title: Improving cancer care through public reporting of meaningful quality measures.
abstract: Historically, quality measures for cancer have followed a different route than overall quality measures in the health care system. Many specialized cancer treatment centers were exempt from standard reporting on quality measures because of the complexity of cancer. Additionally, it has been difficult to create meaningful quality measures for cancer because the disease can strike so many different organs; is discovered at and progresses through different stages; and is treated using different modalities, such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Over the past decade the National Quality Forum, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bettering the quality of US health care, has endorsed measures of quality for cancer providers and patients. The Affordable Care Act of 2010, which has sections specific to cancer reporting, will also further the development and public reporting of cancer quality measures-important steps in improving the delivery of cancer care.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Cancer Care Excellence, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA. tespinks@mdanderson.org
authors.forename: Tracy E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Spinks
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Feeley
authors.forename: Heidi Wied
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Albright
authors.forename: Victoria S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bingham
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Burke
mesh_terms: D030881:Disclosure; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D058991:Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D014481:United States