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- Access to Care (2)
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- Antimicrobial Stewardship (4)
- Anxiety (1)
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- Opioids (14)
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- (-) Practice Patterns (38)
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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 25 of 38 Research Studies DisplayedAgbalajobi OM, Gmelin T, Moon AM
Characteristics of opioid prescribing to outpatients with chronic liver diseases: a call for action.
This retrospective cohort study investigated opioid prescribing patterns among patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) at a single medical center. These patients (12,425) were followed for one year from October 2015 to September 2016. Nearly half (47%) were prescribed opioids over a one-year period, with 17% receiving high-risk prescriptions. Characteristics associated with high-risk opioid prescriptions included female gender, Medicaid insurance, cirrhosis and baseline chronic pain, depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, and Charlson comorbidity score. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was associated with decreased high-risk opioid prescriptions.
AHRQ-funded; HS019461.
Citation: Agbalajobi OM, Gmelin T, Moon AM .
Characteristics of opioid prescribing to outpatients with chronic liver diseases: a call for action.
PLoS One 2021 Dec 17;16(12):e0261377. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261377..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Practice Patterns, Pain, Chronic Conditions
Sankar A, Swanson KM, Zhou J
Association of fluoroquinolone prescribing rates with black box warnings from the US Food and Drug Administration.
This study examined the association of black box warnings in 2013 and 2016 with prescribing rates for fluoroquinolone. This cross-sectional study used Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries and OneKey data on physicians and their organizations from 2011 through 2017. Sample eligibility was restricted to outpatient visits for sinusitis, bronchitis, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections. Prescription rates were compared with the prewarning period (baseline period), before and after the 2013 warning (postwarning period 1), and before and after the 2016 warning (postwarning period 2). The sample consisted of 1,238,397 unique patients with a total of 2,720,071 outpatient acute care visits. The immediate prescribing levels in postwarning period 1 increased by 3.42 percentage points and declined by -0.77 percentage points in postwarning period 2. In postwarning period 1, prescribing levels for physicians who were affiliated with hospitals with a top 10th percentile case mix index compared to those without an affiliation decreased by -1.13 percentage points, whereas the levels for primary care physicians declined by -1.34 percentage points compared with non-primary care physicians in postwarning period 2. Physicians at teaching hospitals were the only clinicians who showed a decline in postwarning period 1.
AHRQ-funded; HS025164; HS025402.
Citation: Sankar A, Swanson KM, Zhou J .
Association of fluoroquinolone prescribing rates with black box warnings from the US Food and Drug Administration.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Dec;4(12):e2136662. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.36662..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Medication, Practice Patterns
Clark AW, Durkin MJ, Olsen MA
Rural-urban differences in antibiotic prescribing for uncomplicated urinary tract infection.
This study examined rural-urban differences in temporal trends and risk of inappropriate antibiotic use by agent and duration among women with uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI). This observational cohort study identified US commercially insured women aged 18-44 coded for uncomplicated UTI and prescribed an antibiotic from the IBM MarketScan Commercial Database (2010-2015). Of the 670,450 women with uncomplicated UTIs, a large proportion received antibiotic prescriptions for inappropriate agents (46.7%) or durations (76.1%). Rural women were more likely to receive prescriptions with inappropriately long durations than urban women. There was a slight decline in patients who received inappropriate agents and durations from 2011 to 2015. Rural-urban differences varied over time by agent, geographic region, and provider specialty.
AHRQ-funded; HS019455.
Citation: Clark AW, Durkin MJ, Olsen MA .
Rural-urban differences in antibiotic prescribing for uncomplicated urinary tract infection.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2021 Dec;42(12):1437-44. doi: 10.1017/ice.2021.21..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Practice Patterns
Cerda M, Wheeler-Martin K, Bruzelius E
Spatiotemporal analysis of the association between pain management clinic laws and opioid prescribing and overdose deaths.
The authors investigated the impact of pain management clinic laws. They analyzed data on county-level, opioid overdose deaths via the National Vital Statistics System and patients filling long-duration or high-dose opioid prescriptions in the US 2010-2018. Their findings suggested that laws with criminal penalties were associated with intended reductions in high-risk opioid prescribing and some opioid overdoses but raised concerns regarding unintended consequences on heroin/synthetic overdoses.
AHRQ-funded; HS023258.
Citation: Cerda M, Wheeler-Martin K, Bruzelius E .
Spatiotemporal analysis of the association between pain management clinic laws and opioid prescribing and overdose deaths.
Am J Epidemiol 2021 Dec;190(12):2592-603. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwab192..
Keywords: Opioids, Pain, Chronic Conditions, Medication, Practice Patterns, Policy
Bushnell GA, Rynn MA, Crystal S
Simultaneous benzodiazepine and SSRI initiation in young people with anxiety disorders.
Researchers investigated how often adolescents and young adults with anxiety disorders simultaneously initiate benzodiazepine (BZD) treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment and examined whether SSRI treatment duration varies by simultaneous BZD initiation. Using a commercial claims database, they found that 4% of adolescents and 17% of young adults simultaneously initiated BZD treatment, varying by age, anxiety disorder, comorbidities, health care utilization, and provider type. They concluded that simultaneous initiation of both treatments is relatively common in young adults with anxiety disorders and was not associated with longer SSRI persistence.
AHRQ-funded; HS026001.
Citation: Bushnell GA, Rynn MA, Crystal S .
Simultaneous benzodiazepine and SSRI initiation in young people with anxiety disorders.
J Clin Psychiatry 2021 Oct 19;82(6). doi: 10.4088/JCP.20m13863..
Keywords: Anxiety, Behavioral Health, Medication, Practice Patterns, Children/Adolescents, Young Adults
Richards AR, Linder JA
Behavioral economics and ambulatory antibiotic stewardship: a narrative review.
Behavioral economics recognizes that contextual, psychological, social, and emotional factors powerfully influence decision-making. Behavioral economics has the potential to provide a better understanding of, and, through subtle environmental changes, or "nudges," improve persistent quality-of-care challenges, like ambulatory antibiotic overprescribing. In this study, the investigators conducted a Medline search and performed a narrative review that examined the use of behavioral economics to understand the rationale for, and improvement of, ambulatory antibiotic prescribing.
AHRQ-funded; 2332015000201; HS026506; HS028127.
Citation: Richards AR, Linder JA .
Behavioral economics and ambulatory antibiotic stewardship: a narrative review.
Clin Ther 2021 Oct;43(10):1654-67. doi: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2021.08.004..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Practice Patterns, Respiratory Conditions
Zachrison KS, Sharma R, Wang Y
National trends in telestroke utilization in a US commercial platform prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this study, the objective was to describe characteristics of telestroke consultations among a national sample of telestroke sites on one of the most commonly used common vendor platforms, prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The investigators concluded that among spoke sites using a commercial telestroke platform over a seven-year time horizon, times to consult start and alteplase bolus decreased over time. Similar to academic networks, duration of telestroke participation in this commercial network was associated with faster alteplase delivery, suggesting practice improves performance.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Zachrison KS, Sharma R, Wang Y .
National trends in telestroke utilization in a US commercial platform prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2021 Oct;30(10):106035. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2021.106035..
Keywords: COVID-19, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Practice Patterns
Everhart A, Desai NR, Dowd B
Physician variation in the de-adoption of ineffective statin and fibrate therapy.
The objective of this study was to describe physicians' variation in de-adopting concurrent statin and fibrate therapy for type 2 diabetic patients following a reversal in clinical evidence. Researchers modeled fibrate use among Medicare Advantage and commercially insured type 2 diabetic statin users before and after the publication of the ACCORD lipid trial. Findings showed that, on average, physicians decreased fibrate prescribing following the trial; however, many physicians increased prescribing following the trial. Observable physician characteristics did not explain variations in prescribing.
AHRQ-funded; HS025164; HS000036.
Citation: Everhart A, Desai NR, Dowd B .
Physician variation in the de-adoption of ineffective statin and fibrate therapy.
Health Serv Res 2021 Oct;56(5):919-31. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13630..
Keywords: Diabetes, Medication, Practice Patterns, Chronic Conditions
Renny MH, Yin HS, Jent V
Temporal trends in opioid prescribing practices in children, adolescents, and younger adults in the US from 2006 to 2018.
Prescription opioids are involved in more than half of opioid overdoses among younger persons. Understanding opioid prescribing practices is essential for developing appropriate interventions for this population. The objective of this study was to examine temporal trends in opioid prescribing practices in children, adolescents, and younger adults in the US from 2006 to 2018.
AHRQ-funded; HS026120.
Citation: Renny MH, Yin HS, Jent V .
Temporal trends in opioid prescribing practices in children, adolescents, and younger adults in the US from 2006 to 2018.
JAMA Pediatr 2021 Oct;175(10):1043-52. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.1832..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Young Adults, Opioids, Practice Patterns, Medication
Smulowitz PB, O'Malley AJ, McWilliams JM
Variation in rates of hospital admission from the emergency department among Medicare patients at the regional, hospital, and physician levels.
Rates of admission from the emergency department (ED) vary widely across regions of the country, hospitals within regions, and physicians within hospitals. The study objective was to determine the extent to which variation in admission decisions was described by differences in admission rates at these 3 levels. The investigators concluded that within-area variation, both across hospitals within a region and across physicians within a hospital, was a more substantial component of observed variation in admission rates from the ED than regional level variation.
AHRQ-funded; HS025408.
Citation: Smulowitz PB, O'Malley AJ, McWilliams JM .
Variation in rates of hospital admission from the emergency department among Medicare patients at the regional, hospital, and physician levels.
Ann Emerg Med 2021 Oct;78(4):474-83. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2021.03.020..
Keywords: Medicare, Hospitalization, Emergency Department, Practice Patterns
Enzinger AC, Ghosh K, Keating NL
US trends in opioid access among patients with poor prognosis cancer near the end-of-life.
This study looked at trends in opioid prescriptions for cancer patients near the end-of-life (EOL) defined as the 30 days before death or hospice enrollment. The authors looked at Medicare part D data from 2007 to 2017 for 270,632 Medicare fee-for-service decedents with poor prognosis cancers. During that time, the proportion of decedents with poor prognosis cancers receiving 1 or greater opioid prescriptions near EOL declined 15.5% and the proportion receiving 1 or greater long-acting opioid prescriptions declined 36.5% to 18.1%. The mean daily dose fell from 24.5%, from 85.6 morphine milligram equivalents per day (MMED) to 64.6. The total amount of opioids prescribed fell from 1,075 morphine milligram equivalents per decedent to 666 morphine milligram equivalents per decedents. At the same time, the proportion of patients with pain-related ED visits increase 50.8% from 13.2% to 19.9%.
AHRQ-funded; HS024072.
Citation: Enzinger AC, Ghosh K, Keating NL .
US trends in opioid access among patients with poor prognosis cancer near the end-of-life.
J Clin Oncol 2021 Sep 10;39(26):2948-58. doi: 10.1200/jco.21.00476..
Keywords: Cancer, Opioids, Palliative Care, Pain, Access to Care, Medication, Practice Patterns
Khidir H, McWilliams JM, O'Malley AJ
Analysis of consistency in emergency department physician variation in propensity for admission across patient sociodemographic groups.
The authors estimated the consistency of ED physician admission propensities across categories of patient sex, race and ethnicity, and Medicaid enrollment. They found that, although overall rates of admission differ systematically by patient sociodemographic factors, an individual physician's propensity to admit relative to other physicians appears to be applied consistently across sociodemographic groups of patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS025408.
Citation: Khidir H, McWilliams JM, O'Malley AJ .
Analysis of consistency in emergency department physician variation in propensity for admission across patient sociodemographic groups.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Sep;4(9):e2125193. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.25193..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Practice Patterns
Heins SE, Castillo RC
Changes in opioid prescribing following the implementation of state policies limiting morphine equivalent daily dose in a commercially insured population.
The study’s objective was to evaluate the impact of state-level morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD) policies on opioid prescribing among the privately insured using claims data from 9 policy states and 2 control states and a comparative interrupted time series design. Findings showed that MEDD policies were associated with decreased use of any opioids relative to control states, but with no change in high-dose prescribing. Recommendations included further research to understand the mechanisms through which MEDD policies may influence prescribing behavior.
AHRQ-funded; HS025557.
Citation: Heins SE, Castillo RC .
Changes in opioid prescribing following the implementation of state policies limiting morphine equivalent daily dose in a commercially insured population.
Med Care 2021 Sep;59(9):801-07. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001587..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Policy, Practice Patterns
Patel E, Kandrack R
Differences in the number of services provided by nurse practitioners and physicians during primary care visits.
Due to differential training, nurse practitioners (NPs) and physicians may provide different quantities of services to patients. The purpose of this study was to assess differences in the number of laboratory, imagining, and procedural services provided by primary care NPs and physicians. The investigators found that NPs provided fewer laboratory and imaging services than physicians during primary care visits.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Patel E, Kandrack R .
Differences in the number of services provided by nurse practitioners and physicians during primary care visits.
Nurs Outlook 2021 Sep-Oct;69(5):886-91. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2021.04.003..
Keywords: Primary Care, Practice Patterns, Provider: Physician, Provider: Nurse
Schondelmeyer AC, Bettencourt AP, Xiao R
Evaluation of an educational outreach and audit and feedback program to reduce continuous pulse oximetry use in hospitalized infants with stable bronchiolitis: a nonrandomized clinical trial.
National guidelines recommend against continuous pulse oximetry use for hospitalized children with bronchiolitis who are not receiving supplemental oxygen, yet guideline-discordant use remains high. The objective of this study was to evaluate deimplementation outcomes of educational outreach and audit and feedback strategies aiming to reduce guideline-discordant continuous pulse oximetry use in children hospitalized with bronchiolitis who are not receiving supplemental oxygen.
AHRQ-funded; HS026763.
Citation: Schondelmeyer AC, Bettencourt AP, Xiao R .
Evaluation of an educational outreach and audit and feedback program to reduce continuous pulse oximetry use in hospitalized infants with stable bronchiolitis: a nonrandomized clinical trial.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Sep;4(9):e2122826. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.22826..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Hospitalization, Guidelines, Practice Patterns, Training, Respiratory Conditions
Marchetti KA, Oerline M, Hollenbeck BK
Urology workforce changes and implications for prostate cancer care among Medicare enrollees.
The purpose of this study was to characterize national trends in urologist workforce, practice organization, and management of incident prostate cancer. The investigators characterized shifts in urologist membership from smaller, independent groups to larger, multispecialty or hospital-owned practices. They indicated that this trend coincided with higher utilization of observation and surgical treatment for prostate cancer.
AHRQ-funded; HS025707.
Citation: Marchetti KA, Oerline M, Hollenbeck BK .
Urology workforce changes and implications for prostate cancer care among Medicare enrollees.
Urology 2021 Sep;155:77-82. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2020.12.051..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Workforce, Practice Patterns
Patterson BW, Johnson J, Ward MD
Effect of a split-flow physician in triage model on abdominal CT ordering rate and yield.
The objective of this study was to compare the rate and clinical yield of computed tomography (CT) imaging between patients presenting with abdominal pain initially seen by a physician in triage (PIT) versus those seen only by physicians working in the main emergency department (ED). For patients with abdominal pain, the investigators found no significant differences in rates of CT ordering or CT yield for patients seen in a PIT vs. traditional models.
AHRQ-funded; HS024558.
Citation: Patterson BW, Johnson J, Ward MD .
Effect of a split-flow physician in triage model on abdominal CT ordering rate and yield.
Am J Emerg Med 2021 Aug;46:160-64. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.05.119..
Keywords: Imaging, Emergency Department, Practice Patterns, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Vemulakonda VM, Sevick C, Juarez-Colunga E
Treatment of infants with ureteropelvic junction obstruction: findings from the PURSUIT network.
Studies based on administrative databases show that infant pyeloplasty is associated with minority race/ethnicity but lack clinical data that may influence treatment. The objective of this study was to identify clinical and demographic factors associated with pyeloplasty in infants from three large tertiary centers. The investigators found that infant pyeloplasty rates varied between sites. In addition, they found that prolonged T½ was associated with surgery despite prior studies suggesting this was a poor predictor of worsening dilation or function.
AHRQ-funded; HS024597.
Citation: Vemulakonda VM, Sevick C, Juarez-Colunga E .
Treatment of infants with ureteropelvic junction obstruction: findings from the PURSUIT network.
Int Urol Nephrol 2021 Aug;53(8):1485-95. doi: 10.1007/s11255-021-02866-y..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Treatments, Practice Patterns
Vu K, Zhou J, Everhart A
Uptake of evidence by physicians: de-adoption of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents after the TREAT trial.
Variation in de-adoption of ineffective or unsafe treatments is not well-understood. In this study the investigators examined de-adoption of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) in anemia treatment among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) following new clinical evidence of harm and ineffectiveness (the TREAT trial) and the FDA's revision of its safety warning. The investigators found that physician specialty had a dominant role in prescribing decision, and specializations with higher use of treatment (nephrologists) were more responsive to new evidence of unsafety and ineffectiveness.
AHRQ-funded; HS025164.
Citation: Vu K, Zhou J, Everhart A .
Uptake of evidence by physicians: de-adoption of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents after the TREAT trial.
BMC Nephrol 2021 Aug 21;22(1):284. doi: 10.1186/s12882-021-02491-y..
Keywords: Evidence-Based Practice, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Practice Patterns, Provider: Physician
Morden NE, Chyn D, Wood A
Racial inequality in prescription opioid receipt - role of individual health systems.
The purpose of this study was to explore the contribution of individual health systems in the receipt of prescription opioids among racial groups in the United States. Medicare claims data for 2016-2017 was used to obtain a random 40% national sample of fee-for-service, Black and White beneficiaries 18 to 64 years of age and identify 310 racially diverse systems. Findings showed that, within individual health systems, Black and White patients received markedly different opioid doses. These system-specific findings could facilitate exploration of the causes and consequences of these differences.
AHRQ-funded; HS024075.
Citation: Morden NE, Chyn D, Wood A .
Racial inequality in prescription opioid receipt - role of individual health systems.
N Engl J Med 2021 Jul 22;385(4):342-51. doi: 10.1056/NEJMsa2034159..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities, Practice Patterns
Pritchard KT, Baillargeon J, Raji Ma
Association of occupational and physical therapy with duration of prescription opioid use after hip or knee arthroplasty: a retrospective cohort study of Medicare enrollees.
The purpose of this study was to establish whether non-pharmacological interventions, such as occupational and physical therapy, were associated with a shorter duration of prescription opioid use after hip or knee arthroplasty. The investigators concluded that occupational and physical therapy with home health were associated with a shorter duration of prescription opioid use after hip and knee arthroplasty.
AHRQ-funded; HS026133.
Citation: Pritchard KT, Baillargeon J, Raji Ma .
Association of occupational and physical therapy with duration of prescription opioid use after hip or knee arthroplasty: a retrospective cohort study of Medicare enrollees.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2021 Jul;102(7):1257-66. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2021.01.086..
Keywords: Orthopedics, Surgery, Opioids, Pain, Practice Patterns
Teoh L, Thompson W, Hubbard CC
Comparison of dental benzodiazepine prescriptions from the U.S., England, and Australia from 2013 to 2018.
Benzodiazepines contribute to substance use disorder and are often part of polydrug abuse, most frequently with opioids. Although dental opioid prescribing differs significantly between countries, little is known about the patterns of dental benzodiazepine prescribing. The aim of this study was to compare dental prescribing of benzodiazepines among the U.S., England, and Australia in 2013-2018.
AHRQ-funded; HS025177.
Citation: Teoh L, Thompson W, Hubbard CC .
Comparison of dental benzodiazepine prescriptions from the U.S., England, and Australia from 2013 to 2018.
Am J Prev Med 2021 Jul;61(1):73-79. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.01.025..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Practice Patterns, Dental and Oral Health
Chou LN, Kuo YF, Raji MA
Potentially inappropriate medication prescribing by nurse practitioners and physicians.
This study compared prescribing rates for potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) by physicians and nurse practitioners (NPs). The authors used 100% Texas Medicare data to define physician and NP visits in 2016. Rates of visits with a PIM prescription from the same provider was measured by initial and refill visits. There were 24.1 per 1000 visits for PIM prescriptions, 9.0 per 1000 visits for an initial PM and 15.1 per 1000 visits for a refill PIM. Visits to an NP was less likely to result in an initial and refill PIM visit than a visit to a physician. There was a strong association of lower odds of a black enrollee receiving a PIM by an NP than white enrollees. There was also less likelihood of receiving a PIM refill from an NP in older patients and in those with more comorbidities.
AHRQ-funded; HS020642; HS020642.
Citation: Chou LN, Kuo YF, Raji MA .
Potentially inappropriate medication prescribing by nurse practitioners and physicians.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2021 Jul;69(7):1916-24. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17120..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Provider: Physician, Provider: Nurse, Hospitalization, Practice Patterns, Ambulatory Care and Surgery
Rosko AJ, Gay BL, Reyes-Gastelum D
Surgeons' attitudes on total thyroidectomy vs lobectomy for management of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma.
The incidence of papillary thyroid cancer has increased in the past 25 years without a clear increase in thyroid cancer deaths. Given these findings, there has been a shift toward recommending conservative surgical options, with current management guidelines favoring lobectomy, especially for patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma. The aim of this study was to identify surgeons’ attitudes regarding surgical management of microcarcinomas with the hypothesis that surgeons consider other factors, in addition to tumor size, when selecting a surgical procedure.
AHRQ-funded; HS024512.
Citation: Rosko AJ, Gay BL, Reyes-Gastelum D .
Surgeons' attitudes on total thyroidectomy vs lobectomy for management of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma.
JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2021 Jul;147(7):667-69. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2021.0525..
Keywords: Cancer, Surgery, Practice Patterns, Provider: Physician
Chao GF, Li KY, Zhu Z
Use of telehealth by surgical specialties during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study’s objective was to determine telehealth use by surgical specialty before and during the pandemic period starting in March 2020. Insurance claims from a Michigan statewide commercial payer for new patient visits with a surgeon from 1 of 9 surgical specialties during one of the following periods: prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (period 1: January 5 to March 7, 2020), early pandemic (period 2: March 8 to June 6, 2020), and late pandemic (period 3: June 7 to September 5, 2020) were analyzed. For new patient visits, 1182 surgeons (26.8%) in any patient context used telehealth. Telehealth use peaked in April 2020 and facilitated 34.6% of all new patient visits during that week. Urology was the specialty with the highest telehealth conversion rate (14.3%).
AHRQ-funded; HS027632.
Citation: Chao GF, Li KY, Zhu Z .
Use of telehealth by surgical specialties during the COVID-19 pandemic.
JAMA Surg 2021 Jul;156(7):620-26. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2021.0979..
Keywords: COVID-19, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Access to Care, Practice Patterns, Surgery