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The Maine Health Data Organization (MHDO) was able to launch a public health care reporting Web site after participating in the MONÂÜÀòÊÓƵ("My Own Network, powered by AHRQ") Learning Network.

MONÂÜÀòÊÓƵallows organizations to use their own hospital discharge data, measure results from Hospital Compare, or both. Hospital Compare is a Web site managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that provides information on hospital quality. The reporting site that MONÂÜÀòÊÓƵgenerates can be made public, protected by password, or used internally. Organizations can choose how their Web site will be used because they create and host it.

Susan Schow, MPH, an epidemiologist with MHDO, says, "MONÂÜÀòÊÓƵwas exactly what was needed. MHDO had inpatient discharge data and wanted to leverage it in a format that would allow more use and analysis. However, we did not have the budget needed or staff time required to conduct the type of focus groups and analysis that the users of MONÂÜÀòÊÓƵhad already completed."

MHDO had a Web site built many years ago to hold inpatient data, but the site used multiple resources and was difficult to maintain. MHDO's MONAHRQ-generated site includes inpatient discharge data from all nonspecialty hospitals in the State. Policymakers and hospitals are the primary users. Schow says, "MHDO could never have had a public reporting site like this without MONAHRQ."

Schow says she found that participating in the Learning Network, an ÂÜÀòÊÓƵKnowledge Transfer project, was extremely helpful because it gave her access to and assistance from the ÂÜÀòÊÓƵsoftware developers. Additionally, the Learning Network provided in-person meetings, Web conferences, online discussions, document sharing, and feedback on topics related to using MONÂÜÀòÊÓƵto publicly report data. These activities let members familiarize themselves with the software and overcome potential obstacles to implementation.

MHDO's site is available at