National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Latest available findings on quality of and access to health care
Data
- Data Infographics
- Data Visualizations
- Data Tools
- Data Innovations
- All-Payer Claims Database
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
- AHRQ Quality Indicator Tools for Data Analytics
- State Snapshots
- United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK)
- Data Sources Available from AHRQ
Search All Research Studies
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 5 of 5 Research Studies DisplayedSilva GC, Gutman R
Reformulating provider profiling by grouping providers treating similar patients prior to evaluating performance.
The purpose of this study was to explore a novel approach to comparing health providers' performance that identifies groups of providers treating similar populations of patients and then assesses providers' performance within each group. To compare the performance of the proposed approach, the researchers utilized patient-level data from 119 Massachusetts skilled nursing facilities. Simulated and observed outcome data were utilized to examine the performance of the methods in different settings. In simulations, the proposed method classified providers to groups with the admission attributes of similar patients. In the presence of limited overlap in patient attributes across providers and misspecifications of the outcome model, the provider-level estimates created utilizing the novel approach identified providers that under- and overperformed when compared to the existing approaches.
AHRQ-funded; HS026830.
Citation: Silva GC, Gutman R .
Reformulating provider profiling by grouping providers treating similar patients prior to evaluating performance.
Biostatistics 2023 Oct 18; 24(4):962-84. doi: 10.1093/biostatistics/kxac019..
Keywords: Provider Performance, Quality of Care, Healthcare Delivery
Beaulieu ND, Chernew ME, McWilliams JM
Organization and performance of US health systems.
The objectives of this evidence review were to identify and describe health systems in the US, to assess differences between physicians and hospitals in and outside of health systems, and to compare quality and cost of care delivered by physicians and hospitals in and outside of health systems. A total of 580 health systems in a great variety of sizes were identified; prices for physician, hospital services, and total spending were assessed in 2018 commercial claims data. Health system physicians and hospitals were shown to deliver a large portion of medical services. Clinical quality performance and patient experience measures were slightly better in systems; however, spending and prices were significantly higher, especially in small practices. The authors concluded that slight quality differentials in combination with large price differentials suggested that health systems have not realized their potential for better care at equal or lower cost.
AHRQ-funded; HS024072.
Citation: Beaulieu ND, Chernew ME, McWilliams JM .
Organization and performance of US health systems.
JAMA 2023 Jan 24; 329(4):325-35. doi: 10.1001/jama.2022.24032..
Keywords: Health Systems, Healthcare Delivery, Provider Performance, Quality Measures, Quality of Care, Hospitals
Agniel D, Haviland A, Shekelle P
Distinguishing high-performing health systems using a composite of publicly reported measures of ambulatory care.
The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a measure that ranks health care systems by ambulatory care quality. The authors concluded that their measure, using publicly reported data to produce valid, reliable, and stable ranks of ambulatory care quality for health care systems in Minnesota and California, could also be used in other applications.
AHRQ-funded; HS024067.
Citation: Agniel D, Haviland A, Shekelle P .
Distinguishing high-performing health systems using a composite of publicly reported measures of ambulatory care.
Ann Intern Med 2020 Nov 17;173(10):791-98. doi: 10.7326/m20-0718..
Keywords: Health Systems, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Measures, Quality of Care, Provider Performance, Healthcare Delivery
Hung DY, Harrison MI, Liang SY
AHRQ Author: Harrison MI
Contextual conditions and performance improvement in primary care.
This study examined organizational features of primary care clinics that had gone through Lean redesigns and had experienced the greatest performance improvements. They surveyed 1333 physicians and staff in 43 primary care clinics across a large primary care system. They found that clinics with prior experience with quality improvement had the highest increases in efficiency. Clinics reporting the highest levels of burnout and work stress before the redesign also made efficiency gains. Physician productivity gains was associated with a history of change, staff participation and leadership support. The greatest improvements in patient satisfaction occurred where there was the lowest stress levels with highest levels of teamwork, staff engagement and leadership support.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 2902010000221.
Citation: Hung DY, Harrison MI, Liang SY .
Contextual conditions and performance improvement in primary care.
Qual Manag Health Care 2019 Apr/Jun;28(2):70-77. doi: 10.1097/qmh.0000000000000198..
Keywords: Organizational Change, Healthcare Delivery, Primary Care, Provider Performance, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Workflow
Kondo KK, Damberg CL, Mendelson A
Implementation processes and pay for performance in healthcare: A systematic review.
The authors conducted a systematic review and key informant (KI) interviews to better understand the implementation factors that modify the effectiveness of pay for performance (P4P). They concluded that P4P programs should undergo regular evaluation and should target areas of poor performance, and also that measures and incentives should align with organizational priorities, and programs should allow for changes over time in response to data and provider input.
AHRQ-funded; HS022981.
Citation: Kondo KK, Damberg CL, Mendelson A .
Implementation processes and pay for performance in healthcare: A systematic review.
J Gen Intern Med 2016 Apr;31 Suppl 1:61-9. doi: 10.1007/s11606-015-3567-0.
.
.
Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Provider Performance, Payment, Quality of Care