• Produce an annual report on at least 18 science advances covering the three research goal areas (outcomes; quality; cost, access, and use).

• For each finding, specific steps in translation and dissemination are identified and initiated.

• Generate 2-3 synthesis reports on research findings and practical applications on Agency priority topics.

• At least four major findings in each area that have potential to save significant amounts of money, improve quality, save lives or prevent physical suffering, or change the organization and delivery of health care.

• For each finding, specific steps in translation and dissemination are identified and initiated.

01:
Funding of a minimum of 60 projects in the following areas:

• 40 projects in reducing medical errors and enhancing patient safety
• 10 projects in informatics applications in health care
• 10 projects in quality improvement through improvements in health care working conditions

 
Completed.

 
B:31-35
B:33
B:36-37

• Funding of a minimum of 10 projects that address gaps in knowledge about the priority problems faced by Medicare and Medicaid.

• Funding of a minimum of 10 projects to address eliminating disparities in health care with particular emphasis on disparities that exist for racial and ethnic minorities.

• consumers use of information on quality
• strengthen value-based purchasing
• measure national health care quality
• vulnerable populations
• translating research into practice

• Outcomes for the elderly and chronically ill
• Clinical preventive services
• CERTS
• Improving the quality of children's health

• Number of state and local governments trained and/or receiving technical assistance through User Liaison Program (ULP).

• At least 20 partnerships to disseminate and implement research findings are formed with public and private-sector organizations.

• Synthesis of at least 5 grant portfolio areas on quality of care across Agency goals for persons with chronic care needs produced and disseminated with particular focus on outreach to managed care executives.

• At least 5 public-private partnerships are formed to implement research findings for decisionmakers.

• Formation of a minimum of 10 partnerships to support dissemination of AHRQ products through intermediary organizations, such as health plans and professional organizations.

• Number of hits on the Web site.

• Number of inquiries handled on Web site.

• Number of uploaded documents.

• Number of State and local governments trained in the understanding and use of health services research findings through ULP Workshops.

• Produce evidence summaries for use in Federal direct care provider's efforts to create guidelines.

• Evidence-based practice centers (EPCs) will produce a minimum of 18 evidence reports and technology assessments that can serve as the basis for interventions to enhance health outcomes and quality by improving practice.

• Fund at least 10 projects in tool and data development.

• Produce evidence summaries for use in Federal direct care provider's efforts to create guidelines.

• EPCs will produce a minimum of 12 evidence reports and technology assessments that can serve as the basis for interventions to enhance health outcomes and quality by improving practice.

• Support a minimum of 165 pre- and post-doctoral trainees.

• Support up to 3 Minority Research Infrastructure Support Program IM-RISP) grants in order to develop the health services research capabilities of traditionally minority-serving institutions.

• Support up to 6 Building Research Infrastructure and Capacity (BRIC) two-year planning grants in EPSCOR states and states which historically have received little or no research support from AHRQ.

• Fund at least 10 projects in tool development.

• Number of hits on the Web site

• Number of inquiries handled on Website.

• Number of Uploaded documents

• Reports from user surveys on how the information requested was used.

• Number of State and local governments trained in the understanding and use of health services research findings through User Liaison Program (ULP) Workshops.

          + Meetings held

          + Number of attendees

          + States represented

• Reports from annual participants on how the information was used in decisionmaking.

• Statistics on usage of National Guideline Clearinghouse including number of hits, requests, organizations, and total users.

• Survey of a sample of NGC users to understand the impact of use on decisions and patient care.

• At least 10 purchasers/businesses use AHRQ findings to make decisions.

• Number of hits on the Web site

• Number of inquiries handled on Web site.

• Number of Uploaded documents

• Number of State and local governments trained in the understanding and use of health services research findings through User Liaison Program (ULP) Workshops

          + Meetings held

          + Number of attendees

          + States represented

• Statistics on usage of National Guideline Clearinghouse including number of hits, requests, organizations, and total users.

• At least 5 purchasers/businesses use AHRQ findings to make decisions.

Objective 3.3 (This becomes objective 3.2 in FY 01. Objective 3.3 is discontinued in FY 01.)

99-00 Objective 3.3: Develop and facilitate the use of new tools, talent, products, and implementation methodologies stemming from research portfolio.

• Demonstration of use of at least 3 AHRQ research findings in systematic efforts to Translate Research Into Practice.

• Funding of a minimum of 5 major projects that will develop products, tools, or methodologies for implementing research findings into practice in significant segments of the health care system (i.e., potential to be generalizable across health care systems, provider-types, or clinical areas.)

• At least 2 new tools, products, or methodologies become available from projects funded between FY 1993 and FY 1996.

• Support a five percent increase, at a minimum, in number of pre- and post-doctoral trainees.

• Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs) produce a minimum of 12 evidence reports and technology assessments that can serve as the basis for interventions to enhance health outcomes and quality by improving practice (i.e., practice guidelines, quality measures, and other quality improvement tools). At least four reports are being used by customers to develop practice guidelines or other interventions.

• The AHRQ software product, CONQUEST 2.0 released in FY 1999 containing new measures, including measures for new conditions, and updated measures. Contract awarded to create Web-based product for more timely updating of information contained within product.

• Funding of a minimum of 5 major projects that will develop products, tools, or methodologies for implementing research findings into practice in significant segments of the health care system (i.e., potential to be generalizable across health care systems, provider-types, or clinical areas.)

• At least two new tools, products, or methodologies become available from projects funded between FY 1993 and FY 1996

• Support a minimum of 150 pre- and post-doctoral trainees.

01-02 Objective 4.1: Evaluate the impact of AHRQ sponsored products in advancing methods to measure and improve health care.

NOTE: 99-00 Objectives 4.1 and 4.2 have been consolidated in the FY 01 plan.

• Evaluate the impact of the CERTS program in disseminating information regarding therapeutics to at least 3 health care providers or others in order to improve practice.

• Evaluation to determine whether AHRQ funded studies in methodological development have been effective in developing at least 3 new research techniques, whether the techniques are being implemented, and how these studies could be improved.

• Evaluation of the outcomes of the pharmaceutical studies the Agency has funded to assess impact.

• Interim assessment of the impact of the management system for tracking project profiles.

• Qualitative review by experts of results of one major research initiative to assess quality and productivity and potential impact.

• Evaluate private sector use of at least 5 AHRQ findings.

• Identify at least 5 private sector uses of AHRQ findings, and describe any assessment of the impact on clinical practice and/or patient care.

Evidence-based Practice Centers

• Use of evidence reports and technology assessments to create quality improvement tools in at least 10 organizations.

• For at least four evidence reports or technology assessments per year, work with partners to measure how the reports or assessments were used and what impact they had on clinical decision making and patient care.

• Findings from at least 3 evidence reports or technology assessments will effect State or Federal health policy decisions.

• Use of evidence reports or technology assessments and access to NGC site formed organizational decision making in at least 4 cases and resulted in changes in health care processes, quality, or health outcomes.

01: Evidence-based Practice Centers

• Use of evidence reports and technology assessments to create quality improvement tools in at least 10 organizations.

• For at least four evidence reports or technology assessments per year, work with partners to measure how the reports or assessments were used and what impact they had on clinical decision making and patient care.

Research

• At least 3 examples of how research informed changes in policies or practices in other federal agencies.

• Findings from at least 3 evidence reports or technology assessments will effect State or Federal health policy decisions.

• Use of evidence reports or technology assessments and access to NGC site informed organizational decisionmaking in at least 4 cases and resulted in changes in health care procedures or health outcomes.

Quality Measures

• Achievable Benchmarks of Care are used for quality improvement activities by Peer Review Organizations

• Use of dental performance measures by dental service and insurance organizations.

• HCUP quality indicators incorporated into efforts by hospital associations and hospitals to improve the quality of care.

National Guideline Clearinghouse

• At least 10 users of the National Guideline Clearinghouse will use site to inform clinical care decisions

• Guideline development or quality improvement efforts by users will be facilitated through use of NGC in at least 5 cases.

• NGC information will be used to inform health policy decisions in at least 2 cases.

• Improvements in clinical care will result from utilization of NGC information in at least 3 cases.

Training Programs

• Two thirds of former pre- and postdoctoral institutional award trainees are active in the conduct or administration of health services research.

00 Objective 4.1 (& 4.2): Evaluate the impact of AHRQ sponsored products in advancing methods to measure and improve health care.

* Objectives 4.1 and 4.2 were inadvertently the same. They have been consolidated to simplify the reporting.

• AHRQ Quality Indicators (QIs) will be redesigned based on consultations with state policy makers, researchers, hospital associations, and others about their past use of the QIs. By the end of March 2001, a new set of quality indicators will be defined and feedback obtained from a new set of AHRQ QI users. In addition, AHRQ will provide access to recent national-level QI information via both the Internet and through published reports, with special focus on disseminating information to hospital users and organizations with responsibility for hospital quality reporting.

AHRQ QIs defined

National-level QI information posted to Internet Sept 2000

• Use of evidence reports and technology assessments to create quality improvement tools in at least 10 organizations.

• For at least four evidence reports or technology assessments per year, work with partners to measure how the reports or assessments were used and what impact they had on clinical decision making and patient care.

• At least three examples of how research informed changes in policies or practices in other Federal agencies.

• AHRQ will report on the extent to which CONQUEST assists those who are charged with carrying out quality measurement and improvement activities and the extent to which it helps further state-of-the-art in clinical performance measurement.

• CAHPS® has assisted the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) in informing Medicare beneficiaries about their health care choices. The use and impact of this information is determined by surveying a sample of these beneficiaries.

• At least one quality measure from Q-span (or instances where AHRQ research contributes to the development of measures) are used in the Health Plan Employer Data Information Set (HEDIS) by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), measurement activities of the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), or other organizations monitoring health care quality.