Click the plus sign (+) for each current technical expert panel (TEP) to learn how to get involved.

Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Measures Maintenance and Development

Project Title: Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Measures Maintenance and Development 

Dates:

The Technical Expert Panel (TEP) nomination period opens on January 15, 2025, and closes on February 14, 2025. Submit all nomination materials by the closing date.

Project Overview:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracted Mathematica and Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) to 1) develop new measures for children who use home and community-based services (HCBS) and 2) maintain existing CMS HCBS and long-term services and supports (LTSS) measures for adults. The contract name is Long-term Services and Supports (LTSS) Analyses, Public Reporting, and Measures Maintenance and Development. The contract number is 75FCMC19D0091 and the task order number is 75FMC24F0194. As part of its measure development process, Mathematica convenes groups of stakeholders who contribute direction and thoughtful input to the measure developer during measure development and maintenance. TEP meetings are conducted virtually and will focus on soliciting review and feedback on prioritization of new measure concepts, re-specification of existing measures, draft measure specifications and results from alpha and beta testing and public comment.

Seeking the Following Perspectives/Expertise:

We are seeking individuals with differing perspectives and areas of expertise, such as:

• Individuals with HCBS expertise related to:
  • Child populations
  • Children’s health, development, and social support needs
  • People under age 65 with potentially disabling conditions
  • Older adults (ages 65 and older)
  • Both adult and child populations
  • People of all ages with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or intellectual or developmental disability (ID or DD)
  • People of all ages with mental health (MH) or substance use disorder (SUD) conditions
  • Other people of all ages who need LTSS
• State staff with HCBS quality improvement expertise and individuals from associations representing states and their HCBS programs
• Pediatric clinicians
• HCBS researchers
• Direct care workers (such as personal care aides, nursing assistants, or home health aides who provide personal assistance with everyday activities) and individuals from associations representing direct care workers
• People who use HCBS and their advocates, families, or individuals from self-advocacy organizations
• Health plans providing managed LTSS and individuals from associations representing these health plans.

TEP Expected Time Commitment:

TEP members will participate in two to three working meetings throughout each year (2025-2029). Workgroup meetings of 2-4 hours each will be scheduled based on need and TEP member availability. Review of preparatory materials prior to meetings and completing a pre- or post-meeting survey, if applicable, may be necessary and will take an estimated time between 2 and 3 hours total. All TEP meetings will be conducted virtually and audio recorded.

Next Steps:

Please read the TEP Charter and complete the TEP Nomination Form. You may access these documents by selecting the title of each document:

• HCBS Measures TEP Charter
• HCBS Measures TEP Nomination Form

Development of Quality Measures to Improve Kidney Transplant Access and Post-Transplant Outcomes

Project Title:  Development of Quality Measures to Improve Kidney Transplant Access and Post-Transplant Outcomes

Dates:

The Technical Expert Panel (TEP) nomination period opens on January 14, 2025, and closes on February 12, 2025. Submit all nomination materials by the closing date. 

Project Overview:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracted Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation-Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE) in collaboration with Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG) to develop two quality measures related to kidney transplant for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMS Innovation Center) Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model. The measure concepts include a patient-reported outcome-based performance measure (PRO-PM) focused on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among kidney transplant recipients, and a process measure focused on access to the kidney transplant waitlist addressing pre-transplant process of care. The contract name is Measure & Instrument Development and Support: Quality Measure Development and Analytic Support. The contract number is HHSM-75FCMC18D0042, Task Order HHSM-75FCMC24F0230. As the organizer of this TEP, CORE and HSAG convene groups of stakeholders and experts who contribute direction and thoughtful input on the project team’s work and analysis. The TEP will review the draft quality measure specifications and advise CORE and HSAG on measure constructs such as the numerator, denominator, exclusions, and risk adjustment approach, and provide comments on and evaluate the scientific acceptability of measure testing results.

Seeking the Following Perspectives/Expertise:

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.

TEP Expected Time Commitment:

TEP members serving from April 2025 through September 2027, will be expected to prepare for and participate in up to six meetings of approximately 2.5 hours in duration. Each meeting will be conducted via webinar and scheduled based on the project needs and member availability.

Next Steps:

Please read the TEP Charter and complete the TEP Nomination Form. You may access these documents by selecting the title of each document:

• 2025-2027 QMDAS Kidney Transplant TEP Charter
• 2025-2027 QMDAS Kidney Transplant TEP Nomination Form

Development and Evaluation of an Inpatient Psychiatric Facility (IPF) Patient Assessment Instrument

Project Title: Development and Evaluation of an Inpatient Psychiatric Facility (IPF) Patient Assessment Instrument

Dates:

The Technical Expert Panel (TEP) nomination period opens on December 27, 2024 and closes on January 24, 2025. Submit all nomination materials by the closing date.

Project Overview:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), as part of its overarching initiative to advance quality of care in IPFs, has contracted with RTI International, Abt Global, and their partners to develop and test a draft patient assessment instrument, the IPF patient assessment instrument. The IPF patient assessment instrument development work for Abt Global is under RTI International with the CMS contract number 75FCMC18D0012.
As part of its IPF patient assessment instrument development process, Abt convenes groups of interested parties and experts who contribute direction and input throughout the IPF patient assessment instrument development process.

Seeking the Following Perspectives/Expertise:

A TEP of approximately 12–15 individuals will provide guidance on concepts related to the development and evaluation of the IPF PAI. The TEP will be composed of individuals with differing areas of expertise and perspectives, including but not limited to:

• Individuals who have been patients in inpatient psychiatric settings;
• Family members and caregivers of individuals who have received care in an inpatient psychiatric setting;
• Health care providers (psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, social workers, psychologists, and others) with experience working in inpatient psychiatric settings;
• Health services, health disparities, and other experts/researchers with knowledge of inpatient psychiatric settings;
• Patient advocates and representatives from consumer organizations;
• Representatives from provider associations and inpatient psychiatric facilities; 
• Quality improvement experts;
• Measure development experts;
• Independent researchers;
• IT/EHR/EMR experts with knowledge of or experience with inpatient psychiatric facilities;
• Health care administrators with experience in inpatient psychiatric facilities;
• State health, mental health, and substance use agency representatives;  and
• Tribal government representatives.

TEP Expected Time Commitment: 

Selected nominees can expect to be contacted on an annual, or as needed, basis for up to four years.
The first TEP will be scheduled to meet virtually in February/March 2025: 

• A four-hour TEP Meeting (specific dates to be determined based on availability of selected members.)
• If necessary and feasible, follow-up webinars will be held to present decisions made on TEP input.

Next Steps:

Please read the TEP Charter and complete the TEP Nomination Form. You may access these documents by clicking the title of each document:

• TEP Charter
• TEP Nomination Form

Assessment of Patient Autonomy in ESRD Treatment Decision-Making

Project Title: Assessment of Patient Autonomy in ESRD Treatment Decision-Making

Dates: 

The Technical Expert Panel (TEP) nomination period opens on December 20, 2024 and closes on January 17, 2025. Submit all nomination materials by the closing date.

Project Overview:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracted University of Michigan Kidney Epidemiology and Cost Center (UM-KECC) to collect stakeholder feedback for the assessment of patient autonomy in ESRD treatment decision making. The contract name is Kidney Disease Quality Measure Development, Maintenance, and Support. The contract number is 75FCMC18D0041 and the task order number is 75FCMC23F0001. As part of its measure development process, University of Michigan Kidney Epidemiology and Cost Center (UM-KECC) convenes groups of stakeholders who contribute direction and thoughtful input to the measure developer during measure development and maintenance.

In our society, there is a fundamental expectation that health care providers respect patient autonomy or choice in the process of shared decision-making. In practice, clinicians are trained that the informed consent process is one way in which we document our adherence to this critically important ethical principle. Addressing patient autonomy, patient choice, and informed consent during the measure development and maintenance process will be essential if new and pre-existing clinical outcome quality measures are to be truly patient centered and judged valid by the dialysis community.

What is somewhat less emphasized is the principle that informed consent and patient choice is very dependent on the quality and quantity of information provided about the risks, benefits, and alternatives available for treatment. Multiple barriers may affect shared decision making and informed consent, including inadequate education by the healthcare team, healthcare provider bias, limited understanding of medical concepts by the patient due to cognitive or educational limitations, and potential limitations of the provider-patient relationship. These can undermine the development of true informed consent for medical care as well as well-informed patient decisions about their care, and therefore, provide potential challenges to successful adherence to the principle of patient autonomy. In addition, financial or other incentives may sway healthcare providers to direct patients towards a particular type of treatment. It is often very difficult to determine how many of these issues are present in any given treatment choice. When present, it is also difficult to determine if the issue influences the appropriate use of informed consent principles and practice regarding patient autonomy in treatment choices.

Identification of a method for assessing the contribution of patient choice in medical decisions is critical. In addition, quality improvement programs generally provide incentives for providers to deliver ESRD care in ways supported by evidence. These incentives may not be aligned with patient choice for those who choose an alternative treatment paradigm. Many clinicians and patients involved in the consensus endorsement process have voiced concerns that implementation of quality metrics failing to explicitly address patient choice may result in unacceptable consequences for members of the dialysis

Seeking the Following Perspectives/Expertise:

We are seeking individuals with differing perspectives and areas of expertise, such as

• Patients 18 years or older who are receiving long-term dialysis in the United States/ US Territory;
• Dialysis care providers including nephrologists, nurses, social workers, and administrative staff;
• Individuals with consumer/patient/family perspective and consumer and patient advocates; specifically, patients with long-term dialysis; 
• Individuals with perspectives on healthcare disparities in ESRD; 
• Expertise in performance measurement and quality improvement;
• Expertise in patient reported outcomes and instrument development or implementation;
• Expertise in medical ethics 

TEP Expected Time Commitment:

Attend 2-3 virtual meeting, approximately 2-3 hours in duration. The meeting will take place between February- March, 2025. 

The meeting will be held virtually, via a Zoom video conferencing platform. 

Next Steps:

Please read the TEP Charter and complete the TEP Nomination Form. You may access these documents by selecting the title of each document:

• TEP Charter
• TEP Nomination Form

Please email dialysisdata@umich.edu if you would like to receive a 508-compliant version of the nomination form for submission via email instead of the web-based form.

Behavioral Health Measures Development & Inpatient and Outpatient Measures Maintenance 

Project Title: Behavioral Health Measures Development & Inpatient and Outpatient Measures Maintenance 

Dates: The Technical Expert Panel (TEP) nomination period opens on November 12, 2024, and closes on January 15, 2025. Submit all nomination materials by the closing date. 

Project Overview: 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracted Mathematica to develop measures for select quality reporting and payment programs. The contract name is Behavioral Health Measures Development and Inpatient and Outpatient Measure Maintenance (BHIOMM). The contract number is 75FCMC18D0032 and the task order number is 75FCMC24F0136. 

As the organizer of this TEP, Mathematica convenes groups of interested parties and experts who contribute guidance and thoughtful input on Mathematica’s work and analysis. TEP meetings are conducted virtually and will focus on soliciting review, prioritization, and feedback on new measure concepts, draft measure specifications and results from alpha and beta testing and public comment. 

Seeking the Following Perspectives/Expertise: 

We are seeking individuals with differing perspectives and areas of experience or expertise in inpatient psychiatric facilities, hospitals, or hospital outpatient settings, such as: 

• Patients and caregivers 
• Consumer/patient advocates 
• Health care providers 
• Health system and hospital representatives 
• Policymakers 
• Epidemiologists and other researchers 
• Rural providers and/or providers who can help advance CMS’s Rural Health Strategy [1,2] by applying a rural lens to the work, keeping in mind the objectives of the Rural Health Strategy that are relevant to quality measures.[3] 
• State health, mental health, and substance use agency representatives 
• Experts in measurement science and data sources used to support measurement 
• Experts in health information technology and interoperability including EHR and data vendors 

TEP Expected Time Commitment:

TEP members will participate in quarterly working meetings throughout each year of the contract (2024-2029). Workgroup meetings of 90-120 minutes each will be scheduled based on need and TEP member availability. Review of materials prior to meetings may be necessary and will take no more than 30 minutes. All TEP meetings will be conducted virtually and audio recorded.

Next Steps:

Please read the TEP Charter and complete the TEP Nomination Form. You may access these documents by selecting the title of each document:

• BHIOMM TEP Charter
• BHIOMM TEP Nomination Form

References

1. https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-announces-agencys-first-rural-health-strategy
2. https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/OMH/Downloads/Rural-Strategy-2018.pdf
3. Objectives of CMS’s Rural Health strategy that are relevant to quality measures include reducing reporting burden for rural providers, and ensuring that measure sets are streamlined, outcomes-based, and meaningful to rural providers and patients.