Best Practices in Public Reporting No. 2: Maximizing Consumer Understanding of Public Comparative Quality Reports: Effective Use of Explanatory Information

Best Practices in Public Reporting No. 2
Maximizing Consumer Understanding of Public Comparative Quality Reports: Effective Use of Explanatory Information

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The purpose of the Best Practices in Public Reporting series is to provide practical approaches to designing public reports that make health care performance information clear, meaningful, and usable by consumers. Report 2 focuses on focuses on the explanatory information in public reports, beyond the performance data itself, that helps to accurately communicate quality ratings to consumers and motivate them to use the ratings in making informed health care decisions.

Select for Report 1 (on presentation of comparative health care performance data) or Report 3 (on maximizing public awareness).

Report 1:
http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/pubrptguide1.htm

Report 3:
http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/pubrptguide3.htm

Select for print version (PDF File, 250 KB; PDF Help).
http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/pubrptguide2.pdf

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Prepared by Judith Hibbard, Dr.P.H., and Shoshanna Sofaer, Dr.P.H., Center for Health Improvement.

Prepared for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Contract No: HHSA290200710022T.

Contents
Purpose
Value of Effective Public Reports
How Explanatory Information Makes a Report More Effective
Recommendation No. 1: Engage and motivate consumers to explore and use reports
Recommendation No. 2: Deepen consumers' understanding of health care quality and quality measures
Recommendation No. 3: Legitimize the report's sponsor and the report's credibility
Recommendation No. 4: Provide information about the importance, meaning, and interpretation of specific measures
Recommendation No. 5: Help consumers understand the implications of resource use information
Recommendation No. 6: Help consumers avoid common pitfalls that lead to misinterpretation of quality data
Recommendation No. 7: Provide consumers guidance and support in using the information
Recommendation No. 8: Provide consumers appropriate access to more detailed technical information
Recommendation No. 9: Test the report with consumers before going live
Purpose of Report Series

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Best Practices in Public Reporting No. 2: Maximizing Consumer Understanding of Public Comparative Quality Reports: Effective Use of Explanatory Information