Measured Entities

Measured entities are the front-line clinicians and their organizations, including health information technology, health plans, and states, collecting quality measurement data. Measured entities are the implementers of quality measures. The effect of quality measure data collection on clinician workflow can be negative. There may be effects on their payments, positive and negative, with respect to reporting and actual performance on quality measures. Because of these potential effects, measured entities should be involved in all aspects of the Measure Lifecycle.

Persons and Families

Strengthening persons and families as partners in care is important to CMS. Per the CMS Person & Family Engagement Strategy, “the term person is used to reflect an individual’s identity as more than a patient, to recognize his or her participation in prevention and wellness.” Also, family “is used broadly to include participants in a person’s health care, including informal caregivers, along with the primary caregivers of persons who are in need of the support of their caregivers to make informed health care decisions.” Advocates and advocacy groups can also be involved to provide the person and family perspective. For more information see the Person and Family Engagement Toolkit.

Involving persons and family representatives in the measure development process is one of the ways CMS is striving to achieve this goal. Engaging persons and family representatives benefits consumers by helping to identify issues important and meaningful from their perspective. It also supports the identification of information consumers need to make informed health care decisions. Person and family engagement helps measure developers and CMS produce easily understood, high-quality measures, relevant and useful to consumers. The involvement of persons and families helps CMS develop messaging that resonates with and reflects health care quality issues that are important to the public. 

Other Interested Parties

Other interested parties can be engaged in the Measure Lifecycle. Examples of other interested parties include people with an interest in quality measurement, such as non-caregiver friends/family of patients, subject matter experts, electronic health record vendors, advocacy groups, specialty societies, and standards developers.