Washington A new organization charged with developing and implementing a strategy for measuring and reporting health care quality across all sectors of the industry unveiled its agenda at a public roundtable discussion in September.

In addition to establishing a framework for measuring health care quality, the National Quality Forum's agenda includes "ensuring systemwide capability to measure and report on quality; marshaling market demand for quality; fostering and informing consumer choice and use of quality information; promoting collection and dissemination of data that providers need to improve quality; and reducing the burden on providers and health plans of measuring quality by promoting standardization of quality measurements and reporting."

The forum "will work to identify those tools needed by all consumers, purchasers and providers to assess the quality of key health care programs, procedures and activities," said Kenneth Kizer, newly appointed president and chief executive officer.

"By bringing all segments of the health care industry together to address quality, we can make a real difference in improving the health of all Americans," added board chairman Gail Warden, president and CEO of the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

No deadlines were set at the roundtable for accomplishing the mission. The not-for-profit organization grew out of a 1998 proposal by President Clinton's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry. It is governed by a 17-member board of directors that includes Health Care Financing Administration administrator Nancy Ann Min DeParle. Four non-voting liaison seats are held by the Joint Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations, the American Medical Accreditation Program, the National Committee for Quality Assurance and the Quality Interagency Coordinating Task Force.-S.H