The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), has created three new
audio podcasts to support public and private-sector performance reporting initiatives.
Housed on AHRQ’s “Talking Quality” website, the podcasts address: (1) how report
card developers can use social media to attract user audiences; (2) how to develop
a brand identity for a performance reporting initiative; and (3) how a newly-created
Institute is going about rating the quality of various report card efforts around the U.S.
The first podcast interviews social media experts from the Massachusetts Health
Quality Partners, while the second includes an interview with an official from the Greater
Detroit Area Health Council. The third podcast includes an interview with performance
reporting expert Carol Cronin, founder of the Informed Patient Institute (IPI), which offers
letter grades on report cards in use around the nation, based on standardized criteria
addressing such issues as usability, interactivity and comprehensiveness. The IPI site
is located at www.informedpatientinstitute.org. (The nursing home performance report
card that IPRO created and manages for the New York State Department of Health at
http://nursinghomes.nyhealth.gov received a letter grade of “A” from IPI) To access the
recordings, go to http://talkingquality.ahrq.gov.