Massachusetts Child Health Quality Coalition

What We Did:

MHQP helped create and convened a coalition of nearly 50 Massachusetts-based organizations, which served as a neutral convener of child health stakeholders in the state, advocated for improved child health care quality and measurement, and facilitated a shared understanding of pediatric healthcare quality priorities across Massachusetts.

The CHQC focused on promoting effective communication and care coordination for children (first broadly and then emphasizing behavioral health needs) and building capacity to measure the quality of child health care services and outcomes.

Who Was Involved:

Five organizations – MassHealth (Massachusetts’ Medicaid and CHIP program), Boston Children’s Hospital, National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ), the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and MHQP – partnered to launch the CHQC with support through a larger funding commitment made possible by the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (known as CHIPRA).  Nearly 50 organizations participated as members of the coalition, including parents and school-based providers, which was an important expansion beyond the stakeholder groups involved in previous improvement efforts.

Why This Work Matters:

Children’s healthcare is too often underrepresented in quality improvement programs and policy.  This initiative shined a bright light on the need to improve children’s healthcare in the following areas:

• Advocating for quality improvement in children’s health care
• Improving care coordination for children
• Facilitating effective communication and confidentiality
• Developing pediatric quality measures
• Promoting medical homes

Related Resources:

• Learn more about the CHQC on this website (no longer updated).