Both programs are wholly separate and one does not include the other. However, both have a mutual interest in improving the care of breast centers.
NAPBC
The NAPBC has accepted the NQMBC™ as satisfying their quality section of the NAPBC survey, but it is not necessary for NAPBC accreditation.
NQMBC™
The NQMBC™ has been operational since early 2007, while the NAPBC's accreditation program is more recently formed. Both programs are looking for the best way to improve breast care.
In summary, the two initiatives are complementary to one another, but each has a different focus. The NAPBC focus is on infrastructure and has a similar "feel" as the Joint Commission survey process or the NCI designation for cancer centers review, while the NQMBC™ focus is on the quality care provided patients by measuring a center's performance.
This allows an immediate comparison to their individual performance (their quality data points) over time as well as a comparison of their performance (their quality data points) with other like breast centers.
