NQF Updates Viral Disease Care Measures

• The percentage of patients aged 18 years and older with a diagnosis of chronic hepatitis C who are receiving antiviral treatment for whom quantitative HCV RNA testing was performed at no greater than 12 weeks from initiation of antiviral treatment.
• The percentage of patients aged 18 years and older with a diagnosis of hepatitis C who have received at least one injection of hepatitis A vaccine, or who have documented immunity to hepatitis A.
• The percentage of patients aged six months and older with a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, with at least two CD4 cell counts or percentages performed during the measurement year at least 3 months apart.
• The percentage of patients aged 6 weeks or older with a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, who were prescribed Pneumocystis jiroveci (formerly carinii) pneumonia (PCP) prophylaxis.
• The percentage of patients aged 3 months and older with a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, for whom there was documentation that a tuberculosis (TB) screening test was performed and results interpreted (for tuberculin skin tests) at least once since the diagnosis of HIV infection.
• The percentage of patients aged 13 years and older with a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, who have received chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis screenings at least once since the diagnosis of HIV infection.

The NQF currently has endorsed about 700 measures.  In this round of measure candidates, some 34 care processes or activities were considered. Seven were withdrawn and two remain under consideration.