Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 37 / Friday, February 24, 2012 / Notices 11119 

Request for Comments 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act, comments on AHRQ’s 

information collection are requested 

with regard to any of the following: (a) 

Whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of AHRQ healthcare 

research and healthcare information 

dissemination functions, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of 

AHRQ’s estimate of burden (including 

hours and costs) of the proposed 

collection(s) of information; (c) ways to 

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 

of the information to be collected; and 

(d) ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information upon the 

respondents, including the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and 

included in the Agency’s subsequent 

request for OMB approval of the 

proposed information collection. All 

comments will become a matter of 

public record. 

Dated: February 15, 2012. 

Carolyn M. Clancy, 

Director. 

[FR Doc. 2012–4254 Filed 2–23–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Agency for Healthcare Research and 

Quality 

Request for Nominations of Children’s 

Healthcare Quality Measures for 

Potential Inclusion in the CHIPRA 2013 

Improved Core Set of Health Care 

Quality Measures for Medicaid/CHIP 

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research 

and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice of Request for measures. 

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 to enact section 1139A (42 

U.S.C.1320b–9a). Section 1139A(b) 

charged the Department of Health and 

Human Services (HHS) with improving 

pediatric health care quality measures. 

The Agency for Healthcare Research and 

Quality (AHRQ) is soliciting the 

submission of measures of children’s 

healthcare quality for potential 

inclusion in the CHIPRA 2013 Improved 

Core Set of Health Care Quality 

Measures (the ‘‘Improved Core Set’’) for 

potential voluntary use by Medicaid and 

the Children’s Health Insurance 

Program. In addition, CHIPRA 

established the Pediatric Quality 

Measures Program to increase the 

portfolio of measures available to public 

and private purchasers of children’s 

health care services, providers, and 

consumers. HHS anticipates that 

measures ultimately included in the 

Improved Core Set will also be used by 

public and private purchasers to 

measure pediatric healthcare quality. 

AHRQ is interested in information about 

the importance, scientific validity, and 

feasibility of the measures. If a measure 

is selected for inclusion, more 

information, including a copyright 

release (if applicable) and full measure 

specifications would be needed. 

DATES: Please submit materials within 

60 days of publication of this notice. 

ADDRESSES: Electronic submissions are 

encouraged, preferably as an email with 

one or more electronic files in a 

standard word processing format as an 

email attachment. Submissions may also 

be in the form of a letter to: Denise 

Dougherty, Ph.D., Senior Advisor, Child 

Health and Quality Improvement, 

Agency for Healthcare Research and 

Quality, 540 Gaither Rd, Rockville, MD 

20850, Phone: 301–427–1868, Fax: 301– 

427–1562, Email: denise.DOUGHERTY 

@AHRQ.hhs.gov. 

It would be most helpful to the 

Agency if commenters would include 

the following information in their 

response: measure characteristics: 

measure name; measure description; 

denominator statement (if applicable); 

numerator statement (if applicable); data 

sources and exclusions; applicable 

proprietary rights (e.g., patent or data 

rights); any confidentiality or trade 

secret protections; whether the measure 

is part of a measure hierarchy (e.g., a 

collection of measures, a measure set, a 

measure subset as defined at http:// 

www.QUALITYMEASURES.AHRQ.gov/ 

about/hierarchy.aspx); detailed measure 

specifications; importance of the 

measure; settings, services, measure 

domains, and populations addressed by 

the measure; evidence for focus of the 

measure; scientific soundness of the 

measure; results of any efforts to 

demonstrate the capacity of the measure 

to produce results that stratify by race/ 

ethnicity, socioeconomic status, special 

health care need, and/or rurality/ 

urbanicity; feasibility of the measure 

(e.g., availability of data in existing data 

systems); levels at which the measure 

can be aggregated (e.g., State, health 

plan, provider); understandability to 

consumers and providers; health 

information technology readiness and 

sensitivity (e.g., whether the measure 

has been tested in an electronic health 

record or other health information 

technology); followup contact 

information. 

AHRQ would also be interested in a 

summary rationale for why the measure 

should be included in the 2013 

Improved Core Set, taking into account 

a balance among desirable attributes of 

the measure. For example, you may be 

want to describe advantages that this 

measure has over alternative measures 

that were considered by the measure 

developer or advantages that this 

measure has over existing measures. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Denise Dougherty, Ph.D., Senior 

Advisor, Child Health and Quality 

Improvement, Agency for Healthcare 

Research and Quality, 540 Gaither Rd, 

Rockville, MD 20850, Phone: 301–427– 

1868, Fax: 301–427–1562, Email: 

denise.DOUGHERTY@AHRQ.hhs.gov. 

SUPPPLEMENTARY 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 to 

enact section 1139A (42 U.S.C. 1320b– 

9a). Section 1139A(b) charged the 

Department of Health and Human 

Services (HHS) with improving 

pediatric health care quality measures. 

Since CHIPRA 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 

(www.AHRQ.gov/CHIPRA). An initial 

core measure set for voluntary use by 

Medicaid and Children’s Health 

Insurance Programs was posted 

December 29, 2009 (http:// 

www.GPO.gov/fdsys/PKG/FR–2009–12– 

29/html/E9–30802.htm). In February 

2010, CMS released a State Health 

Official letter which outlined the initial 

core measures and how they should be 

reported to CMS. 

Subsequently, AHRQ and CMS 

established the CHIPRA Pediatric 

Quality Measures Program (PQMP) to 

enhance select pediatric quality 

measures and develop new measures as 

needed (http://www.AHRQ.gov/ 

CHIPRA). CHIPRA stipulates that 

improved core measures be identified 

annually, beginning January 1, 2013. 

Under the PQMP, measures are being 

developed and improved by 7 AHRQ– 

CMS Centers of Excellence (http:// 

www.AHRQ.gov/CHIPRA/ 

PQMPFACT.htm). In addition, this 

notice seeks public nominations of 

measures for potential inclusion in 

Improved Core Sets. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
11120 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 37 / Friday, February 24, 2012 / Notices 

In order to assist AHRQ and CMS to 

assess the importance, validity, and 

feasibility of submitted measures, a 

Subcommittee on Children’s Healthcare 

Quality Measures of the AHRQ National 

Advisory Council on Healthcare 

Research and Quality (SNAC) has been 

established (http://www.ahrq.gov/ 

chipra/panellist11.htm). The 

Subcommittee will consider measures 

submitted through this public call, and 

measures submitted by the 7 AHRQ– 

CMS Centers of Excellence. 

CHIPRA asks that measures in the 

improved core sets be: evidence-based; 

able to identify disparities by race, 

ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and 

special health care need; risk-adjusted 

as appropriate; and designed to ensure 

that data are collected and reported in 

a standard format that permits 

comparison of quality and data at a 

State, plan, and provider level. 

Dated: February 15, 2012. 

Carolyn M. Clancy, 

AHRQ Director. 

[FR Doc. 2012–4267 Filed 2–23–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Agency for Healthcare Research and 

Quality 

Patient Safety Organizations: 

Voluntary Relinquishment From UAB 

Health System Patient Safety 

Organization 

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research 

and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice of Delisting. 

SUMMARY: AHRQ has accepted a 

notification of voluntary relinquishment 

from the UAB Health System Patient 

Safety Organization of its status as a 

Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The 

Patient Safety and Quality Improvement 

Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public 

Law 109–41, 42 U.S.C. 299b–21—b–26, 

provides for the formation of PSOs, 

which collect, aggregate, and analyze 

confidential information regarding the 

quality and safety of health care 

delivery. The Patient Safety and Quality 

Improvement Final Rule (Patient Safety 

Rule), 42 CFR part 3, authorizes AHRQ, 

on behalf of the Secretary of HHS, to list 

as a PSO an entity that attests that it 

meets the statutory and regulatory 

requirements for listing. A PSO can be 

‘‘delisted’’ by the Secretary if it is found 

to no longer meet the requirements of 

the Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety 

Rule, including when a PSO chooses to 

voluntarily relinquish its status as a 

PSO for any reason. 

DATES: The directories for both listed 

and delisted PSOs are ongoing and 

reviewed weekly by AHRQ. The 

delisting was effective at 12:00 Midnight 

ET (2400) on January 13, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Both directories can be 

accessed electronically at the following 

HHS Web site: http:// 

www.pso.AHRQ.gov/index.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Susan Grinder, Center for Quality 

Improvement and Patient Safety, AHRQ, 

540 Gaither. Road, Rockville, MD 20850; 

Telephone (toll free): (866) 403–3697; 

Telephone (local): (301) 427–1111; TTY 

(toll free): (866) 438–7231; TTY (local): 

(301) 427–1130; Email: 

pso@AHRQ.hhs.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Patient Safety Act authorizes the 

listing of PSOs, which are entities or 

component organizations whose 

mission and primary activity is to 

conduct activities to improve patient 

safety and the quality of health care 

delivery. 

HHS issued the Patient Safety Rule to 

implement the Patient Safety Act. 

AHRQ administers the provisions of the 

Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety 

Rule (PDF file, 450 KB. PDF Help) 

relating to the listing and operation of 

PSOs. Section 3.108(d) of the Patient 

Safety Rule requires AHRQ to provide 

public notice when it removes an 

organization from the list of federally 

approved PSOs. AHRQ has accepted a 

notification from the UAB Health 

System Patient Safety Organization, 

PSO number P0042, which is a 

component entity of the UAB Health 

System to voluntarily relinquish its 

status as a PSO. Accordingly, the UAB 

Health System Patient Safety 

Organization was delisted effective at 

12:00 Midnight ET (2400) on January 13, 

2012. 

More information on PSOs can be 

obtained through AHRQ’s PSO Web site 

at http://www.pso.AHRQ.gov/ 

index.html. 

Dated: February 15, 2012. 

Carolyn M. Clancy, 

Director. 

[FR Doc. 2012–4265 Filed 2–23–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Agency for Healthcare Research and 

Quality 

Scientific Information Request on 

Treatment Strategies for Patients With 

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) 

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research 

and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. 

ACTION: Request for scientific 

information submissions 

SUMMARY: The Agency for Healthcare 

Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking 

scientific information submissions from 

manufacturers of peripheral artery 

disease treatment medical devices. 

Scientific information is being solicited 

to inform our Comparative Effectiveness 

Review of Treatment Strategies for 

Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease 

(PAD), which is currently being 

conducted by the Evidence-based 

Practice Centers for the AHRQ Effective 

Health Care Program. Access to 

published and unpublished pertinent 

scientific information on this device 

will improve the quality of this 

comparative effectiveness review. 

AHRQ is requesting this scientific 

information and conducting this 

comparative effectiveness review 

pursuant to Section 1013 of the 

Medicare Prescription Drug, 

Improvement, and Modernization Act of 

2003, Public Law 108–173. 

DATES: Submission Deadline on or 

before March 26, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: 

Online Submissions 

http://effectivehealthcare.AHRQ.gov/

index.cfm/submitscientific-informationpackets/. Please select the study for 

which you are submitting information 

from the list of current studies and 

complete the form to upload your 

documents. 

Email submissions: ehcsrc@ohsu.edu 

(please do not send zipped files—they 

are automatically deleted for security 

reasons). 

Print submissions: Robin Paynter, 

Oregon Health and Science University, 

Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center, 

3181 SW. Sam Jackson Park Road, Mail 

Code: BICC, Portland, OR 97239–3098. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robin Paynter, Research Librarian, 

Telephone: 503–494–0147 or Email: 

ehcsrc@ohsu.edu. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

accordance with Section 1013 of the 

Medicare Prescription Drug, 

Improvement, and Modernization Act of 

2003, Public Law 108–173, the Agency 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES