| Chair | Bela Patel, MD | Houston, TX |
| Vice Chair | Mark L. Metersky, MD | Farmington, CT |
| Committee Member | Kathryn Artis, MD, MPH | Portland, OR |
| Committee Member | Lara Bashoura, MD | Houston, TX |
| Committee Member | Brian W. Carlin, MD | Sewickley, PA |
| Committee Member | Deena K. Costa, PhD, RN | Ann Arbor, MI |
| Committee Member | Laura C. Feemster, MSc, MD | Seattle, WA |
| Committee Member | Carolyn M. Fruci, MD, PhD | Fall River, MA |
| Committee Member | Robert C. Hyzy, MD, ATSF | Ann Arbor, MI |
| Committee Member | Mark E. Mikkelsen, MSCE, MD | Philadelphia, PA |
| Committee Member | Robert C. Stansbury, MD | Morgantown, WV |
| Committee Member | Jennifer Stevens, MD, MS | Boston, MA |
| Committee Member | George Su, MD | San Francisco, CA |
| Committee Member | Carey C. Thomson, MPH, MD, ATSF | Cambridge, MA |
| Committee Member | Curtis H. Weiss, MD, MS | Skokie, IL |
| Staff | Gary Ewart | Washington, DC |
The Quality Improvement and Implementation Committee serves as a resource for the ATS regarding quality and performance improvement and measurement. It seeks to ensure that ATS is involved in these activities in a way that creates value for ATS members and advances the practice of quality improvement in the fields of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. The function of this Committee has additional significance as the new health care legislation takes effect and quality and performance standards are put forward that affect ATS members. Its scope broadly includes identification and recommendations relating to safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of health care delivery. It provides recommendations concerning how quality standards should be implemented in the care setting and performance measures. The Committee evaluates existing quality standards related to Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, examines existing practice guidelines to identify potentially new standards for quality practice, and identifies the need for new guidelines. Its ultimate goal is to improve the outcomes of care through improvements in clinical practice. This committee considers opportunities for ATS participation in performance improvement movements in order to advance the quality and science behind performance improvement and provide a service to ATS members, patients, and the public in this area. The Committee helps ATS take a leading role in relevant quality improvement research through independent and collaborative research programs and support of the science of quality improvement research and value-based incentives.
Benchmarks 2019-2020
Work with participating ATS members and the ATS contractor to complete patient recruitment and reliability testing for the COPD/Pulmonary Rehabilitation referral draft measure
Work with appropriate assemblies to develop and submit project proposal for create a low-tidal ventilation quality measure(s)
Collect, analyze and report on data submitted to CMS regarding the two quality measures of which ATS is a steward. Review these measures and recommend to CMS whether they are still appropriate measures.
Pursue opportunities with sister organizations to develop quality reporting mechanisms in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine
Monitor, review and comment on quality measures proposed for the Medicare program
