CHIPRA Initial Core Set of Children's Health Care Quality Measures

Initial Core Set of Children's Health Care Quality Measures

The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) included provisions to strengthen the quality of care provided and health outcomes of children in Medicaid and CHIP. CHIPRA required HHS to identify and publish an initial core measure set of children’s health care quality measures for voluntary use by State Medicaid and CHIP programs.

Initial Core Set of Measures

On December 29, 2009, the Secretary posted for public comment in the Federal Register, an initial core set of 24 children's health care quality measures for voluntary use by Medicaid and CHIP programs. The core set includes a range of children’s quality measures encompassing both physical and mental health, including chronic conditions, such as asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and diabetes. State data derived from the core measures are part of the Secretary’s 2011 Annual Report on the Quality of Care for Children in Medicaid and CHIP. The appendices to the 2011 Report as well as the First Annual Secretary’s Report and appendices can be viewed from the Related Resources at the bottom of the page.

How States Voluntarily Report Quality Measures

States can voluntarily report the initial core set of quality measures by using the CHIPRA Technical Specifications and Resource Manual.

Other Children’s Quality Measures Initiatives

CMS also has other initiatives that relate to children’s quality measures, including a Pediatric Quality Measures Program (PQMP) and the Pediatric Electronic Health Record Format.

CHIPRA Technical Assistance and Analytic Support Program

CMS is committed to supporting State efforts to improve the measurement of the quality of health care for children. To increase the number of States consistently collecting, reporting, and using the initial core set of children’s health care quality measures, CMS established the “CHIPRA Technical Assistance and Analytic Support Program” with an award of a contract to Mathematica Policy Research in May 2011. Mathematica – teamed with the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the Center for Health Care Strategies and the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality – will work with CMS to support States’ child health care quality measurement and improvement efforts. The overarching goals are to increase the number of States consistently collecting and uniformly reporting the voluntary initial core measures set, and to help States understand how to use these data to improve the quality of care for children. As part of the technical assistance effort, CMS will share promising practices for collecting the core measures with States. For more information, see the Technical Assistance and Analytical Support Program fact sheet.

Requests for technical assistance related to initial core set of children's health care quality measures? Email CHIPRAQualityTA@cms.hhs.gov.

Pediatric Electronic Health Record Format

Section 401(f) of CHIPRA provides for the development of a model electronic health record (EHR) format for children enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP. As existing EHR systems often do not optimally support the provision of health care to children, AHRQ, through an intra-agency agreement with the CMS, is working to develop the model EHR format for children, and demonstrate that it can be readily used and package it in a way that facilitates broad incorporation into EHR systems.

North Carolina and Pennsylvania will evaluate the impact of the model children’s EHR format as part of their CHIPRA Demonstration Grants.