AHRQ’s New Handbook Supports Use of Health IT in Primary Care Practices

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a new handbook for health information technology (IT) advisors, practice facilitators, and other staff that provide health IT support to primary care practices.

Several Grantees in the AHRQ EvidenceNOW: Managing Unhealthy Alcohol Use Initiative  contributed to the development and review of the content in the handbook. The handbook includes tips, examples, use cases, and other practical information and strategies for effectively using health IT to support quality improvement and practice transformation efforts in primary care.

Health IT contributes to the effective delivery of integrated behavioral healthcare. As primary care practices implement behavioral health integration, the handbook can inform and support the collection and use of data for quality improvement activities to refine integrated care workflows and improve health outcomes.

For more information see:

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality - Obtaining and Using Data in Practice Improvement: A Handbook for Health IT Advisors and Practice Facilitators
• Academy for Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care - EvidenceNOW: Managing Unhealthy Alcohol Use
• Academy for Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care - Health IT