Academy Health works to improve health and the performance of the health system by supporting the production and use of evidence to inform policy and practice.
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, also known as AAAHC, was formed in 1979 to assist ambulatory health care organizations improve the quality of care provided to patients. Currently accrediting over 3,800 organizations, the AAAHC is the leader in ambulatory health care accreditation.
Florida State Agency responsible for the administration of the Medicaid program, for the licensure and regulation of health facilities and for providing information to Floridians about the quality of the health care they receive in Florida. The website provides comparative data on providers (see next url) and lists of Florida health care facilities.
Part of AHCA, this is the site which provides comparative data on hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, physicians, health plans, nursing homes, and prescription drugs.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is the lead Federal agency charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care through research on health care quality, costs, outcomes and patient safety. AHRQ’s mission includes both translating research findings into better patient care and providing policymakers and other health care leaders with information needed to make critical health care decisions.
The AHRQ provides best practices, funding for research, and created the CAHPS program for CMS which measures patient satisfaction with healthcare providers and systems. Provides annual dashboard on healthcare quality by State. Established Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs. For information on Patient Safety Organizations on the AHRQ website, go to:
“We are a group of health care professionals passionate about medical quality issues and committed to improving the health care system.”
The American Health Quality Association (AHQA) is an educational, not-for-profit national membership association dedicated to promoting and facilitating fundamental change that improves the quality of health care in America.
The American Heart Association is dedicated to improving heart health. Its website includes a special section for healthcare provides in addition to great resources for the public on heart-healthy lifestyle. The Florida Chapter of AHA, like FAHQ, is a partner in the IHI Florida Node Network
AHA works with its members, state, regional, and metropolitan hospital associations and other organizations to shape and influence federal legislation and regulation to improve the ability of its members to deliver quality health care.
Established in 1980, the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) is a personal membership group of the American Hospital Association (AHA) with nearly 6,000 members representing risk management, patient safety, insurance, law, finance and other related professions.
ASHRM promotes effective and innovative risk management strategies and professional leadership through education, recognition, advocacy, publications, networking and interactions with leading healthcare organizations and government agencies. ASHRM initiatives focus on developing and implementing safe and effective patient care practices, the preservation of financial resources and the maintenance of safe working environments.
The Healthcare Division of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) encourages research, innovation, and the formation of learning partnerships to advance knowledge of healthcare quality. Members include providers of healthcare and services, supporters of the providers, and others allied to the field. The Division offers and disseminates information relating to applications, research, innovations in quality theory and practice in healthcare.
http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/six-sigma/overview/overview.html
The Baldrige Award is given by the President of the United States to businesses (manufacturing and service) and to education, health care and nonprofit organizations that apply and are judged to be outstanding in seven areas: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; human resource focus; process management; and results. This site provides information on criteria for excellence, past award recipients and conferences.
CDC is the nation’s health protection agency, working 24/7 to protect America from health and safety threats, both foreign and domestic. CDC increases the health security of our nation.
CMS covers 100 million people…through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace. But coverage isn’t our only goal. To achieve a high-quality health care system, we also aim for better care at lower costs and improved health.
But we can’t and we don’t do it alone. We need your help to find the way forward to a better health care system for all Americans.
Contains case studies, improvement tools, data ranking across the US, innovations, and articles related to improving healthcare quality. “Why Not the Best?” (WhyNotTheBest.org) is a new resource from The Commonwealth Fund, offers easily accessible, comparative information on health care performance for providers, researchers, and other professionals.
Consumer Health Labs explores some of the most compelling and meaningful data so that consumers can make healthy choices when it matters the most. The following websites explore some of the most that consumers can make healthy choices when it matters the most:
https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/25-ways-to-exercise-without-realizing-it/
http://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/six-essential-nutrients#essential-nutrients1
http://www.culinaryschools.org/blog/culinary-cautions-obesity-epidemic/
http://www.homeadvisor.com/r/home-fitness-equipment/
https://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/losing-baby-weight
https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/bwp/index.html
http://www.treehouserehab.org/working-out-recovery-fitness-recovering-addicts/
The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions is the health services research arm of Deloitte LLP. Our goal is to inform all stakeholders in the health care system about emerging trends, challenges and opportunities using rigorous research. Through our research, roundtables and other forms of engagement, we seek to be a trusted source for relevant, timely and reliable insights.
DNV is a deeming authority for CMS. Their approach is to integrate CMS CoPs with the ISO 9001 Quality Management System, providing hospitals standards designed to foster innovation and enhance patient safety. Their website offers a wealth of information on hospital accreditation issues and risk management.
The Florida Hospital Association is comprised of 205 hospitals and health systems, 21 Corporate Members and 17 Professional Membership Groups which include 1,300 professional members from across the state. Through representation and advocacy, education, and informational services, we support the mission of our members to provide the highest quality of care to the patients we serve. FHA, like FAHQ, is a partner in the IHI Florida Node Network.
The Florida Senate Bills and Updates.
https://www.flmedical.org/florida/
Founded in 1874, the Florida Medical Association is a professional association dedicated to the service and assistance of Doctors of Medicine and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine in Florida. The FMA represents more than 20,000 physicians on issues of legislation and regulatory affairs, medical economics and education, public health, and ethical and legal issues. We advocate for physicians and their patients to promote the public health, ensure the highest standards of medical practice, and to enhance the quality and availability of health care in the Sunshine State.
In 1992, Florida began using the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence to recognize organizations in Florida who utilize the Baldrige methods to improve quality. The Florida Sterling Council was created to oversee the awards process and has assisted organizations in utilizing these standards of excellence as a guide to making improvements that generate better operations, customer value, and overall results through regional training programs and on-line resources. Like the Baldrige, awards are presented in multiple fields, including healthcare.
Data is ubiquitous — but sometimes it can be hard to see the forest for the trees. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of free data sets available, ready to be used and analyzed by anyone willing to look for them. This article lists 35 of such databases.
The Foundation for Health Care Quality is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a trusted, independent, third party resource to all participants in the health care community – including patients, providers, payers, employers, government agencies, and public health professionals.
Earn the only accredited certification in the field of healthcare quality, the Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality® (CPHQ).
https://www.hrsa.gov/get-health-care/resources/index.html
Public Health Resources. HRSA helps to protect and improve the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, and research for disease and injury prevention.
https://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/search.html
Hospital Compare is a consumer-oriented website that provides information on how well hospitals provide recommended care to their patients. Patients or potential patients may compare the quality of care hospitals provide for beneficiaries to make better informed health care decisions. The site is interactive and provides information related to process, outcome and patient perception of care data.
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is an independent, not-for-profit organization helping to lead the improvement of health care throughout the world. IHI works to accelerate improvement by cultivating promising concepts for improving patient care, and helping health care systems put those ideas into action. Their website provides courses, information on best practices, access to many free quality tools and teleconferences. A great asset is healthcare quality is the IHI Improvement Map, which combines requirements from key regulatory and accrediting bodies into one overall picture, provides the standards and ideas for how to meet them, and allows an organization to perform a gap analysis on their standing relative to these standards. There are also courses to help those new to the quality arena; NAHQ members may be eligible for discounted rates on these IHI Open School courses.
The Affordable Care Act (sec. 3012) called for the establishment of an Interagency Working Group on Health Care Quality. This group of senior officials represents 23 Federal agencies with major responsibility for health care quality and quality improvement. Its function is to provide a platform for collaboration, cooperation, and consultation among relevant agencies regarding quality initiatives, as a means to ensure alignment and coordination across Federal efforts and with the private sector. This website hosts their reports and activities.
https://goleansixsigma.com/what-is-lean-six-sigma/
Lean Six Sigma is a combination of two powerful process improvement methods: Lean and Six Sigma.
http://www.leansixsigmainstitute.org/
Lean Six Sigma Institute offers a broad range of training, assessment, and implementation services to meet the demands and challenges organizations face in today’s global marketplace, where improved processes and unobstructed flow are essential elements for lowering costs and maintaining a competitive advantage.
https://www.mesotheliomaguide.com/mesothelioma/
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the protective lining around important organs, such as the lungs. It is caused by asbestos and takes 20-40 years to develop after exposure. This guide is very informative.
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), established in 1970 under the name Institute of Medicine (IOM), is an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields including health and medicine; the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; and beyond. It serves alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering as adviser to the nation and the international community.
The National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) is the nation’s leading organization for healthcare quality professionals. Founded in 1976, NAHQ currently comprises more than 5,000 individual members and 100 institutional members. NAHQ provides information on quality resources, state associations, and a members-only section which includes access to the Journal for Healthcare Quality which members can both read on-line and earn CE credits. FAHQ is a State Affiliate of NAHQ.
NCQA is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations, including health insurance plans (HEDIS), credentials verification organizations (CVO), health information products, physician organizations (PO), utilization management/credentialing and reviews special health care management programs for physician recognition in back pain management by using the best cbd oil to reduce it.
https://www.qualitymeasures.ahrq.gov/
AHRQ’s National Quality Measures Clearinghouse is a public resource for summaries of evidence-based quality measures and measure sets. NQMC also hosts the HHS Measures Inventory.
NPSF is an independent, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the safety of care provided to patients. NPSF is committed to a collaborative, inclusive, multi-stakeholder approach in all that it does.
The National Quality Forum (NQF) is a not-for-profit membership organization created to develop and implement a national strategy for health care quality measurement and reporting. Consisting of public and private organizations, the NQF has a trifold focus: patient outcomes, workforce productivity, and health care costs. Members include the Joint Commission, the Leapfrog Group, the AARP, universities, State Agencies, as well as multiple provider groups from the hospital, insurance, physician and pharmaceutical industries. This organization is a strong driver of current legislative and regulatory efforts related to quality. NQF created the push for “never events” now used by CMS. Watching their recommendations often foretells coming legislation.
This is a free website which produces an on-line publication six times a year on topics of patient safety, quality and risk management. You can sign up to get their newsletter for free.
Established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), QualityNet provides healthcare quality improvement news, resources and data reporting tools and applications used by healthcare providers and others.
QualityNet is the only CMS-approved website for secure communications and healthcare quality data exchange between: quality improvement organizations (QIOs), hospitals, physician offices, nursing homes, end stage renal disease (ESRD) networks and facilities, and data vendors.
A division of The Rand Corporation, dedicated to healthcare research. This site provides free information on current and past research on a variety of healthcare quality topics / initiatives.
This is a private organization which supports research into healthcare with the goal of improving the health and health care of all Americans. This site provides best practices, updates on research projects, and a wealth of information for the quality practitioner. You can sign up for free email updates on their work in several areas of healthcare quality.
http://www.hospitalmedicine.org/
The Society of Hospital Medicine’s (SHM’s) Implementation Toolkits provide hospital-based caregivers the information and tools they need to lead quality improvement projects on specific clinical topics.
https://www.publichealthonline.org/state-public-health-resources/
This website page lists and organizes public health resources by state and city. Whatever you need, whether advice from experts or important health-related news, the resource links below can get you moving in the right direction.
http://www.cassioburycourt.com/article/101/the-best-heart-resources-on-the-web-2017
Search for specific health care organizations to see how they rate on Core Measures and National Patient Safety Goals
www.centerfortransforminghealthcare.org/
Website / project created by The Joint Commission to share information on key quality initiatives
Our principles and methods can be applied to improve the performance of any industry.
At The Deming Institute, we honor the legacy of Dr. Deming by bringing his teachings to life today and for the future. We’re introducing his teachings to a younger generation, developing new Deming leaders and ensuring the transition of knowledge from Dr. Deming’s trusted colleagues. Through new programs, learning events and digital resources we will increase the adoption of The Deming System of Profound Knowledge® in our schools and in small to mid-sized businesses and organizations. We will strengthen nonprofits that are as committed as we are to making people’s lives better. Our vision is for the System of Profound Knowledge® to be the standard lens people use to understand and improve the world.
URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services, including accreditation services in the area of case management and health plans.
http://www.patientsafety.va.gov
The NCPS was established in 1999 to develop and nurture a culture of safety throughout the Veterans Health Administration. Their goal is the nationwide reduction and prevention of inadvertent harm to patients as a result of their care. The site provides a Falls Toolkit, results of multiple FMEA performed across VA facilities, hazard summaries and best practices.
