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[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 111 (Thursday, June 9, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33765-33766]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-14112]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

CHIPRA Pediatric Quality Measures Program: Request for 
Nominations for Expert Panelists

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

ACTION: Notice of request for nominations for expert panelists.

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SUMMARY: This notice requests members of the public to nominate experts 
to provide individual input into the CHIPRA Pediatric Quality Measures 
Program. Section 401(a) of the Children's Health Insurance Program 
Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-3) amended the Social 
Security Act (the Act) by adding Section 1139A, which directs the 
Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to 
establish a Pediatric Quality Measures Program. The purpose of the 
Pediatric Quality Measures Program is to (a) Improve and strengthen the 
initial core child health care quality measures established pursuant to 
Section 1139A(a) of the Act; (b) expand on existing quality measures 
used by public and private health care purchasers and advance the 
development of such new and emerging quality measures; and (c) increase 
the portfolio of evidence-based, consensus pediatric quality measures 
available to public and private purchasers of children's health care 
services, providers, and consumers. A meeting of the experts will be 
held on September 18, 2011, in Bethesda, Maryland. We are seeking 
experts who can provide individual comment on the criteria by which new 
or enhanced children's health care quality measures will be evaluated. 
Expert panels will be convened in subsequent years to evaluate new or 
enhanced children's health care quality measures using these criteria. 
These evaluations will take place annually before recommended changes 
to the core set of children's health care quality measures are 
published in the Federal Register on or before January 1, 2013; January 
1, 2014; and December 31, 2014. The initial core set of children's 
health care quality measures was published December 29, 2009, in Volume 
74, No. 248 of the Federal Register.
    Section 1139A(b) of the Act identifies several minimum criteria 
that the core set of children's health care quality measures must meet 
and requires consultation with stakeholders in identifying gaps in 
existing pediatric quality measures and establishing priorities for 
development and advancement of such measures. AHRQ will convene a group 
of experts representing a broad range of stakeholder groups. These 
experts will be asked to provide individual comments on the additional 
aspects of validity, feasibility, importance, understandability, or 
other criteria that should be considered when reviewing quality 
measures. They will also be asked to provide individual comments on the 
documentation required to provide evidence that each criterion has been 
met.
    We seek nominations for a panel of 15 experts that will include 
representatives from among the following groups: State Medicaid 
Programs and Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP); 
pediatricians, children's hospitals, and other primary and specialized 
pediatric health care professionals (including members of the allied 
health professions) who specialize in the care and treatment of 
children, particularly children with special physical, mental, and 
developmental health care needs; dental professionals, including 
pediatric dental professionals; health care providers that furnish 
primary health care to children and families who live in urban and 
rural medically underserved communities or who are members of distinct 
population sub-groups at heightened risk for poor health outcomes; 
national organizations representing children, including children with 
disabilities and children with chronic conditions; national 
organizations representing consumers and purchasers of children's 
health care; national organizations and individuals with expertise in 
pediatric health quality measurement; and voluntary consensus standards 
setting organizations and other organizations involved in the 
advancement of evidence-based measures of health care. Individuals, who 
are affiliated with the CHIPRA PQMP Centers of Excellence as 
subcontractors, stakeholders, or key personnel (``affiliated 
individuals''), are not eligible to apply. However, other individuals 
from entities represented by the affiliated individuals are eligible to 
apply.
    We are seeking individuals who are distinguished in their knowledge 
of health care disparities (e.g., racial and ethnic disparities), child 
health quality measurement methods, and the application of health 
information technology to quality measurement. Individuals are 
particularly sought with experience and success in activities specified 
in the summary above.

DATES: Nominations should be received on or before 21 days after date 
of publication.

ADDRESSES: Nominations should be e-mailed to chipra@AHRQ.hhs.gov. 
Nominations may also be mailed to Edwin Lomotan, AHRQ, 540 Gaither 
Road, Room 2202, Rockville, Maryland 20850.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: chipra@AHRQ.hhs.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 401(a) of the Children's Health 
Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-3) 
amended the Social Security Act (the Act) by adding Section 1139A, 
which directs the Secretary of HHS to establish a Pediatric Quality 
Measures Program. Section 1139A(b)(3) of the Act provides that the 
Secretary of HHS shall consult with various entities in establishing 
priorities for development and advancement of children's health care 
quality measures. The Secretary delegated this task to the Centers for 
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services (CMS) entered into an Interagency Agreement with the Agency 
for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), by which CMS and AHRQ would 
collaborate to develop the Pediatric Quality Measures Program.
    Under the Pediatric Quality Measures Program, AHRQ has funded seven

[[Page 33766]]

Centers of Excellence through cooperative agreements under the funding 
opportunity announcement HS11-001, the CHIPRA PQMP Centers of 
Excellence. For more information, see http://www.AHRQ.gov/chipra/PQMPFACT.htm. These seven Centers of Excellence, in concert with two 
CMS-funded CHIPRA Quality Demonstration grantee States (Massachusetts 
and Illinois), will develop new and enhanced children's health care 
quality measures and will participate in the process to identify and 
refine criteria by which new or enhanced children's health care quality 
measures will be evaluated.
    The expected time commitment for expert panelists is up to 3 days. 
This includes travel to and from the expert panel meeting to be held on 
September 18, 2011, as one of the pre-meetings to the AHRQ Annual 
Conference in Bethesda, Maryland; review of materials in advance of the 
in-person meeting; and attendance at the full-day in-person meeting on 
September 18, 2011.
    Interested persons may nominate one or more qualified persons for 
the expert panel. Self-nominations are accepted. Nominations shall 
include: (1) A copy of the nominee's resume or curriculum vitae; (2) a 
statement of the stakeholder group or groups that the nominee would 
represent, from among the following: State Medicaid Programs and 
Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP); pediatricians, children's 
hospitals, and other primary and specialized pediatric health care 
professionals (including members of the allied health professions) who 
specialize in the care and treatment of children, particularly children 
with special physical, mental, and developmental health care needs; 
dental professionals, including pediatric dental professionals; health 
care providers that furnish primary health care to children and 
families who live in urban and rural medically underserved communities 
or who are members of distinct population sub-groups at heightened risk 
for poor health outcomes; national organizations representing children, 
including children with disabilities and children with chronic 
conditions; national organizations representing consumers and 
purchasers of children's health care; national organizations and 
individuals with expertise in pediatric health quality measurement; and 
voluntary consensus standards setting organizations and other 
organizations involved in the advancement of evidence-based measures of 
health care; (3) a statement that the nominee is willing to serve as a 
member of the expert panel; (4) a statement about any financial 
interest, arrangement or affiliation with any entity that may create a 
potential conflict of interest for the nominee or his or her family; if 
any, please describe the relationship with each entity as either Grant/
Research Support, Consultant, Speakers Bureau, Major Stock Shareholder, 
or Other Financial or Material Support; and (5) a statement about any 
intellectual interest in a study or other research related to 
children's health care quality measures, if any. Please note that once 
you are nominated, AHRQ may consider your nomination for future expert 
panels related to the Pediatric Quality Measures Program.
    AHRQ strives to ensure that membership on expert panels is fairly 
balanced in terms of points of view represented and the panel's 
function. Every effort is made to ensure that the views of women, all 
ethnic and racial groups, and people with disabilities are represented 
on expert panels and, therefore, AHRQ encourages nominations of 
qualified candidates from these groups. AHRQ also encourages geographic 
diversity in the composition of expert panels. Selection of panelists 
shall be made without discrimination on the basis of age, race, 
ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and cultural, 
religious, or socioeconomic status.

    Dated: May 27, 2011.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director, AHRQ.
[FR Doc. 2011-14112 Filed 6-8-11; 8:45 am]
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