National Quality Measures for Breast Centers™

     Prior to signing the Data Validity Agreement, centers may want to know the measures for which they will be asked to submit data.   The list below identifies the title of just eight of the 30+ measures being offered for data input by participating breast centers.  All measures are further explained with the numerator and denominator defined to provide guidance on the type of data to collect and how to calculate the data. 
     Data is being asked for a specific period of time or for 30 or more consecutive patients.  No individual patient's data is being requested. Participants will select the indicators in which they wish to supply data. 
     Participants are not required to provide responses to all measures; however, only for those measures in which a center supplies data will the participating center be able to view comparison reports. 
     Data may be entered for two periods in one year.   The first period is during the first 6 months of a year and the second period covers the last six months of the year.  It is hoped this will serve as a measurement of change over time in increments of every six months instead of an annual increment to measure changes in service or quality in a more timely manner.
     Facilities may begin participation at any time.  The data collection begins with 2005.  A detailed list of all measures with definitions and references will be accessible upon receipt of the Data Validity  Agreement.