Defining quality of care in rheumatology: The American College of Rheumatology white paper on quality measurement

Abstract

Introduction In recent years, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has focused increasingly on the development, review, dissemination, and implementation of quality measures. To help position rheumatology providers as the leading force in defining the quality of rheumatology care, the ACR convened a Quality Measures White Paper Development Workgroup. This diverse workgroup’s charge included synthesizing the information most relevant to the ACR membership regarding quality measurement. As described in this manuscript, the workgroup ultimately participated in a consensus development initiative to craft a set of criteria for quality measures submitted to the ACR for approval. The criteria are intended to guide measure developers and discourage adoption of subpar measures. This White Paper is written for rheumatologists interested in quality measurement, groups undertaking quality measure development, and policy makers. It is organized into the following main sections: a brief introduction provides context and describes the ACR’s national role and positions; section 1 outlines quality measure domains and reviews measure attributes; and section 2 describes and reports results of an ACR workgroup–led process to develop specific criteria for ACR approval of quality measures.