Answer to Question 1D
In 2010 the National Priority Partnership, founded by the National Quality Forum, defined eight key priority areas they felt had the greatest potential to reduce harm, eradicate disparities and remove waste from the U.S. health care system. These eight priority areas are: 1) patient and family engagement, 2) safety, 3) care coordination, 4) palliative and end-of-life care, 5) equitable access, 6) elimination of overuse, 7) population health, and

infrastructure supports. While external stakeholder satisfaction is also a key component for a healthy and health care system, it was not identified by the National Priority Partnership as one of their eight priority areas.
Answer to Question 2B
The National Quality Forum (NQF) is a not-for-profit organization that was designed to plan and implement a national strategy for health care quality measurement and reporting. The NQF is based on a three-step process : 1) define quality with uniform standards and measures, 2) report findings and identify where patient care is lacking, and 3) examine of information and use it to improve care (National Quality Forum, 2011).