By Yana Puckett, MD

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

● The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is one of the 12 agencies within the US

Department of Health and Human Services.

● Conducts health care research examining the access to health care, cost of health care and

outcomes of the care received.

● AHRQ has six research focuses:

o Patient-Centered Research

o Prevention/Care Management Research

o Value Research

o Health Information Technology

o Patient Safety

o Crosscutting Activities Related to Quality, Effectiveness, and Efficiency

● Serves the population of the United States

o Priority Populations

● Public Health

o Resource Tool

Professionals, Policy Makers, Consumers

Internal and External Threats Internal Threats: Lack of new research; research mainly driven by stakeholders; research topics not

unique; lack of data innovation; need different ideas. Duplication of other organizations, lack of

uniqueness. Lack of productivity questioned by Federal Government. Lack of funding by Federal

Government.

External Threats: Data security threats. Patient Privacy. Termination of organization by the federal

government.

How do theses threats impact or inspire the organization’s mission, vision, and goals?

1. Development of new and innovative data application services.

2. Development of new and innovative research.

3. Increase productivity of research.

4. Produce more evidence that the organization is making US healthcare safer, less costly, and

more effective.

MissionWho?

● The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is 1 of 12

agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

What?

● To improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of healthcare

for all Americans

How?

● By conducting health care services research which examines how people

get access to health care, how much care costs, and what happens as a

result of the care they receive

Mission Assessment

Is it clear?

Does it follow the basic guidelines?

● Concise

● Outcome Oriented

● Conclusive

...to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and

effectiveness of healthcare for all Americans...

Evaluating Goals

GoalsThe principal goals of health services research are to identify the most effective ways to organize, manage, finance, and deliver high-quality

care; reduce medical errors; and improve patient safety. AHRQ pursues its mission through six research portfolios:

● Patient-Centered Health Research: improves health care quality by providing patients and physicians with state-of-the-science

information on which medical treatments work best for a given condition. (SMAR)

● Prevention/Care Management Research: focuses on improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of the delivery of

evidence-based preventive services and chronic care management in ambulatory care settings. (MAR)

● Value Research: focuses on finding a way to achieve greater value in health care—reducing unnecessary costs and waste while

maintaining or improving quality. (AR)

● Health Information Technology: develops and disseminates evidence and evidence-based tools to inform policy and practice on how

health IT can improve the quality of American health care. (SMAR)

● Patient Safety: identifies risks and hazards that lead to medical errors and finding ways to prevent patient injury associated with

delivery of health care. (MR)

● Crosscutting Activities Related to Quality, Effectiveness, and Efficiency: includes investigator-initiated and targeted research

VisionAHRQ's vision is that, as a result of its efforts, American health care will provide services

of the highest quality, with the best possible outcomes, at the lowest cost.

Understandable?Broad?

Inspiring?Uplifting?Clear?

Strategies

1. Making care safer by reducing harm caused in the delivery of care.

2. Ensure that each person and family are engaged as partners in their care.

3. Promoting effective communication and coordination of care.

4. Promoting the most effective prevention and treatment practices for the

leading causes of mortality, starting with cardiovascular disease.

5. Working with communities to promote wide use of best practices to enable

healthy living.

6. Making quality care more affordable for individuals, families, employers,

and governments by developing and spreading new health care delivery

models.

Questions

References

1. AHRQ.gov | Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ). (2015).

from http://www.ahrq.gov/

2. Shi, L. and J. Johnson. (2014) Novick & Morrow’s Public Health

Administration Principles for Population-Based Management.

Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.