Your Guide to Choosing Quality Health Care

   Contents
                                      
   Health Care Quality Varies a Lot
   Before You Begin
   A Quick Look at Quality
   Choosing a Health Plan
   Choosing a Doctor
   Choosing Treatments
   Choosing a Hospital
   Choosing Long-Term Care
   Health Information on the Internet
   Quick Checks for Quality
                                      
                                      
                                      
   This guide was developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research
   and Quality (AHRQ), in cooperation with other agencies of the U.S.
   Department of Health and Human Services, and other public- and
   private-sector health organizations. AHRQ was formerly the Agency
   for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR)
   
   AHRQ is the lead Federal Agency charged with sponsoring and
   conducting research on the quality and outcomes of health care
   services, as well as the cost, use, and access to those services.
   
   For more information on AHRQ-sponsored research and products, call
   1-800-358-9295, or visit AHRQ's site on the World Wide Web,
   http://www.ahrq.gov.
   
   For reliable consumer health and human services information and
   resources, visit the healthfinder® gateway Web site, developed by
   the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, at
   http://www.healthfinder.gov.

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