As a leading voice in clinically meaningful measures, CMSS has highlighted the importance of those measures that demonstrate real value for clinicians, patients, health systems, employers, and health plans, with a special focus on digital measurement across payment programs.

Specialty societies know that transformation in medicine must include the active engagement and insights of those practicing on the front lines. In the digital arena, each specialty’s unique knowledge and experience must guide the development of new technologies and novel approaches to measurement and care delivery in order to ensure that patient care always remains the first priority.

Our member societies have expressed the need for more education and assistance on measurement-science issues, including measure testing, risk adjustment, attribution, and patient-reported outcome (PRO) measurement. In response, CMSS convened the Measurement Science Advisory Committee (MSAC), which provides expertise and input on education and materials in measurement science (including digital quality) for member organizations, including guidance related to measure testing, risk adjustment, attribution, electronic clinical quality measures, and PRO measurement.

When the COVID-19 crisis began, CMSS rapidly responded by pivoting to a virtual edition of our annual meeting, focused on the unique challenges facing care delivery and medical education during the pandemic. The meeting brought together 300 specialty-society leaders and others for COVID-19 and Beyond: Digital Transformation of Healthcare, Research, and Education, which focused on the real-world impact COVID-19 was having on medicine. Topics included implementation and adoption of, and payment for, telemedicine; remote patient monitoring; electronic tools to support practice transformation; interoperability; cloud-based computing; digital research tools; patient privacy; research dissemination and implementation; virtual learning platforms; procedural-based education; online networking; and social media. The conference reached a wide audience on social media, generating 1,000 tweets with the #DigitalMed2020 hashtag and creating more than 40 million impressions.

The pandemic put the measurement community to the test, with new COVID-19 registries developed and deployed at a record pace. CMSS provided key input and insight to ensure that the registries added value and understanding rather than extra work for already overburdened physicians. With funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, CMSS developed a webinar series to address key questions related to the new COVID-19-focused clinical registries and clinical repositories developed by specialty societies and academia.

• Acquired the National Quality Registry Network (NQRN)

• Launched new CMSS Measurement Science Advisory Committee (MSAC)

• Co-chairing new Digital Measurement Workgroup for the Core Quality Measures Collaborative (CQMC) with AHIP, CMS, and NQF

• CMSS CEO co-leading #TelemedNow Twitter Chats