NQF-ENDORSED VOLUNTARY CONSENSUS STANDARDS FOR HOSPITAL CARE Measure Information Form Collected For: CMS Outcome Measures (Claims Based) Measure Set: CMS Mortality Measures Set Measure ID#: MORT-30-HF Performance Measure Name: Hospital 30-day, all-cause, risk-standardized mortality

Rationale: HF is the leading cause of hospitalization among Medicare beneficiaries and is associated with considerable risk of morbidity and mortality. Although HF is a progressive illness for which death may be an inevitable consequence rather than a marker of poor quality, clinical experience suggests that the care for these patients is highly variable and studies suggest gaps in quality of hospital care, particular in the transition to outpatient care. Moreover, there is substantial inter-hospital variation in the risk of death at 30 days that is not explained by differences in case-mix. Many stakeholders, including patient organizations, are interested in outcomes measures for this common condition that could be used to assess the relative performance of a hospital and provide the opportunity for comparison with other institutions.