500 Signatories Urge CMS to Update Cholesterol Quality Measures
News related to:The Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health · 2 min read
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- The Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health has surpassed a significant milestone, with over 500 signatories from across nearly all 50 states supporting a petition to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The petition calls for the adoption of new quality measures that would track whether patients' low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is measured and treated toward a specific goal.
This campaign, known as Measure What Matters, is a collaborative effort between the Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health and the Family Heart Foundation. It aims to address a long-standing issue in the healthcare sector by updating quality measures to better reflect clinical evidence and patient needs. The current quality measure, which is based solely on statin prescription, is seen as inadequate by the coalition.
The new 2026 guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Multisociety Dyslipidemia Guideline recommend updating older guidelines to establish specific, risk-based LDL-C goals. The quality measure also includes a Class 1 recommendation for every adult to receive universal Lp(a) screening at least once in their lifetime. These updated guidelines represent a significant step forward for the cardiovascular community.
The petition submitted to CMS on September 15 is part of a broader effort to ensure that the quality measures set by CMS align with the latest clinical evidence.
The Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health is a non-profit coalition of patient, provider, and advocacy organizations working together to advance transformative, patient-centered policies that expand access to innovative cardiovascular treatments. The organization's goal is to improve outcomes and reduce costs by ensuring that quality measures are based on the latest clinical evidence.
The new quality measures proposed by the coalition are expected to have a significant impact on the screening, management, and treatment of high cholesterol. By incentivizing LDL-C screening and treatment to a standard goal, the measures aim to save lives and improve patient outcomes. The adoption of these measures would mark a critical step in aligning national clinical priorities with the latest evidence-based practices in cardiovascular care.