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More than a dozen industry stakeholders and former policymakers are urging quick development of a national Medicaid performance and quality reporting network. In an open letter, these proponents also call for creation of a Medicaid Rapid Learning Network to prioritize clinical effectiveness and quality research initiatives and to identify best practices.

Major elements of the strategy include a federal-state commitment to Medicaid being a leader in quality and effective care; investments in health information technologies to support a national reporting system; and a Medicaid comparative effectiveness initiative to accelerate learning of best clinical practices. Medicaid programs are testing new strategies, and some have begun coordinating quality improvement initiatives with other states, authors of the letter attest. "However, a rapid upgrade of Medicaid HIT systems and quality improvements would need investments from the federal government, foundations and other national groups."

Signers of the letter include: Judith Moore, former director of the national Medicaid program in the Clinton administration; Bill Roper, former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and now chair at the National Quality Forum; Janet Corrigan, president and CEO at the National Quality Forum; Margaret O'Kane, president at the National Committee for Quality Assurance; Gregory Pawlson, executive vice president at the National Committee for Quality Assurance; and Stephen Somers, president and CEO at the Center for Health Care Strategies.

Also: Melanie Bella, senior vice president at the Center for Health Care Strategies and former Indiana Medicaid director; Vernon Smith, former Michigan Medicaid director; Karen Davis, president at The Commonwealth Fund; Kenneth Kizer, former undersecretary for health at the Department of Veterans Affairs; Lee Partridge, former head at the National Medicaid Directors Association and former District of Columbia Medicaid director; Paul Wallace, senior advisor of the Care Management Institute at Kaiser Permanente; and Lynn Etheredge, former head of the professional health staff at the Office of Management and Budget.

To access the open letter and a report on the proposed Medicaid Rapid Learning Network, visit chcs.org.

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