In November 2007, The Joint Commission announced the addition of a set of seven hospital outpatient measures to its current complement of core measure sets used to satisfy ORYX performance measurement requirements. The hospital outpatient measures listed in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) Calendar Year 2008 Proposed Rule meet the requirements set forth in the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (Section 109).
The hospital outpatient measure set provides accredited hospitals with a broader array of measure sets from which to meet ORYX requirements, and supports the ability of hospitals to meet multiple measurement requirements with a single data collection effort. Joint Commission accredited hospitals are required to collect and submit data to The Joint Commission for a minimum of four core measure sets or a combination of applicable core measure sets and non-core measures. The existing technical infrastructure, which specifically includes contracted performance measurement systems, continues to serve as the principal vehicle for hospital data collection and transmission.
The HOP measures can be found in the Specification Manual for National Hospital Outpatient Department Quality Measures. Outpatient measures are maintained by CMS, not The Joint Commission. Submit your questions about HOP measures.