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Nation's Children's Hospitals Endorse Senate Bill to Address Need for Quality and Performance Measures for Children's Health Care
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| Copyright: | PR Newswire | | Source: | PR Newswire | | Wordcount: | 625 |
ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National
Association of Children's Hospitals (N.A.C.H.) endorsed a bill to provide
federal authority and $100 million over five years to invest in the
development and testing of quality measures for children's health care.
Senators Evan Bayh (D-IN), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), along
with Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Norm Coleman (R-MN) and Ken Salazar (D-CO)
introduced the Children's Health Care Quality Act (S.1226) before the Senate
yesterday.
In addition to providing support for private sector's development of
pediatric quality measure development, the bill would make it possible for the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to fund demonstrations of
evidence-based approaches to improve hospital care for children. The bill also
would fund demonstrations of model programs in pediatric health information
technology and disease management.
"The federal government is the single largest payer of children's health
care in the country. While the federal government has worked closely with the
private sector to develop and implement appropriate quality measures for adult
health care, there have been little federal resources or leadership committed
to the study and development of such measures in pediatric care, particularly
for inpatient care," said Lawrence A. McAndrews, president and CEO of the
N.A.C.H.
"The Children's Health Care Quality Act is a first step in eliminating the
disparity between adults and children when it comes to measuring and reporting
on health care quality," added McAndrews. "If CMS had the resources to promote
the development of pediatric quality measures, consumers, payers and the
pediatric community would have a body of nationally consistent, evidence-based
measures for hospital care for children."
The quality of adult health care has benefited from federal leadership and
investment in the development and use of measures for adult health care,
particularly through Medicare. However, CMS lacks the explicit authority and
resources to provide the level of support required for the development of
pediatric measures for children in both Medicaid and the State Children's
Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), as do individual state Medicaid and SCHIP
programs.
Last year, N.A.C.H. commissioned a 50-state survey by Health Management
Associates. It found that while states use quality measures for children's
health services, they are almost always measures of primary and preventive
care for children enrolled in managed care plans, not inpatient hospital care
for children. Only two states indicated use of any pediatric inpatient
measures. Because of limited resources, states are looking to the federal
government for leadership and measures.
"In the national movement to develop quality measures for health care, we
cannot afford to leave children behind," emphasized McAndrews.
Together, Medicaid and SCHIP pay for the health care of more than a
quarter of all children. The market share of these programs uniquely positions
them to provide significant leadership to advance quality measurement for
pediatric care -- if CMS has the resources and funding to do so. The
Children's Health Care Quality Act would give CMS the ability to foster
collaboration among its officials, providers, consumers and leading quality
organizations to improve the level of service provided to children throughout
the U.S.
In addition to N.A.C.H., the Children's Health Care Quality Act also has
the endorsements of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the March of Dimes,
the American Hospital Association and others.
The National Association of Children's Hospitals (N.A.C.H.) is the public
policy affiliate of the National Association of Children's Hospitals and
Related Institutions. Representing 140 freestanding acute care children's
hospitals, freestanding children's rehabilitation and specialty hospitals, and
children's hospitals organized within larger medical centers, it addresses
public policy issues affecting children's hospitals' missions of service to
the children of their communities, including clinical care, education,
research and advocacy.
SOURCE National Association of Children's Hospitals
CONTACT: Norida Torriente of the National Association of Children's Hospitals, +1-703-797-6059, ntorriente@nachri.org
This is a news service of Thomson Business Intelligence Service ©2006. This content is for your personal use only, subject to Terms and Conditions. No redistribution allowed.
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