The AHRQ National Resource Center for Health IT has published a new Key Topic page on Computerized Disease Registries. The page provides an overview of disease registries designed to improve chronic care as well as information on investigations into their use and impact on health care quality. The page also hosts a list of resources to help health care providers select, implement, and use computerized disease registries efficiently and effectively.  Published: 11/10/2009 04:03 PM

The AHRQ National Resource Center for Health IT has published a new Key Topic page on Consumer Health IT Applications. The page provides an overview of the various emerging IT applications for consumers as well as information on investigations into their use and impact on health care. The page also hosts a list of resources to help health care providers and consumer-oriented organizations design, implement, and use consumer health IT applications efficiently and effectively.  Published: 11/10/2009 04:01 PM

This report describes some of the approaches and challenges discussed by AHRQ grant projects that participated in several Medication Adherence Open Forums. This report profiles the different approaches grantees have used to calculate medication adherence and the data sources that are being used by the projects. This report also describes some of the challenges in associating prescription data and pharmacy data and discusses needed processes and standards to improve usage of this information. Finally, this report provides grantee feedback on the lack of tools and standardized instruments to support the synthesis and use of adherence information to improve patients' health.  Published: 11/02/2009 01:59 PM

The NRC team members developed this report summarizing the key challenges noted, solutions identified, and lessons learned by AHRQ funded projects implementing health IT in LTC settings. The report is an examination of the project work that AHRQ has funded thus far in the LTC field, developed within the Agency’s continued research interests in the care and support of persons with chronic or disabling conditions.  Published: 10/27/2009 11:55 AM

AHRQ has developed a new comprehensive report, called the Summary Health IT Portfolio 2008, that highlights key findings from its health IT projects. The report presents an overview of nearly 150 summaries by strategic and business goals, project milestones, and other characteristics. It is a valuable tool for prospective and current health IT researchers and those interested in synthesizing health IT research and identifying areas for which there are gaps that need to be addressed in the field. Researchers and implementers of health IT now have access to practical examples for planning and conducting their research and implementing projects.  Published: 10/26/2009 11:13 AM