Getting Involved with the Partnership for Quality Measurement: A Beginner’s Guide

Quality measures are used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a central tool to improve care quality and safety for patients. The Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM), managed by Battelle, is responsible for reviewing and endorsing health care quality measures for adoption, ensuring they are relevant, unbiased, and practical for improving patient outcomes. IHI has supported this effort since 2023, partnering with Battelle to bring quality improvement expertise and an equity lens to this important process. 

PQM’s vision is to make the endorsement process for CMS measures reliable, transparent, attainable, and most of all, meaningful. To achieve this, Battelle uses a consensus-based approach that brings together diverse voices, including clinicians, patients, measure developers, and health information technology specialists. This network of experts consists of more than 1,200 members representing various health care perspectives. 

Through PQM, individuals can participate in important conversations and influence decisions that impact care across the country. There are three distinct review process that individuals can join, with a range of engagement opportunities – from sharing public comments to taking an active role as a committee member. Each process plays a critical role in ensuring that quality measures are evidence-based, practical, and aligned with the needs of the health care system.

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The Endorsement & Maintenance (E&M) process ensures measures submitted for endorsement are evidence-based, scientifically sound, and aligned with current professional knowledge. Measures must be safe and effective and must not increase the risk of unintended adverse outcomes. Each E&M cycle, held in the fall and spring, involves thorough review by an E&M committee, which decides whether to endorse each measure. In 2025, 92 measures were submitted to Battelle for consideration, of which 59 advanced to committee review. These measures address critical areas like patient safety, clinical effectiveness, health access, and cost reduction.

The Pre-Rule-Making Measure Review (PRMR) process occurs annually to provide recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the selection of quality and efficiency measures under consideration for use by HHS. PRMR evaluates measures based on meaningfulness, appropriateness of scale, and time to value realization. In 2025, the committee provided recommendations on 52 measures.

The Measure Set Review (MSR) process is also conducted yearly to assess whether measures should remain in CMS programs. The MSR committee evaluates measures across three key domains: meaningfulness, data stream parsimony, and patient journey. In 2025, the MSR Recommendation Group reviewed 21 measures across six CMS programs.

Bringing all the voices that matter in quality to the table

At the heart of this work are the 1,200 members who bring their health care expertise and experience to the quality measure review processes. Their input shapes priorities and recommendations across consensus-based processes, ensuring that decisions reflect real-world perspectives. Members can see the impact of their contributions on quality measurement at a national level, helping to drive meaningful improvements in care.

A few PQM members shared their perspective on the importance of this work:

“The Endorsement & Maintenance (E&M) process lets clinicians focus on true clinical reasoning — not administrative burden.”

“A continuously improving E&M process reflects the same quality improvement mindset clinicians use in patient care.”

“Thanks Battelle and CMS for making patient voices meaningful and making sure that our voice is heard. All this measurement goes out in the world we live in. I appreciate everything you do to make sure our voice is heard. It means we have a better chance of a safer world for patients.”

How can you get involved?

Battelle’s transparent, streamlined approach to consensus-building relies on the expertise and commitment of its committee members. Battelle prioritizes diversity in participation, actively engaging individuals and organizations from across the health care spectrum. This effort has led to greater involvement from patients, advocacy groups, and clinicians. Committees are dynamic with membership reviewed annually, and Battelle is always seeking new voices to join the conversation.

PQM membership is free, which encourages broad participation and ensures that all perspectives are represented. Anyone interested in quality measurement can get involved at a level that works for them:  

• Join PQM: Sign up for free with your name, position, and email. Organizational memberships are also available. Members receive newsletters with updates and engagement opportunities throughout the year.
• Add public comments: Share your feedback on proposed measures, process enhancements, committee lists, and recommendations. View all open and closed comment opportunities here.
• Join a committee: Contribute your expertise to one of PQM’s three measure review processes. Committees are formed to reflect diverse perspectives, and membership is reviewed annually. 

If you have a passion for quality measurement but you’re not sure where to start, the Battelle team is happy to provide guidance: PQMSupport@battelle.org.

Brenna Rabel is the Healthcare Quality Measurement Science Leader at Battelle. Maddie Little-Ghose is a Project Manager at IHI. 

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