Links
For members of the National Business Group on Health: If you would like to access member tools on evidence-based health benefit design or communications, please visit www.businessgrouphealth.org.
Resources for Employers
Cost and Resource Use Information
Consumer Beliefs and Use of Information about Health Care Cost, Resource Use, and Value
Findings from eight focus groups to understand when consumers find cost and resource use information useful for decision making and how they think about health care value. From the American Institutes for Research.
The Case for Public Reporting of Cost and Resource Use Information
Examples of how three different stakeholder audiences—payers, providers, and consumers—can benefit from public reporting of cost and resource use information. From the American Institutes for Research.
Public Reporting of Cost and Resource Use Measures to Consumers
A primer to help employers and other organizations understand challenges and opportunities related to public reporting cost and resource use information. From the American Institutes for Research.
11 Ways to Bolster Efforts to Engage Consumers
Tips to help organizations engage consumers in using information on costs and resource use when making health care decisions. From the American Institutes for Research.
Other
Aligning Forces for Quality (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)
Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s signature effort to lift the overall quality of health care in targeted communities, as well as reduce racial and ethnic disparities and provide real models for national reform. The Foundation’s commitment to improve health care in 16 AF4Q communities is the largest effort of its kind ever undertaken by a U.S. philanthropy. AF4Q asks the people who get care, give care and pay for care to work together to improve the quality and value of care delivered locally.
Improving Employee Health & Productivity: Setting Workforce Health in Motion (Kaiser Permanente)
Provides an overview of key issues affecting workplace health as well as strategies to improve workforce health including implementing a multi-year wellness strategy that builds a culture of health.
Information about health and health care for consumers
Helping consumers evaluate information
A User’s Guide to Finding and Evaluating Health Information on the Web
Information to help people evaluate the reliability of websites. Includes a librarians’ “top ten” list of health information websites for consumers. From the Medical Library Association.
Health News Review
Reviews of health news stories to help consumers learn how to scrutinize the evidence in claims made about new treatments, tests, products, and procedures. Funded by the nonprofit Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making.
Information about surgery
American College of Surgeons Website
Information on topics such as choosing a surgeon, getting a second opinion, questions to ask when you are having surgery, and information about surgical procedures.
Having Surgery? What You Need to Know
A guide for people who are having non-emergency surgery to help them be better informed about issues they should consider and questions they should ask before surgery. From the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Information about prescription medicines and medication safety
Being MedWise Helps Us Use Medications Safely
Tips on how to prevent medication mistakes. From the National Council on Patient Information and Education.
Educate Before You Medicate
Tips on how to prevent medication mistakes. From the National Council on Patient Information and Education.
Your Medicine: Play it Safe
Answers to questions about getting and taking medicines and forms to help people keep track of their medicines. From the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Be Smart about Prescription Drug Advertising: A Guide for Consumers
Information to help consumers evaluate prescription drug advertising. From the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs
Information to help consumers talk to their doctors about prescription drugs and find the most effective and safe drugs that make the best use of health care resources. From Consumers Union, an organization that advocates for patient safety, health care quality and effectiveness, and affordable health coverage.
Searchable sources of health information and advice
AARP
Information about medical conditions, tests, treatments, and prescription medications.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Information and practical advice about health care.
Consumer Reports Health
Research and recommendations about health care and healthy living. Free access to information and news about health conditions, drugs, drug prices, and drug safety. From Consumers Union, an organization that advocates for patient safety, health care quality and effectiveness, and affordable health coverage.
Health Finder
On-line health library of treatments for hundreds of different health conditions. From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Mayo Clinic
User-friendly information on diseases and health conditions, symptoms, drugs, and treatments. Also includes a planner for healthy living.
Medline Plus
Comprehensive source of up-to-date information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in easy to understand language. From the National Library of Medicine.
Effective Health Care Program
Helping you make better treatment choices. Summaries for consumers, clinicians, and policymakers of the benefits and harms of treatments for selected health conditions. These summaries are based on systematic reviews of medical research. From the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
National Institute on Aging
Information on health care issues common to older adults. Also discusses health problems that can start at an earlier age.
Resources to download on asking questions, safe health care, staying healthy, and coping with diagnoses
Questions Are the Answer
Tips on how and why to ask questions of your doctor or other health care provider. Includes a customizable checklist of questions to ask in different situations. From the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Speak Up Initiative
A series of patient safety brochures. Topics include how to prevent mistakes in surgery, medical tests, and medications. From the Joint Commission, a not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.
Five Steps to Safer Health Care: Patient Fact Sheet
Fact sheet that explains what people can do to get safer health care. Developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association. From the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Stay Healthy at Any Age, Your Checklist for Health
Evidence-based guidelines for screening tests, preventive medicine, and healthy lifestyle behaviors. From the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (see Prevention Materials under consumers/patients).
Next Steps After Diagnosis: Finding Information and Support
General advice as well as tips and resources to help people learn more about a specific health problem or condition. From the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Taking Time: Support for People with Cancer
A booklet for people with cancer and their families on their feelings and concerns about the condition. From the National Cancer Institute.
Information to help consumers compare health care quality
Guides from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Guide to Health Care Quality: How to Know It When You See It
Information and resources to help people get quality health care.
Your Guide to Choosing Quality Health Care
A guide designed to help people make health care decisions using information about quality, based on research about the information people want and need when choosing health plans, doctors, treatments, hospitals, and long-term care.
Government websites that compare quality of health care providers and organizations
Information that helps consumers compare the quality of providers within a state, county, city, or zip code.
For hospital care: www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov
For nursing home care: www.medicare.gov/NHCompare
For home health care: www.medicare.gov/HHCompare
For kidney dialysis facilities: www.medicare.gov/dialysis
National Committee for Quality Assurance’s Report Cards
Information that people can use to compare health plans in their area. From the National Committee for Quality Assurance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality.
Rating Hospital Quality in California
Ratings of clinical care, patient safety, and patient experience for over 240 hospitals in California. From a partnership between three independent organizations: The California HealthCare Foundation, the University of California at San Francisco Institute for Health Policy Studies, and the California Hospitals Assessment and Reporting Taskforce (CHART) project.
Talking Quality’s Report Card Compendium
Searchable list of over 200 health care quality reports for consumers. The Web and print reports included in the Compendium cover the quality of health plans, hospitals, medical groups, individual physicians, nursing homes, and other providers of care. From the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Informed Patient Institute (IPI)
Ratings of the usefulness of online health care report cards—starting with nursing homes and physicians. From the Informed Patient Institute, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to providing credible online information about health care quality and safety.
Doctor Finder
Information about licensed doctors in the United States. From the American Medical Association.
DocFinder
Information from state government licensing boards on the licensing background and disciplinary information of doctors and other health care providers. From the Administrators in Medicine.
Information about evidence-based medicine and medical research
Cochrane Library
Easy-to-understand summaries of systematic reviews of health care interventions. From the Cochrane Center, an international not-for-profit organization that reviews medical research studies about health care treatments.
Employee Benefit Research Institute
The Institute’s 2003 Policy Forum Proceedings and Issue Brief #260 on Designing Benefits with Evidence in Mind provide background on evidence-based health care decision-making and benefits design. From the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a member-based not-for-profit organization that provides information about employee benefits.
National Working Group on Evidence-Based Health Care
A multi-stakeholder organization that promotes evidence-based policies that improve the quality of health care services in the United States. The Working Group includes consumers, caregivers, practitioners, and researchers.
Putting Evidence Into Practice from Health Affairs
Articles in this issue review the context of evidence-based decision making, challenges of clinical and policy decisions, and opportunities for practitioners and policymakers to implement evidence-based decisions. Sponsored by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Glossary of Health Care Terms
Defines terms related to evidence-based health care, such as adverse effect or diagnostic test. From the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Resources for organizations working with the Toolkit
Health literacy and plain language
Quick Guide to Health Literacy
Basic overview of key health literacy concepts, techniques for improving health literacy, and examples of health literacy best practices. From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
National Library of Medicine: Health Literacy
Overview of health literacy as well as links to other resources. From MedlinePlus, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Harvard School of Public Health – Health Literacy
Health literacy materials developed for medical and public health professionals interested in learning about adult literacy in the U.S.
Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit
Step-by-step guidance and tools for assessing materials and making changes to connect with consumers of all literacy levels. From the NC Program on Health Literacy.
PlainLanguage.gov
Information on the history and definition of plain language, resources and tools to help with writing plain language, and the federal plain language guidelines. From the Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN), a group of federal employees from different agencies and specialties.
Health Literacy Consulting
Helps organizations communicate health information in ways that patients, families, and employees can understand. Offers a free monthly newsletter, and health literacy tips, articles, and books.
Examples of quality improvement and other projects
QualityTools
Compilation of practical tools for assessing, measuring, promoting, and improving the quality of health care. Provides access to resources that organizations can use to improve care delivery, inform decision-making, and educate people about their health care. From the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) Aligning Forces for Quality
Information about RWJF’s signature effort to lift the overall quality of health care in targeted communities, reduce racial and ethnic disparities and provide models for national reform. Learn more about what other organizations may be doing in your area.