Skip to main content

Table 1 HOS partners and their roles and responsibilities

From: The Medicare Health Outcomes Survey program: Overview, context, and near-term prospects

HOS Partners

Role esponsibilities

Health Assessment Lab (HAL) & QualityMetric (QM)

Under subcontract with NCQA, HAL and QM provided the following services. HAL and QM staff and consultants have collaborated in developing the HOS survey form, designing the HOS case-mix adjustment methodology, studying the psychometric properties of the HOS survey, and translating the HOS form into Spanish and Chinese.

Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG)

Under contract with CMS, HSAG performs HOS data cleaning and analysis, developing and disseminating data files and reports, educating data users and stakeholders on HOS findings and applications, and conducting applied research with HOS data to support CMS priorities.

Boston University/Health Outcomes Technologies Program (HOT)

Under subcontract with NCQA, Boston University compares health outcomes between Medicare managed care using HOS data and the Veteran's Health Administration using data from Veteran's versions of the SF-36® (Veterans SF-36) and SF-12® (Veterans SF-12) health surveys. The analyses includes psychometric comparisons of the SF-36® between the HOS and VA and comparisons of disease burden of patients seen in Medicare managed care and veterans seen in the VA system of care. The SF-12® is a registered trademark of the Medical Outcomes Trust.

National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)

Under contract with CMS, NCQA implements the HEDIS® Medicare HOS, which includes managing the data collection and transmittal of the HOS, supporting the development and standardization of the HOS measure, annually certifying and evaluating HOS vendors, and conducting ongoing quality assurance of the survey process.

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International

Under subcontract with NCQA, RTI International is involved in the sample selection for each round of the Medicare HOS, development, fielding and analysis of the HOS for use in special plans that target frail beneficiaries, the development of frailty adjusters for payment using HOS data, and the calibration of Medicare costs associated with HOS measures. RTI also piloted the HOS in the fee-for-service samples for comparisons to managed care.

  1. (Source: [8])