The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced plans to hold a “Quality Summit” to foster dialogue between government leaders and health care industry stakeholders on how HHS quality programs “can be further evaluated, adapted, and ultimately streamlined to deliver a value-based care model focused on improving outcomes for American patients.”  Ultimately, the initiative is intended to help HHS formulate a “Health Quality Roadmap,” as directed by President Trump’s recent executive order on health care price and quality transparency.  In announcing the Quality Summit, HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan observed that current HHS quality programs are “uncoordinated among the various agencies and inconsistent in their demands on healthcare providers.”  Through an external, systemic review, HHS believes the Quality Summit will both strengthen the protections offered to patients and improve value by reducing costs and onerous requirements for providers.

Summit participants will include government representatives and approximately 15 non-government health care industry leaders.  Nominations for participation in the summit will be accepted through July 31, 2019.