Social Marketing Helps Translate AHRQ Research Into Practice

Working with State Governments
State Medicaid directors are a key audience for AHRQ research findings on quality improvement. As the Federal/State health insurance program for low-income and disabled Americans, Medicaid covers nearly 58 million people, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The economic recession has put added pressure on State Medicaid programs to spend dollars wisely.

To forge a common ground for sound policymaking, AHRQ has created a Medicaid Medical Directors Learning Network. The Learning Network provides a forum for clinical leaders of State Medicaid programs to discuss their pressing needs as policymakers and to use relevant AHRQ products to address their concerns.

Twenty State Medicaid medical directors reported that they used AHRQ's Effective Health Care (EHC) program resources during 2008 in a variety of ways. The EHC program produces comprehensive reports of scientific studies on topics such as treatment options for prostate cancer and diabetes to allow doctors, patients, and policymakers to make head-to-head comparisons of different healthcare interventions. The reports also identify where further research is needed.

Findings from the EHC program are being used by States to help develop clinical treatment option recommendations as part of health plan educational materials, and to help inform policy for coverage decisions.

Consumer outreach
AHRQ research has shown that asking questions of doctors and hospitals is a simple but effective way to improve quality and safety. Patients who get more involved in their healthcare can improve their care, but they are often unsure of how to go about this.

To help consumers become more proactive, AHRQ joined with the Ad Council in 2007 to launch a national public service ad campaign called "Questions are the Answer."

Using a light-hearted approach, one ad features a man asking detailed questions about a new cell phone and another shows a woman querying her waiter about choices on a menu. When it comes time to ask their doctor questions, however, both clam up. The takeaway: Ask questions of your doctor to get the healthcare you need.

The campaign generates an average of 30,000 visitors to the "Questions Are The Answer" section of AHRQ's Web site each month. Ad spots continue to appear on radio, network and local cable TV, newspapers, Web sites, and outdoor billboards and bus shelters and have garnered nearly $70 million in free, donated media placements to date.

Conclusion
There are no easy solutions to give patients and healthcare providers the best and most recent information available. The U.S. healthcare system is too complex, diverse, and vast for that.

That's why AHRQ believes strongly in the value of social marketing to accelerate learning among patients and translate research findings into practice among providers. Based on our results to date, we will continue to forge findings into usable tools and products, provide technical assistance where needed, and measure the results of our efforts.

Allan J. Lazar is Director of AHRQ's Office of Communications and Knowledge Transfer, Rockville, MD.

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