Identifying the most critical deficiencies in health care quality and efficiency will enable states to prioritize health system improvement efforts and target limited resources toward the most promising efforts and greatest needs.

*Milestone details:

*Full name: Identify priority areas for improving the quality and efficiency of the state’s health care system.

*Relevance to the ACA:

Identifying their priority areas for improvement enables states to be strategic when choosing among, targeting, or shaping the many quality and efficiency enhancing provisions in the ACA. Relevant provisions include:

§2801 - Requires the Medicaid and CHIP Payment Advisory Committee (MACPAC) to assess Medicaid and CHIP policies related to the quality of care, including determining the degree to which they achieve stated goals. States may find this information useful when selecting priority areas.

§3021 - Establishes the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test and provide funding for innovative payment and service delivery models to reduce program expenditures while preserving or enhancing the quality of care with preference to models that also improve the coordination, quality, and efficiency of health care services.

§3501 - Requires the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety to support research on health care delivery system improvement and the development of tools to facilitate adoption of best practices that improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of health care delivery including the funding of State, multi-State or multi-site quality improvement networks.