title: It's time for CMS to utilize functional assessment as a key quality component.
abstract: This editorial reviews the recently published study (AJMC April) by Gerrard et al, titled "Functional Status and Readmissions in Unilateral Hip Fractures," which analyzes the statistical prediction model of the Fitness Index Measure for hospital readmission in unilateral hip fractures, and discusses why functional assessment should be used in evaluating other conditions. The current method of stratifying risk for Core Measure Conditions used by CMS to predict hospital readmissions utilizes a largely nonmodifiable formula of age, gender, and medical comorbidities. Numerous recent studies have shown that validated functional assessment can be a powerful statistical predictor of hospital readmission. The author makes the argument for CMS to utilize functional assessment to predict hospital readmissions as a part of its Value-Based Purchasing Program.
authors: Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, 250 W Kenwood, Decatur, IL 62526. E-mail: wmathews@siumed.edu.
authors: Wayne
authors: W
authors: Matthews
mesh_terms: D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D015897:Comorbidity; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000592:standards*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D014481:United States; D062505:Value-Based Purchasing