Skip Navigation Bar

National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR)


NICHSR Home | About Us | Contact Us    

HSRIC logo

Serving the Information Needs of the Health Services Research Community



HSR General Resources

HSR Topics

Brown ArrowQuality

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) defined quality as "the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge." [Internet]. Institute of Medicine, Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2001 [cited 7 October 2010].

Related to Quality is the topic of patient safety/medical errors. For additional information, please visit the NLM MedlinePlus page on patient safety and the AHRQ page on patient safety and medical errors.

Information on this page is not an index of all quality health services research resources on the Web. Rather, this page contains selective links representing a sample of available information. Items are selected for their quality, authority of authorship, uniqueness, and appropriateness.

Data, Tools, and Statistics

  • AHRQ Quality Indicators - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Set of quality indicators organized into four "modules," each of which measures quality associated with processes of care that occurred in an outpatient or an inpatient setting to highlight potential quality concerns, identify areas that need further study and investigation, and track changes over time.
  • AHRQ Quality Indicators™ Toolkit for Hospitals - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - This toolkit is designed to help hospitals understand the AHRQ Quality Indicators (QIs) and support the use of them to successfully improve quality and patient safety in hospitals. The toolkit is a general guide to using improvement methods, with a particular focus on the QIs. It focuses on the 17 Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) and the 28 Inpatient Quality Indicators (IQIs).
  • AHRQ's State Snapshots - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Provides state-specific health care quality information, including strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
  • CAHPS® Hospital Survey (H-CAHPS) - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Public-private initiative to develop standardized surveys of patients' experiences with ambulatory and facility-level care.
  • Community Health Data Initiative - (National Center for Health Statistics, CDC (NCHS))  - The Community Health Data Initiative is a collaborative effort among government and non-government partners to establish a network of suppliers and demanders of community health data, indicators, and interventions. Its purpose is to help Americans understand health and health care system performance in their communities, thereby sparking and facilitating action to improve performance and value.
  • Community Tool to Align Measurement - (National Quality Forum (NQF) USA)  - NQF's Community Tool to Align Measurement (Alignment Tool), developed in collaboration with the 16 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) community alliances, supports decisions to align measurement and public reporting. The Alignment Tool is a snapshot in time (as of February 2012) of the measures in use by the 16 AF4Q Alliances.
  • Comparing Health Care Quality: A National Directory - (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF))  - This website provides access to publicly available, free reports with information about the process of delivering care, actual outcome for patients, what patients said in surveys about their experience with physicians or hospitals, and/or cost.
  • e-Source: Behavioral and Social Science Research - (Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, NIH (OBSSR))  - This website provides access to 20 interactive chapters with authoritative answers to methodological questions on behavioral and social science research. With contributions from a team of international experts, this anthology provides the latest information on addressing emerging challenges in public health.
  • Health System Measurement Project - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - This web tool enables the viewing of data on a given topical area from multiple sources, comparing trends across measures and national trends with those at the state and regional level. For example, an individual could use the Measurement Project to monitor the percentage of people who have a specific source of ongoing medical care or track avoidable hospitalizations for adults and children by region or ethnic group.
  • Healthcare Communities - (Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA))  - HealthcareCommunities.org (HC) is a web-based knowledge management system that provides multiple means for the healthcare quality improvement community to share knowledge and contribute to each others' QI work.
  • Hospital Compare - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - Hospital Compare is a consumer-oriented website that provides information on how well hospitals provide recommended care to their patients. On this site, the consumer can see the recommended care that an adult should get if being treated for a heart attack, heart failure, or pneumonia or having surgery
  • HSRR (Health Services and Sciences Research Resources) - (National Library of Medicine, National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology)  - HSRR is a searchable database of information about research datasets, instruments/indices and software. Users may examine and compare characteristics of some of the resources employed in Health Services Research, the Behavioral and Social Sciences and Public Health. The database includes brief descriptions of research resources and links to PubMed. It also includes URLs of providers for additional information or access to the resources. HSRR is not a repository of the actual resources.
  • Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Map - (Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI))  - This map is a free, open resource for those interested in sharing IHI's mission of improving health care. This includes access to various "How To Guides," for example, prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia; prevent surgical site infection; prevent adverse drug events, etc.
  • Kaiser Family Foundation's State Health Facts Online - (Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) US)  - Provides free, up-to-date, and easy-to-use health data on all 50 states with data on health status, health coverage and uninsured, and more than other 700 health topics.
  • Leading Health Indicators - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - Healthy People 2020 provides a comprehensive set of 10-year, national goals and objectives for improving the health of all Americans.
  • Medicare.gov - (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS))  - This link provides access to Quality Care Finder, a website which provides consumers with access to all of Medicare's Compare tools -- e.g., comparison information on hospitals, nursing homes and plans.
  • National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators - (American Nurses Association (ANA) USA)  - Proprietary database of the American Nurses Association. The database collects and evaluates unit-specific nurse-sensitive data from hospitals in the United States.
  • NHQRDRNet Online Query System - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Online query system that allows you to access national and state data on the quality of, and access to, health care from scientifically credible measures and data sources. This is an interactive tool to explore data from the National Healthcare Quality & Disparities Reports.
  • Patient Safety Network - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - A web-based resource featuring the latest news and essential resources on patient safety. The site offers weekly updates of patient safety literature, news, tools, and meetings ("What's New"), and a vast set of carefully annotated links to important research and other information on patient safety ("The Collection").
  • Practitioner Data Banks: Reporting Compliance Status of Government Agencies - (Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA))  - The Division of Practitioner Data Banks (DPDB) is responsible for the implementation of the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) and Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB). The NPDB and HIPDB are alert or flagging systems intended to facilitate a comprehensive review of the professional credentials of health care practitioners, providers, and suppliers
  • PROSPERO - (University of York UK)  - PROSPERO consists of over 800 records, giving details of systematic reviews being undertaken in 33 different countries.
  • QPS: Quality Positioning System - (National Quality Forum (NQF) USA)  - QPS is a new tool to help individuals find NQF-endorsed measures quickly and easily.
  • The Quality Data Set (QDS) Framework - (National Quality Forum (NQF) USA)  - Provides a common technological framework for defining clinical data necessary to measure performance and accelerate improvement in patients' quality of care. By providing a common language to describe the information within quality measures, the QDS enables quality measurement from a variety of electronic sources, including electronic health records (EHRs), personal health records (PHRs), registries, and health information exchanges (HIEs). The QDS framework is applicable to all care settings a patient is likely to use in his or her lifetime. This QDS framework creates a dynamic product that will enable versioning, growth, and expansion to meet future needs for measurement and guideline implementation.
  • QualityNet - (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS))  - Tool for use by hospitals to electronically submit their notice of participation for the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program- formerly known as Reporting Hospital
  • RAND COMPARE - (RAND Corporation USA)  - COMPARE is a transparent, evidence-based approach to providing information and tools to help policymakers, the media, and other interested parties understand, design, and evaluate health policies.
  • Resources for State and Local Leaders - (National Quality Forum (NQF) USA)  - Here is a handy list to help those who use NQF-endorsed measures easily access some of the key NQF tools and resources. As the number of State and community leaders involved in measurement and public reporting grows, NQF is committed to helping streamline and support those important efforts.
  • VA Hospital Compare and ASPIRE - (Health Services Research and Development Service, Veterans Administration (HSR&D))  - Key elements of the VA's transparency initiative involve public presentation of health system and facility data about quality of care and safety. Examples include VA's Hospital Compare website, which provides outcomes and process data for selected diagnoses, and the ASPIRE dashboard, which reports quality and safety goals for all VA hospitals.
  • Why Not the Best? Comparative Health Care Performance Data - (Commonwealth Fund)  - Free resource for health care professionals interested in tracking performance on various measures of health care quality. It enables organizations to compare their performance against that of peer organizations, against a range of benchmarks, and over time. Case studies and improvement tools spotlight successful improvement strategies of the nation's top performers.

Guidelines, Journals, Other Publications

  • 2012 Annual Progress Report to Congress on the National Strategy for Quality Improvement in Health Care (National Quality Strategy) images/pdf.gif icon - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - Since the release of the National Quality Strategy, HHS has launched nationwide initiatives to improve health care quality in each of the six priorities set by the National Quality Strategy. This report describes many of these current efforts, including Partnership for Patients and Million Hearts. As its implementation proceeds, the National Quality Strategy will be periodically refined, based on lessons learned in the public and private sectors, emerging best practices, new research findings, and the changing needs of the Nation.
  • Comparing Health Care Quality: A National Directory - (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF))  - This website provides access to publicly available, free reports with information about the process of delivering care, actual outcome for patients, what patients said in surveys about their experience with physicians or hospitals, and/or cost.
  • EDM (Electronic Data Methods) Forum Publications - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - The EDM Forum has produced briefs and reports examining the use of electronic clinical data for comparative effectiveness research (CER), patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) and quality improvement (QI) that can lead to meaningful improvements in patient outcomes.
  • Equity of Care Blog - (Equity of Care US)  - Updated biweekly, this blog provides commentary by leaders in the field who are taking up the challenge of improving the quality of care for all patient populations and eliminating health care disparities.
  • FDA Strategic Priorities 2011-2015 - (Food and Drug Administration (FDA) U.S.)  - The FDA regulates the entry of products (drugs, medical devices, etc.) into the marketplace. All such products must meet FDA's quality standards. This document outlines the goals and priority areas that will guide the FDA into 2015.
  • Glossary of Health Care Quality Terms - (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF))  - A glossary of key terms in the fields of health care quality, disparities reduction and quality improvement.
  • Health Care Criteria for Performance Excellence - (National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) US)  - Used by organizations that are primarily engaged in furnishing medical, surgical, or other health services directly to people. Provides a systems perspective for understanding performance management. Link to report and self-analysis worksheet.
  • Health Indicators: a 4-Part Webinar Series - (National Library of Medicine, National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology)  - Recorded webinar series that provides an overview of health indicators, an in-depth review of a county-level indicator project, practical approaches in using health indicator data to engage with communities, and an exploration of several important new indicator efforts.
  • Kaiser Health News -Quality - (Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) US)  - Nonprofit news organization committed to in-depth coverage of health care policy and politics. Link to articles that focus on quality.
  • Key Indicator Systems: Experiences of Other National and Subnational Systems Offer Insights for the United States images/pdf.gif icon - (Government Accountability Office (GAO) US)  - This March 2011 report report concludes that key indicator systems are used for multiple purposes and cites "increasing transparency and public awareness; fostering civic engagement and collaboration; and monitoring progress, aiding decision making, and promoting accountability" among the uses of the systems studied. For example, the study found that many systems, particularly ones that have a local focus, incorporate public input in identifying goals and priorities, which in turn influence indicator selection. Systems may facilitate conversations among diverse members of a community about ways to address problems, and may identify problems that were previously unrecognized.
  • Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - The agency's primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations.
  • NCQA's Report Cards - (National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA))  - Free online resources to help individuals select a health plan or physician that provides top-notch care.
  • Patient-Centered Care Improvement Guide - (Picker Institute US, Planetree US)  - Founded 30 years ago, Planetree is a not-for-profit organization that partners with healthcare organizations to transform organizational cultures and improve the patient experience; the Picker Institute is an international non-profit organization that supports research in the field of patient-centered care. The Patient-Centered Care Improvement Guide represents the culmination of this year-long collaboration. It reflects the collective wisdom of organizations implementing patient-centered care at an advanced level, as well as the experiences of those whose efforts have been hindered by any number of barriers.
  • Priority Areas for Improvement of Quality in Public Health images/pdf.gif icon - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - This November 2010 report details recent activities led by the Assistant Secretary for Health to identify priority areas for improvement of quality in the public health system.
  • Priority Areas for National Action: Transforming Health Care Quality - (Institute of Medicine (IOM))  - This January 2003 report recommends a set of 20 priority areas that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and other groups in the public and private sectors should focus on to improve the quality of health care delivered to all Americans.
  • Public Health Foundation - (Public Health Foundation (PHF))  - With a contribution from the National Library of Medicine, the Public Health Foundation (PHF) developed a Quality Improvement (QI) Quick Guide for public health practitioners, which was launched online in August 2010. The QI Quick Guide addresses a need identified by public health practitioners for assistance in determining which resources to use as they pursue QI initiatives.
  • QIO News - (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS))  - Bimonthly CMS e-publication, provides you with the latest news about health care quality improvement. QIO News is your source for timely, in-depth information about the ways QIOs and the QIO Program are improving health quality
  • Quality and Patient Safety - (Institute of Medicine (IOM))  - The IOM focuses on patient safety in order to promote policies and best practices that create safe and high-quality health care environments. Access related activities, Boards, and reports.
  • Quality Care for Less Money: Can Regional Successes Go National? - (Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) US)  - On February 15, 2012, the Kaiser Family Foundation hosted an event featuring a PBS documentary with former Washington Post correspondent T.R. Reid - U.S. Health Care: The Good News - which explores efforts to provide low-cost, quality health care in the U.S. The film looks at variations in health spending across the country and showcases efficient health care delivery systems, like Grand Junction in Colorado and Group Health in Seattle, suggesting that these communities demonstrate that it is feasible to provide Americans with first-rate care while still controlling the cost.
  • Quality Improvement & Risk Management Training - (Health Services Research and Development Service, Veterans Administration (HSR&D))  - Learn about how to design and implement a successful Quality Improvement program that meets core program and FTCA requirements and drives quality-related activities from this website.
  • Quality Matters - (Commonwealth Fund)  - Quality Matters is a Health System Improvement and Efficiency program publication.
  • RAND - Quality of Care Research Highlights Archive - RAND Health is a research division within the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND Health advances understanding of health and health behaviors and examines how the organization and financing of care affect costs, quality, and access. Access various studies.
  • Report to Congress: National Strategy for Quality Improvement in Health Care - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - This March 2011 report outlines a national strategy for quality improvement in health care. The strategy was called for under the Affordable Care Act and is the first effort to create national aims and priorities to guide local, state, and national efforts to improve the quality of health care in the United States.
  • TalkingQuality.Gov - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - TalkingQuality is a comprehensive resource and guide for organizations that produce and disseminate reports to consumers on the quality of care provided by health care organizations (e.g., hospitals, health plans, medical groups, nursing homes) and individual physicians.

Key Organizations/Programs

  • Academy for Healthcare Improvement - (Academy for Healthcare Improvement US)  - The aim of this organization is to foster an interprofessional community that advances quality improvement in health care through scholarly and educational activities.
  • AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Comprehensive program designed to accelerate the development and adoption of innovations in health care delivery.
  • American Health Quality Association - Represents Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) and professionals working to improve the quality of health care in communities across America.
  • American Medical Association - Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement (PCPI) - (American Medical Association (AMA))  - Comprised of more than 170 national medical specialty societies, state medical societies, the American Board of Medical Specialties and member boards, Council of Medical Specialty Societies, health care professional organizations, federal agencies, individual members and others interested in improving the quality and efficiency of patient care, PCPI is committed to enhancing quality of care and patient safety by taking the lead in the development, testing, and maintenance of evidence-based clinical performance measures and measurement resources for physicians.
  • Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - Principal advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on policy development, and is responsible for major activities in policy coordination, legislation development, strategic planning, policy research, evaluation, and economic analysis.
  • CAQH (Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare) - Nonprofit alliance of health plans and trade associations. Seeks industry collaboration on initiatives that simplify healthcare administration and promotes quality interactions between plans, providers and other stakeholders.
  • Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation - (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS))  - Established by the Affordable Care Act, the Center for Innovation is a new engine for revitalizing and sustaining Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as well as for improving the health care system for all Americans. The Innovation Center tests innovative care and payment models and encourages widespread adoption of practices that deliver better health care at lower costs.
  • Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - Mission is to protect patients and healthcare personnel and promote safety, quality, and value in the healthcare delivery system by providing national leadership.
  • FDA's Sentinel Initiative - (Food and Drug Administration (FDA) U.S.)  - Launched in May 2008 by FDA, the Sentinel Initiative aims to develop and implement a proactive system that will complement existing systems that the Agency has in place to track reports of adverse events linked to the use of its regulated products.
  • Health Center Program : Accreditation Initiative - (Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA))  - Encourages and supports health centers to undergo rigorous and comprehensive survey processes and achieve national benchmarks that demonstrate the highest standards of health care quality.
  • HealthIT.gov - (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS (ONC))  - Resource to support the adoption of health information technology and the promotion of nationwide health information exchange to improve health care.
  • Hospital Quality Alliance - National public-private collaboration that is committed to making meaningful, relevant, and easily understood information about hospital performance accessible to the public and to informing and encouraging efforts to improve quality.
  • HRSA Quality Improvement and Safety Net Providers - (Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA))  - The HRSA-supported health care safety net cares for millions of people in the U.S. each year. The services and patients are diverse, but the providers are united in their commitment to quality health care. Quality health care is the provision of appropriate services to individuals and populations that are consistent with current professional knowledge, in a technically competent manner, with good communication, shared decision-making, and cultural sensitivity.
  • Improvement Science Research Network - A NIH-supported improvement research network. The ISRN's primary mission is to accelerate interprofessional improvement science in a systems context across multiple hospital sites.
  • Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) - IHI focuses on motivating and building the will for change; identifying and testing new models of care in partnership with both patients and health care professionals; and ensuring the broadest possible adoption of best practices and effective innovations.
  • Laboratory Quality Assurance and Standardization Programs - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - Given the importance of laboratory test results, the CDC has programs to help assure the quality of these data so patients and healthcare providers (as well as researchers and public health officials) can be confident that laboratory test results they receive are accurate.
  • The LeapFrog Group - Voluntary program aimed at mobilizing employer purchasing power to alert America's health industry that big leaps in health care safety, quality and customer value will be recognized and rewarded.
  • Mathematica - Quality and Efficiency Measures - (Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.)  - Mathematica develops, uses, and reports on measurement tools essential to understanding the performance of health care providers and organizations.
  • Medical Outcomes Trust - (Medical Outcomes Trust)  - Not for profit organization dedicated to improving health and health care by promoting the science of outcomes measurement, and the development, evaluation, and distribution of standardized, high quality instruments that measure health and the outcomes of medical care.
  • Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) - Established in 1997 by the merger of the Physician Payment Review Commission (PPRC) and the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission (ProPAC). Created by congressional mandate (Public Law 105-33), the 15-member nonpartisan Commission advises the Congress on Medicare Payment policies. MedPAC is also tasked with analyzing access to care, quality of care, and other issues affecting Medicare.
  • National Center for Nursing Quality - (American Nurses Association (ANA) USA)  - Created by ANA to address patient safety and quality in nursing care and nurses' work lives.
  • National Committee on Vital Health Statistics - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - NCVHS is the public advisory body to the Secretary, HHS, regarding vital health statistics; it has a subcommittee on quality. Note the 12/01/09 NCVHS letter re Meaningful Measurement of Quality Health Care using Electronic Health Records, under hot topics on the home page.
  • National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality (NICHQ) - (National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality (NICHQ))  - NICHQ is an independent, not-for-profit, quality improvement organization dedicated to achieving a world in which all children receive the high quality healthcare they need.
  • National Quality Forum (NQF) - Not-for-profit membership organization created to develop and implement a national strategy for health care quality measurement and reporting.
  • Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI) - NHRI is a National Coalition of Regional Health Improvement Collaboratives -- regionally-based, multi-stakeholder organizations that are working to improve the quality and value of health care delivery.
  • Observational Medical Outcomes Project - (Foundation for the National Institutes of Health)  - This is a public-private partnership designed to help improve the monitoring of drugs for safety. The partnership is conducting a multi-year initiative to research methods that are feasible and useful to analyze existing healthcare databases to identify and evaluate safety and benefit issues of drugs already on the market.
  • Office of Healthcare Quality - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - Established by the Assistant Secretary for Health in December 2009 to lead and coordinate cross-cutting issues that strengthen the health system and improve the quality of healthcare across the United States.
  • Practitioner Data Banks: Reporting Compliance Status of Government Agencies - (Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA))  - The Division of Practitioner Data Banks (DPDB) is responsible for the implementation of the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) and Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB). The NPDB and HIPDB are alert or flagging systems intended to facilitate a comprehensive review of the professional credentials of health care practitioners, providers, and suppliers
  • PROMIS - Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement System ® - (National Institutes of Health (NIH))  - Network of NIH-funded primary research sites and coordinating centers working collaboratively to develop a series of dynamic tools to reliably and validly measure patient-reported outcomes (PROs).
  • Quality Alliance Steering Committee - A collaborative effort among a variety of key stakeholders, the Committee is working to make consistent and useful information about the quality and cost of health care widely available.
  • Quality and Patient Safety - (Institute of Medicine (IOM))  - The IOM focuses on patient safety in order to promote policies and best practices that create safe and high-quality health care environments. Access related activities, Boards, and reports.
  • Quality of Care Center - (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS))  - Link to various quality initiatives, projects, reports, patient assessment instruments, and contractors.
  • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Quality/Equality - (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF))  - The Quality/Equality Portfolio of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation remains active in the public reporting of quality and price information, which include our support of The Dartmouth Atlas, The Prometheus Payment Project, the Consumer-Purchaser Disclosure Project, National Quality Forum and others.
  • URAC - Independent, nonprofit organization known as a leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation and certification programs.
  • VA/HSR&D's Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) - (Health Services Research and Development Service, Veterans Administration (HSR&D))  - Mission is to enhance the quality and outcomes of VA health care by systematically implementing clinical research findings and evidence-based recommendations into routine clinical practice.

Legislation and Policy

  • Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Quality Guidelines - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - This site presents the HHS Information Quality Guidelines, the supporting administrative mechanisms to request correction of information covered under the guidelines, the Annual Information Quality Reports, and the HHS Peer Review Agenda. The HHS Guidelines were developed in accordance with the provisions of P.L. 106-554 and OMB government-wide requirements directing all federal agencies to issue guidelines for ensuring the quality of the information that they disseminate to the public.
  • FDA Strategic Priorities 2011-2015 - (Food and Drug Administration (FDA) U.S.)  - The FDA regulates the entry of products (drugs, medical devices, etc.) into the marketplace. All such products must meet FDA's quality standards. This document outlines the goals and priority areas that will guide the FDA into 2015.
  • Mammography Quality Standards Act and Program - (Food and Drug Administration (FDA) U.S.)  - Information for mammography facility personnel, inspectors, and consumers about the implementation of the Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1992 (MQSA). The FDA adminsters several quality and standards activities. This is one example.

Meetings and Conferences

Past Meetings/Conferences' Archives and Reports

  • 6th Annual NCQA Policy Conference, 12/13/11, Washington, DC - (National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA))  - Join NCQA and others to discuss the quality aspects of health care insurance Exchanges and Exchanges' impact on federal and state regulators, businesses, consumers and health plans.
  • AHRQ 2010 Annual Conference - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - AHRQ held its fourth annual conference on September 26-29, 2010, in Bethesda, MD. This conference, entitled "Better Care, Better Health: Delivering on Quality for All Americans," showcased leading authorities in health care research and policy in sessions on transforming health care delivery; developing new patient care models; strengthening preventive care and reducing health disparities; improving quality and patient safety; and measuring and reporting on provider and system performance.
  • Health Outcomes Among Children and Families Living in Rural Communities, 12/1-12/2, 2011, Bethesda, MD - (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH (NICHD))  - This trans-agency conference brings together a panel of community members and experts from NIH Institutes and Centers, federal agencies, and organizations to identify gaps in research that address emerging differences between health outcomes for children and families living in rural communities compared to those in urban areas.
  • The Innovation Center: How Much Can It Improve Quality and Reduce Costs - and How Quickly? - (Alliance for Health Reform US, Commonwealth Fund)  - The new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) seeks to test new health care payment and service delivery models that can potentially enhance quality of care for beneficiaries while reducing costs. How is the agency planning to administer its $10 billion in funding? What early projects is the center undertaking? Is there private sector evidence that its goals can be achieved? What will happen to existing innovations now being rolled out by providers and hospitals? This July 2011 briefing addressed these and related questions.
  • National Quality Forum's Annual Conference - (National Quality Forum (NQF) USA)  - Each year the National Quality Forum hosts a conference in Washington, DC. The two-day event includes a membership meeting and public sessions addressing key policy and implementation issues.
  • Quality Institute for Healthcare, May 21-23, 2011, Anaheim, CA - (American Society for Quality (ASQ))  - The 2012 Quality Institute for Healthcare offers relevant healthcare improvement methodologies and processes that will clearly demonstrate and document the what, the how, the why, and the measured results of improvement. Join medical professionals from hospitals, surgery centers, medical laboratories, blood banks, and physician clinics.
  • Tenth Annual Quality Colloquium, Harvard, August, 2011 - The 2011 Colloquium addressed issues surrounding patient safety and quality in the light of major changes stemming from health reform. These issues included accountable care organizations, patient-centered medical homes, using data for quality and safety, and value based purchasing, as well as governance, curriculum innovation, performance excellence, and meeting the needs of patients. The program focused on interactive sessions using experiential tools to maximize learning from speakers and other participants.
  • Transforming Veteran Healthcare through Partner-Oriented Research, July 16-19, 2012, National Harbor, MD - (Health Services Research and Development Service, Veterans Administration (HSR&D))  - Meeting participants selected among 121 peer-reviewed, highly rated scientific paper sessions, 40 workshops, and 146 posters on vital healthcare issues, such as: chronic disease management (e.g., heart disease, hypertension, diabetes), mental health, substance use disorders, telemedicine, women Veterans' healthcare needs, patient-aligned care teams (PACTs), and deployment-related health issues (e.g., traumatic brain injury, PTSD, chronic pain), to name a few.
  • VA's HSR&D's 2012 QUERI Meeting, February 2012 - (Health Services Research and Development Service, Veterans Administration (HSR&D))  - The 2012 conference theme, "Transforming Veteran Healthcare through Partner-Oriented Research," was selected because of HSR&D/QUERI's commitment to examining best practices in implementing state-of-the-art healthcare for Veterans.

Upcoming Meetings and Conferences

  • National Quality Forum's Annual Conference - (National Quality Forum (NQF) USA)  - Each year the National Quality Forum hosts a conference in Washington, DC. The two-day event includes a membership meeting and public sessions addressing key policy and implementation issues.

Webcasts