At its September 2016 meeting, the APA Practice Organization (APAPO) Board of Directors voted to approve development of a qualified clinical data registry (QCDR) to assist psychologists with reporting quality measures to payers. To facilitate and direct that work, an Advisory Committee will be formed to define, develop, and/or select the measures that are of the most interest and importance to psychology.
A QCDR is “an organized system that uses observational study methods to collect uniform data (clinical and other) to evaluate specified outcomes for a population defined by a particular disease, condition, or exposure, and that serves one or more predetermined scientific, clinical, or policy purposes” (AHRQ registry guide, 2014, p. 1). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is encouraging specialty health care professional associations to develop their own QCDRs in order to enable psychologists and other behavioral health providers to report quality measures and other requirements as determined by new legislation, the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). MIPS is designed to change the current Medicare payment structure so the focus is on value rather than volume. The QCDR will be developed in collaboration with Healthmonix, an independent vendor with whom the APA Practice Organization worked in developing the APAPO PQRSPRO registry.
The scope of the Advisory Committee’s work includes: (1) defining, developing and/selecting the measures that will be included in the registry; (2) identifying other potential quality improvement metrics and activities to include in the registry; (3) identifying continuing education opportunities as part of the registry; and (4) determining criteria by which the registry could be utilized by clinical scientists and other interested researchers. The Advisory Committee will oversee the process, and collaborate with Healthmonix, governance and staff as appropriate.
The Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice (CAPP) is seeking nominations for psychologists and other appropriate stakeholders to serve on the Advisory Committee that will oversee this QCDR project.
The Advisory Committee will be composed of six (6) to eight (8) members. Members will be appointed for an initial 3-year term, with the option of extending their appointment 1 or 2 years so that initial terms will be staggered in length and only two members will be replaced each year.
All nominees should have significant professional experience in quality measurement, progress monitoring, or clinical research (or combination thereof). Additionally, nominees with nationally recognized via peer reviewed publications, or involvement in national professional organizations are preferred. As always, nominees who will enhance the diversity of the Advisory Committee are desirable.
In addition to the qualifications above, candidates should have a strong background or expertise in one or more of the following:
- Therapeutic Assessment
- Patient-reported outcomes
- Registry data and development
- Quality improvement initiatives
Candidate materials will be reviewed by CAPP. A final list of qualified candidates from which the Advisory Committee will be selected will be provided to the APAPO Board of Directors for appointment. CAPP will develop the final list of qualified candidates by attending to multiple areas of expertise, as well as experience working with diverse patient populations (across race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability, class status, education, religious/spiritual orientation, and other cultural dimensions, as well as adult, adolescent and child patient populations) and within a wide array of clinical settings.
The Advisory Steering Committee will initially work closely with the QCDR Staff Working Group(comprised of APA Practice staff from the Practice Research and Policy Office and Government Relations Office) to finalize details of the development process and address any outstanding concerns posed by CAPP and/or the Board of Directors. Communication of progress and milestones to the Board of Directors and governance is anticipated on a regular basis.
Letters of nomination should clearly describe the candidate’s specific expertise and qualifications relative to the criteria provided above. Nomination materials should include a letter from the nominee indicating willingness to serve a minimum 3-year term, a brief statement of the nominee’s qualifications relative to criteria provided, and a current curriculum vita. Candidates should demonstrate a clear commitment to translation of research into practice. Advisory Committee members are expected to travel to Washington, DC for one – two (1-2) face-to-face meetings in 2017, with additional meetings being held virtually, and commit additional time and effort to the Committee in between these meetings. Current members of CAPP are not eligible to serve on this committee. Self-nominations are welcome. Questions about the project can be directed to C. Vaile Wright, Ph.D., Director of Research and Special Projects via email correspondence (cwright@apa.org). Nominations and supporting materials should be directed to Sheila Kerr-Wilson, Governance Operations Associate, Practice Directorate via email correspondence (skerr@apa.org) by Feb 15, 2017.