New State Snapshots from
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
(AHRQ)
have been released. Each Snapshot highlights gains and needed improvements
in health care quality for individual states and the District of Columbia.
Based on 129 quality measures, the web site graphics display "performance
meter" illustrations and options for data searches. State Snapshots can be
accessed from AHRQ's web site or
http://statesnapshots.ahrq.gov/statesnapshots/index.jsp.
Just launched by AHRQ are
NHQRnet and NHDRnet, new interactive web-based tools for searching national
health care data from AHRQ's storehouse. Users can create spreadsheets and
customize searches of information in the 2006 National Healthcare Quality
Report and the 2006 National Healthcare Disparities Report. To access go to
http://nhqrnet.ahrq.gov and
http://nhdrnet.ahrq.gov.
AHRQ has developed the
Health Care Report Card Compendium to demonstrate a variety of approaches
for health quality report cards. This new service to report developers,
researchers and other users is a searchable directory of over 200 samples of
report cards produced by a variety of organizations. Formats and approaches
for providing comparative information on the quality of health plans,
hospitals, medical groups, individual physicians, nursing homes, and other
providers of care are shown in the samples. The Health Care Report Card
Compendium can be accessed at
http://www.talkingquality.gov/compendium/. The Compendium is a
supplement to AHRQ's TalkingQuality web site that informs and supports
current and potential sponsors of health care performance reports.
A new questionnaire on
hospital preparedness has been released by AHRQ. Hospitals using the
questionnaire are able to collect information on how well prepared they are
to deal with a public health emergency involving a chemical, biological,
radiological, nuclear and explosive event.
States, localities, and
multi-hospital systems can administer the questionnaire to assess overall
hospital emergency preparedness to all facilities in their jurisdiction.
Individual hospital or health care facilities can use the questionnaire as a
checklist of areas that should e considered to develop or improve emergency
preparedness and response plans.
The Preparedness for
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) Events:
Questionnaire for Health Care Facilities can be downloaded at
http://www.ahrq.gov/prep/cbrne/.
*Impact on CME - The resources available through AHRQ provide a multitude
of needs assessment data and the basis for collaboration among hospital
departments and other organizations to design and deliver CME to address
these issues.
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