CMS proposed a mandatory annual report from each state on the quality of their Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program services to identify healthcare gaps and disparities.
The rule would require states to annually assess care quality using three standardized assessments known as core sets.
"The Medicaid and [Children’s Health Insurance Program] core sets of quality measures for children, adults, and health home services are key to promoting health equity. They will allow us not only to identify health disparities but also to implement interventions based on the very data that make those disparities clear," Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, CMS administrator, said in an Aug. 18 news release from CMS. "By requiring states to report the core sets of quality measures, we can ensure that our policies are supported by data representing all of our beneficiaries."
The core sets measure the quality of care for children using Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, adult behavioral health services covered by Medicaid and Medicaid health homes, which are facilities that integrate all primary, acute, behavioral health and long-term services to those with significant chronic conditions and/or severe mental health concerns.
The reporting is now voluntary, but would become mandatory in fiscal year 2024.