AHRQ's User Liaison Program (ULP) disseminates health services research findings in easily understandable and usable formats through interactive workshops. Workshops and other support are planned to meet the needs of State, local, and Federal policymakers and other health services research users, such as purchasers and health plans.
Agency Mission / ULP Purpose / User Workshops / Partnership Activities / More Information
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) develops and disseminates research-based information to increase the scientific knowledge needed to enhance consumer and clinical decisionmaking, improve health care quality, and promote efficiency in the organization of public and private systems of health care delivery.
AHRQ's goals are to work with the private sector and other public organizations to:
The User Liaison Program (ULP), established in 1978, contributes to AHRQ's mission by synthesizing and distributing research results to local, State, and Federal health policymakers—"users" of such research.
Small policy-thematic workshops form the core of activities, although skill-building workshops and written products such as research syntheses, technical assistance documents, and Web-based materials may also be produced.
In addition to providing information and tools with which informed health policy decisions can be made, the User Liaison Program serves as a bridge between State and local health policymakers and the health services research community, by bringing back to the Agency the research questions being asked by key policymakers.
Workshops are user-driven and user-designed. They have been highly successful because the User Liaison Program relies upon senior legislators, executive Agency staff, and local officials to identify the key policy issues they are confronting and about which they need information. These key stakeholders also indicate the specific questions that should be addressed during each workshop session.
Presenters' materials are thoroughly reviewed by staff, experts, and stakeholders to ensure that research findings and other information imparted during workshop sessions, such as best practices, are framed so that they can be easily understood and used. Additionally, presenters' materials are reviewed carefully to ensure that information is objective and non-partisan. ULP recognizes the scope and limitations of specific research findings and that the same solution may not be feasible or workable in all cases.
Another key feature of these workshops is the emphasis on information sharing between participants as well as between presenters and participants. Workshops are planned to be highly interactive; time for questions and small groups are built into the day's activities and group meals are arranged. Furthermore, presenters are encouraged to stay and participate in the entire meeting, allowing participants greater time for interaction with these experts.
In addition to offering national workshops, the User Liaison Program is responsive to meeting the needs of individual States. State officials often request workshops for that State's policymakers on issues of special concern to them. In these instances, The User Liaison Program will pay up to 50 percent of the cost of the meeting or $20,000, whichever is less. States are asked to provide the remainder of workshop support costs either in dollars or in-kind services. Funds are set aside each year to assist several States with these seminars.
Policy-thematic workshops and seminars sponsored or supported over the years have covered a wide variety of issues. Summaries of many of these programs are available on the Web site by selecting titles of interest from the list provided on the User Liaison Program page, which also includes ordering information on obtaining audio tapes for some sessions.
The User Liaison Program also co-sponsors workshops and participates in technical assistance activities. For example, it has partnered with non-profit foundations and national organizations such as:
Assessing Roles, Responsibilities, and Activities in a Managed Care Environment: A Workbook for Local Health Officials resulted from a collaborative effort with ASTHO, NACCHO, and the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP).
The User Liaison Program has also developed a Web-based, online learning module, entitled State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP): Implementing Effective Programs and Understanding Their Impacts, which is based on information from two previous workshops that were conducted and addressed SCHIP issues.
For more specific information regarding individual workshops or other User Liaison Program activities, please contact:
User Liaison Program
Office of Health Care Information
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
540 Gaither Road, Suite 3000
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: (301) 427-1350
E-mail: info@ahrq.gov
Current as of May 2000.
Internet Citation:
User Liaison Program: Meeting the Information Needs of State and Local Officials. May 2000. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ulp/ulpover.htm
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