The Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) contains a limited number of measures related to primary child health services (well-child visits, lead screening, immunizations, and access to primary care physicians), as well as several treatment measures (follow-up services for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, testing for children with pharyngitis, and treatment for children with upper respiratory infections). This limited list can be contrasted with a much broader set of recommended options for assessing the quality of children’s ambulatory health care shown in the table on the next page.
Federal leadership could provide important guidance and direction to states in developing quality measures for primary and preventive child health services and could minimize duplication of effort in the devel- opment of measures and measurement methodology.