PA to Test Children's Health Programs

From the inbox:

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced a nearly $10 million grant to Pennsylvania to improve health care quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

The grant is part of $100 million in federal funds awarded to 10 states today as part of the Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA). The funds will be awarded over a five-year period. North Carolina will be awarded $1.9 million in the first year of a five-year grant totaling $9.8 million.

Pennsylvania will use its grant money to test and report on recommended measures of health care quality that can help identify children with developmental delays, behavioral health issues, and complex medical conditions. Early identification will enable the state to link these children with needed primary and specialty care and to monitor the services they receive. Pennsylvania will also be one of two states evaluating a model electronic health record for children.

“We all have a stake in the health of our nation’s children,” said Sebelius. “Exploring new technologies and initiatives will help ensure our kids get the high quality care they need and deserve.”

The grants are totally federally funded and are designed help establish a national quality system for children’s health care through Medicaid and CHIP. The money will help states implement and evaluate provider performance measures and utilize health information technologies such as pediatric electronic health records and other quality improvement initiatives.

“These grants will test the most current theories of how to improve the quality of care delivered to children,” said Cindy Mann, director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “These awards will help create the foundation for a more responsive and effective national framework of high quality healthcare for children.”

More information about children’s health coverage can be found at www.InsureKidsNow.gov.