The Joint Commission has announced plans to adopt the seven hospital outpatient quality measures included in the outpatient prospective payment system final rule for 2008. The Joint Commission will require accredited hospitals to collect and submit data on at least four quality measure sets for discharges in 2008. Hospitals wishing to use the OPPS measures as one of the measure sets will be asked to confirm that selection by January 1, but will not be required to initiate data collection until April 2008. Under the OPPS final rule for calendar year 2008, hospitals must begin reporting the seven measures to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in April 2008 to receive a full payment update in 2009.

A news release can be viewed at http://www.jointcommission.org/NewsRoom/NewsReleases/nr_111507.htm.