NHQRDRnet ► 2011 National Healthcare Quality & Disparities Reports

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AHRQ Reports Find Cardiac Care Is Improving But Quality and Access Still Lag for Many Americans

Cardiac care is showing significant improvement in the United States, according to AHRQ’s 2011 National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report. Gains were seen in reduced hospital admissions for congestive heart failure, fewer hospital deaths due to heart attack, and improved timeliness by hospitals to provide angioplasty to heart attack patients. The reports, mandated by Congress since 2003, show that racial and ethnic disparities in cardiovascular care were less common than disparities in care for other conditions. However, overall health care quality continues to improve at a slow rate (2.5 percent), and quality and access to care are lacking for many Americans because of disparities based on race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status and other factors. New features in the 2011 reports include data on the adoption of electronic health record systems in hospitals as well as home health and hospice agencies. The reports show that only 12 percent of hospitals had fully implemented an electronic system that supports clinical documentation including patient demographics, physician and nursing notes, medication and problem lists, advance directives and discharge summaries. Select to access the reports. AHRQ also offers an online query system that allows access to national and state data on health care quality.


2011 National Healthcare Disparities and Quality Reports


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2011 National Healthcare Quality & Disparities Reports For the ninth year in a row, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has produced the National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) and the National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR). These reports measure trends in effectiveness of care, patient safety, timeliness of care, patient centeredness, and efficiency of care. New this year are chapters on care coordination, health system infrastructure. The reports present, in chart form, the latest available findings on quality of and access to health care. The National Healthcare Quality Report tracks the health care system through quality measures, such as the percentage of heart attack patients who received recommended care when they reached the hospital or the percentage of children who received recommended vaccinations. The National Healthcare Disparities Report summarizes health care quality and access among various racial, ethnic, and income groups and other priority populations, such as residents of rural areas and people with disabilities. Print versions of the reports will be available in late April or early May. Users needing assistance should contact Doreen Bonnett at (301) 427-1899 or Doreen.Bonnett@ahrq.hhs.gov. Select for Previous and Related Reports. National Healthcare Quality Report Full Report (PDF File, 5.2 MB) Plugin Software Help   National Healthcare Disparities Report Full Report (PDF File, 5.6 MB) Plugin Software Help   Acknowledgments Highlights From the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report Chapter 1. Introduction and Methods Chapter 2. Effectiveness    Cancer    Cardiovascular Disease    Chronic Kidney Disease    Diabetes    HIV and AIDS    Maternal and Child Health    Mental Health and Substance Abuse    Musculoskeletal Diseases    Respiratory Diseases    Lifestyle Modification    Functional Status Preservation and Rehabilitation    Supportive and Palliative Care Chapter 3. Patient Safety Chapter 4. Timeliness Chapter 5. Patient Centeredness Chapter 6. Care Coordination Chapter 7. Efficiency Chapter 8. Health Systems Infrastructure Chapter 9. Access to Health Care Appendixes Data Sources Detailed Methods Measure Specifications Data Tables AHRQ Publication No. 12-0005 Current as of March 2012 Acknowledgments Highlights From the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report Chapter 1. Introduction and Methods Chapter 2. Effectiveness    Cancer    Cardiovascular Disease    Chronic Kidney Disease    Diabetes    HIV and AIDS    Maternal and Child Health    Mental Health and Substance Abuse    Musculoskeletal Diseases    Respiratory Diseases    Lifestyle Modification    Functional Status Preservation and Rehabilitation    Supportive and Palliative Care Chapter 3. Patient Safety Chapter 4. Timeliness Chapter 5. Patient Centeredness Chapter 6. Care Coordination Chapter 7. Efficiency Chapter 8. Health Systems Infrastructure Chapter 9. Access to Health Care Chapter 10. Priority Populations    Racial and Ethnic Minorities    Low-Income Groups    Residents of Rural Areas    Individuals With Disabilities or Special Health Care Needs    Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Populations Appendixes Data Sources Detailed Methods Measure Specifications Data Tables AHRQ Publication No. 12-0006 Current as of March 2012

Previous Reports Select to access NHQR/DRs for 2010, 2009, and 2008. Related Reports State Documentation of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities To Inform Strategic Action, identifies leading States in the use of patient race/ethnicity data to produce disparities documents that are data driven, address health care disparities, and guide State action. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Health Disparities and Inequalities Report—United States, 2011, consolidates the most recent national data available on disparities in mortality, morbidity, behavioral risk factors, health care access, preventive health services, and social determinants of critical health problems in the United States across selected indicators. Enhancing Use of Clinical Preventive Services Among Older Adults: Closing the Gap. Promoting Preventive Services for Adults 50-64, identifies a set of recommended preventive services, provides indicators and data at national, State, and selected local levels with which to monitor progress, and promotes successful strategies to facilitate adoption and use. Statistical Brief #312: Patient-Provider Communication by Race/Ethnicity and Disability Status: United States, 2007. Institute of Medicine Report, Race, Ethnicity, and Language Data: Standardization for Health Care Quality Improvement. Health Care Coverage Analyses of the 2006 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, which presents for the first time data on quality and racial and ethnic disparity measures by payer (PDF File, Plugin Software Help). Archived Reports The National Quality and Disparities Reports for 2003-07 have been archived. Select to access NHQR/DRs 2007; NHQR: 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003; NHDR: 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003.