AHRQ Releases 2005 National Healthcare Quality And Disparities Reports

Press Release, January 9, 2006.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2005/nhqrdrpr.htm

These reports, issued annually, measure quality and disparities in four key areas of health care in U.S.: effectiveness, patient safety, timeliness, and patient centeredness.

The 2005 National Healthcare Quality Report finds that overall quality of care for all Americans improved at a rate of 2.8 percent, the same increase shown in last year's report. However, the report notes there has been much more rapid improvement in some measures, especially where there have been focused efforts to improve care.

The 2005 National Healthcare Disparities Report finds that many of the largest disparities in measures of quality and access are observed for low-income people regardless of race or ethnicity, with some signs of improvement.