By Arlene Bierman MD – A hallmark of AHRQ’s work is providing evidence-based information to help clinicians and patients make the best possible treatment decisions. AHRQ’s mission is to increase the use of evidence in practice to improve both outcomes for individuals and population health.
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By Andy Bindman MD – It has been nearly 16 years since the late John Eisenberg, M.D., AHRQ’s brilliant director from 1997 to 2002 and one of my early mentors, published an article in JAMA that remains a guidepost for me and others in the field even today. The article deserves quoting for its enduring message:
By Jeff Brady MD, MPH – To make health care safer, we have to know when harm happens. If information about a patient safety event is incomplete or doesn’t exist, providers can’t make the necessary changes to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Clinicians are an important source of reports about harm that occurs in health care—or safety events—when they happen. But that’s just one perspective.
By Chris Dymek EdD – Last week I attended Health Datapalooza VII, an annual conference where over 1,400 experts gathered to discuss how to bring data to life in ways that matter in health and health care. I wanted to share a few post-conference reflections on how AHRQ can address some of the important issues raised.
By George Rust MD, MPH – As an academic primary care doctor and a clinician-teacher turned researcher, I’ve always thought of AHRQ as the research agency that “gets it.” AHRQ gets the primary care generalist perspective — that the whole is often greater than the sum of its parts.
By Sharon Arnold PhD – Much has been written about the importance of finding alternatives to the volume-increasing incentives of traditional fee for service payments and one solution or change will not create an instant results. However, there is a continuum between pure fee for service and pure capitation.
By Richard Kronick PhD – After two and one-half stimulating, exciting, and fun years at AHRQ, I will soon be leaving the Agency to return to the University of California, San Diego. I am sad to leave, but very proud of what we have accomplished together.
By Amy Helwig MD & Edwin Lomotan MD – Health information technology (HIT) has been shown to improve patient safety, especially with processes and applications that improve clinicians’ decisionmaking, documentation, and communication.
By David Meyers MD – Making New Year’s resolutions is a lot easier than keeping them, whether vowing to eat healthier, exercise more, or spend less time online. Ultimately, success is a two-step process.