249A.36  Medical assistance quality improvement council.
  1.  A medical assistance quality improvement council is established. The council shall evaluate the clinical outcomes and satisfaction of consumers and providers with the medical assistance program. The council shall coordinate efforts with the cost and quality performance evaluation completed pursuant to section 249J.16.
  2.  a.  The council shall consist of eight voting members who are not members of the general assembly. The voting members shall be appointed two each by the majority leader of the senate, the minority leader of the senate, the speaker of the house, and the minority leader of the house of representatives. At least one member of the council shall be a consumer and at least one member shall be a medical assistance program provider. An individual who is employed by a private or nonprofit organization that receives one million dollars or more in compensation or reimbursement from the department, annually, is not eligible for appointment to the council. The members shall serve terms as provided in section 69.16B, and appointments shall comply with sections 69.16, 69.16A, and 69.16C. Members shall receive reimbursement for actual expenses incurred while serving in their official capacity and may also be eligible to receive compensation as provided in section 7E.6. Vacancies shall be filled by the original appointing authority and in the manner of the original appointment. A person appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve only for the unexpired portion of the term.
  b.  The members shall select a chairperson, annually, from among the membership. The council shall meet at least quarterly and at the call of the chairperson. A majority of the members of the council constitutes a quorum. Any action taken by the council must be adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of its voting membership.
  c.  The department shall provide administrative support and necessary supplies and equipment for the council.
  3.  The council shall consult with and advise the Iowa Medicaid enterprise in establishing a quality assessment and improvement process.
  a.  The process shall be consistent with the health plan employer data and information set developed by the national committee for quality assurance and with the consumer assessment of health care providers and systems developed by the agency for health care research and quality of the United States department of health and human services. The council shall also coordinate efforts with the Iowa healthcare collaborative and the state’s Medicare quality improvement organization to create consistent quality measures.
  b.  The process may utilize as a basis the medical assistance and state children’s health insurance quality improvement efforts of the centers for Medicare and Medicaid services of the United States department of health and human services.
  c.  The process shall include assessment and evaluation of both managed care and fee-for-service programs, and shall be applicable to services provided to adults and children.
  d.  The initial process shall be developed and implemented by December 31, 2008, with the initial report of results to be made available to the public by June 30, 2009. Following the initial report, the council shall submit a report of results to the governor and the general assembly, annually, in January.
2008 Acts, ch 1188, §56; 2009 Acts, ch 106, §8, 14