NQF is under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and convened a multi-stakeholder Coordinating Committee and four Technical Expert Panels to identify and recommend measures that address key quality issues in each of the Medicaid Innovation Accelerator Program’s four areas of focus:
- Reducing Substance Use Disorders;
- Improving Care for Medicaid Beneficiaries with Complex Care Needs and High Costs;
- Promoting Community Integration through Long-Term Services and Supports and;
- Supporting Physical and Mental Health Integration.
A wide range of stakeholders provided topic- specific expertise and knowledge of measurement to guide the selection of measures and measure concepts. Their work in identifying these measures across each program took into account the CMS quality domains, incorporated those ready to use, and emphasized alignment across states and programs.
According to the report, “The NCI-AD survey measures approximately 50 “indicators” of outcomes of CI-LTSS for older adults and adults with physical and other disabilities, excluding adults with intellectual disability/developmental disability (ID/DD). The Coordinating Committee (CC) also agreed that the survey focuses on elements related to quality of life, which is critically important to the disability and aging populations. Currently, 14 states use this survey. The Administration for Community Living has provided grant funding to the stewards of the NCI and NCI-AD measures. The funding supports the stewards’ pursuit of NQF endorsement for at least 20 PRO-PMs from the NCI Adult Consumer Survey and NCI-Aging and Disability over the next three years. The CC recommended this measure concept for inclusion in the Medicaid IAP CI-LTSS program.”