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Talking Quality : Guidance for sponsors of consumer reports on health care quality
Talking QualityTalking Quality

Guidance for sponsors of consumer reports on health care quality

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About This Site

What is the purpose of the TalkingQuality Web site?

The TalkingQuality Web site is a comprehensive resource for organizations that are developing reports for consumers about health care quality—whether the reports are publicly available or limited to a specific audience, such as employees or health plan members. The site’s goal is to serve as an educational guide for report sponsors who are relatively new to this task, and a reference for anyone looking for:

  • Information on specific topics related to quality reports
  • Examples of different approaches to reporting quality data to consumers
  • Guidance in planning and implementing a reporting project

What is not included on this site?

This site is the result of a thorough effort to organize and package a large and diverse set of experiences and research findings. It does not however, cover every conceivable issue related to reporting to consumers on health care quality. In particular, the site does not address the following two issues:

  • The development of quality measures. While Select Measures to Report offers some information about quality measures that are appropriate for consumers and available data sources, this Web site does not address the process of developing and testing measures, or the crucial role of information technology in making quality data more readily available
  • Information on treatment choices. For many patients, the choice among several treatment options is one of the most important decisions they will ever have to make. Access to information that clearly and succinctly compares the benefits and risks of those options would have great value to them. While the ability to make sound, well-informed decisions about treatment is a critical component of quality care, this specific topic is not covered on this site.

    To learn more about information to support treatment decisions, visit AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Website: http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov.

Who developed and maintains this site?

The original TalkingQuality Web site was developed in the late 1990’s by the Work Group on Consumer Health Information, which was supported by the Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Both AHRQ and CMS are part of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

In 2007, AHRQ funded a team of researchers to update and expand the site to meet the needs of current report sponsors. This research team, which will maintain the site until 2012, receives input from a national board of individuals experienced in reporting health care quality information to consumers and evaluating these efforts. To learn more, go to About TalkingQuality.

How do I contact TalkingQuality?

E-mail: talkingquality@ahrq.gov
Mail: TalkingQuality, RA-1143, Westat, 1600 Research Blvd., Rockville, MD 20850

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