AHRQ is assessing existing research and evidence in the area of the impacts of health IT on workflow, its linkage to clinician adoption, and its links to the safety, quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of care delivery.
To advance the understanding of incorporating clinical decision support (CDS) into ambulatory health care delivery, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) sponsored a series of white papers. The series explores challenges involved with CDS and provides guidance to those developing, implementing, and studying CDS.
To further its mission of supporting the use of health information technology (health IT) to drive improvements in health care outcomes, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is providing online access to the first chapter of Improving Medication Use and Outcomes with Clinical Decision Support: A Step-by-Step Guide, which is designed for implementers of clinical decision support (CDS) tools.
An overview of spending and project milestones for AHRQ health IT program grantees who were active during fiscal year 2008--October 2007 through September 2008.
This report analyzes the impact of the Health Information Security and Privacy Collaborative (HISPC) on 33 States and one territory and their approaches to privacy and security for electronic health information exchange. Substantial progress was made in five major domains: legislation, executive orders, leadership and governance, stakeholder education and knowledge, and support for health information exchanges. Access the report to learn how these States are making progress toward reducing variation and implementing "good" practices that will permit interoperability while preserving privacy and security.
New AHRQ guide helps developers and purchasers of health information technology (IT) reach adults with limited literacy. Limited literacy can be a barrier to making the benefits of health IT widely available to consumers. The guide, which includes a checklist, presents design principles and strategies to increase consumer accessibility to health IT.
Safe, high quality ambulatory care requires complex information management and coordination across multiple settings, especially for patients with chronic illnesses. The opportunity to turn the potential of health information technology (IT) towards improving safety and quality in the ambulatory care setting, especially within care transitions, forms the cornerstone of the Ambulatory Safety and Quality (ASQ) Program.
Reports and other documents that represent a "final look" at the major areas that 33 States and 1 U.S. Territory have identified as presenting challenges to achieving interoperable electronic health information exchange.
The Interim Assessment of Variation of Business Practices, Policies, and State Law (IAV) represents a "first look" at the major areas that 33 States and 1 U.S. Territory have identified as presenting challenges to achieving interoperable electronic health information exchange.
Now available are several key reports on electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) and the use of standards to transmit electronic prescription information.
Conference proceedings from an AHRQ-sponsored event held in late 2006 on performance data collection and reporting requirements is now available for download.
A report from an AHRQ-sponsored meeting on the barriers and potential solutions to greater exchange of information between laboratories and ambulatory providers is now available. Recommended next steps should help the Nation embrace greater information exchange to achieve better quality of care through efficient, timely access to clinical information for all health care providers.
A new literature review from Johns Hopkins examines quality and safety indicators relevant to the ambulatory care setting that can be captured and reported using electronic health record and other health IT systems. Common e-indicators should help advance efforts to improve the quality and safety of ambulatory care.
Now available from Partners Healthcare is a tool to help health IT implementers accurately capture time and motion study data to evaluate the impact of health IT on workflow. Also featured are two AHRQ-funded time-motion studies of health IT implementations.
Explore the unique resources from the AHRQ 2006 Annual Patient Safety and Health IT Conference. Download conference materials from projects across the country that describe how health IT is improving health care quality, safety, and efficiency. Also featured are "first looks" at longer-term works in progress that are developing evidence for greater adoption of health IT.
Need help figuring out the nuts and bolts of making health information technology (IT) work for your organization? Three state-of-the art teleconferences sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) National Resource Center for Health Information Technology will walk you through the steps of three challenging enterprises: external collaboration, EHR readiness assessment, and health IT implementation.
HHS awarded nearly $6 million to five grantee teams as part of a pilot project to test initial standards for electronic prescribing (e-prescribing). The project, which ran during calendar year 2006, involved testing several systems of electronic data transmission standards and determining how efficiently and effectively prescriptions and prescription-related information could be sent to and received by the providers and pharmacies participating in e-prescribing for Medicare Part D beneficiaries. The project was administered jointly by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Practical guidance for evaluating health IT implementations, identifying evaluation questions, developing an evaluation study design, selecting measures, and conducting a scientific evaluation.
The 2005 Annual Conference highlighted the intersection between patient safety and health information technology, drawing hundreds of participants. To see the agendas, or to obtain a copy of the presentations, please click here.
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