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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 132 (Tuesday, July 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40620-40622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16734]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

AHRQ Workgroups on ICD-10-CM/PCS Conversion of Quality Indicators 
(QIs) -- Extension Date for Nominations

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

ACTION: Notice of date extension.

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SUMMARY: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is 
seeking nominations for members of approximately 10 multidisciplinary 
workgroups, to be convened by AHRQ's contractor, on ICD-10-CM/PCS 
conversion of the AHRQ Quality Indicators (QIs). This notice was 
previously published on June 4, 2012 (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-06-04/pdf/2012-13306.pdf).

DATES: Please submit nominations on or before July 22, 2012. Self-
nominations are welcome. Third-party nominations must indicate that the 
individual has been contacted and is willing to serve on the workgroup. 
Selected candidates will be notified no later than July 31, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Nominations can be sent in the form of a letter or email, 
preferably as an electronic file with an email attachment and should 
specifically address the submission criteria as noted

[[Page 40621]]

below. Electronic submissions are strongly encouraged. Responses should 
be submitted to: Attn: John Bat, Agency for Healthcare Research and 
Quality, Center for Delivery, Organization and Markets, 540 Gaither 
Road, Room 5119, Rockville, MD 20850, Email: john.bott@AHRQ.hhs.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Bott, Agency for Healthcare 
Research and Quality, Center for Delivery, Organization and Markets, 
540 Gaither Road, Room 5119, Rockville, MD 20850, Email: 
john.bott@AHRQ.hhs.gov; Phone: (301) 427-1317; Fax: (301) 427-1430.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: These workgroups are being formed as part of 
a structured approach for converting the existing QI specifications 
from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS, incorporating coding expertise, 
clinical expertise, and health services research/quality measurement 
expertise. The workgroups will evaluate the results of automated 'code 
mapping'' from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS, providing input and advice 
regarding similarities and differences between ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM/
PCS codes that are mapped to each other. This workgroup process will 
lead to recommendations regarding how the existing AHRQ QIs should be 
re-specified using ICD-10-CM/PCS codes, retaining the original clinical 
intent of each indicator while taking advantage of the greater 
specificity of ICD-10-CM/PCS to improve the indicator's validity. 
Workgroup participation will be uncompensated.
    For additional information about the AHRQ QIs, please visit the 
AHRQ Web site at http://www.QUALITYindicators.AHRQ.gov.
    Specifically, each Workgroup on ICD-10-CM/PCS Conversion of Quality 
Indicators will consist of:

--At least three individuals with relevant clinical expertise (e.g., 
cardiovascular disease, neurologic disease, orthopedic and 
musculoskeletal disease, obstetrics and gynecologic disease, surgery, 
critical care and pulmonary disease, diabetes and endocrine disease, 
infectious disease, neonatology and pediatric disease, miscellaneous) 
and at least two individuals with relevant coding expertise.
--One or more individuals with field experience using AHRQ QI measures 
for assessing hospital performance.
--One or more individuals with expertise in validating ICD-9-CM or ICD-
10-CM/PCS codes using chart abstraction (to assess criterion validity), 
or otherwise assessing their accuracy and usefulness in identifying 
individuals with specific adverse outcomes.
--One or more individuals with experience using data from the AHRQ 
Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project or similar data for the purpose 
of calculating AHRQ QIs.

Submission Criteria

    To be considered for membership on a QI ICD-10-CM/PCS Conversion 
Workgroup, please send the following information for each nominee:
    1. A brief nomination letter highlighting experience and knowledge 
relevant to the development, refinement, or testing of quality measures 
based on ICD9-CM and/or ICD-10-CM/PCS coded data, and demonstrating 
familiarity with the AHRQ QIs and health care administrative data. (See 
selection criteria below.) The nominee's clinical or coding profession 
and specialty, and the spectrum of his or her clinical or coding 
expertise, should be described. Please include full contact information 
of nominee: name, title, organization, mailing address, telephone and 
fax numbers, and email address.
    2. Curriculum vita (with citations to any pertinent publications 
related to quality measure specification, ICD-9-CM, or ICD-10-CM/PCS).
    3. Description of any financial interest, recent conduct, or 
current or planned commercial, non-commercial, institutional, 
intellectual, public service, or other activities pertinent to the 
potential scope of the workgroups, which could be perceived as 
influencing the workgroup's process or recommendations. The objective 
is not to prevent nominees with potential conflicts of interest from 
serving on the panels, but to obtain such information so as to best 
inform the selection of workgroup members, and to help minimize such 
conflicts.

Nominee Selection Criteria

    Nominees should have technical expertise in health care quality 
measure development, refinement, or application, and familiarity with 
the ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM/PCS code sets (especially insofar as they 
are used to specify quality measures).
    More specifically, each candidate will be evaluated using the 
following criteria:

--Knowledge of health care quality measurement using administrative 
data in specific, relevant clinical domains (e.g., cardiovascular 
disease, neurologic disease, orthopedic and musculoskeletal disease, 
obstetrics and gynecologic disease, surgery, critical care and 
pulmonary disease, diabetes and endocrine disease, infectious disease, 
neonatology and pediatric disease, miscellaneous);
--Peer-reviewed publications relevant to developing, refining, testing, 
or applying health care quality measures based on ICD-coded 
administrative data;
--Other experience developing, refining, testing, or applying health 
care quality measures based on ICD-coded administrative data;
--Expertise in ICD-9-CM and/or ICD-10-CM/PCS coding;
--Expertise in hospital quality improvement, patient safety, and/or 
clinical documentation improvement;
--Familiarity with the AHRQ Quality Indicators and their application; 
and,
--Availability to participate in conference calls and provide written 
comments starting from late August through October 2012.

Time Commitment

    In an effort to solicit expert input and recommendations on 
conversion of the AHRQ QIs from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS, we are 
initiating a technical review process that will require participation 
in approximately three to five conference calls with some pre and post 
evaluation time (estimated at 13 hours). Results from this process will 
influence the conversion of the AHRQ QI from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS. 
Beginning in late August through October, selected nominees will be 
asked to participate in the following activities:

Workgroup Activities

    1. Review the current ICD-9-CM specifications of AHRQ QIs within 
the workgroup's clinical domain (e.g., cardiovascular disease, 
neurologic disease, orthopedic and musculoskeletal disease, obstetrics 
and gynecologic disease, surgery, critical care and pulmonary disease, 
diabetes and endocrine disease, infectious disease, neonatology and 
pediatric disease, miscellaneous), along with background documents 
justifying or explaining those specifications (about 1.5 hours).
    2. Participate in teleconference to explain the workgroup 
activities and processes, and to discuss current QI specifications and 
their justification (1.0 hours).
    3. Review proposed mapping of ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS codes and 
identify relevant questions and concerns (about 3 hours).
    4. Participate in teleconference to discuss the proposed mappings, 
including relevant questions and concerns (1.5 hours).

[[Page 40622]]

    5. Following a structured process (e.g., modified Delphi), provide 
specific input to support or modify the proposed mappings (about 2.5 
hours).
    6. Participate in teleconference to discuss areas of disagreement 
among workgroup members, and to achieve consensus when possible (1.5 
hours).
    7. Following a structured process (e.g., modified Delphi), provide 
specific input to support or modify the proposed mappings, 
incorporating changes accepted in previous steps (about 1.0 hour).
    8. Participate in final (optional) teleconference to review final 
recommendations and discuss contextual issues (1.0 hour).

Please note that should additional conference calls be necessary, 
workgroup members are expected to make every effort to participate. The 
workgroups will conduct business by telephone, email, or other 
electronic means as needed.

Background

    The AHRQ Quality Indicators (AHRQ QIs) are a unique set of measures 
of health care quality that make use of readily available hospital 
inpatient administrative data. The QIs have been used for various 
purposes. Some of these include tracking, hospital self-assessment, 
reporting of hospital-specific quality or pay for performance. The AHRQ 
QIs are provider- and area-level quality indicators and currently 
consist of four modules: the Prevention Quality Indicators (PQI), the 
Inpatient Quality Indicators, the Patient Safety Indicators (PSI), and 
the Pediatric Quality Indicators (PedQIs). AHRQ is committed to 
converting the QIs from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS in an accurate and 
transparent manner, taking advantage of the additional specificity of 
ICD-10-CM/PCS to improve the validity and usefulness of the QIs, from 
October 2014 onward.

    Dated: July, 2, 2012.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
AHRQ Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-16734 Filed 7-9-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M
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