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New Measures Track Pediatric Readmissions, Aim to Improve Child Healthcare Quality
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For the first time, hospitals and healthcare systems have standardized tools to measure and track 30-day readmission rates for children. the Pediatric All-Condition Readmission Measure and the Pediatric Lower Respiratory Infection (LRI) Readmission Measure, developed by the Center of Excellence for Pediatric Quality Measurement (CEPQM), are set to revolutionize how pediatric healthcare quality is assessed and improved.
These statistical programs, built using SAS, provide a robust framework for organizing data and calculating critical readmission rates. Their development was a collaborative effort,funded by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through the Pediatric Quality Measures Program (PQMP).
The measures have undergone rigorous testing wiht multiple claims datasets.A sophisticated algorithm was developed to exclude readmissions for planned procedures, ensuring that the data accurately reflects potentially avoidable readmissions. Furthermore, a case-mix adjusted model has been incorporated to account for variations in patient complexity.
Endorsed by the National Quality Forum (NQF), these measures are now available for national use by hospitals, states, and othre stakeholders for performance reporting, quality management, and tracking purposes.
Addressing a Critical Gap in Pediatric Healthcare
While hospital readmission rates are a common metric for assessing adult healthcare quality, with approximately 20 percent of Medicare beneficiaries readmitted within 30 days, a similar standardized approach has been lacking for pediatric populations. This gap has made it challenging to identify areas for improvement in the quality of care provided during and after pediatric hospitalizations.
The development of these pediatric readmission measures is a significant step forward, enabling a more focused approach to enhancing the care children receive. By tracking unplanned readmissions, healthcare providers can better target interventions and strategies to reduce preventable readmissions and improve overall child health outcomes.
Learn More
For detailed information on the development process of these pediatric readmission measures and to access the SAS programs, please visit:
Pediatric Readmission Measures Core Team
- Jay Berry, MD, MPH (Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School)
- jisun Jang, MA (Boston Children’s Hospital)
- Ashish Jha, MD, MPH (Harvard School of Public Health)
- David Klein, MS (RAND and Boston Children’s Hospital)
- Mari Nakamura, MD, MPH (Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
