# CMS Launches Medicaid Quality Partnership

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has initiated a voluntary Medicaid Quality Pledge in partnership with 37 states to shift Medicaid and CHIP quality measurement from process-based metrics to health outcomes. This initiative emphasizes prevention, chronic disease management, behavioral health, and digital quality measurement to reduce reporting burdens and enhance accountability. CMS will support states through workshops and ongoing collaboration to implement these outcome-focused strategies, signaling a significant change in Medicaid quality procurement priorities.

- Procurement professionals should anticipate increased demand for digital quality measurement tools and services aligned with health outcomes rather than traditional process metrics.
- States participating in the partnership may seek vendors capable of supporting prevention and chronic disease management programs, creating opportunities for specialized healthcare IT and service providers.
- This shift indicates a growing emphasis on data-driven, outcome-oriented procurement approaches in Medicaid and CHIP programs, requiring contractors to demonstrate measurable health impact.
- Organizations should consider aligning proposals and solutions with CMS’s focus areas to enhance competitiveness in upcoming Medicaid quality-related procurements.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Healthcare
**Topics:** Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** September 26, 2026

### Government Entities
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
- Medicaid and CHIP
- State of Oklahoma
- State of Colorado
- State of Utah

### Key Quotes
> We are shifting the focus from paperwork and process to real accountability for what matters: health outcomes. We are encouraged at this level of commitment from states, and we are ready to get to work with them to implement this vision.
> — Stephanie Carlton, CMS Deputy Administrator

> For too long, Medicaid has measured whether boxes are checked instead of whether patients are getting healthier 	6 that must change.
> — Dr. Mehmet Oz, CMS Administrator

### Sources
- [CMS Refocuses Medicaid Quality on Health Outcomes, Launches Innovative Partnership With 37 States | CMS](https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-refocuses-medicaid-quality-health-outcomes-launches-innovative-partnership-37-states) - CMS