The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) today announced the availability of an online resource, called the Child Health Toolbox, which provides information on how performance measurement can be used to measure the quality of care furnished to children in programs such as Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and Title V maternal and child health programs. The Toolbox can be found at www.ahrq.gov/chtoolbx.

The Child Health Toolbox, designed for state and local policymakers, program directors and their staffs, consumer advocates, and other audiences, explains performance measurement and discusses its major uses, provides examples of established performance measurement sets that include child health measures, and links to many examples of state reports currently using performance measures. It also provides guidance on modifying existing quality measures or designing new measures to evaluate a specific state initiative. Special features include sections concerning measuring the performance of programs serving children with special health care needs, and early and periodic screening, diagnostic and treatment services.

State Medicaid programs, State Child Health Insurance Programs, and State Title V maternal and child health programs are encouraged or required to provide quality performance measurement data to a variety of state and federal agencies and legislative entities. States often use performance measurement data in programs of quality improvement, program management, and accountability. AHRQ created the Child Health Toolbox in an effort to assist states in these efforts.