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Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a State Health Official (SHO) Letter that describes the 2026 updates to the core set of children’s health care quality measures for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) (Child Core Set) and the core set of health care quality measures for adults enrolled in Medicaid (Adult Core Set). The letter includes guidance to states specific to 2026 mandatory reporting of the Child Core Set and the behavioral health measures on the Adult Core Set. CMS encourages states to use Core Set data to identify disparities in care and develop initiatives and policies to advance health equity and improve outcomes. As part of these efforts, for 2026 Core Set reporting, states will be required to report stratified data for half of all mandatory measures.

• SHO: 2026 Updates to Adult and Child Core Health Care Quality Measurement Sets and Mandatory Reporting Guidance

More information on Child and Adult Core Set Quality Measures.