Text Description:
This flow chart outlines the process for identifying priority areas for quality improvement. It begins with determining a framework, identifying candidates for priority areas, and establishing criteria based on impact, improvability, and inclusiveness. It then suggests categorizing candidate areas within each framework, applying impact and inclusiveness criteria, and developing a preliminary set of potential candidates. Improvability and inclusiveness criteria would then be applied, and priority areas would be reassessed and selected or not based on whether they met impact, inclusiveness, and improvability criteria.
Then, strategies for improvement would be developed, implemented, and measured. The list of priorities would be updated as necessary. Measures would be developed and implemented for priority areas, including important but currently unmeasured areas and areas for which impact and transformation could be measured.
AHRQ, in collaboration with other public and private entities, would continue the process by annually reviewing and reporting on measured results and disseminating information on improvement efforts. Every 3 years, AHRQ would solicit public input; review and revise the framework, criteria, and candidate list; assess current priorities and new candidates against criteria; decide on an updated priority list; establish a process to determine plans for implementation; and revise and continue measures. Public input from multiple sources would be solicited at all stages.