National Outcomes Measurement System (NOMS)
News
ASHA's NOMS Can be Used as an Objective Measurement Tool for CMS Rule
Effective April 1, 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) require that all home health patients be reassessed at visit 13 and visit 19 to document progress objectively and determine if further treatment is warranted. View The ASHA Leader article.
ASHA's NOMS Approved as a Medicare Physician Quality Reporting Registry
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has classified NOMS as an approved registry through which eligible SLPs can report on the quality measures for its Physician Quality Reporting System. Private-practice SLPs who provide services to adult Medicare Part B stroke patients are now eligible to receive an incentive payment for reporting on the eight approved NOMS quality measures. View the participation criteria and registration materials.
Release of the Adult NOMS Functional Communication Measures
In 2008, eight of the 15 Functional Communication Measures (FCM) from the Adult NOMS were submitted to the National Quality Forum (NQF) for review. All eight were endorsed and subsequently became part of the public domain. To provide ease of access, all 15 Adult NOMS FCMs [PDF] are now available for download, as well as detailed specifications [PDF] of the eight measures endorsed by NQF. It is important to note that the FCMs are one component of NOMS. To receive access to all of the components of NOMS?national database of treatment outcomes and customized data reports?you must register to participate.
NOMS Background
In 1993, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association formed a Task Force on Treatment Outcomes and Cost Effectiveness in response to its members' requests for outcomes data demonstrating the effectiveness of speech-language pathology and audiology services. In doing this, the Task Force reviewed various existing national databases and data collection systems. However, they realized that none were comprehensive or sensitive enough to meet the growing needs of the Association. Out of necessity and commitment, the Task Force began working for the next two years on the development of a national database for the professions. In 1997, the National Outcomes Measurement System (NOMS) was developed. The purpose of NOMS is to collect aggregated national outcomes data from speech-language pathologists and audiologists working with adults and children in both school and health care settings.
What Is NOMS?
The National Outcomes Measurement System (NOMS) is a data collection system developed to illustrate the value of speech-language pathology and audiology services provided to adults and children with communication and swallowing disorders. The key to NOMS is the use of ASHA's Functional Communication Measures (FCMs). FCMs are a series of disorder-specific, seven-point rating scales designed to describe the change in an individual's functional communication and/or swallowing ability over time. Based on an individual's treatment plan/IEP, FCMs are chosen and scored by a certified speech-language pathologist on admission and again at discharge to depict the amount of change in communication and/or swallowing abilities after speech and language intervention. By examining the scores from admission and discharge, clinicians can assess the amount of change and, thus, the benefits of treatment.
Through the use of NOMS, we are now beginning to demonstrate the value of speech-language pathology and audiology services and provide our members the needed tools to address the challenging questions posed by policy makers, third party payers, administrators and consumers alike.
Currently, data collection efforts are underway for Adults in health care settings and Preschoolers in health care or school settings.
Information for Prospective Participants
Information for Current Participants
National Data Reports and Fact Sheets
The national reports offer an in-depth look and analysis, while the fact sheets provide a snapshot of the data collected in each NOMS component (Adults in Health Care and Pre-Kindergarten).