CMS Quality Strategy

About the CMS Quality Strategy

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working to build a health care delivery system that’s better, smarter and healthier – a system that delivers improved care, spends healthcare dollars more wisely, and one that makes our communities healthier. As outlined in our 2016 CMS Quality Strategy Update, we are using all our policy levers and program authorities to achieve these goals by guiding the activities of all agency components and working together toward this transformation.

Review this overview for a high-level summary of the Strategy.

What Is the CMS Quality Strategy?

The CMS Quality Strategy is built on the foundation of the CMS Strategy and the HHS National Quality Strategy (NQS). The CMS Quality Strategy pursues and aligns with the three broad aims of the NQS and its six priorities. Each of these priorities has become a goal in the CMS Quality Strategy. Four foundational principles also guide CMS’ action toward each of these goals.

View the CMS Quality Strategy Goals Card and Goals Fact Sheet to learn more about the CMS Quality Strategy goals and foundational principles.

Objectives

For each of the goals, the CMS Quality Strategy identifies quality-focused objectives that CMS can drive or enable to advance these goals. Quality interventions are inherently interrelated so many goals include concepts that could be articulated under more than one goal. These concepts are put under the goal where the primary driver of change occurs.

How Was the CMS Quality Strategy Developed?

Similar to the NQS, the CMS Quality Strategy was developed through a participatory, transparent, and collaborative process that included the input of a wide array of stakeholders. For more than a year, a group of leaders from across CMS met and developed the strategy. This group also sought advice and input from other HHS agencies, the healthcare community, and CMS beneficiaries to inform their efforts.