FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2007
Contact: Jennifer Felsher
Phone: 202-261-7565
Email: jfelsher@ahqa.org
Download PDF version of this Press Release
Online Tool Pinpoints Target Areas for Health Care Improvement
in Each State
National
Network of QIOs Poised to Help
States Narrow Gaps
Washington, DC – An online tool released today by
the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) condenses 129 quality
measures into state-specific data that state governments can use to focus
their efforts to improve health care. The AHRQ State Snapshot tool allows
state officials see where quality improvement efforts are succeeding
– as well where more resources and attention are needed. Each state’s
Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) can then help state officials
target areas for greater improvement in health care quality.
“This online tool will help a Governor, state legislator, or health
department chief track progress in closing quality gaps that harm the
public health and cut productivity in their state,” said David Schulke,
Executive Vice President of the American Health Quality Association (AHQA),
“and there’s a QIO in every state and territory that can help them understand
those gaps and work to narrow them.” AHQA is the association representing
QIOs, a national network of state-based organizations that provide hands-on
assistance to local health care providers and entities to help them improve
the health care system.
The State Snapshot tool provides an indicator of each state’s overall
health care quality performance as compared with other states and its
own past performance. It also shows how each state performed based
on settings of care, types of care, and selected clinical areas. Each
state entry also includes a list of that state’s strongest and weakest
performance areas.
The State Snapshot tool is based on data from the 2006 National Health
Care Quality Report and its companion National Health Care Disparities
Report, which were released by AHRQ earlier this year. The reports
are compiled annually by AHRQ.
Nationally, the 2006 NHQR showed a modest overall gain of 3.1 percent
in 40 core measures of health care quality. However, in areas where
QIOs focused their efforts, the report showed an almost three-fold increase
as compared to all other measures: a 10 percent average annual rate of
improvement for QIO measures vs. 3.4 percent in non-QIO measures. The
QIO measures concentrate resources on problem areas in heart attack,
heart failure, pneumonia, home health and nursing home care.
In the 2005 NHQR, four out of the five areas that showed the most improvement
were areas of targeted QIO efforts: diabetes, heart disease, respiratory
conditions, and nursing home care. That report also noted that the pace
of improvement in QIO-targeted care for pneumonia and heart disease alone
was almost four times the combined rate for all other measures.
This year’s State Snapshot data indicate that the quality of care varies
widely even within various health care settings of the same state. No
state ranked high in every measure. “There is room for improvement even
in the highest performing state,” said Schulke. “To target problems
and sustain improvement in the quality of health care, it’s vital for
everyone to be reminded of the performance of the system of providers,
payers, and patients,” he concluded.
AHRQ’s State Snapshot tool is available at: http://statesnapshots.ahrq.gov/.
Find your state’s QIO at: www.ahqa.org.
The American Health Quality Association is dedicated
to improving the safety and effectiveness of health care. AHQA represents
the national network of Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) that
work with hospitals, medical practices, long-term care facilities, home
health agencies, health plans, pharmacies, and employers to encourage
the spread of best clinical practices and improve systems of care delivery.
Find your local QIO at: www.ahqa.org. |
