Descriptions

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the lead governmental agency charged with supporting research designed to improve the outcomes and quality of health care, reduce its costs, address patient safety and medical errors, and broaden access to effective services.The website has extensive resources including access to AHRQ-sponsored research findings, national data and survey information, information for consumers and patients, clinical information, and information on funding opportunities.

Center for Health Services Financing and Managed Care (CHSFMC), Health Research and Services Administration (HRSA)
The Health Research and Services Administration (HRSA) is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that seeks to improve and expand access to quality health care for all Americans by sponsoring initiatives, funding grant programs, and collecting health care information. The Center for Health Services Financing and Managed Care (CHSFMC) provides HRSA grantees with a wide range of technical assistance, training and information around financing and managed care systems to improve service delivery. Online resources include reports, links, and presentations from various workshops and seminars.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (formerly Health Care Financing Administration)
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), formerly the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that administers the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The website includes information regarding these programs and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), consumer information for researchers, analysts, and professionals, and various CMS forms and publications.

InterStudy Publications
InterStudy Publications is a leading researcher and publisher of data, directories and analyses for the HMO industry. In addition to tracking trends in HMO services, enrollment, changes, and profitability, InterStudy is currently working on other insurance related products for the PPO and self-insured industry.

Managed Care Education Connection
The Managed Care Education Connection, sponsored by the Partnerships for Quality Education (PQE), provides resources for health professionals teaching and/or learning about managed care and effective practice. The website includes a wide range of materials such as cases, curricula and courseware, articles, links, and online teaching tools.

Managed Care Magazine
Managed Care Magazine, published by Multimedia USA, offers full texts of articles dating back to 1996. Content includes topics of interest to health care executives and professionals, such as capitation, compensation, disease management, NCQA accreditation & HEDIS, contracting, ethics, practice management, formulary development, and others issues.

The Network, The Center for the Health Professions, University of California, San Francisco
The Network: A Collaboration to Improve Medical Education and Health Care, formerly The California Managed Care Education and Research Network, brings together health care organizations and academic health centers to develop and disseminate knowledge and resources to improve the quality of medical practice through education. The website provides information on programs, access to publications, a list of annotated websites, and other resources.

Office of Health Policy and Clinical Outcomes, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University
The Office of Health Policy and Clinical Outcomes promotes high quality and cost-effective care by conducting research and educating health care providers, policy makers and consumers. The website includes the Health Policy Newsletter, a list of events, and other assorted information.

Partnerships for Quality Education (PQE)
Partnerships for Quality Education (PQE) is focused on improving health care by teaching future primary care clinicians the skills they will need to manage care. PQE seeks to bring about change in primary care education and services through target grant programs and information sharing. The website describes PQE programs, identifies grantees, and offers information and resources.

STAR Utilization Project, School of Medicine, School of Nursing & Kent 2School of Social Work, University of Louisville
The Star Utilization Project is funded by Partnerships for Quality Education (PQE) as a Collaborative Interprofessional Team Education (CITE) Initiative with support from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The STAR Utilization Project trains learners in family medicine, nursing and social work to use a team approach to manage patients who have high resource utilization rates and often present with multiple, chronic health problems that are not efficiently managed by solo practice. The website includes the goals and objectives of the project, a list of links to the partners, and other information.

TalkingQuality.gov, Talking to Consumers about Healthcare Quality
TalkingQuality.gov is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the Office of Personnel Management. The site is an attempt by the Work Group on Consumer Health Care Information to provide an overall "big picture" on quality. The site is geared toward providers and provides strategies on what should be discussed with consumers, how to state information to consumers, and effective ways to distribute information to consumers. In addition, there are a number of tests and evaluations that providers can use to assess and improve their approach.