Advancing the science of measurement in pediatric quality of care

摘要

THE CHILDREN'S HEALTH Insurance Program Reautho-rization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009 provides an opportunity to consider and enhance the measurement of children's health care quality as a means to improve child health.1 The legislation required the identification of an initial child core set of measures for voluntary use by Medicaid/Child Health Insurance (CHIP) programs. The initial child core set was published in 2009, and after its most current update in 2014, the list now includes 23 pediatric measures.2 The legislation further mandated a CHIPRA Pediatric Quality Measures Program (PQMP), which in turn, funded 7 centers of excellence across the United States to develop and test pediatric quality measures.3 The PQMP is tasked with increasing the "portfolio of evidence-based, consensus pediatric quality measures available to public and private purchasers of children's health care services, providers and consumers."1 The articles in this supplement examine the opportunities and challenges associated with the PQMP centers of excellence work focused on advancing the measurement science for pediatric quality measures. The articles in this supplement fall into 3 broad themes: the value of pediatric quality measures to stakeholders; the scope of the PQMP measurement initiative; and challenges in developing and testing pediatric quality measures.