Health Care Research and Quality

Health care research and quality are fundamental to the United States’ quest for a secure, efficient, and affordable health system. It provides essential knowledge that allows healthcare systems, clinicians, and patients to make informed decisions about their own care as well as that of those close to them.

AHRQ is the leading federal agency dedicated to improving healthcare through research and education. It conducts studies on the Nation’s healthcare delivery system, disseminates information on medical advances, and creates materials to assist healthcare providers and policy makers in applying these findings in practice.

Patient Safety and Quality

Improving patient safety requires collaboration from many sectors, such as hospital leaders, physicians, public officials at all levels – local, state, federal – medical school faculty members and health insurers. AHRQ’s work has contributed to these improvements by decreasing HACs (harmful adverse events) and avoiding preventable complications.

Uneven Care

In the United States, various factors impact access and quality of health care, leading to uneven levels for certain populations and conditions. These include physician burnout, shortages, differences in insurance coverage and payment models across different parts of the country.

Administrative Inefficiencies

Healthcare administrative inefficiencies are a major issue for providers and insurance companies alike. They can lead to unnecessary cost and time spent on administration that isn’t essential for patient care, as well as inefficient billing processes that cause delays in treatment and reduce quality of services provided.

Lean and patient-centric practices

One way to combat these issues is by applying a “lean” philosophy into healthcare, which seeks to eliminate waste. This method, originally from the automobile industry, helps ensure health care organizations run efficiently while providing maximum value to patients.

Developing Patient-Centered Care

At AHRQ, we support research and training on patient-centered care – an approach that emphasizes how patients should be involved in their own treatment. This strategy can help prevent medical mistakes and save costs by ensuring that individuals receive personalized attention when receiving healthcare services.

AHRQ’s work can also assist hospitals and clinics in creating programs that foster strong communication and teamwork between patients, caregivers, and other staff members. AHRQ’s evidence-based Team STEPPS(r) training program has become widely adopted by hospitals and physicians nationwide to increase patient safety. Furthermore, AHRQ has worked to train rural physicians so they are better able to provide care to their patients.

https://bitesofhealthylife.com/