This document serves to define a process by which the Committee will function, including but not limited to group process, identification, review and evaluation of candidate measures of quality, and prioritization of recommendations in an organized, efficient way that leads to the completion of a set of measures suited to the purposes of Chapter 288, Section 54 of the Acts of 2010.
Chapter 288, §54 of the Acts of 2010, as amended by Chapter 359 of the Acts of 2010, establishes the Statewide Quality Advisory Committee (SQAC). The SQAC will make recommendations that would require uniform reporting of a standard set of health care quality measures for health care providers, facilities and provider groups to be promulgated by the Department of Public Health (DPH).
The SQAC is co-chaired by the Commissioner of Public Health and the Commissioner of Health Care Finance and Policy. The members of the Committee are appointed by the Governor and are as follows:
The SQAC should examine existing quality measures and consult with experts as necessary. These quality measures must include:
The final recommendations of this Committee will serve to advise DPH in promulgating regulations under M.G.L. Chapter 111, §25P.
Pursuant to MGL c.30A, s.18-25, the meetings of the SQAC are subject to Open Meeting Law (OML). The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Regulation 940 CMR 29.10 allows remote participation in a meeting subject to specific restrictions defined in the regulation. The SQAC has voted to permit remote participation in instances in which circumstances meet the compass of unreasonable difficulty and in which a quorum of the public body is physically present, in alignment with OML guidelines and as adjudicated on a case-by-case basis by the Co-Chairs. No committee member may utilize the remote participation function of OML for more than two meetings per year.
The name of the committee shall be the Statewide Quality Advisory Committee (SQAC). As defined under Chapter 288, §54 of the Acts of 2010 the purpose of the SQAC is to serve in an advisory role to the Department of Public Health (“Department”) and the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy (“Division”) in developing a standard quality measure set to enhance uniformity of reporting across the Commonwealth. The product of the SQAC should accordingly be recommendations to the Department to inform promulgation of regulations for measure reporting. Although the primary function of the SQAC will be its advisory role to the Department and the Division, the Committee may elect to express recommendations to the wider stakeholder community regarding adoption of the proposed SQMS, with the understanding that the Department is able to promulgate regulations only within its regulatory purview.
The SQAC does not have a defined end-date, and instead is intended to longitudinally reassess and expand upon the Standard Quality Measure Set. Members of the SQAC are defined by statute. In the event of an open seat, the Co-Chairs will propose nominees to the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, who retains the prerogative to fill vacancies. The statute specifies that members serve for two year terms. Members shall have one vote, and only members may vote. Designees are permitted for deliberation only. Members may resign at anytime by notifying the Co-Chairs and the Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services in writing.
Ex officio members of the committee may elect to have one individual designated to attend in their absence over the course of an annual session. Designees have the authority to participate in all committee business and to vote on all matters. Committee members are required to provide written notification to the SQAC Co-Chairs identifying their designee. In accordance with the enabling statute, gubernatorially-appointed committee members may not delegate their voting authority to a designee. In the event a gubernatorially-appointed member is unable to attend a meeting, they may send a non-voting representative to the SQAC meeting on their behalf.
Any member of the SQAC shall fully disclose any relationship with an individual or with members of other organizations, which represents or has the potential to represent a conflict of interest or result in personal financial gain. The Co-Chairs shall preside over all meetings of the SQAC. In accordance with Massachusetts law, all meetings are subject to OML. Recommendations for revisions to the bylaws shall be considered at the prerogative of the Co-Chairs, and subject to approval by the Committee. The Co-Chairs shall submit them as approved into public record with or without changes.
The SQAC will focus on identifying and endorsing measures for inclusion in the Standard Quality Measure Set and on recommending future priorities for quality measurement. With regard to measure identification, the SQAC will issue annual recommendations to the Department for the Standard Quality Measure Set. At a minimum, all endorsed measures will be reassessed every three years to ensure conformity with the priorities of the SQAC and reporting needs in the Commonwealth.
Each member of the Committee will have the ability to nominate measures for evaluation during SQAC meetings through parliamentary process (nomination, second, deliberation, vote). A majority vote endorsing or rejecting a given measure will be sufficient for consensus. At appropriate times, public attendees will have the opportunity to propose measures for nomination. A member of the SQAC must subsequently nominate such measures to allow for formal consideration by the committee. The SQAC Co-Chairs shall identify the appropriate time frame for measure nomination at the commencement of each annual session.
In assessing measures for inclusion in the recommended Standard Quality Measure Set, they will be evaluated against the criteria of priority, validity, and practicality. In keeping with the advisory role of the SQAC, the Co-Chairs will define priorities primarily through the expressed needs of the Department and the Division, but also with input from SQAC members and the public. Validity and practicality shall be semi-quantitatively scored based on alignment with the principles for quality measurement identified by the Health Care Quality and Cost Council (HCQCC).
As defined by the statute, the four mandated measure sets are a priority and therefore only the tests of validity and practicality should be applied. All measures except those in the mandated four sets must pass a “priority” test to be considered against other principles/criteria. A measure is considered practical based upon current data availability or whether a mechanism to collect the data is in place. A measure’s validity will be considered based upon its alignment with the principles of the Health Care Quality and Cost Council.
All measures that meet the “priority” test are eligible for inclusion in the Standard Quality Measure Set. The performance of a measure or measure set against the tests of validity and practicality will determine the strength of the Committee’s recommendation for their inclusion in the Standard Quality Measure Set.
Work group staff and consultants will assign preliminary quantitative ratings to each measure or measure set for each aspect. SQAC members will have an opportunity to ask for clarifications regarding the preliminary ratings and discuss potential adjustments to the ratings before voting to approve or disapprove. For further consideration, a measure must meet a minimum threshold of validity and practicality. All measures meeting this threshold will be categorized according to the strength of recommendation, determined by their scores on Validity and Practicality.
The deliverables to be released by the SQAC as part of its annual reporting process are described below.
Download SQAC Bylaws (PDF) | Word
