Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is a federal agency whose mission is to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans through research. Information from AHRQ's research helps people make more informed decisions and improve the quality of health care services. AHRQ was formerly known as the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research.
AHRQ Health IT Grants - funding opportunities, and toolkits are available for physicians using Health IT in their practices.
American Health Quality Association (AHQA) represents Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) and professionals working to improve the quality of health care in communities across America. QIOs share information about best practices with physicians, hospitals, and nursing homes. Working together with health care providers, QIOs identify opportunities and provide assistance for improvement. QIOs are the successors of PROs and PSROs.
Bridges to Excellence (BTE) is a pay-for-performance incentive program created to reward physicians who are recognized by NCQA as meeting quality standards. Several large employers, including General Electric, Proctor & Gamble, Verizon, UPS and Ford participate in this program. Initial testing of this program is in the Cincinnati and Louisville areas.
eHealth Initiative (eHI) mission is to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare through information and information technology. It is a membership organization comprising hospitals, healthcare organizations, physician groups, employers and purchasers, health plans, healthcare information technology organizations, manufacturers, public health agencies, academic and research institutions, and public sector stakeholders--to define and then implement specific actions that will address the quality, safety and efficiency challenges of our healthcare system through the use of interoperable information technology. The AOA is a member of this organization.
Healthcare 411 is a news series produced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. AHRQ’s mission is to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. Using the latest podcasting technology, these weekly audio and video programs feature AHRQ’s latest research findings as news and informational stories on current health care topics.
Health Grades, Inc. is a for-profit healthcare quality ratings and services company. Health Grades collects and sells information on physicians, hospitals, and nursing homes. The company also produces an annual report on hospital quality.
Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) – A set of standardized measures designed to ensure purchasers of health care and consumers have the information they need to reliably compare the performance of managed health care plans. Performance measures are related to many significant health issues, such as cancer, heart disease, smoking, asthma and diabetes. HEDIS also includes a survey of consumer’s experiences that evaluate plan’s performance. HEDIS was developed by the NCQA.
Leapfrog Group is a coalition of more than 160 companies and organizations that buy health care. Leapfrog and its members work together to improve the quality and affordability of health care, reward physicians and hospitals for improving quality and encourage public reporting of health care quality.
National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) is an organization for healthcare quality professionals. Its goal is to promote the continuous improvement of quality in healthcare by providing educational and developmental opportunities for professionals at all management levels and within all healthcare settings.
National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is an organization that measures the quality of the nation’s managed care plans. The organization has also begun evaluating physicians in the areas of diabetes, heart and stroke care. The NCQA has developed HEDIS, Bridges to Excellence, and accreditation and certification programs.
National Health Council (NHC) and its member organizations share a common objective: improving the health of all people, particularly those with chronic diseases and/or disabilities. Through communication, collaboration and consensus, the Council's member organizations — representing all segments of the health care community — work to achieve this important objective.
National Health Information Infrastructure (NHII) Act of 2003 authorizes a National Health Information Officer (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology) (ONCHIT), working under the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to work with public and private health care entities to (1) coordinate public and private infrastructure initiatives, (2) accelerate the adoption of voluntary national communications and data standards, and (3) implement a national health information infrastructure.
National Quality Forum (NQF) is a not-for-profit membership organization created to develop and implement a national strategy for health care quality measurement and reporting. A shared sense of urgency about the impact of health care quality on patient outcomes, workforce productivity, and health care costs prompted leaders in the public and private sectors to create the NQF as a mechanism to bring about national change.
Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement is a group of medical associations with the mission to improve patient health and safety by developing evidence-based clinical performance measures that enhance quality, to promote the implementation of the performance measures, and to advance the science of clinical performance measurement. Membership in the Consortium is comprised of clinical experts from a large number of medical associations, including the American Osteopathic Association.
Physicians' Electronic Health Record Coalition (PEHRC) - In July 2004, 14 preeminent medical organizations, representing more than 500,000 U.S. physicians, announced the creation of the Physicians' Electronic Health Record Coalition (PEHRC). This groundbreaking health care coalition will assist physicians, particularly those in small- and medium-sized ambulatory care medical practice, to acquire and use affordable, standards-based electronic health records and other health information technology to improve quality, enhance patient safety, and increase efficiency. The coalition is committed to taking practical steps to educate physicians about the value and best use of electronic health records (EHR), and to assist them in selection of systems, as well as to help focus the market on high-quality and affordable products.