[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 144 (Wednesday, July 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44932-44933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-18791]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality


Meeting of the National Advisory Council Subcommittee Identifying 
Quality Measures for Medicaid Eligible Adults

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of a Subcommittee of the 
National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 9th from 10 a.m. to 
6 p.m., and Wednesday, August 10th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Westin Washington, DC City 
Center, 1400 M Street, NW., Washington DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Wilson, MD MPH, Coordinator of 
the National Advisory Council Subcommittee Identifying Quality Measures 
for Medicaid Eligible Adults at the Agency for Healthcare Research and 
Quality, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, Maryland, 20850, (301) 427-1310. 
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 the Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA) Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and 
Diversity Management on (301) 827-4840, no later than August 1, 2011. 
The agenda, roster, and meeting report will be available from Dr. 
Wilson.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Purpose of the National Advisory Council Subcommittee Identifying 
Quality Measures for Medicaid Eligible Adults

    The purpose of the National Advisory Council Subcommittee 
Identifying Quality Measures for Medicaid Eligible Adults is to develop 
consensus on a core set of health quality measures for Medicaid-
eligible adults. While a number of current efforts to assess, publicly 
report, and improve quality of care include Medicaid eligible adults, 
this core set of measures will reflect aspects of care particularly 
important to Medicaid recipients that are not currently assessed 
consistently and routinely.
    Section 2701 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which added Section 
1139B to Title XI of the Social Security Act, requires the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services to identify and publish a recommended core 
set of health quality measures for Medicaid eligible adults. AHRQ and 
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have entered into 
an interagency agreement to collaboratively identify these measures. 
Section 2701 also requires the Secretary, in consultation with States, 
to develop a standardized format for reporting information and to 
develop procedures that encourage voluntary reporting based on the 
initial core set of measures. The Secretary is also required to 
establish a Medicaid Quality Measurement Program that will fund the 
development, testing, and validation of emerging and innovative 
evidence-based measures and to subsequently publish recommended changes 
to the initial core measure set. Not later than September 30, 2014 and 
annually thereafter the Secretary is required to collect, analyze, and 
make publically available the information reported by the States.
    The National Advisory Council Subcommittee Identifying Quality 
Measures for Medicaid Eligible Adults met on October 18th and 19th 
2010, and identified an initial core set of measures. These measures 
were subsequently posted in the Federal Register for a two month public 
comment period. This initial core set of measures must be finalized by 
January 1, 2012.
    The purpose of the National Advisory Council Subcommittee 
Identifying Quality Measures for Medicaid Eligible Adults is to: (a) 
Review the public comment analysis, (b) determine and apply criteria by 
which the initial list is further refined, and (c) make recommendations 
to the National Advisory Council regarding finalizing the initial core 
set of measures. The National Advisory Council Subcommittee Identifying 
Quality Measures for Medicaid Eligible Adults membership will reflect 
expertise in healthcare quality measurement, healthcare disparities, 
and in the populations eligible for Medicaid. Elizabeth McGlynn, PhD, 
Director, Kaiser Permanente Center for Effectiveness & Safety Research, 
and Foster Gesten, M.D., Medical Director of

[[Page 44933]]

Office of Insurance Programs for New York, co-chair the SNAC.

Role of the National Advisory Council

    The National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality 
is authorized by Section 941 of the Public Health Service Act, 42 
U.S.C. 299c. In accordance with its statutory mandate, the Council is 
to advise the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services 
and the Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), on 
matters related to AHRQ's conduct of its mission including providing 
guidance on (A) Priorities for health care research, (B) the field of 
health care research including training needs and information 
dissemination on health care quality and (C) the role of the Agency in 
light of private sector activity and opportunities for public private 
partnerships.
    The Council is composed of members of the public, appointed by the 
Secretary, and Federal ex-officio members specified in the authorizing 
legislation.

II. Agenda

    The final agenda will be available on the AHRQ Web site at http://www.AHRQ.gov no later than August 1, 2011.

    Dated: July 8, 2011.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 2011-18791 Filed 7-26-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M