[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

[[Page 6674]]

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]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M