title: Using National Quality Forum breast cancer indicators to measure quality of care for patients in an AVON comprehensive breast center.
abstract: In April 2007, the National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed the first nationally recognized hospital-based performance measures for quality of care for breast cancer. The aim of this study was to measure quality of care at our AVON Center for Breast Care (AVONCBC) using these indicators. We retrospectively reviewed tumor registry and medical records of females under age 70 diagnosed with breast cancer in years 2005-2006. For patients diagnosed with hormone receptor negative breast cancer, 22 of 29 (75.9%) and 28 of 32 (87.5%) were considered for or received chemotherapy in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Of those patients, 21 of 29 (72.4%) and 24 of 32 (75.0%) were considered for or received chemotherapy within the NQF 4-month period. For patients undergoing breast conserving surgery (BCS), 20 of 23 (86.9%) in 2005 and 37 of 39 (94.9%) in 2006 were referred for adjuvant radiation therapy. The proportion of patients who received radiation therapy within 1 year of diagnosis was 18 of 23 (78.2%) and 29 of 39 (74.4%) for diagnosis years 2005 and 2006, respectively. The vast majority of patients in our AVONCBC are referred to medical and/or radiation oncology for adjunctive therapy and about three-fourths receive treatment compliant with the NQF QI. To increase our compliance rate, we are developing methods to improve access to the multiple disciplines in our AVONCBC. Using the NQF indicators serves to assess hospital performance at a systems-level and as a useful method for tracking cancer quality of care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. gvrms777@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Radha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iyengar
authors.forename: Mary J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lund
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lamson
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: Harvey
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bumpers
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Okoli
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Senior-Crosby
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: O'Regan
authors.forename: Sheryl G A
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Gabram
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies