[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 27 (Wednesday, February 10, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6673-6674]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-2873]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Expert Meeting on Measurement Criteria for Children's Health
Insurance Program; Reauthorization Act Pediatric Quality Measures
AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting to identify measurement
criteria for use in carrying out the Pediatric Quality Measures Program
(PQMP) under Section 1139A(b) of the Social Security Act as enacted in
the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA).
DATES: The meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 24, 2010, from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday, February 25, 2010, from 8 a.m. to 4
p.m.
ADDRESSES: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Eisenberg
Building, 540 Gaither Rd., Rockville, MD 20850 and by public webcast.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maushami DeSoto, Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, Maryland 20850,
(301) 427-1546. For press-related information, please contact Karen
Migdail at (301) 427-1855.
If sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodation
for a disability is needed, please contact Mr. Michael Chew, Director,
Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Program, Program Support Center,
on (301) 443-1144, no later than February 20, 2010.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Purpose
In early 2009, CHIPRA (Pub. L. 111-3) reauthorized the Child Health
Insurance Program (CHIP) originally established in 1997, and in Title
IV of the law, added a number of new provisions designed to improve
health care quality and outcomes for children. AHRQ is working closely
with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the
CHIPRA Federal Quality Workgroup in implementing these provisions. For
more information about AHRQ's role in carrying out the quality
provisions of CHIPRA, and for a list of an initial core set of
children's healthcare quality measures voluntary use by Medicaid
programs and Children's Health Insurance Programs and the health plans
and providers of care that the programs engage with, mandated by the
Act, that has been identified and posted for public comment, see http://www.ahrg.gov/chip/chipraact.htm.
CHIPRA further directed the Secretary to establish a Pediatric
Quality Measures Program (PQMP) to strengthen and expand the initial
core measure set required under its section 401(a). The statutory goal
of the PQMP is to produce an improved core set of children's healthcare
quality measures for use by public and private programs, health
insurers, providers and patients, by January 1, 2013. In order to
achieve this goal, measurement criteria to develop and enhance
pediatric health care measures need to be identified and framed for use
by those who will be developing and enhancing the measures under the
PQMP. The PQMP objectives are to: Expand, improve and strengthen the
initial core measure set and existing pediatric measures used by public
and private health care purchasers and advance the development of new
and emerging quality measures; and thereby, increase the portfolio of
evidence-based and consensus-based, pediatric quality measures
available to public and private purchasers of children's health care
services, providers, and consumers as well as for use by policymakers
at all political levels, including use in mandated reports to Congress
on voluntary State reporting and on any need for further legislation.
In accordance with statutory requirements, the measures to be
developed or enhanced under this program will cover a range of
pediatric preventive services, treatments and services for both acute
and chronic conditions, including health services to correct or
ameliorate the effects of physical and mental conditions; and health
services to aid in the growth and development of children with special
health care needs; and measure and duration of health care coverage.
Said measures are to be designed to ensure that data collected are
comparable at the State, health plan and provider levels, risk-adjusted
if appropriate, and periodically updated. In addition, pursuant to
section 401(s) of CHIPRA, measures are to be able to identify
disparities by race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and special
healthcare needs.
II. Agenda
On Wednesday, February 24, 2010, the meeting will convene at 10
a.m. The meeting will focus on engaging invited experts and public
participants in identifying criteria for pediatric quality measures to
be used by PQMP grant and contract program awardees beginning in
September 2010. The agenda will cover
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discussions of key measure criteria in existence and participants will
be asked to identify criteria suitable for the measure development and
enhancement work to be supported by the PQMP program.
A more specific proposed agenda and instructions for public access
to the meeting will be posted before the meeting at http://www.ahrg.gov/chip/chipraact.htm. The final agenda, including the time
for public comment during the meeting, will be available on the AHRQ
Web site at http://www.ahrg.gov/chip/chipraact.htm no later than
February 14, 2010. A transcript of the meeting will be available within
21 business days after the meeting.
Dated: February 2, 2010.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-2873 Filed 2-9-10; 8:45 am]
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