Medico-legal aspects and concerns in quality assurance in the United States.

Quality assurance data - essential to successful efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare - is more important than ever in today's environment. Robust quality assurance activities are required to achieve the accreditation necessary to obtain Medicare reimbursement and for participation in the Accountable Care Organization shared savings programs proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS"). The federal government and US states require reporting of quality assurance data to a variety of independent and governmental agencies.