AHRQ’s 2016 Snapshots Site Offers Analyses of Healthcare Quality Variations in Every State

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed a new online tool that provides detailed state-by-state analyses of the variations in healthcare quality revealed earlier this year in AHRQ’s 2016 National Quality and Disparities Report.  Data used in producing the annual disparities report, including more than 250 quality measures  as well as information about access to healthcare services, inspired the compilation of the 2016 State Snapshots.

The 2016 State Snapshots website offers healthcare leaders and policy makers in every state a closer look at exactly how their state is performing in comparison to healthcare communities in other states and against national benchmarks. The site presents the data via state-specific dashboards that use easy-to-understand charts and graphics.

One of the most beneficial components of the site is its insight into the measures for which each state’s performance is the strongest and weakest. For example, according to their data, Arkansas  scores high in the number of adults who report that a home health provider talked with them about prescription and over-the-counter medications they were using as soon as they began receiving home health care. However, the data shows an opportunity for improvement in Arkansas in the area of hospital admissions for uncontrolled diabetes without complications. Additional helpful components of the site are links to relevant case studies and articles concerning innovations being developed in each state.

To learn more about AHRQ’s 2016 State Snapshots, click here.