Quality Measures

Quality health care is a high priority for the President, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS implements quality initiatives to assure quality health care for Medicare Beneficiaries through accountability and public disclosure. CMS uses quality measures in its various quality initiatives that include quality improvement, pay for reporting, and public reporting.

What are Quality Measures?

Quality measures are tools that help us measure or quantify healthcare processes, outcomes, patient perceptions, and organizational structure and/or systems that are associated with the ability to provide high-quality health care and/or that relate to one or more quality goals for health care. These goals include: effective, safe, efficient, patient-centered, equitable, and timely care.

How are they developed?

For information on how CMS develops quality measures, please go to the Measures Management System (MMS) HUB for more information.

How are they used?

CMS uses quality measures in its quality improvement, public reporting, and pay-for-reporting programs for specific healthcare providers. Visit the MMS Hub for a list of CMS Quality Reporting and Value-Based Programs & Initiatives.