Strategic Requirements: The PHDS requires users to (1) clearly define how this tool fits into their overall quality measurement and improvement strategy and (2) to identify key partners.

1. Priority Application(s): You need to determine the priority application for the PHDS data. For example, will results be used to (1) assess and compare performance across providers; (2) compare quality of care across specific subgroups of children; and/or (3) determine health risks and unmet needs of children living in different geographic areas
2. Key Partners: You need to consider who to involve upfront to ensure that information derived from the PHDS is used to inform, shape, and stimulate improvements in care. For example, (1) quality measurement department, (2) quality improvement department, (3) health education department, (4) providers responsible for developmental services, and (5) parents who can be key allies in stimulating improvements in care.

Technical Requirements:  You will need to (1) obtain or supply sampling and analytic information to a vendor child/parent contact, and (2) ensure internal or external survey vendor conducts sampling, administration, and scoring in a high-quality manner.

1. Contact and Eligibility Information: You will need to construct a sampling data set that includes contact and eligibility information for children who meet criteria to be included in the PHDS sample (See Step 2).  This will include providing (1) mailing information; (2) length of continuous enrollment in the health plan, with a provider, or in a specific office; (3) whether the child received a well-visit in the past year; (4) number of visits in the past year; (5) child's age; and (6) other variables, such as the provider who is designated as the child's primary care provider.
2. Internal or External Survey Vendor Supervision and Guidance: To get the most out of the PHDS survey, you will need to ensure that the survey vendor has adequate guidance and supervision regarding (1) sampling to ensure sufficient completed sample sizes for different subgroups of children, (2) administering the survey to ensure the highest response rate possible, (3) coding and constructing quality scores and analytic variables based on survey data and (4) scoring and presenting the data in different ways.

Requirements of Parents of Young Children:  Parents of young children (1) need to be able to be contacted and (2) respond to the PHDS.

1. Keeping Contact Information Up-To-Date:  Updated contact information is ideal. 
2. Responding When Contacted:  Parents of young children should be encouraged to respond to surveys to provide feedback and guide improvements aimed at ensuring their child receives the highest quality of care possible. The PHDS takes about 12–15 minutes of time complete and the ProPHDS takes 5 minutes to complete.  Response rates have ranged from 39 percent to 60 percent.