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[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 182 (Thursday, September 19, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57639-57640]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-22796]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Request for Comments on Pediatric Planned Procedure Algorithm

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

ACTION: Notice of request for comments on pediatric planned procedure 
algorithm from the members of the public.

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SUMMARY: Section 401(a) of the Children's Health Insurance Program 
Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA), Public Law 111-3, amended the 
Social Security Act (the Act) to enact section 1139A (42 U.S.C. 1320b-
9a). Section 1139A(b) charged the Department of Health and Human 
Services with improving pediatric health care quality measures. This 
effort includes development of several new pediatric quality measures, 
including a pediatric readmission measure. The Agency for Healthcare 
Research and Quality (AHRQ) is requesting comments from the public on 
an algorithm for identifying pediatric planned procedures as part of 
the readmission measure. The purpose of the algorithm is to identify, 
using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, 
Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) procedure codes, pediatric procedures 
that are usually planned so that admissions for these procedures can be 
excluded from calculations of readmission rates.
    To identify planned procedures, expert pediatric clinicians in 14 
different procedure-oriented specialties reviewed procedures typically 
performed by their specialty. The reviewers indicated which procedures 
(1) are usually planned (defined as planned in more than 80% of cases) 
and (2) could require hospitalization. Admissions for which the primary 
procedure coded was one of these procedures are excluded from the count 
of readmissions.
    The list of ICD-9-CM codes and code descriptions for the planned 
procedures is available at: http://www.ahrq.gov/policymakers/chipra/pedprocedurecodes.html.

DATES: Please submit comments October 21, 2013. AHRQ will not respond 
to individual comments, but will consider all comments.

ADDRESSES: Electronic submissions are encouraged, preferably as an 
email with an electronic file in a standard word processing format as 
an email attachment. Submissions may also be in the form of a letter 
to: Maushami (Mia)

[[Page 57640]]

DeSoto, MSc, Ph.D., MHA, Office of Extramural Research, Education and 
Priority Populations, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 540 
Gaither Rd., Rockville, MD 20850, Phone: (301) 427-1546, Fax: (301) 
427-1238, Email: Maushami.Desoto@AHRQ.hhs.gov.
    Submission Guidelines: When submitting comments, please include, to 
the extent available:

--Detailed responses and suggestions; and
--Rationale and evidence for any recommended changes to the algorithm, 
including citations of published evidence, if available.

    For all submissions, please also include:
    A brief cover letter summarizing the information requested above 
for submitted comments;
    Complete information about the person submitting the comments, 
including:
    (a) Name; and
    (b) Email address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maushami (Mia) DeSoto, MSc, Ph.D., MHA

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 401(a) of the Children's Health 
Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA), Public Law 111-
3, amended the Social Security Act (the Act) to enact section 1139A (42 
U.S.C. 1320b-9a). Since the law was passed, the Agency for Healthcare 
Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services (CMS) have been working together to implement selected 
provisions of the legislation related to children's health care 
quality. Section 1139A(b) of the Act charged the Department of Health 
and Human Services with improving pediatric health care quality 
measures. To implement the law, AHRQ and CMS have established the 
CHIPRA Pediatric Quality Measures Program (PQMP), which is designed to 
enhance select pediatric quality measures and develop new measures as 
needed.
    The information sought in this Notice is being collected pursuant 
to the needs of the Children's Hospital Boston Center of Excellence for 
Pediatric Quality Measurement (CEPQM). It is one of the seven CHIPRA 
Pediatric Quality Measures Program (PQMP) Centers of Excellence and has 
been assigned the task of developing a pediatric readmission measure.

    Dated: September 12, 2013.
Richard Kronick,
AHRQ Director.
[FR Doc. 2013-22796 Filed 9-18-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-P
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