STATEMENT OF MARK B. MCCLELLAN, M.D., PH.D. ADMINISTRATOR, CMS ON AMBULATORY CARE QUALITY MEASURES
The progress made by the Ambulatory care Quality Alliance represents the ability of the stakeholders to come together collaboratively, leading to improved quality, additional information for consumers and better use of health care resources. Physician leaders should be complimented for taking this step forward.
This approach is similar to the Hospital Quality Alliance’s efforts involving a broad array of stakeholders in selecting and implementing a standardized set of measures for inpatient hospital care.
This initial set of measures selected by the AQA is a milestone for all those who wish to have a valid, reliable set of performance measures for physicians’ offices, group practices, and other ambulatory care settings. CMS supports the AQA's continued efforts to implement valid, reliable measures that benefit consumers and clinicians by enhancing the quality of the nation’s health care.