Accreditation organization URAC and healthcare watchdog the Leapfrog Group have partnered to create a new awards program aimed at improving hospital website transparency.

The two organizations have developed the Excellence in Hospital Website Transparency Best Practices Awards and Acknowledgement Program to identify outstanding hospital websites that promote transparency of quality measures in a way that is useful and user-friendly for consumers.
 
All hospitals that publically report their Leapfrog Hospital Survey results are eligible.

The awards program consists of two parts. Part I is an analysis of the overall website transparency and is determined based on a set of objective criteria established in accordance with the National Quality Forum’s guidelines for consumer-focused, Internet-based public reporting of health performance data as well as the Model Public Report Elements prepared for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and other research-based criteria. The criteria have been developed for the categories of design, credibility, literacy and connectivity.
 
Part II evaluates applicants in terms of best practices in website transparency and reporting, and it is determined by a panel of expert judges.

All hospitals that meet a minimum number of the criteria in Part I will receive an Acknowledgement of Excellence in Hospital Website Transparency. Three winners will then be selected by the judging panel to receive the Best Practices in Hospital Website Transparency Award.

The awards program will be launched this month, and all applications must be completed by September. The awards will be presented at the Leapfrog’s annual Regional Roll-Out Meetings in March 2013, which includes major employer and business coalition groups. More information about the Leapfrog awards program can be found here.

[See also: Despite IT strides, patient access to health info a sticking point]