HHS Announces Quality Summit to Streamline and Improve Quality Programs Across Government
July 09, 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan announced the formation of the Quality Summit (QS), which will bring together key industry stakeholders and government leaders to discuss how current quality programs administered by HHS can be further evaluated, adapted, and ultimately streamlined to deliver a value-based care model focused on improving outcomes for American patients. On June 24, President Trump signed the Improving Price and Quality Transparency in American Healthcare to Put Patients First Executive Order, directing federal agencies to develop a Health Quality Roadmap that aims to align and improve reporting on data and quality measures across federal health programs.
HHS quality programs, which include programs within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and Indian Health Service (IHS), are designed to improve outcomes for program beneficiaries, reduce provider burden, and improve transparency through expanded public reporting of performance results.
Initially implemented beginning in 2000, many of these programs have evolved to include additional measures. Yet, the quality programs across agencies and as a whole have not been subject to a systemic objective external review since their inception. As part of its mission to enhance and promote the health and well-being of the American people, HHS is undertaking a review to ensure quality and value transparency for all patients served by these programs.
The Summit will be chaired by Deputy Secretary Hargan and Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD, an internationally renowned expert on healthcare quality and patient safety.
The complete HHS release and fact sheet can be found:
Tags: Patient experience, Safety