Supplement: Quality Improvement in Children's Health Care

The first part of a new AHRQ-funded supplement to Academic Pediatrics features research and lessons learned on quality improvement efforts in children’s health care. The supplement, which was published as open access online on November 19 and co-edited by Denise Dougherty, Ph.D., of AHRQ, includes a report that evaluated early experiences of participants in quality improvement collaboratives in the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) Quality Demonstration Grant Program in nine states.

According to the report, collaborative participants valued various aspects of support in developing patient-centered medical home (PCMH) capacity and improving quality improvement performance, but the volume of change-inducing initiatives and information was often overwhelming. This study was coauthored by Cindy Brach of AHRQ along with Kelly J. Devers and Leslie Foster, both of whom are members of the grant program’s national evaluation team.

In addition, Denise Dougherty co-authored an overview that highlights the approaches to conducting research to evaluate the context-sensitive effectiveness of quality improvement interventions described in detail in four articles featured in the supplement. The methods articles stem from presentations at the Academic Pediatric Association annual quality improvement research methods conferences also supported by AHRQ (available at the APA website: http://www.academicpeds.org)

To access more information on AHRQ’s role in CHIPRA, go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/policymakers/chipra/index.html

For more on the CHIPRA Quality Demonstration Grant projects and national evaluation, go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/policymakers/chipra/index.html#Evaluation

A second supplement on education in quality improvement is expected to be published early next year in Academic Pediatrics. Go to: http://www.academicpedsjnl.net/supplements

What's New !

APA is a proud sponsor of the:
2014 National Child Health Policy Conference
Pediatric Hospital Medicine Meeting 2014
July 24-27, 2014
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New Press Release - APA Journal
November/December 2013 Vol. 13 | No. 6
Quality Improvement 2014 Conference
May 2, 2014
Vancouver, Canada
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Submission Deadline: Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at 5:00pm ET
New Press Release - APA Journal
Supplement - Quality Improvement in Pediatric Health Care November/December 2013
Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Stand Your Ground Laws
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Pediatric Academic Societies 2014
May 3-6, 2014
Vancouver, Canada
October 2013 Newsletter
APA Focus
2014 Teaching Award for Faculty
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'Nursery school dropouts': Poverty as a health crisis for many of America's kids
Dr. Benard Dreyer, Professor of pediatrics at New York University and co-chair of the Academic Pediatric Association task force on childhood poverty, has been taking care of children, many of them quite poor, for nearly four decades.
By Barbara Raab, Senior Producer, NBC News
Click here for the video

Spot Light

"We have learned over time how critical a diverse workforce is to providing excellent care to children and their families. It not only affects patient satisfaction, but relates directly to the quality and safety of care and subsequently to health outcomes."

-John D. Cowden
Culture, Ethnicity and Healthcare SIG Co-Chair
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/132/4/e1105.full.pdf+html