The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), released its two annual studies on health care quality and disparities for 2009; the National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) and the National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR).  Both reports examine effectiveness in health care, patient safety, timeliness, patient-orientation, and efficiency of care.  The NHQR found that the median level of receipt of needed services nationally was 58 percent, and noted that the uninsured are less likely to obtain preventative care or chronic disease management than the insured.  The NHDR found that minorities and the poor are significantly more likely to receive a lower quality of care, and that their access to care is also worse.

National Healthcare Quality Report (PDF | 3.14 MB)

National Healthcare Disparity Report (PDF | 7.89 MB)

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2010). National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports.