AHCR Background

The Alliance for Health Care Research (AHCR) identifies best practices that promote service and operational excellence in health care organizations. The studies primarily identify behaviors believed to be best practices and collect empirical data to test the effectiveness of those practices in health care organizations. Data that tests specific methods and behaviors is collected from a group of participating hospitals, and the results are then shared with Studer Group's partner hospitals and other hospitals nationwide.

AHCR has just completed an Emergency Department Staff Rounding Study, with results to be published soon. The inpatient hourly rounding study was published in the American Journal of Nursing, September 2006 and in Marketing Health Services, Spring 2007 issue. Another recent AHCR study, Organizational Change Processes in High Performing Organizations: In-Depth Case Studies with Health Care Facilities, examined seven high-performing facilities, identifying the five most influential factors in driving their excellence. Earlier AHCR research, A Meta-Analysis: Research Supporting Discharge Phone Calls to Hospital Patients, covered the impact of discharge phone calls on patient satisfaction.