Links & Resources
CMS Sites and Related Information
COPD
Pain Management
Professional Associations
Quality Improvement
Texas Department of Aging and Disability
Transitions of Care
Wound Treatment
Other Resources
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Home Health Page
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Demonstration Project Page
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Surveyor OBQM & OBQI Worksheet and Instructions (149kbs PDF)
CMS provides this worksheet as a pre-survey process to assist agencies with OBQM & OBQI Reports.
Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum
This forum addresses the concerns of three unique health care areas within the Medicare & Medicaid programs.
Medicare and Home Health Care (from Elder Care Online)
Describes Medicare's basic home health benefits and provides additional sources of information and help.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)
Advises the US Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program.
American Academy of Family Physicians
Site features a wide range of conditions including COPD.
American Lung Association
The American Lung Association has a wide range of information related to lung disorders. The COPD Center covers four major categories: diagnose, treat, support and prevent.
American Thoracic Society: COPD Guidelines download
COPD guidelines for health professionals as well as materials for patients and their families.
COPD International
Provides information and support to persons with COPD.
Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease
This Web site promotes public awareness and prevention strategies for COPD.
Medline Plus
MedlinePlus brings together authoritative information on various topics including COPD
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
The site provides consumer information including COPD, a COPD Data Fact Sheet (PDF document) and information about the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT).
American Academy of Family Physicians
Site features a wide range of conditions including COPD.
American Geriatrics Society
AGS Clinical Practice Guideline: The Management of Persistent Pain in Older Persons
American Chronic Pain Association
Pain management guidelines.
American Medical Directors Association
Pain management articles, tools, resources and related links.
American Cancer Society
American Chronic Pain Association
American Diabetes Association
American Geriatrics Society
American Heart Association
American Lung Association
American Medical Directors Association
American Medical Association
American Pain Society
Council on Family Health’s site on OTC Medication Safety
Home Health Interactive
Community Health Accreditation Program
HOMECARE Online - The National Association for Home Care & Hospice
This site features a useful section titled Home Care & Hospice in the News that highlights articles from many sources.
Improving Chronic Illness Care
JAMA
JCAHO - Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards.
National Association for Healthcare Quality
National Cancer Institute
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Emphysema Foundation
The mission is to improve the quality of life for patients with emphysema, asthma or related-lung diseases with information and education.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Spanish-language information is also available on site.
National Institute on Aging
National Patient Safety Foundation
National Stroke Association
Nursing Center: Home Healthcare Nurse
This site includes current and back issue article abstracts of Home Healthcare Nurse.
Pain Foundation
Partners Against Pain
The Texas Association for Home Care (TAHC)
This nonprofit association promotes quality and economic viability of licensed providers of home and community support services in Texas.
The Texas Hospital Home Health Association (THHHA)
Addresses the special issues, needs, and concerns affecting a hospital home health program’s ability to provide home health care services in its community.
Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society
A professional society promoting expert health care to individuals with wounds, ostomies and incontinence.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
AHRQ is the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality—the lead Federal agency for research on health care quality, costs, outcomes and patient safety.
AHRQ Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
The Center focuses on research, education and training to improve the quality and safety for patients. The Center operates under the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, an agency under the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
The American Health Quality Association: QIO Locator
Briggs National Quality Improvement/Hospitalization Reduction Study (1MB PDF)
Briggs Corporation initiated a national study to identify best practices for improving hospitalization rates in home care agencies.
Home Care Medications Management Model Project
Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign for Reducing Avoidable Hospitalizations (HHQI)
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
LEAN Enterprise Institute
LEAN methods and tools for quality improvement.
“Microsystems in Healthcare”
A series of six articles published in the Joint Commission Journal of Quality Improvement focusing on quality improvement achieved in different health care settings.
New Health Partnerships: Improving Care by Engaging Patients
QI Basics for Providers
A series of teleconferences on QI processes for providers available on MedQIC.
VA Office of Quality & Performance Clinical Practice Guidelines
Speak Up Program from The Joint Commission
This national campaign urges patients to take a role in preventing health care errors by becoming active, involved and informed participants on the health care team.
STAR - Setting Targets Achieving Results
CMS Quality Improvement target-setting Web site.
DADS Provider Letters
State and Federal Statutes and Rules (DADS)
Sign-up for E-mail Updates from DADS
Scroll to the bottom of the page to sign-up for automatic e-mail updates of new provider information from DADS.
The Care Transitions Program led by Dr. Eric Coleman
National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTCC)
The VALUE Project: Colorado Foundation for Medical Care (CFMC)
Healthcare utilization and transitions of care.
AHRQ National Guideline Clearinghouse
Guidelines for management of wounds in patients with lower-extremity arterial disease.
World Wide Wounds
The premier online resource for dressing materials and practical wound management information.
Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society
A professional society promoting expert health care to individuals with wounds, ostomies and incontinence.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Center for Health Statistics
The Commonwealth Fund
A private foundation working toward a high performance health system.
Evidence Based Practice Guidelines from the University of Iowa
The Guide for Developing a Community-Based Patient Safety Advisory Council
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has developed a new guide for hospital leaders and others who want to learn how to get patients and families to partner with healthcare providers on community-based patient safety advisory councils.
Health Belief Model (University of Twente, Netherlands)
Mayo Clinic: Alzheimer's Disease
General overview information on Alzheimer’s including signs and symptoms, causes, risk factors, complications and treatment.
Medscape Nurses Offers FREE CE Credits for Nurses
By reading these specially designated news articles, you will can earn ANCC contact hours each week.
“Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses”
Released April 2008 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, this comprehensive, 1,400-page handbook covers the proven techniques and interventions nurses can use to enhance patient outcomes.
Project RED: Re-Engineering Discharge
This project re-engineers the workflow process and improves patient safety for patients from a network of Community Health Centers discharged from a general medical service at an urban hospital serving a low-income, ethnically diverse population. The "Re-engineered Hospital Discharge" (Project RED) intervention provides a set of 11 discrete, mutually reinforcing components provided by a Discharge Advocate and re-enforced by a telephone call after discharge by a clinical pharmacist.
Rebuilding Chronic Care: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Self-Management: Motivate Healthy Habits
Stanford Patient Education Research Center
VNAA Chronic Care Clearinghouse