### 42738 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 140 / Friday, July 20, 2012 / Notices

**DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND**
**HUMAN SERVICES**

**Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality** 

**Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From the**  **Coalition for Quality and Patient Safety of Chicagoland (CQPS PSO)** 

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

**ACTION :**  Notice of Delisting.

**SUMMARY :**  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 Patient Safety Organizations (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 no longer to meet the requirements of the Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety Rule, or when a PSO chooses to voluntarily relinquish its status as a PSO for any reason. AHRQ has accepted a notification of voluntary relinquishment from the Coalition for Quality and Patient Safety of Chicagoland (CQPS PSO) of its status as a PSO, and has delisted the PSO accordingly.

**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 May 24, 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 :**  Eileen Hogan, 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. The Patient Safety Rule authorizes AHRQ to list as a PSO an entity that attests that it meets the statutory and regulatory requirements for listing. A PSO can be ‘‘delisted’’ if it is found no longer to meet the requirements of the Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety Rule, or when a PSO chooses to voluntarily relinquish its status as a PSO for any reason. 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 Coalition for Quality and Patient Safety of Chicagoland (CQPS PSO), PSO number P0090, which is a component entity of Project Patient Care, Inc., to voluntarily relinquish its status as a PSO. Accordingly, the Coalition for Quality and Patient Safety of Chicagoland (CQPS PSO) was delisted effective at 12:00 Midnight ET (2400) on May 24, 2012.

More information on PSOs can be obtained through AHRQ’s PSO Web site

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

Dated: July 13, 2012.
Carolyn M. Clancy,

Director.

[FR Doc. 2012–17531 Filed 7–19–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4160–90–M**

**DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND**
**HUMAN SERVICES**

**Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality** 

**Request for Information on Quality Measurement Enabled by Health IT** 

**AGENCY :**  Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Health and Human Services (HHS).

**ACTION :**  Notice of Request for Information (RFI).

**SUMMARY :**  The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) requests information from the Public, including diversified stakeholders (health information technology (IT) system developers, including vendors; payers, quality measure developers, end-users, clinicians, health care consumers) regarding current successful strategies and challenges regarding quality measurement enabled by health IT. Quality measurement—the assessment of the timeliness, completeness and appropriateness of preventive services, diagnostic services, and treatment provided in health care—has been most generally conducted via paper chart information capture, manual chart abstraction, and the analysis of
administrative claims data.

**DATES :**  Submit comments on or before August 20, 2012.

**ADDRESSES :**  Electronic responses are preferred and should be addressed to HIT-PTQ@AHRQ.hhs.gov. Nonelectronic responses will also be accepted. Please send by mail to: Rebecca Roper, Agency for HealthcareResearch and Quality, Attention: HITEnabled QM RFI Responses, 540 Gaither Road, Room 6000, Rockville, MD 20850,
Phone: 301–427–1535.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Please identify in the subject line of emails that you are inquiring about the ‘‘Question about HIT-enabled QM RFI’’. Contact Angela Nunley, email: Armela.Nunley@AHRQ.hhs.gov, Phone: 301–427–1505, or, Rebecca Roper,
email: Rebecca.ROPER@AHRQ.hhs.gov,
Phone: 301–427–1535.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :** 
Background

Health information technology (IT), such as, electronic health records (EHR) which may include clinical decision support and health information exchange, has seen a tremendous increase in adoption in recent years. Some institutions have successfullyused health IT to generate health ITenabled quality measures which may beretooled versions of established paperbased or administrative data-driven quality measures or (preferably) they are ‘‘de novo’’ quality measures that were developed with the capabilities of
health IT in mind. These new health ITenabled quality measures seek to leverage the use of electronic clinical data capture, analysis and reporting to measure and report electronically enabled quality measures in order to facilitate improvements in the quality of care provided. AHRQ supports research to improve health care quality through enhancements in the safety, efficiency,
and effectiveness of health care available to all Americans. Through this RFI, AHRQ is seeking information related to successful strategies and/or remaining challenges encounteredregarding the development of health ITenabled quality measure development and reporting.

Health IT has the potential to advance quality measurement and reporting through the use of efficient automated data collection, analysis, processing,