AAN Seeks Public Feedback on MS Quality Measures

Update: Please note that the public comment period has been extended and will now end at 11:59 pm Eastern on Tuesday, September 16, 2014.

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has formed a multidisciplinary team, including physicians, nurses, rehabilitation specialists, cognitive researchers, mental-health professionals, and patient advocates to improve overall patient outcomes. The group of experts reviewed current guidelines and evidence, gaps in care, and developed a “measurement set” for multiple sclerosis. The objective is to identify and prioritize gaps in care to define measures that would ultimately improve accountability as well as patient safety. The measures decided by the group include the following areas:

• Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Diagnosis
• MRI of Brain with Gadolinium for Comparison
• Current MS Disability Scale Score
• Fall Risk Screening
• Fall Risk Follow–Up
• Pain Screening
• Bladder Infections
• Exercise and Appropriate Physical Activity Counseling
• Fatigue Outcome
• Cognitive Impairment Screening
• Clinical Depression Screening
• Depression Outcome
• Maintained or Improved Baseline Quality of Life

(Update: Please note that the public comment period has been extended and will now end at 11:59 pm Eastern on Tuesday, September 16, 2014.)

The Multiple Sclerosis Quality Measurement Set is available for public feedback (comments) until 11:59 pm ET on Wednesday, September 10, 2014. All comments are welcome, and each comment will receive a response. Based on the comments that both patients and providers submit, the measurement set and individual measures will be revised accordingly. With the development of the electronic medical record systems, in combination with this proposed set of quality measurements, it is our hope that comprehensive care in multiple sclerosis will be managed and monitored more efficiently to improve overall patient outcomes.

Anyone interested in viewing the Multiple Sclerosis Quality Measurement Set and providing his or her feedback (comments) may go to the measurement set’s landing page on the AAN’s website. Once on this page, viewers may select the green box, “Read Measures and Enter Comments,” which takes website visitors to the form where contact information is supplied and boxes are available to list comments for each measurement category.

However, individuals will need to read the Multiple Sclerosis Quality Measurement Set draft before giving comments. This may be accessed by selecting “draft measures” from the first line at the top of the page, which says, “Please review the draft measures and comment on each individual measure in the appropriate field below.”