Current Activities

During Phase II, the Steering Committtee recommended performance measures for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, colorectal cancer diagnosis and treatment, and symptom management and end-of-life care. The voluntary consensus standards related to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment and colorectal cancer diagnosis and treatment are being implemented in the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Electronic Quality Improvement Program for its 1,400 Commission on Cancer-approved cancer programs across the United States. The final report from the project also is currently under review.

NCI is working with AHRQ and the NQF on a series of follow-up activities to define next steps in cancer performance measurement research and development. The project will:

• commission a white paper outlining the current state of performance measurement in cancer care and key issues around the development of a comprehensive measurement strategy;
• plan and support a workshop in the Spring of 2008 to create an action plan for developing the next generation of cancer quality of care measures; and
• map out an action plan for development of the next generation of cancer measures including a gap analysis of needed measures and possible application of the NQF generic framework for evaluating efficiency across episodes of care to cancer.