Developing and sustaining State-based infrastructure to support primary care quality improvement (AHRQ)

Summary

The purpose of this guide is to share guidance about developing and sustaining state-based cooperatives that aim to strengthen the capacity of healthcare systems, other healthcare organisations, and clinicians to deliver evidence-based whole-person care. 

The guide includes effective approaches, lessons learned, and example materials from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) initiatives designed to provide external quality improvement (QI) support for primary care practices. This guide draws mainly from the experiences of AHRQ’s EvidenceNOW: Building State Capacity initiative, but also reflects other AHRQ and primary care/healthcare extension efforts. This guide will be useful to groups planning or developing similar infrastructure, including healthcare extension programs with a focus broader than primary care.