by Ingrida Lusis
The National Quality Forum (NQF) has endorsed eight of ASHA's functional communication measures (FCMs) related to speech-language pathology rehabilitation of stroke patients. The FCMs are part of ASHA's National Outcomes Measurement System (NOMS). In the health care arena, the NQF endorsement is considered the "gold standard" of health care quality.
ASHA will now work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to recognize the eight endorsed FCMs for reporting by speech-language pathologists under the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative. Under this initiative, Medicare providers are eligible to receive a bonus payment for submitting NQF-approved quality measures. CMS already recognizes NOMS as an appropriate tool for documenting patient improvement for patients seeking approval for treatment that exceeds the Medicare therapy cap.
NOMS is a data collection system developed to illustrate the value of speech-language pathology services provided to adults with communication and swallowing disorders. The FCMs are a series of disorder-specific, seven-point rating scales that describe changes in an individual's functional communication (writing, spoken language expression, spoken language comprehension, reading, motor speech, memory, and attention) and/or swallowing ability over time.
The purpose of NQF-endorsed standards is to improve the quality of care in health care settings through accountability and public reporting of standardized quality measurements. NQF endorsed 91 measures this year.
"A commitment to public reporting and transparency can make the real difference in improving safety, health care quality, and patient engagement," said Janet Corrigan, NQF president and CEO.
The Aug. 5 NQF announcement can be found on their Web site.
Ingrida Lusis, director of federal and political affairs, can be reached at ilusis@asha.org. For more information on NOMS, contact Rob Mullen, director, National Center for Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders, at rmullen@asha.org.