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Previous NHQDR

Welcome to NHQDR, your source for Reports, State Snapshots, and National summaries across quality measures.

National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report

For the 17th year in a row, AHRQ is reporting on healthcare quality and disparities. The annual National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report is mandated by Congress to provide a comprehensive overview of the quality of healthcare received by the general U.S. population and disparities in care experienced by different racial and socioeconomic groups. The report is produced with the help of an Interagency Work Group led by AHRQ.

Introduction

The National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report assesses the performance of our healthcare system and identifies areas of strengths and weaknesses, as well as disparities, for access to healthcare and quality of healthcare. Quality is described in terms of six priorities: patient safety, person-centered care, care coordination, effective treatment, healthy living, and care affordability. The report is based on more than 250 measures of quality and disparities covering a broad array of healthcare services and settings.

Older Report Files

2020: In 2021, the report year was changed to reflect the publication year, rather than the year the report was developed. The report is published annually, as required by law, but due to the time needed for review, clearance, and production, is released a year after development begins (for example, the 2020 report was published in 2021). Because we now use the publication year, there was no report labeled 2020; the sequence has a gap, going from 2019 to 2021.