Acknowledgments

The NHDR is the product of collaboration among agencies across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Many individuals guided and contributed to this report. Without their magnanimous support, this report would not have been possible.

Specifically, we thank:

Primary AHRQ Staff: Carolyn Clancy, William Munier, Katherine Crosson, Ernest Moy, and Karen Ho.

HHS Interagency Workgroup for the NHQR/NHDR: Girma Alemu (HRSA), Roxanne Andrews (AHRQ), Hakan Aykan (ASPE), Magda Barini-Garcia (HRSA), Douglas Boenning (HHS-ASPE), Miriam Campbell (CMS), Cecelia Casale (AHRQOEREP), Fran Chevarley (AHRQ-CFACT), Rachel Clement (HRSA), Daniel Crespin (AHRQ), Agnes Davidson (OPHS), Denise Dougherty (AHRQ-OEREP), Len Epstein (HRSA), Erin Grace (AHRQ), Tanya Grandison (HRSA), Miryam Gerdine (OPHS-OMH), Darryl Gray (AHRQ-CQuIPS), Saadia Greenberg (AoA), Kirk Greenway (IHS), Lynne Harlan (NIH/NCI), Karen Ho (AHRQ-CQuIPS), Edwin Huff (CMS), Deloris Hunter (NIH/NCMHD), Memuna Ifedirah (CMS), Kenneth Johnson (OCR), Jackie Shakeh Kaftarian (AHRQ-OEREP), Richard Klein (CDC-NCHS), Deborah Krauss (CMS/OA/OCSQ), Shari Ling (CMS), Leopold Luberecki (ASPE), Diane Makuc (CDC-NCHS), Ernest Moy (AHRQ-CQuIPS), Ryan Mutter (AHRQCDOM), Karen Oliver (NIH-NIMH), Tanya Pagan-Raggio (HRSA/CQ), Judith Peres (ASPE), Susan Polniaszek (ASPE), Barry Portnoy (NIH-ODP), Georgetta Robinson (CMS), William Rodriguez (FDA), Rochelle Rollins (OMH), Susan Rossi (NIH), Asel Ryskulova (CDC-NCHS), Judy Sangl (AHRQ-CQuIPS), Adelle Simmons (HHS-ASPE), Alan E. Simon (CDCNCHS), Sunil Sinha (CMS), Jane Sisk (CDC-NCHS), Nancy Sonnenfeld (CDC-NCHS), Caroline Taplin (HHS-ASPE), Karmen Todd (OCR), Benedict Truman (CDC), Joan Van Nostrand (HRSA), Nadarajen Vydelingum (NIH/NCI), Barbara Wells (NIH/NHLBI), Valerie Welsh (OPHS-OMH), Odies Williams (OCR), and Deborah Willis-Fillinger (HRSA).

AHRQ NHQR/NHDR Team: Roxanne Andrews, Denise Burgess, Fran Chevarley, Cecilia Casale, Rita Coleman, Daniel Crespin, Katherine Crosson, Denise Dougherty, Darryl Gray, Karen Ho, Jackie Shakeh Kaftarian, Ernest Moy, William Munier, Ryan Mutter, Judy Sangl, and Marc Zodet.

HHS Data Experts:Umed Ajani (CDC), Roxanne Andrews (AHRQ), Frances Chevarley (AHRQ), Steven Cohen (AHRQ), James Colliver (SAMHSA), Paul Eggers (NIH-NIDDK), John Fleishman (AHRQ), Anita Gadzuk (SAMHSA), Joe Gfroerer (SAMHSA), Kirk Greenway (IHS), Stan Lehman (CDC), Robert Pratt (CDC), Valerie Robison (CDC), Beatrice Rouse (SAMHSA), Asel Ryskulova (CDC-NCHS), Alan E. Simon (CDC-NCHS), Jane Sisk (CDC-NCHS), Cheryll Thomas (CDC), Debra Trunzo (SAMHSA), and Marc Zodet (AHRQ).

Other Data Experts:Valarie Ashby (U-Michigan), Marguerite Barrett (Thomson Reuters), Dale Bratzler (Oklahoma QIO), Joachim Bruess (NCQA), Xiuhua Chen (SSS), Rosanna Coffey (Thomson Reuters), Stephen Connor (NHPCO), Maureen Curry (Qualidigm), Claudia Dahlerus (Qualidigm), Celia Dahlman (Fu Associates), Thomas Dudley (Qualidigm), Stephen Edge (Rosewell Park Cancer Institute), David Grant (UCLA), Michael Halpern (American Cancer Society), Matthew Haskins (NHPCO), Allen Ma (Oklahoma QIO), Lauren Miller (Oklahoma QIO), Wato Nsa (Oklahoma QIO), Bryan Palis (NCBD, American College of Surgeons), Royce Park (UCLA), Allison Petrilla (NHPCO), Mary Pratt (Qualidigm), John Rauch (Westat), Susan Reimann (U-Michigan), William Ross (Fu Associates), Robin Sands (U-Michigan), Carol Spence (NHPCO), Andrew Stewart (NCBD, American College of Surgeons), Elizabeth Ward (American Cancer Society), Mike Wilson (Westat), and Claudia Wright (Oklahoma QIO).

Other AHRQ Contributors:Barbara Barton, Doreen Bonnett, Cindy Brach, Celia Dahlman, Karen Fleming-Michael, William Freeman, Paul Gorrell, Biff LeVee, Morgan Liscinski, Corey Mackison, Kathy McKay, Gerri Michael-Dyer, Karen Migdail, Pamela Owens, Mamatha Pancholi, Larry Patton, Wendy Perry, Deborah Queenan, Mary Rolston, Scott Rowe, Randie Siegel, Christine Williams, and Phyllis Zucker.

Data Support Contractors: CHD-Fu, Social and Scientific Systems, Thomson Reuters Healthcare, and Westat.

This document is in the public domain and may be used and reprinted in the United States without permission. AHRQ appreciates citation as to source and the suggested format follows:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. National Healthcare Disparities Report. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; March 2010. AHRQ Pub. No. 10-0004.

Proceed to Next Section