AHRQ guide presents steps for designing primary care interventions

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has published an evaluation guide for designing real-work evaluations of primary care interventions.

“Effective evaluation can help determine the best ways to improve primary care health and cost outcomes as well as patient, clinician and staff experiences,” according to the agency.

The guide, which presents steps for designing a primary care evaluation, can be used by healthcare delivery systems, employers, practice-based research networks, local or regional insurers and others who want to test an intervention in a relatively small number of primary care practices with limited resources.

AHRQ also has developed a number of resources or evaluators of primary care interventions like the patient-centered medical home.