A report from the National Quality Forum examines the impact of adjusting health and outcomes measures based on social risk. "There is increasing evidence that social risk factors can influence a person’s health and health outcomes, leading to the question of whether performance measures should account for social risk factors to ensure fair and accurate comparisons of provider performance," the report reads. 

"However, some stakeholders have raised concerns that adjusting for social risk could mask disparities in care." In the wake of a 2-year trial period, during which NQF temporarily changed its policy to allow social risk factors to be considered in NQF-endorsed measures, the agency states that empirical analyses to date "demonstrate a very limited effect of social risk factors" and advocates for further research in this area. Learn more...