Reporting Initiatives

New AHRQ Toolkit Supports Hospital Efforts To Improve Quality and Safety

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released a free toolkit designed to guide hospitals through the process of using the AHRQ Inpatient Quality Indicators (IQIs) and Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) to improve care.

The AHRQ Quality Indicators Toolkit for Hospitals is designed and tested to meet the needs of a variety of hospital-based users, including senior leaders, quality staff, and multistakeholder improvement teams. AHRQ developed these research-based tools through a 2-year contract with RAND in collaboration with UHC.

The toolkit includes an "Introduction and Roadmap" to help users identify the resources that are best suited to their specific needs at any given point in the improvement process. It is organized into seven sections:

Determining Readiness To Change
Applying QIs to the Hospital Data
Identifying Priorities for Quality Improvement
Implementing Improvements
Monitoring Progress for Sustainable Improvements
Analyzing Return on Investment
Using Other Resources

Download the Toolkit

To learn more about the toolkit from the developers and hear from a quality expert at a hospital that tested it, register for a free AHRQ-sponsored Webinar on February 15 from 2:30-4:00 p.m. ET.

The Webinar "How To Improve Performance on the AHRQ Inpatient Quality and Patient Safety Indicators: Introducing a Toolkit for Hospitals" will cover:

The purpose of the toolkit.
How it was developed.
How it is organized for easy use.
How a hospital has used it to assess performance on the indicators, identify priorities, and implement changes to improve quality and safety.

CMS Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS)

For information on CMS' Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) visit the CMS website
Read more on the PQRS Incentive Program page

2009 First Quarter Quality Data Code (QDC) Submission Error Report

This report contains aggregate-level information about the quality data codes submitted in the first quarter of 2009, by measure, for the PQRI program. This information is available as a downloadable document on the 2009 PQRI page of the CMS website.

2009 Second Quarter Quality Data Code (QDC) Submission Error Report

Status Update regarding CPT II Coding Issue for the 2009 PQRI. This report gives an update regarding a recently identified CPT II coding issue, which affected several QDCs used for reporting a number of quality measures through the claims-based reporting method for 2009 PQRI. For information and guidance regarding this issue, please see the downloadable document on the "Measures/Codes" section page.

CARE Registry and AAN: Partnering for Progress

Participation in the CARE Registry? presents an opportunity for you to lead your facility in appropriately identifying and assessing stroke risk in patients undergoing CEA or CAS procedures. The unique, integrated data design of the CARE Registry includes NIH Stroke Scale scores both immediately pre- and post-procedure—as well as at 30 days post-procedure—to ensure that appropriate evidence-based diagnostic and interventional strategies are used to improve outcomes for all carotid revascularization procedures.

Read more about the CARE Registry, or request additional information.

CARE Registry Research Opportunity

The CARE Registry, launched by NCDR in 2006, is a comprehensive, hospital-wide quality improvement program that assesses the use, quality, and outcomes associated with all carotid revascularization procedures. The CARE Registry is now available for research on carotid stent and endarterectomy outcomes. The CARE Registry Research Proposal Application (.doc), and the CAS Data Collection (.pdf) and CEA Data Collection (.pdf) forms are now available.

Read more information about the CARE Registry on the AAN Reporting Initiatives page or the CARE Registry website. Questions about the application process should be directed to Al Woodward, PhD, MBA, at research@acc.org or (800) 257-4737.