Examining health care disparities is an integral part of improving health care quality. Health care disparities are the differences or gaps in care experienced by one population compared with another population. As the National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) shows, Americans too often do not receive care that they need or they receive care that causes harm. The National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR) shows that moreover, some Americans receive even worse care than other Americans. The quality of health care is different for different people. Within the scope of health care delivery,...

Examining health care disparities is an integral part of improving health care quality. Health care disparities are the differences or gaps in care experienced by one population compared with another population. As the National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) shows, Americans too often do not receive care that they need or they receive care that causes harm. The National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR) shows that some Americans receive worse care than other Americans. Within the scope of health care delivery, these disparities may be due to differences in access to care, provider...

Health care seeks to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease and to improve the physical and mental well-being of all Americans. Across the lifespan, health care helps people stay healthy, recover from illness, live with chronic disease or disability, and cope with death and dying. Quality health care delivers these services in ways that are safe, timely, patient centered, efficient, and equitable. Unfortunately, Americans too often do not receive care that they need, or they receive care that causes harm. Care can be delivered too late or without full consideration of a patient's preferences...

The U.S. health care system seeks to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease and to improve the physical and mental well-being of all Americans. Across the lifespan, health care helps people stay healthy, recover from illness, live with chronic disease or disability, and cope with death and dying. Quality health care delivers these services in ways that are safe, timely, patient centered, efficient, and equitable. Unfortunately, Americans too often do not receive care that they need, or they receive care that causes harm. Care can be delivered too late or without full consideration of a...

The U.S. health care system is designed to improve the physical and mental well-being of all Americans by preventing, diagnosing, and treating illness and by supporting optimal function. Across the lifespan, health care helps people stay healthy, recover from illness, live with chronic disease or disability, and cope with death and dying. Quality health care delivers these services in ways that are safe, timely, patient centered, efficient, and equitable. Unfortunately, Americans too often do not receive care they need, or they receive care that causes harm. Care can be delivered too late or...

The U.S. health care system is considered by many to be the finest in the world. Americans are living longer, healthier lives, thanks to significant advances in biomedical and health services research. The translation of research findings into clinical practice has raised awareness of the importance of appropriate preventive services-such as timely screenings for cancer, heart disease, and other serious conditions-and the crucial role that sustaining a healthy lifestyle plays in maintaining health and enhancing quality of life. However, our health care system faces many challenges, including...

Americans spend nearly $2 trillion on health care each year. U.S. hospitals, physicians, nurses, and other health care providers offer some of the best care in the world, but far too many people still do not receive the quality of care that they expect, deserve, and purchase. The health care system in the United States is working to improve the quality of care. These changes require that health care providers, policymakers, and consumers get accurate, unbiased information in order to make the best decisions along with tools and practices they can use to improve the Nation's health care...

The U.S. health care system continues to face challenges in improving the safety and quality of health care, ensuring access to care, increasing value for health care, reducing disparities, increasing the use of health information technology, and finding new avenues for translating research into practice. As reflected in the 2007 National Health Care Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report, the rate of quality improvement appears to be slowing. Overall, the quality of health care improved by an average of 1.5 percent per year between the years 2000 and 2005. This represents...

Fiscal year 2009 (FY09) was an exciting year for the American health care system. An infusion of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) and the debate over health reform brought new attention to the opportunities and the challenges the system faces in improving the safety and quality of health care, ensuring access to care, increasing the value of health care, reducing disparities, and increasing the use of health information technology. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) Effective Health Care (EHC) Program has successfully grown into a...

In fiscal year 2010 (FY10), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) was able to increase key investments to help improve the safety and quality of health care, ensure access to care, increase the value of health care, reduce disparities, and increase the use of health information technology. In addition, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act), signed by the President into law on March 23, 2010, brought new and exciting opportunities to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care services. As 1 of 12 agencies within HHS,...