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Guidance for sponsors of consumer reports on health care quality

Related Reports and Web Sites

Model Public Report Elements: A Sampler

This guide provides an illustrative menu of public report elements from health care provider performance reports from around the country. The examples highlighted in the Sampler span five core Web pages that constitute a public report and are present on nearly all public reporting Web sites. Additional examples illustrate functional possibilities of Web sites and demonstrate how to facilitate use by consumers and how to engage consumers in their care. To view the report, go to http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/value/pubrptsampler.htm.

The Community Quality Collaborative Leader's Guide to Engaging Consumer Advocates

This guide is a resource for organizations interested in partnering with consumer advocates in their communities to produce and promote consumer reports on quality. To access the guide, go to http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/value/caguide.htm.

Reports on Best Practices in Public Reporting

Authors Shoshanna Sofaer and Judy Hibbard produced three reports with guidance on communicating performance data to consumers:

• How to Effectively Present Health Care Performance Data to Consumers: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/pubrptguide1.htm
• Maximizing Consumer Understanding of Public Comparative Quality Reports: Effective Use of Explanatory Information: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/pubrptguide2.htm
• How to Maximize Public Awareness and Use of Comparative Quality Reports Through Effective Promotion and Dissemination Strategies: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/pubrptguide3.htm

These reports were written for the participants in the Agency’s Chartered Value Exchanges.

The Communication Toolkit: Using Information to Get High Quality Care

The Toolkit provides free health communication materials and guidance on educating a workforce about health care quality. Companies and unions can use the Toolkit to develop communications for consumers about important health care issues, including being better informed; actively managing one’s health; getting quality, cost-effective care; and using “evidence-based” care. To access the Toolkit, go to http://www.businessgrouphealth.org/usinginformation/Toolkit.aspx

Talking About Quality

This resource is a three-part collection of slides that present statistics, facts, and messages about the state of health care quality and existing challenges. To access the slides, go to

• Talking About Quality Part 1 (Health Care Today): http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=44868
• Talking About Quality Part 2 (Where We Want to Go): http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=44869
• Talking About Quality Part 3 (How We Get There): http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=44870

Health Care Research from California’s Office of the Patient Advocate

The California Office of the Patient Advocate funds and develops reports on quality of care. The reports discuss useful quality measures and strategies for quality measurement in California. OPA also evaluated the usefulness of its own comparative quality report and included recommendations for increasing consumer use and usability. To view the reports, go to http://www.opa.ca.gov/about/consumer_information/health_care_research.aspx.

InformedPatientInstitute.org

IPI is a nonprofit that works to improve the quality of care by helping the public make more informed decisions about their health care. IPI has created a Web site for consumers that grades hundreds of online report cards based on their content, timeliness, presentation, ease of use, and decision support. To access this Web site, go to http://www.informedpatientinstitute.org/index.html.

Getting Tools Used

This report provides insights and lessons on the development and dissemination of tools that support people in making decisions about their health care. To view the complete report, go to http://www.cfah.org/activities/tools.cfm.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Publications and Research

RWJF carries out research and publishes articles, issues briefs, and reports on several health care quality and public reporting issues. To browse published materials on quality reporting and related issues, go to http://www.rwjf.org/pr/search.jsp?topicid=1053&subtopic=1185.

The Commonwealth Fund: Publications

The Commonwealth Fund produces several free publications and newsletters on various health care quality topics. To view the publications and newsletters currently available on the site, go to http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Publications.aspx.