How Health Policy Influences Quality of Care in Pediatrics

The primary focus of child health policy for the last twenty years has been on improving health care coverage and access. More recently, the focus has shifted to include not only coverage, but also the quality of the care received. This article describes some “voltage drops” in health care that impede delivery of high quality health care. The growing emphasis on quality is reflected in provisions of the new Child Health Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) legislation. In addition to providing funding for health coverage for over four million more children, it also includes the most significant federal investment in pediatric quality to date.