Introduction
America’s Health Literacy: Why We Need Accessible Health Information
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Healthy People 2030 Framework
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Health Literacy in Healthy People 2030
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, HHS
Tool 1: Form a Team
Health Literacy Video (6 minutes)
American College of Physicians
5 Things to Know About Health Literacy (2 minutes)
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, HHS
Forming the Team
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
AHRQ Practice Facilitation Curriculum
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Creating Quality Improvement Teams and QI Plans
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Tool 2: Create a Health Literacy Improvement Plan
Building Health Literate Organizations: A Guidebook to Achieving Organizational Change
Institute for Healthcare Advancement
Consensus Organizational Health Literacy Quality Improvement Measures
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Implementing the AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit: Practical Ideas for Primary Care Practices
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
How to Improve: Model for Improvement
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Tool 3: Raise Awareness
Health Literacy Video (6 minutes)
American College of Physicians
5 Things to Know About Health Literacy (2 minutes)
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, HHS
CDC Health Literacy Training
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Tool 4: Communicate Clearly
Patients' memory for medical information, Kessels 2003
Toolkit for Engaging Patients to Improve Diagnostic Safety
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Plain Language Medical Dictionary
University of Michigan
OHSU's Modified 4 Habits for Patient-Centered Communication with Dr. Cliff Coleman
Oregon Health and Science University
Tool 5: Use the Teach-Back Method
AHRQ's Guide to Improving Patient Safety in Primary Care Settings by Engaging Patients and Families: Teach-Back
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Always Use Teach-Back! Toolkit
Institute for Healthcare Advancement
OHSU's Modified 4 Habits for Patient-Centered Communication with Dr. Cliff Coleman
Oregon Health and Science University
Conviction and Confidence Scale
Institute for Healthcare Advancement
Teach-Back Observation Tool
Institute for Healthcare Advancement
Tool #6: Follow Up with Patients
PRISM
University of Minnesota
Self-Measured Blood Pressure (SMBP) Monitoring
Department of Health and Human Services
Tool 7: Be Easy to Reach
Scripting for Appointment Scheduling
Safety Net Medical Home Initiative
ONC Patient Engagement Playbook
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS
- Provide simple, secure portal signup
- Activate portal features that meet patient needs
- Allow portal access for caregivers
EHR Inbox Management
American Medical Association
Plain Language Medical Dictionary
University of Michigan
Tool 8: Conduct Brown Bag Medicine Reviews
CancelRx
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Deprescribing Guidelines and Algorithms
deprescribing.org
Explicit and Standardized Prescription Medicine Instructions
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Tool 9: Address Language Differences
"I Speak" ID Guide
Austin, TX
Interpretive Services Posters
Massachusetts Legal Services
Work effectively with interpreters
Office Minority Health, HHS
Guidelines for Translating CAHPS® Surveys
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Toolkit for Written Translation
Minnesota Department of Health
Also see Language Access Resources
Tool 10: Consider Culture, Customs, and Beliefs
Think Cultural Health Courses
Office of Minority Health, HHS
Effective Communication for Healthcare Teams: Addressing Health Literacy, Limited English Proficiency and Cultural Differences
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center
National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center
EthnoMed
University of Washington
Tool 11: Assess, Select, and Create Easy-to-Understand Materials
Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT)
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Health Education Materials Assessment Tool (HEMAT)
National Library of Medicine
HEMAT for Spanish content
National Library of Medicine
Use Caution With Readability Formulas for Quality Reports
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
MedlinePlus "easy to read"
National Library of Medicine
Getting patients set up with telehealth technology
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS
Personal Health Literacy
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Guidelines for effective writing
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Health Literacy Online: A Guide for Simplifying the User Experience
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, HHS
Simply Put: A guide for creating easy-to-understand materials
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Open Notes
OpenNotes.org
Everyday Words
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Plain Language Medical Dictionary
University of Michigan
Design for reading
Plainlanguage.gov
Tool 12: Use Health Education Material Effectively
Getting patients set up with telehealth technology
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS
Evaluating Internet Health Information: A Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine
National Library of Medicine
MedlinePlus "easy to read"
National Library of Medicine
MyHealthfinder
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, HHS
Tool 13: Welcome Patients
It’s OK to Ask
National Health Service, Scotland
Tool 14: Encourage Questions
Bill Lee: Patient Video
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
QuestionBuilder (also available in App stores)
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Tool 15: Make Action Plans
Center for Excellence in Primary Care
University of California, San Francisco
Action Planning: 6-minute video
University of California, San Francisco
Action Planning:11-minute video
University of California, San Francisco
Centre for Collaboration, Motivation, and Innovation
Centre for Collaboration, Motivation and Innovation
Health Coaching Module
American Medical Association
MyHealthfinder
Department of Health and Human Services
Tool 16: Help Patients Take Medicine Correctly
Explicit and Standardized Prescription Medicine Instructions
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
How to Create a My Medicines List
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Tool 17: Get Patient Feedback
Health Literacy Environment Activity Packet
Harvard University
Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care
Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care
CAHPS® Clinician & Group Survey
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- CAHPS health literacy supplemental items
- CAHPS interpreter services supplemental items
- CAHPS Health Literacy Item Sets for Addressing Health
Tool 18: Link Patients to Non-Medical Support
Shared Decision Making
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Identifying and Addressing Social Needs in Primary Care Settings
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
2-1-1– Information & Referral Search
United Way Worldwide
findhelp
Formerly Aunt Bertha, a Public Benefit Corporation
one degree
One Degree, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Memorandum of Understanding between a food bank and a health clinic
University of Colorado School of Medicine
ICD-10-CM Z codes
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Notary Public training course
National Notary Association
Also see Additional Resources for Attending to Social Needs
Tool 19: Help Patients Pay Less for Medicine
Deprescribing Guidelines and Algorithms
deprescribing.org
Characteristics of Adults Aged 18–64 Who Did Not Take Medication as Prescribed to Reduce Costs: United States, 2021
National Center for Health Statistics, CDC
Part D drug coverage
Medicare.gov
State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
State Health Insurance Assistance Program National Technical Assistance Center
Medicare Rights Center
Medicare Rights Center
Tool 20: Connect Patients with Literacy and Math Resources
U.S. Adults With Low Literacy and Numeracy Skills: 2012/14 to 2017
National Center for Education Statistics
National Literacy Directory
National Literacy Directory
Residents' ability to identify patients with poor literacy skills, Bass et al. 2002
Does Literacy Education Improve Symptoms of Depression and Self-efficacy in Individuals with Low Literacy and Depressive Symptoms? A Preliminary Investigation, Francis et al. 2007
Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine
Tool 21: Make Referrals Easy
Referral Management
Improving Primary Care
Improving Your Laboratory Testing Process: A Step-by-Step Guide for Rapid- Cycle Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Tool 22: Include Family and Friends
Family Presence in Routine Medical Visits: A Meta-Analytical Review, Wolff and Roter, 2011
Note Sheet and Note Sheet in Spanish
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Tool 23: Talk About Costs
No Surprises Act of 2021
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Cost of Care Conversations: Provider Tools
America’s Essential Providers
How To Welcome Cost-of-Care Conversations in Your Practice
America’s Essential Providers
Insurance query systems
Maine Health Data Organization
Find Local Help (to locate State Health Insurance Marketplaces)
Healthcare.gov
Medicare Rights Center
Medicare Rights Center
Patient Advocate Foundation Financial Aid Funds
Patient Advocate Foundation
Co-Pay Relief
Patient Advocate Foundation
Accessia Health
Accessia Health
Good Days
Good Days