WASHINGTON, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Quality Forum (NQF) today announced it is launching Phase II of an initiative to identify national consensus standards for measuring and reporting the quality of cancer care. An estimated 1.3 million Americans will be newly diagnosed with cancer in 2004, and more than 8 million each year are treated for the condition. However, according to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, cancer patients often do not receive the most effective care.
In recent years, much progress has been made in developing ways to assess the quality of cancer care. This progress, however, has not yet been standardized in ways that are meaningful to consumers, purchasers, or providers of care. The NQF project will seek national consensus on standardized ways to assess the quality of cancer care.
"Cancer is the second leading killer of Americans," said Kenneth W. Kizer, MD, MPH, President and CEO of the NQF. "Having national consensus standards for cancer treatment will make it easier for both patients and doctors to make better decisions about care."
During Phase I of this initiative in 2002, a Steering Committee convened by the NQF identified seven priority areas for cancer care consensus standards: breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, symptom management (including end-of-life care), prevention and screening, access to care (including disparities), and communication and coordination of care. Phase II of this initiative will focus on three of these priorities; determining those three priority areas will be the first order of work.
Phase II of this initiative is expected to be completed in 28 months and is funded by a $1.9 million contract from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The NQF is a voluntary consensus standard-setting organization, created in 1999 in response to the need to develop and implement a national strategy for healthcare quality measurement and reporting. Established as a unique public- private partnership, the NQF is a private, not-for-profit public benefit corporation with broad participation from more than 200 member organizations representing all sectors of the healthcare industry, including consumers, employers, insurers, healthcare providers, and other critical stakeholders. Additional information about the NQF and its projects is available at http://www.qualityforum.org/.
National Quality ForumCONTACT: Philip Dunn of the National Quality Forum, +1-202-783-1300 orpdunn@qualityforum.org
Web site: http://www.qualityforum.org/
