Federal regulators are seeking healthcare industry input to decide which types of insurance plan quality measures that HHS should use with the coming federal and state health insurance exchanges.

In a request for information issued Nov. 23, HHS urged healthcare entities to provide their perspectives on the types and extent of quality measures (PDF) the department should include in exchanges that will begin operating in 2014.

Specifically, HHS sought perspectives on existing quality measures and rating systems, strategies and requirements for quality improvement, and insurer purchasing strategies to promote care redesign and patient safety, according to the published notice.

The CMS plans to use the information it receives to create the rules for quality reporting requirements, which it plans to release in 2016. State-run exchanges can implement their own quality reporting standards until federal rules are issued.

The quality initiatives are required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which also mandates the creation of a quality rating system and an enrollee satisfaction survey for buyers of exchange plans.

Among the various quality measures, the notice specifically sought perspectives on ways health plans measure hospital quality, including patient safety, hospital acquired conditions and care coordination activities.