The federal government’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed a free resource to help health care providers learn more about the evidence supporting eight quality improvement strategies. “Closing the Quality Gap: Revisiting the State of the Science” (CQG Series) is a new series of eight evidence reports that focus on various aspects of health care quality. This series not only expands the topic terrain beyond that covered in the initial 2004-2007 collection of reports, but also marshals the knowledge of eight Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs), with the goal of applying and advancing the state of the science for improving the health care system for the benefit of all patients. AHRQ’s evidence reports offer an unbiased analysis of available research on specific health care topics. The individual reports are:

• “Bundled Payment: Effects on Health Care Spending and Quality” 12-E007-1
• “The Patient-Centered Medical Home” 12-E008-1
• “Quality Improvement Interventions to Address Health Disparities” 12-E009-1
• “Medication Adherence Interventions: Comparative Effectiveness” 12-E010-1
• “Public Reporting as a Quality Improvement Strategy” 12-E011-1
• “Prevention of Healthcare–Associated Infections” 12(13)-E012-1
• “Quality Improvement Measurement of Outcomes for People With Disabilities” 12(13)-E013-1
• “Improving Health Care and Palliative Care for Advanced and Serious Illness” 12(13)-E014-1

To order the set, request publication OM 13-0014 from the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at 1-800-358-9295 or ahrqpubs@ahrq.gov.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has a deep interest in the publishing models used by scientific journals, from the viewpoints of practical and efficient use of titles that are indexed for MEDLINE, and the clear and accurate preservation of the scientific literature for use by future generations. NLM has been a partner in the development of a Recommended Practice that will provide guidance on the presentation and identification of electronic journals, an undertaking of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO). The recommendations will ensure long-term online accessibility to scholarly journals even after title and publisher changes.

On March 27, 2013, NISO announced the publication of a new Recommended Practice: PIE-J: Presentation & Identification of E-Journals (NISO RP-16-2013). This Recommended Practice was developed to provide guidance on the presentation of e-journals, particularly in the areas of title presentation, accurate use of ISSN, and citation practices, to publishers and platform providers, as well as to solve some long-standing concerns of serials, collections, and electronic resources librarians. In addition to the recommendations, the document includes extensive examples of good practices, using screenshots from various publishers’ online journals platforms; a discussion of helpful resources for obtaining title history and ISSN information; an overview of the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) and key points for using it correctly; an explanation of the Digital Object Identifier (DOI®), the registration agency CrossRef, and tips on using DOIs for journal title management; and a review of related standards and recommended practices. The PIE-J Recommended Practice and a brochure summarizing the recommendations are available from the NISO PIE-J workroom Web site.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Value Set Authority Center (VSAC), in collaboration with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has published the annual update for the 2014 Eligible Hospital Clinical Quality Measure (CQM) Value Sets. The update includes revised value sets to address deleted and remapped codes in the latest terminology versions, as well as new codes for addressing CQM logic corrections and clarifications. The NLM update of the VSAC coincides with the CMS posting of the official updated 2014 Eligible Hospital CQMs.

The value sets provide lists of the numerical values and individual names from standard vocabularies used to define the clinical concepts (e.g. diabetes, clinical visit) used in the CQMs. The content of the VSAC will gradually expand to incorporate value sets for other use cases, as well as for new measures and updates to existing measures. The VSAC offers a Downloadable Resource Table (DRT), accessible from the “Download” tab on the VSAC Web page, that provides prepackaged downloads for the most recently updated and released 2014 CQM Value Sets, as well as to previously released versions. Access to the Value Set Authority Center requires a free Unified Medical Language System® Metathesaurus License. NLM also provides the Data Element Catalog that identifies data element names (value set names) required for capture in Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology, certified under the 2014 Edition of the ONC Standards and Certification Criteria.

The following resources are available to help health care providers and vendors navigate the 2014 CQMs:

• NLM: Value Set Authority Center (VSAC) Provides downloadable access to all official versions of vocabulary value sets contained in the 2014 Clinical Quality Measures.
• AHRQ: United States Healthcare Knowledge Database (USHIK) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s website with 2014 eCQMs and other health information technology resources. This site provides a number of formats for viewing, downloading, and comparing versions of eCQMs and their value sets.
• CMS: Clinical Quality eMeasure Logic and Implementation Guidance v1.3 Guidance for understanding and using the electronically specified Eligible Professional (EP) and Eligible Hospital (EH) Clinical Quality Measures.
• ONC: Clinical Quality Measure Feedback System ONC encourages the EHR technology developer and user communities to provide feedback regarding the implementation, structure, intent, and data elements pertaining to CQMs.
• Questions? Contact NLM Value Set Authority Center Help.

A new database developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with support from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), can help software developers create better Electronic Health Records (EHRs) for the care of children. The children’s EHR format establishes a blueprint for EHRs to better meet the needs of health care providers and pediatric patients by combining best practices in clinical care, information technology, and insights from experts in children’s health. Since few EHRs have been created with children’s needs in mind, gaps in functionality, data elements, and other areas tend to occur. The format guides EHR developers in understanding the requirements for functionality, data standards, usability and interoperability of an EHR system to more optimally support the provision of health care to children, especially those enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The format is readily accessible and adoptable by EHR developers for use during product development or enhancement.

The children’s EHR format was authorized by the 2009 Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA). The format includes a minimum set of data elements and applicable data standards that can be used as a blueprint for EHR developers seeking to create a product that can capture the types of health care components most relevant for children. Child-specific data elements and functionality recommendations are sorted into topic areas that include prenatal and newborn screening tests, immunizations, growth data, information for children with special health care needs and child abuse reporting. The EHR format provides guidance on structures that permit interoperable exchange of data, including data collected in school-based, primary, and inpatient care settings. The format is compatible with other EHR standards and facilitates quality measurement and improvement through the collection of clinical quality data.

In addition to providing guidance to developers, the format can provide guidance for EHR system purchasers and policy makers. For example, policy makers and purchasers can use the requirements when assessing functionality of EHRs. More information about the children’s EHR format is available on the AHRQ website.

The HHS Office on Women’s Health (OWH) launched its new new heart attack awareness campaign targeting Spanish-speaking women age 50 and over: “Haga La Llamada, ¡No Pierda Tiempo!” The new Spanish-language campaign aims to educate and empower Spanish-speaking women to call 911 when they experience any of the seven symptoms of a heart attack, and to do the same for their mothers, sisters, and friends. “Haga La Llamada, ¡No Pierda Tiempo!” builds on OWH’s successful “Make the Call, Don’t Miss a Beat” campaign, that began in 2011.

This February, American Heart Month, OWH urges women to make the call to 911 immediately if they experience any one or more of the following seven symptoms:

• Chest pain, discomfort, pressure or squeezing
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Light-headedness or sudden dizziness
• Unusual upper body pain or discomfort in one or both arms, back, shoulder, neck, jaw, or upper part of the stomach
• Unusual fatigue
• Cold sweats

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) has just announced release of the Disaster Response Template Toolkit, a new installment in the Disaster Behavioral Health Information Series. It contains a comprehensive collection of online resources and materials, as well as editable templates that can be easily tailored to meet the needs of any disaster response program.

The Printed Materials section contains customizable public education materials for use by disaster behavioral health response programs to provide outreach, psycho-education, and recovery news for disaster survivors. These materials, geared toward the general public, provide information about common disaster reactions and ways to cope. The Messaging through Other Media section contains tips for writing television, radio, and newspaper public service announcements (PSAs), as well as samples of print and radio PSAs. There are also links and examples of disaster response program websites, social networking pages, and blogs.

Within each section of this toolkit, “do it yourself” templates are provided in various formats, with space provided for each program to incorporate its own logo or contact information. You will find templates for the following products:

• Brochures for adults, older adults, or children, about common disaster responses and ways of coping;
• Door hangers with common signs of disaster stress, ways to reduce stress, and common reactions to trigger events, such as the holidays;
• Editable tip sheets with information on managing stress, coping with disaster anniversaries, and helping children cope with the disaster;
• Newsletters, wallet cards, and postcards, with broad messaging and room to add your program’s contact information.

It is hoped that the Disaster Response Template Toolkit will be a helpful resource for the disaster response programs in your institution!

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Electronic Data Methods (EDM) Forum have announced the official launch of eGEMs (Generating Evidence and Methods to improve patient outcomes). eGEMs is a new peer-reviewed, open access journal designed to curate a knowledge base of emerging lessons learned, focusing on using electronic clinical data to advance research and quality improvement, with the overall goal of improving patient and community outcomes. Authors are welcome to submit papers, images, or other media focused on the four themes of data methods, informatics, governance, and the learning health system. Submissions are published upon acceptance.

NIH’s Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) launches The Connector, a new blog featuring OBSSR Director Dr. Robert M. Kaplan’s commentary, Director Connection.

Through The Connector, NIH OBSSR will maintain an active commitment to delivering fresh and frequent coverage of important public health issues and the research being conducted to address them. Dr. Kaplan’s blog will explore a broad range of topics such as mHealth, systems science, dissemination and implementation research and the NIH Toolbox. It will also explore achieving better population health through improved dissemination of evidence-based interventions. The Connector will keep readers informed of the office’s activities, trainings, educational resources and funding opportunity announcements, as well as podcasts and videos of conversations with engaging behavioral and social sciences.

The Connector is available at http://connector.obssr.od.nih.gov/.

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has launched a multicultural outreach initiative to raise awareness about the availability of NIH and other Federal resources to help people with diseases and conditions of the bones, joints, muscles and skin. NIAMS is a reliable resource for patients, family members, health professionals, and others in search of meaningful, relevant and science-based health information about bones, joints, muscles and skin. The initiative also aims to emphasize research as the foundation for progress, and to support and involve organizations in multicultural outreach. Through the Initiative, NIAMS is working with national partners to develop and disseminate culturally appropriate messages and materials in the areas of bones, joints, muscles and skin for racial, ethnic and underserved populations.

NIAMS has created a series of health planners—titled A Year of Health—that provide health tips and information about staying healthy and managing conditions of the bones, joints, muscles and skin. The four planners, created with community input, are tailored for the following audiences:

• African Americans
• American Indians/Alaska Natives/Native Hawaiians
• Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders
• Hispanics/Latinos (bilingual planner)

Additionally, to support your library’s outreach efforts, NIAMS has created an electronic toolkit to help you and your organization prepare your planner distribution strategies. The materials include:

• Resources for conducting outreach
• Electronic versions of the four health planners
• A sticker template to customize the planners with your organization’s contact information
• An image gallery of multicultural photos to tailor materials for your organization’s community

To order A Year of Health planners, call the NIAMS toll free at 877–226–4267 (TTY: 301–565–2966) or email at NIAMSinfo@mail.nih.gov. Orders are limited to addresses in the United States and its territories.

Check out the January issue of NIH News in Health, the monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research. In this edition:

Beat the Winter Blues: Shedding Light on Seasonal Sadness
As the days get shorter, many people find themselves feeling sad. What is it about the darkening days that can leave us down in the dumps? And what can we do about it?

Radon Risk: Its Perils Can be Prevented
If you’re buying a new home, you may need to test it for radon. Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas. You might not be able to see or smell radon, but it can still harm you—slowly, and in ways that you can’t detect.

Health Capsules:

• Trust Rises With Age
• Salivary Gland Gene Therapy Shows Promise
• Featured Website: Family Checkup: Positive Parenting Prevents Drug Abuse