[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 188 (Friday, September 28, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55214-55216]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-4771]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality


AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS.

ACTION: Notice of Submission of Innovations.

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SUMMARY: To support its objective of accelerating the diffusion and 
adoption of innovative health care delivery changes, the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently launched version 1.0 of 
the AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange (HCIE) Web site, http://www.innovations.ahrq.gov. The HCIE is a new initiative designed to 
support health care professionals in sharing and adopting innovations 
that improve health care quality. Version 1.0 of the Web site is 
focused on stimulating creativity and innovation and will serve as a 
virtual place to which innovators will be encouraged to submit their 
innovations and experiences from which potential adopters can begin 
learning about the nuances of implementation.
    In Spring 2008, AHRQ will deploy version 2.0 of its Health Care 
Innovations Exchange site making hundreds of profiles of health care 
service innovations of varying degrees of novelty and scientific rigor 
accessible to the public. Version 2.0 will also offer expert 
commentary; stories; tools; lessons learned; ``change packages''--sets 
of innovations implemented simultaneously; expanded content on 
implementation; and opportunities to learn and network.
    To build the database of innovations profiles, AHRQ invites 
submissions of

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health service innovations to its Health Care Innovations Exchange. The 
AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange database will cover the broad 
spectrum of health care settings, systems, and providers. Public health 
priority diseases/conditions, priority populations, and efforts to 
reduce disparities in quality will be highlighted.
    The AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange is seeking a broad range 
of novel health care strategies, activities, and tools. AHRQ invites 
participation in its Health Care Innovations Exchange by submitting 
descriptions of innovative efforts to improve the delivery of health 
care services.

DATES: There is no deadline for submission. It is a continuous 
submission and review process.

Special Incentive To Submit

    AHRQ will provide early submitters (those who submit by January 15, 
2008) and opportunity to preview and comment on version 2.0 of the 
Health Care Innovations Exchange Web site via a secure mechanism. In 
this preview, an opportunity will be given to browse and search the 
innovations profiled up to that point.

ADDRESSES: Submit to [email protected].

How To Submit

    To submit a health care innovation for possible posting, send a 
description of the innovation that would include the health care 
setting and patient population it is our could be used for and any 
results that have been documented, to the Health Care Innovations 
Exchange at [email protected]. Please use the words 
``Innovation Submission'' in the subject line. If you prefer, you can 
fax information about your innovation to 301-610-4950. You may also 
mail information to Mary Nix, Agency for Healthcare Research and 
Quality, Center for Outcomes and Evidence, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, 
MD 20850. Detailed information on submitting can be obtained from the 
AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange Web page titled ``Share Your 
Innovations'', http://www.innovations.ahrq.gov/share/share.aspx.
    Supporting documents may be sent with the submission. Once AHRQ has 
reviewed your submission and identified it as a priority item for 
posting, AHRQ will contact the submitter to discuss the details 
regarding what will be included in standardized postings. Copyright or 
other intellectual property issues, if any, will be addressed at that 
time.
    If the innovation is accepted for inclusion, AHRQ will develop a 
detailed profile and send it to the submitter to review for accuracy 
and completeness. The innovation will then be ready for publication in 
Version 2.0 of the Health Care Innovations Exchange scheduled for 
public release in Spring 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Explore: http://www.innovations.ahrq.gov; And/Or Contact: Mary P. Nix, MS, MT(ASCP)SBB, Health 
Scientist Administrator, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 
540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD 20850, phone: 301-427-1624, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Inclusion Criteria

    To be considered for inclusion, health are innovations have to meet 
six criteria with respect to the nature of the activity, the level of 
documentation, and the participation of the innovator. These are 
minimum requirements. The ultimate decision to publish a detailed 
profile of an innovation (an Innovation Profile) will depend on several 
factors, including an evaluation by AHRQ, AHRQ's priorities (see 
below), and the number of similar ideas in the Health Care Innovations 
Exchange. Innovations that do not qualify for an Innovation Profile may 
qualify as Innovation Briefs (short descriptions of intriguing 
activities that either do not meet the minimum requirements or are not 
regarded as high priority) or Innovation Attempts (descriptions of 
projects that did not succeed as planned). Criteria to be considered 
are:

The innovation is a patient care services activity

    The innovation does not have to involve direct patient care or 
direct contact with health care consumers. However, it must have 
important implications for the delivery of patient care--whether 
preventative, emergent, chronic, acute, rehabilitative, long-term, or 
end-of-life. Innovations that are devices, tools, technology, software, 
curricula, policies, procedures, and changes to the physical 
environment will generally be excluded unless they are tied to a 
specific and associated change in the health care delivery process when 
implemented.

The innovation intends to improve one or more domains of health care 
quality

    The innovation must be designed to address one or more specific 
measurable indicators of quality in one or more of the following 
domains: effectiveness, efficiency, equity, patient-centeredness, 
safety, and timeliness. The measurable quality indicators do not have 
to come from an established measure set, but they must be clearly 
defined and relevant to the quality issue the innovation addresses. In 
addition, the innovation must not contradict established standards of 
evidence-based care.

There is reason to believe that the innovation will be effective

    Evidence that the innovation is likely to achieve its goals must be 
provided. Ideally, quantitative or qualitative support for a link 
between the innovation and improved performance on the defined quality 
indicator should be offered. However, if data are unavailable, limited, 
or lacking methodological rigor, the design or theoretical foundation 
of the innovative activity may serve as sufficient support.

The activity is truly innovative in a given context

    For the purposes of the Health Care Innovation Exchange, 
innovations are activities that are generally perceived as new in a 
particular context or setting relative to the usual care processes. In 
addition to brand new ideas, this includes activities adapted from 
other industries to health care, transferred from one health care 
setting or market segment to another, drawn from settings in other 
countries, or applied to a new or different patient population. A 
description of how the innovation differs from what was regarded as 
standard practice in the setting in which it was implemented must be 
supplied.

Information about the innovation is publicly available

    Innovators must be willing to make enough information freely 
available to enable a user of the Health Care Innovations Exchange to 
understand the elements of the innovation and, if desired, adopt the 
innovation. This requirement does not exclude innovations that 
incorporate commercial products or other materials for which there may 
be a fee or licensing requirements. It is not necessary for all 
information about the innovation to be publicly available, but AHRQ 
will need access to information with sufficient detail to produce a 
full profile.

The innovator (or a representative) is willing and able to participate 
in the Health Care Innovations Exchange

    A knowledgeable contact person must be available as a resource for 
potential adopters of the innovation for at least one year. To minimize 
the burden on innovators, the Health Care Innovations

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Exchange staff will facilitate communication among users and developers 
of innovations. However, the participation of the innovator is 
essential to the ability of the Health Care Innovations Exchange to 
foster and promote the diffusion of innovations through social 
learning, a central goal of this program. The level of participation 
can vary according to innovator interest and schedules. Innovators will 
be expected to respond to occasional inquiries and to join a Health 
Care Innovations Exchange community of practice related to the 
innovator's particular innovation, so that ideas can be shared in an 
organized instructional fashion or setting.

AHRQ's Priorities

     Specific populations. AHRQ is interested in identifying 
innovations that will help to reduce disparities in health care and 
health status. Populations of interest to AHRQ are low-income groups, 
minority groups, women, children, the elderly, and individuals with 
special health care needs.
     Potential for high impact. The Health Care Innovations 
Exchange will give publication or dissemination priority to innovations 
that are likely to have a significant effect on the overall value of 
health care. Impact may be defined in different ways, e.g., the 
innovation may affect a broad population, address a critical health 
issue, or demonstrate large cost savings.
     Innovator interest in participating. All else being equal, 
AHRQ will give priority to innovators who express a strong interest in 
becoming involved in other activities of the Health Care Innovations 
Exchange, such as participating in learning networks and providing 
commentaries.
     AHRQ-funded innovations. The Health Care Innovations 
Exchange will aim to include effective innovations that are or were 
funded by the Agency.

    Dated: September 18, 2007.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 07-4771 Filed 9-27-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M