Frequently Asked Questions

Trainees can be appointed at any time during a budget period, and must be appointed for an entire 12-month appointment period, even when that period goes beyond the end of the budget period. When making an appointment, the entire 12-month stipend and tuition is charged to the grant budget period in which the appointment initially is made. Thus, an appointment made in one budget period can overlap into the next budget period. While the entire 12-months of stipend and tuition is charged to the grant at the time of the appointment, funds for travel and Training-Related Expenses are not, therefore, any unexpended balances stemming from a trainee's stipend and tuition is reported as an unliquidated balance on the Federal Financial Report (FFR), but unexpended balances from travel and other training related expenses are reported as an unobligated balance on the FFR.

Note: Students appointed as late as June 30 of a given grant year have their salary capped at the level established for the grant year in which they were last appointed or re-appointed. Those students are not entitled to receive any newly announced stipend increases available to students who are initially appointed or reappointed the next day (which is the beginning of the new grant year award). Also, if a student is on a grant six months or less in an award period, one-half of the Training Related Expenses (TRE) funds associated with that student revert back to the Government in the form of unobligated balances.

To access a listing of current AHRQ job vacancies, with information on application procedures and contacts, go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/cpi/about/careers/index.html.

Applications for employment are only accepted for specific vacancies; applications are not accepted for general employment consideration.

The United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK) was an online, publicly accessible registry and repository of healthcare-related metadata, specifications, and standards. USHIK was funded and directed by AHRQ with management support and engagement from numerous public and private partners.

For more information, go to: https://www.ahrq.gov/data/ushik.html.

The U.S. Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK) used a metadata registry methodology based on international standards to promote interoperability and comparability for managing the meaning of data assets and consistent interpretation of the data. The meaning (or semantics) of data assets and associated terminology must be understood and the context accurately characterized and communicated to ensure the coherence of information stored in and shared between databases.

The USHIK project provided a tool to compare and evaluate metadata across multiple metadata standards and served as a one-stop shop display experience for metadata standards to researchers, clinicians, policymakers, developers, and healthcare metadata users in general. USHIK supported the HHS goal to promote quality of care by enhancing the quality of data used to provide that care.

More information is available at https://www.ahrq.gov/data/ushik.html.

The U.S. Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK) was populated with the data elements and information models of Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) and other healthcare organizations, in such a way that public and private organizations could harmonize information formats with existing and emerging healthcare standards.

USHIK also contained data element information for government initiatives that supported the use and implementation of data standards such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Consolidated Health Informatics (CHI) initiative, and the Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP). Health IT developers could use the site to determine similarities and differences for metadata definitions when coding a system to comply with Federal requirements.

More information is available at https://www.ahrq.gov/data/ushik.html.

AHRQ's health IT initiative is part of the Nation's strategy to put information technology to work in health care. By developing secure and private electronic health records for most Americans and making health information available electronically when and where it is needed, health IT can improve the quality of care, even as it makes health care more cost-effective.

Since 2004, AHRQ has invested more than $260 million in contracts and grants to over 150 communities, hospitals, providers, and health care systems in 48 States to promote access to and encourage the adoption of health IT. These projects constitute a real-world laboratory for examining health IT at work.

To learn more, go to AHRQ's Health Information Technology website at: https://healthit.ahrq.gov.

If you have additional questions about health information technology (IT), visit the National Resource Center Contact page.

The National Resource Center for Health Information Technology was established to encourage adoption of Health IT by sharing the findings and lessons from the real-world laboratory. By disseminating new knowledge, providing technical assistance, and serving as a repository for best practices, the National Resource Center can help providers explore the adoption and use of Health IT to improve patient safety and quality of care.

The National Resource Center provides experience-based information about planning and implementing Health IT projects, and about the value added by Health IT capabilities. Providers who want to implement Health IT can learn practical solutions for overcoming barriers, including lessons from the experiences of small medical practices and hospitals, as well as long-term care facilities and home health agencies. The National Resource Center also serves as a sounding board for grantees and others to share their experiences.

The National Resource Center is online at https://healthit.ahrq.gov.

Health IT is "health information technology"—the use of computers and computer programs to store, protect, retrieve, and transfer clinical, administrative, and financial information electronically within health care settings. Key elements of Health IT include:

• Electronic health records for patients, in place of paper records.
• Secure electronic networks to deliver up-to-date records whenever and wherever the patient or clinician may need them.
• Electronic transmittal of medical test results to speed and streamline processing of those results by health care providers.
• Confidential access for consumers to their own personal health information online, as well as reliable Web-based health information for consumers.
• Electronic—and more efficient—communication between patients and health care providers, and among different providers.
• Electronic prescribing of medications, treatments, and tests, to help avoid medical errors.
• Decision support systems to provide clinicians with up-to-the-minute information on best practices and treatment options.
• Electronic handheld devices to make information available at the point of care.

The electronic health record (EHR) can make complete medical information about a patient available to the clinician at the point of care, without the patient having to fill out unnecessary forms or remember the details of his or her medical history. Typically, the EHR would include information on the patient's medication and immunization history, laboratory results, radiographs, family history, and other medical history.

The EHR will play a key role in improving care for people with chronic conditions, such as diabetes or asthma, who frequently see multiple providers, including specialists. An EHR would make important information about patients available to all their clinicians, so that clinicians can coordinate care without duplicative or conflicting actions.

Ultimately, the EHR will allow clinicians to spend more time caring for their patients, instead of conducting lengthy and sometimes frustrating searches for the information they need to provide good care. In a fully networked system, a patient's record would be immediately available in an emergency, no matter where the emergency occurs.