The National Quality Measures for Breast Centers™ were developed by referencing the Health Care Advisory Board's Clinical Quality Dashboard for breast centers, published in 2004. The quality measures reflect more than two years of development and work, culminating in the adoption of more than 30 measures contained in the NQMBC™ Program. To view a complete list of the measures, click here.

Phase I is the Profile Input Form. This form gathers profile information on participating breast centers. The profile data is used by participating centers in order to accurately filter submitted data. The filtering of this data allows a comparison of data for "like" type facilities in addition to comparison of data for all participating facilities. Each participant is required to supply answers to these basic profile questions.

In Phase I, Breast Centers are asked seven profile questions. The responses will allow centers to compare themselves in the reports being offered, with like centers, by choosing a combination of these profile filters. The characteristics profile questions request participants to identify:

1. the state in which the center is located;
2. the location of the center's patient population;
3. the estimated number of mammograms performed per year (screening only, diagnostic only and screening and diagnostic totaled);
4. the estimated number of new breast cancer patients treated or diagnosed per year;
5. the center's Patient Population Ethnicity; and
6. the type of ownership, administration and oversight that best describes the center.
7. There is also a question that asks center to identify the Components of Services offered by the breast center based upon whether the center "provides" or "refers" the service. The center's responses will determine a participant's type of "Quality" center and the type of center the participant would most likely be viewed as by patients and the general public. For more information on Types of Breast Centers, click here.

These seven questions are in a condensed version. Data may be updated as the years change and all data is completely confidential.

This phase has four parts, each containing 10 or fewer measures in order to make data entry manageable for all participants. Participants may choose to respond to all quality measures or choose to respond to a select number of measures. Comparison reports are available only for those measures for which a center supplies data.

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