Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation-Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE), in collaboration with Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), is pleased to announce an open call for nominations for the Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to support the development of two quality measures under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMS Innovation Center) Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model for kidney transplant care. The measure concepts include a patient reported outcome-based performance measure (PRO-PM) focused on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among transplant recipients and a process measure focused on access to the kidney transplant waitlist addressing pre-transplant process of care. The TEP is expected to convene periodically between April 2025 through September 2027.

We seek individuals with differing areas of expertise and perspectives across four key categories:

1. Patient and Caregiver Representatives
   Roles: Kidney transplant recipients, patients on the kidney transplant waitlist, family and caregivers.
   Perspectives: Providing firsthand experiences and insights into the impact of kidney transplantation on quality of life, referral processes, and waitlisting barriers.
2. Clinical and Operational Experts
   Disciplines: Nephrologists, primary care physicians, psychologists/behavioral health specialists, social workers, sociologists/health equity experts, and transplant hospital administrators, care coordinators, and transplant surgeons, nurses, or other clinicians.
   Expertise: Providing pre-and/or post-transplant care, offering transplantation services, and/or addressing patient barriers to accessing care and navigating care. 
3. Methodological Experts
   Disciplines: Biostatisticians, clinical epidemiologists, data scientists, health services researchers, psychometricians, quality improvement specialists.
   Expertise: Statistical modeling, risk adjustment, patient survey design/testing, and process improvement methodologies.
4. Policy, Payer, and Advocacy Group Representatives
   Roles: Kidney disease community leaders, organ procurement organizations, patient advocacy organizations focused on kidney care, payers.
   Expertise: Organ procurement/allocation policies, waitlisting criteria, and reimbursement practices

Selected TEP members will provide multidisciplinary expertise to:

• Advise on the importance, reliability, validity, feasibility, and usability of the quality measures.
• Review draft survey instruments, measure specifications, and testing results.
• Provide input on public comments related to measure development.
• Ensure the measures align with patient needs, drive equitable care, and are practical for implementation.

Through these contributions, the TEP will help shape measures to inform decision-making, enhance patient outcomes, and promote equitable access to kidney transplant care.

To nominate yourself or someone else, please review the draft TEP Charter and complete the TEP Nomination Form available at: Current TEP Opportunities | The Measures Management System and submit the following materials by 5 p.m. (ET), on February 12, 2025:

• Statement of interest outlining relevant expertise or experience
• Nominee’s CV or resume (not require for patient or caregiver representatives)

For questions, please contact the CORE/HSAG team at cmskidneytransplantmeasures@yale.edu.