CHIPRA Grant to Improve the Quality of Children’s Healthcare

(2010 - 2015)

What We Did:

This multi-year improvement effort gave the state a unique opportunity to rally organizations interested in improving pediatric healthcare quality to pursue shared goals.  MHQP’s role included:

  • Created the Massachusetts Child Health Quality Coalition (CHQC), which served as a neutral convener of child health stakeholders in the state and facilitated a shared understanding of pediatric healthcare quality priorities across Massachusetts.
  • Tested the feasibility of core measures of pediatric healthcare quality and reported the results, which was the first time many pediatric quality measures were reported. The reports compared data from the Medicaid (MassHealth) and commercial health plan populations and gave providers, policymakers and families the opportunity to look at the quality of pediatric care across the state.
  • Developed new pediatric quality measures. Eight new quality measures were identified to support improvements in care coordination for children with behavioral health needs.

Who Was Involved:

The project was funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through grant funds issued pursuant to the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization (CHIPRA) Act of 2009, and was in partnership with Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts Health Quality Partners, MassHealth and the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Why This Work Matters:

Pediatric patients and their families often experience health care differently from adult patients. It is critical, therefore, to establish unique and appropriate measures to help practices and patients evaluate performance and identify opportunities for quality improvement. The medical home model holds promise as a way to improve healthcare by transforming how primary care is organized and delivered.

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