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 US National Healthcare Disparities Report , 2004

 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), February 2005

 Website:
http://www.qualitytools.ahrq.gov/disparitiesreport/browse/browse.aspx?id=4481


 Available online as PDF file [152p.] at:
http://www.qualitytools.ahrq.gov/disparitiesreport/documents/nhdr2004.pdf

   61;70;.Rockville, MD--(HISPANIC PR WIRE 51; U.S. Newswire)--February 22,
2005--HHS57; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) today
released its second annual reports on the quality of and disparities in
health care in America. The 2004 National Healthcare Quality Report finds
both evidence of improving quality as well as specific areas in which major
improvements can be made. The 2004 National Healthcare Disparities Report
indicates that there are disparities related to race, ethnicity, and
socioeconomic status in the American health care system.

 The reports measure quality and disparities in four key areas of health
care: effectiveness, patient safety, timeliness and patient centeredness.
They also present data on the quality of and differences in access to
services for clinical conditions, including cancer, diabetes, end-stage
renal disease, heart disease, and respiratory diseases; and for nursing
home and home health care.

 The Quality Report identifies three key themes important to policymakers,
clinicians, health system administrators, community leaders and others who
work in health care services. The report finds that:

 -- Quality is improving in many areas, but change takes time.

-- The gap between the best possible care and actual care remains large.
Quality of care remains highly variable across the country.

-- Further improvement in health care is possible. Best practices have been
identified, and collaborative, focused efforts among key stakeholders have
produced impressive and inspiring gains.

 In comparison to data reported in the 2003 Quality Report, modest
improvement has been noted in many of the report57;s quality measures.
Across the entire set of Quality Report measures, quality has improved by
approximately 3 percent versus data reported in the 2003 report. These
include selected measures used by HHS57; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, and others for
quality reporting on hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies and
other settings. In addition, since the 2003 Quality Report, improvements
have been made in specific measures related to health care delivery.

 The greatest changes were in the following:

 -- A decrease of 37 percent from 2002 to 2003 in the percentage of nursing
home patients who have moderate or severe pain.

-- A decrease of 34 percent from 1994 to 2001 in the hospital admission
rate for uncontrolled diabetes.

-- A decrease of 34 percent from 1996 to 2000 in the percentage of elderly
patients who were given potentially inappropriate medications.

 The 2004 Disparities Report identifies three key themes:

 -- Disparities are pervasive.

-- Improvement is possible.

-- Gaps in information exist, especially for specific conditions and
populations. 70;.61;

 Content:

 NHDR 2004

 Acknowledgments

 Key Themes and Highlights

 1. Introduction and Methods

 2. Quality of Health Care

 3. Access to Health Care

 4. Priority Populations

 Appendixes
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