Measuring the quality of developmental services for young children: a new approach

Creating a new approach to performance measurement, UCLA researchers propose an initial set of measures that Medicaid and other agencies could use to track the delivery and quality of developmental services for young children. The Developmental Services Quality Performance Measurement (DSQPM) framework, which includes metrics at the individual, provider, county, health plan, and state levels, is implemented through seven discrete measures. The DSQPM measurement set is designed to capture key components of the service-delivery pathway that are typically necessary for screening, identifying, and referring young children who have or are at risk for developmental disabilities. When formally surveyed, a select group of state Medicaid and Maternal and Child Health agencies expressed interest in piloting the DSQPM measurement set. While this particular measurement framework is focused on early childhood health and development, the researchers' multilevel approach is generalizable to other health-related service pathways.