On Monday, April 14th, AHRQ unveiled information and case studies on its Innovations Exchange website. 

The innovation profiles have a snapshot summary, dates of implementation, a description of the patient population, “what they did” (problem addressed), a description of the innovative activity, reference information, contact information for the innovator, and a “did it work?” section.  The profile offers a “how they did it” section if it was successful, and then offers considerations for how to adopt and sustain the innovation in your own organization.  You can read and post comments, which are reviewed by a moderator, without having to register.

The first issue has 100 innovations, including these featured few:

• Administrative Overhaul Improves Access to Substance Abuse Services for Iowa Patients
  Using tools and resources developed by the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx), the Iowa Department of Public Health and local providers conducted an administrative overhaul of substance abuse services to improve access to care for patients in Iowa.
• Daily Intensive Care Unit Team Communication Enhances Provider Understanding of Care Goals, Reduces Length of StayDaily intensive care unit (ICU) team communication involves interdisciplinary ICU staff and patients in setting daily goals and communicating regularly to ensure progress towards those goals.
• E-mail Enhances Communication With and Access to Pediatrician for Patients and Families
  A pediatric subspecialist offered the families of his patients the opportunity to contact him via e-mail.
• Faxed Physician Reminders Fail to Improve Antidepressant Adherence
  Automatically generated fax alerts did not succeed in improving patients' adherence to their antidepressant treatment plans.
• House Calls to Frail Elders Reduce Costs, Hospital Use, and Nursing Home Placements
  An interdisciplinary team of geriatricians, nurse practitioners, and social workers provide primary health care through house calls to homebound, frail elders. The goal is to preserve health and help elders remain in their homes with dignity as long as possible.
• Nursing Home Learning Collaborative Improves Quality of Care, Reduces Staff Turnover
  In this approach to improving nursing home care, known as the "Wellspring Model," nursing homes come together in a learning collaborative to exchange performance data and conduct group training for both staff and leadership on quality improvement processes. The goals of the program are to enhance the quality of resident care and improve the working life of nursing home staff.

The site allows you to browse innovations by patient population, stage of care, setting of care, patient care process, IOM domains of quality, organizational process, and disease or clinical category.