[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 132 (Tuesday, July 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40620-40622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16734]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
AHRQ Workgroups on ICD-10-CM/PCS Conversion of Quality Indicators
(QIs) -- Extension Date for Nominations
AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS.
ACTION: Notice of date extension.
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SUMMARY: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is
seeking nominations for members of approximately 10 multidisciplinary
workgroups, to be convened by AHRQ's contractor, on ICD-10-CM/PCS
conversion of the AHRQ Quality Indicators (QIs). This notice was
previously published on June 4, 2012 (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-06-04/pdf/2012-13306.pdf).
DATES: Please submit nominations on or before July 22, 2012. Self-
nominations are welcome. Third-party nominations must indicate that the
individual has been contacted and is willing to serve on the workgroup.
Selected candidates will be notified no later than July 31, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Nominations can be sent in the form of a letter or email,
preferably as an electronic file with an email attachment and should
specifically address the submission criteria as noted
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below. Electronic submissions are strongly encouraged. Responses should
be submitted to: Attn: John Bat, Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality, Center for Delivery, Organization and Markets, 540 Gaither
Road, Room 5119, Rockville, MD 20850, Email: john.bott@AHRQ.hhs.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Bott, Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality, Center for Delivery, Organization and Markets,
540 Gaither Road, Room 5119, Rockville, MD 20850, Email:
john.bott@AHRQ.hhs.gov; Phone: (301) 427-1317; Fax: (301) 427-1430.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: These workgroups are being formed as part of
a structured approach for converting the existing QI specifications
from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS, incorporating coding expertise,
clinical expertise, and health services research/quality measurement
expertise. The workgroups will evaluate the results of automated 'code
mapping'' from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS, providing input and advice
regarding similarities and differences between ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM/
PCS codes that are mapped to each other. This workgroup process will
lead to recommendations regarding how the existing AHRQ QIs should be
re-specified using ICD-10-CM/PCS codes, retaining the original clinical
intent of each indicator while taking advantage of the greater
specificity of ICD-10-CM/PCS to improve the indicator's validity.
Workgroup participation will be uncompensated.
For additional information about the AHRQ QIs, please visit the
AHRQ Web site at http://www.QUALITYindicators.AHRQ.gov.
Specifically, each Workgroup on ICD-10-CM/PCS Conversion of Quality
Indicators will consist of:
--At least three individuals with relevant clinical expertise (e.g.,
cardiovascular disease, neurologic disease, orthopedic and
musculoskeletal disease, obstetrics and gynecologic disease, surgery,
critical care and pulmonary disease, diabetes and endocrine disease,
infectious disease, neonatology and pediatric disease, miscellaneous)
and at least two individuals with relevant coding expertise.
--One or more individuals with field experience using AHRQ QI measures
for assessing hospital performance.
--One or more individuals with expertise in validating ICD-9-CM or ICD-
10-CM/PCS codes using chart abstraction (to assess criterion validity),
or otherwise assessing their accuracy and usefulness in identifying
individuals with specific adverse outcomes.
--One or more individuals with experience using data from the AHRQ
Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project or similar data for the purpose
of calculating AHRQ QIs.
Submission Criteria
To be considered for membership on a QI ICD-10-CM/PCS Conversion
Workgroup, please send the following information for each nominee:
1. A brief nomination letter highlighting experience and knowledge
relevant to the development, refinement, or testing of quality measures
based on ICD9-CM and/or ICD-10-CM/PCS coded data, and demonstrating
familiarity with the AHRQ QIs and health care administrative data. (See
selection criteria below.) The nominee's clinical or coding profession
and specialty, and the spectrum of his or her clinical or coding
expertise, should be described. Please include full contact information
of nominee: name, title, organization, mailing address, telephone and
fax numbers, and email address.
2. Curriculum vita (with citations to any pertinent publications
related to quality measure specification, ICD-9-CM, or ICD-10-CM/PCS).
3. Description of any financial interest, recent conduct, or
current or planned commercial, non-commercial, institutional,
intellectual, public service, or other activities pertinent to the
potential scope of the workgroups, which could be perceived as
influencing the workgroup's process or recommendations. The objective
is not to prevent nominees with potential conflicts of interest from
serving on the panels, but to obtain such information so as to best
inform the selection of workgroup members, and to help minimize such
conflicts.
Nominee Selection Criteria
Nominees should have technical expertise in health care quality
measure development, refinement, or application, and familiarity with
the ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM/PCS code sets (especially insofar as they
are used to specify quality measures).
More specifically, each candidate will be evaluated using the
following criteria:
--Knowledge of health care quality measurement using administrative
data in specific, relevant clinical domains (e.g., cardiovascular
disease, neurologic disease, orthopedic and musculoskeletal disease,
obstetrics and gynecologic disease, surgery, critical care and
pulmonary disease, diabetes and endocrine disease, infectious disease,
neonatology and pediatric disease, miscellaneous);
--Peer-reviewed publications relevant to developing, refining, testing,
or applying health care quality measures based on ICD-coded
administrative data;
--Other experience developing, refining, testing, or applying health
care quality measures based on ICD-coded administrative data;
--Expertise in ICD-9-CM and/or ICD-10-CM/PCS coding;
--Expertise in hospital quality improvement, patient safety, and/or
clinical documentation improvement;
--Familiarity with the AHRQ Quality Indicators and their application;
and,
--Availability to participate in conference calls and provide written
comments starting from late August through October 2012.
Time Commitment
In an effort to solicit expert input and recommendations on
conversion of the AHRQ QIs from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS, we are
initiating a technical review process that will require participation
in approximately three to five conference calls with some pre and post
evaluation time (estimated at 13 hours). Results from this process will
influence the conversion of the AHRQ QI from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS.
Beginning in late August through October, selected nominees will be
asked to participate in the following activities:
Workgroup Activities
1. Review the current ICD-9-CM specifications of AHRQ QIs within
the workgroup's clinical domain (e.g., cardiovascular disease,
neurologic disease, orthopedic and musculoskeletal disease, obstetrics
and gynecologic disease, surgery, critical care and pulmonary disease,
diabetes and endocrine disease, infectious disease, neonatology and
pediatric disease, miscellaneous), along with background documents
justifying or explaining those specifications (about 1.5 hours).
2. Participate in teleconference to explain the workgroup
activities and processes, and to discuss current QI specifications and
their justification (1.0 hours).
3. Review proposed mapping of ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS codes and
identify relevant questions and concerns (about 3 hours).
4. Participate in teleconference to discuss the proposed mappings,
including relevant questions and concerns (1.5 hours).
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5. Following a structured process (e.g., modified Delphi), provide
specific input to support or modify the proposed mappings (about 2.5
hours).
6. Participate in teleconference to discuss areas of disagreement
among workgroup members, and to achieve consensus when possible (1.5
hours).
7. Following a structured process (e.g., modified Delphi), provide
specific input to support or modify the proposed mappings,
incorporating changes accepted in previous steps (about 1.0 hour).
8. Participate in final (optional) teleconference to review final
recommendations and discuss contextual issues (1.0 hour).
Please note that should additional conference calls be necessary,
workgroup members are expected to make every effort to participate. The
workgroups will conduct business by telephone, email, or other
electronic means as needed.
Background
The AHRQ Quality Indicators (AHRQ QIs) are a unique set of measures
of health care quality that make use of readily available hospital
inpatient administrative data. The QIs have been used for various
purposes. Some of these include tracking, hospital self-assessment,
reporting of hospital-specific quality or pay for performance. The AHRQ
QIs are provider- and area-level quality indicators and currently
consist of four modules: the Prevention Quality Indicators (PQI), the
Inpatient Quality Indicators, the Patient Safety Indicators (PSI), and
the Pediatric Quality Indicators (PedQIs). AHRQ is committed to
converting the QIs from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS in an accurate and
transparent manner, taking advantage of the additional specificity of
ICD-10-CM/PCS to improve the validity and usefulness of the QIs, from
October 2014 onward.
Dated: July, 2, 2012.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
AHRQ Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-16734 Filed 7-9-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M