Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality June 9, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice requests members of the public to nominate experts to provide individual input into the CHIPRA Pediatric Quality Measures Program. Section 401(a) of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-3) amended the Social Security Act (the Act) by adding Section 1139A, which directs the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a Pediatric Quality Measures Program. The purpose of the Pediatric Quality Measures Program is to (a) Improve and strengthen the initial core child health care quality measures established pursuant to Section 1139A(a) of the Act; (b) expand on existing quality measures used by public and private health care purchasers and advance the development of such new and emerging quality measures; and (c) increase the portfolio of evidence-based, consensus pediatric quality measures available to public and private purchasers of children's health care services, providers, and consumers. A meeting of the experts will be held on September 18, 2011, in Bethesda, Maryland. We are seeking experts who can provide individual comment on the criteria by which new or enhanced children's health care quality measures will be evaluated. Expert panels will be convened in subsequent years to evaluate new or enhanced children's health care quality measures using these criteria. These evaluations will take place annually before recommended changes to the core set of children's health care quality measures are published in the Federal Register on or before January 1, 2013; January 1, 2014; and December 31, 2014. The initial core set of children's health care quality measures was published December 29, 2009, in Volume 74, No. 248 of the Federal Register. Section 1139A(b) of the Act identifies several minimum criteria that the core set of children's health care quality measures must meet and requires consultation with stakeholders in identifying gaps in existing pediatric quality measures and establishing priorities for development and advancement of such measures. AHRQ will convene a group of experts representing a broad range of stakeholder groups. These experts will be asked to provide individual comments on the additional aspects of validity, feasibility, importance, understandability, or other criteria that should be considered when reviewing quality measures. They will also be asked to provide individual comments on the documentation required to provide evidence that each criterion has been met. We seek nominations for a panel of 15 experts that will include representatives from among the following groups: State Medicaid Programs and Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP); pediatricians, children's hospitals, and other primary and specialized pediatric health care professionals (including members of the allied health professions) who specialize in the care and treatment of children, particularly children with special physical, mental, and developmental health care needs; dental professionals, including pediatric dental professionals; health care providers that furnish primary health care to children and families who live in urban and rural medically underserved communities or who are members of distinct population sub-groups at heightened risk for poor health outcomes; national organizations representing children, including children with disabilities and children with chronic conditions; national organizations representing consumers and purchasers of children's health care; national organizations and individuals with expertise in pediatric health quality measurement; and voluntary consensus standards setting organizations and other organizations involved in the advancement of evidence-based measures of health care. Individuals, who are affiliated with the CHIPRA PQMP Centers of Excellence as subcontractors, stakeholders, or key personnel (``affiliated individuals''), are not eligible to apply. However, other individuals from entities represented by the affiliated individuals are eligible to apply. We are seeking individuals who are distinguished in their knowledge of health care disparities (e.g., racial and ethnic disparities), child health quality measurement methods, and the application of health information technology to quality measurement. Individuals are particularly sought with experience and success in activities specified in the summary above.