Patient/Consumer Resources

NEW HAMPSHIRE HEALTH LINKS

New Hampshire Patients Bill of Rights (September, 2009)

Report released on August 17, 2010
Consumers can compare NH hospital infection rates by hospital names. Three types of infections are required to be reported by law : surgical site infections, ventilator-associated pneumonias, and bloodstream infections.

New Hampshire’s Medicine Cabinet
Information on drug pricing, NH pharmacy locator, and cost savings tips

New Hampshire Medication Bridge Program

Helps low-income consumers access prescription drugs at reduced prices.

A List of All New Hampshire Hospitals
List of all acute care & specialty hospitals in New Hampshire

A List of New Hampshire Community Health Centers
Community health centers offer healthcare services on a sliding fee scale

A List of All New Hampshire Healthcare Facilities

NH Department of Health & Human Services
Listings and links to public health information on food, nutrition, diseases, how to apply for financial assistance, child care licensing and a variety of information. Some direct links are listed below.

NH Service Link

Link to a variety of health, financial, and social service resources

NH Health Alerts

State Health Facts

Vaccine Information
Schedule of recommended vaccinations, make-up schedules and how and where to get free vaccines.

NEW HAMPSHIRE QUALITY INITIATIVES

New Hampshire Center for Public Policy
Non partisan, non profit ‘think tank’ that publishes reports on current healthcare topics in NH, including costs, accessibility, and a quality dashboard.

NH Citizens Health Initiative
Started in 2004, CHI’s mission is “to develop a framework for a health care system that provided everyone with access to high-quality, cost-effective care and left no one without health care or coverage.”

The NH Healthcare Quality Assurance Commission
Formed in 2005 by HB 514, this commission is made up of representatives from NH hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers and one member from the NH Dept. of Health and Human Services. Hospital representatives share and discuss medical errors, infections and ‘near misses.’ All of the information discussed is protected from public disclosure. The group is required to file a report with the Legislative Oversight Committee & The Governor each year. A public member will be appointed by the Governor in 2010. Summaries of the group’s work is posted on their website.

New Hampshire Quality Care
A partnership between The Foundation for Healthy Communities; (an arm of The NH Hospital Association) and The Northeast Health Care Quality Foundation, (a medicare organization that investigates complaints on behalf of Medicare and Medicaid patients). Information is posted about steps that hospitals take to provide recommended care, known as ‘process improvements.’ (an example of a process improvement is how often antibiotics were given at the right time before surgery. They do not provide 'outcome measures' which are things like infection rates, complications or deaths that occur in a particular facility)

NH HEALTH INSURANCE INFORMATION

Families USA New Hampshire
From the Families USA website; key health contacts, state government links, news and views from the state, and other helpful healthcare and support services.

NH Consumer Links
From the NH Insurance Commission, consumer links to a variety of reports, consumer alerts, complaint forms, hospital charge comparisons (which NH hospitals are the most expensive), and others.

New Hampshire Healthy Kids
Non-profit providing access to free or low-cost health insurance for New Hampshire’s uninsured children and teens.

New Hampshire Voices for Health

Advocating for access to affordable, quality healthcare for all.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has launched a new website designed to give consumers a streamlined tool to search for and compare private and public health insurance plans.