States That Didn’t Expand Medicaid Lost New General Internists to Expansion States

AHRQ Stats

Access more about this topic in the associated technical brief, plus additional AHRQ infographics.

Today's Headlines:

• States That Didn’t Expand Medicaid Lost New General Internists to Expansion States.
• National Academy of Medicine Seeks Public Input on Plan To Improve Clinician Well-Being.
• Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
• Nominate Topics by June 3 for Upcoming Evidence-based Practice Center Systematic Reviews.
• Submissions Due June 20 in Challenge Competition To Update TeamSTEPPS Videos.
• AHRQ Releases Learning Module for Supporting Nursing Home Residents’ Emotional Health.
• AHRQ Seeking Applicants for Health Scientist Administrator.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

States That Didn’t Expand Medicaid Lost New General Internists to Expansion States

States that did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act did not gain new general internists who located their first practice in states that expanded Medicaid, an AHRQ-funded study in Medical Care found. Researchers examined the socioeconomic status of areas within states that expanded Medicaid and gained new physicians compared with areas of states that did not expand Medicaid and lost new physicians. States that expanded Medicaid gained new general internists who were establishing their first practices, whereas nonexpansion states lost these physicians. And while nonexpansion states lost 371 new general internists to expansion states between 2014 and 2019, about 63 percent of physicians lost by nonexpansion states were from areas with high socioeconomic needs, further compromising access to care for residents regardless of insurance coverage. Researchers concluded that not expanding Medicaid may have compromised access to care for residents of the most disadvantaged areas in nonexpansion states, especially of small towns and rural areas. Access the abstract. 

National Academy of Medicine Seeks Public Input on Plan To Improve Clinician Well-Being

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience released a draft plan on May 22 to promote collective action to improve the health and well-being of the healthcare workforce. Now open for public input, the plan aims to provide a roadmap to ensure health workers stressed by the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic can provide optimal care for their patients. AHRQ Director Robert Otto Valdez, Ph.D., emphasized the need for timely action. “Our health depends on the well-being of our nation’s healthcare workforce. During these two and a half years of the pandemic, our healthcare workforce has sacrificed both professionally and personally for others in their community. AHRQ stands with NAM and partners to provide our healthcare workforce with the support they need.” The comment period is open until May 27. Access the draft report.

Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network

AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network (PSNet) highlights journal articles, books and tools related to patient safety. Articles featured this week include:

• What can we learn from in-depth analysis of human errors resulting in diagnostic errors in the emergency department: an analysis of serious adverse event reports.
• Exploring system features of primary care practices that promote better providers' clinical work satisfaction: a qualitative comparative analysis.
• Association of diagnostic stewardship for blood cultures in critically ill children with culture rates, antibiotic use, and patient outcomes: results of the Bright STAR Collaborative.

Review additional new publications in PSNet’s current issue or access recent cases and commentaries in AHRQ’s WebM&M (Morbidity and Mortality Rounds on the Web).

Nominate Topics by June 3 for Upcoming Evidence-based Practice Center Systematic Reviews

AHRQ’s Effective Health Care (EHC) Program is seeking nominations for topics for upcoming systematic reviews by the Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) Program. Selected topics can help:

• Clinicians and policymakers understand the benefits and harms of different tests and treatments.
• Health systems and policymakers understand the best options for implementing a new program or model of care.
• Patients make better decisions about their healthcare options.

Suggest ideas for new evidence reviews or email epc@ahrq.hhs.gov for questions or more information. The EPC program has published more than 800 research reports since 1997. Its publications help inform healthcare decision-making on drugs, devices, surgeries and approaches to healthcare delivery. In addition to suggesting ideas for new evidence reviews, the public can comment on key research questions and draft reports, or submit supplemental evidence and data.

Submissions Due June 20 in Challenge Competition To Update TeamSTEPPS Videos

Written proposals are due June 20 for contestants entering AHRQ’s challenge competition to develop innovative video content to update the agency’s TeamSTEPPS training program resources. The Phase 1 narratives must propose updates to a current TeamSTEPPS video in an equitable, culturally sensitive and health-literate manner. Ten contestants selected to advance to Phase 2 will develop replacements for existing TeamSTEPPS videos. Up to 10 $10,000 prizes will be awarded to Phase 2 contestants who produce successful videos. Winners will be announced by the end of 2022. TeamSTEPPS promotes effective teamwork, collaboration and communication in healthcare while focusing on strategies and tools to improve staff performance, patient safety and quality of care. Access more information about the TeamSTEPPS challenge and previous AHRQ competitions.

AHRQ Releases Learning Module for Supporting Nursing Home Residents’ Emotional Health

AHRQ has released a new module to help frontline nursing home staff support their residents’ emotional health. The video module is designed to be self-paced and provides guidance on how staff can identify signs of depression in their residents and better support their emotional needs. It also provides ideas on how to support residents in adjusting to COVID-19 related changes and resuming normal activities. Access the module.

AHRQ Seeking Applicants for Health Scientist Administrator

AHRQ is seeking a health scientist administrator to serve in the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. The chosen applicant will provide insight into a full range of programmatic activities related to health services research, clinical research evaluation and related disciplines, data development and analysis, and research endeavors on quality measurement and improvement. The application deadline is June 16. Learn more about this vacancy and others at AHRQ.

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

A comparison of methods to identify antenatal substance use within electronic health records. Tang LA, Jeffery AD, Leech AA, et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM 2022 Mar;4(2):100535. Epub 2021 Nov 19. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Identifying high-value care for Medicare beneficiaries: a cross-sectional study of acute care hospitals in the USA. Herrin J, Yu H, Venkatesh AK, et al. BMJ Open 2022 Mar 31;12(3):e053629. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Electronic health literacy among linguistically diverse patients in the Los Angeles County safety net health system. Valdovinos C, Perez-Aguilar G, Huerta RG, et al. Ethn Dis 2022 Winter;32(1):21-30. Epub 2022 Jan 20. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Assessing the relationship between well-care visit and emergency department utilization among adolescents and young adults. Holland JE, Varni SE, Pulcini CD, et al. J Adolesc Health 2022 Jan;70(1):64-9. Epub 2021 Oct 6. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Collaborative case review: a systems-based approach to patient safety event investigation and analysis. Lacson R, Khorasani R, Fiumara K, et al. J Patient Saf 2022 Mar 1;18(2):e522-e7. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Overview of screening eligibility in patients undergoing ruptured AAA repair from 2003 to 2019 in the Vascular Quality Initiative. Mota L, Marcaccio CL, Dansey KD, et al. J Vasc Surg 2022 Mar;75(3):884-92.e1. Epub 2021 Oct 22. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Association of treatment modality, functional outcomes, and baseline characteristics with treatment-related regret among men with localized prostate cancer. Wallis CJD, Zhao Z, Huang LC, et al. JAMA Oncol 2022 Jan;8(1):50-9. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Patient and provider experience of electronic patient portals and secure messaging in mental health treatment. Turvey CL, Fuhrmeister LA, Klein DM, et al. Telemed J E Health 2022 Feb;28(2):189-98. Epub 2021 Apr 21. Access the abstract on PubMed®.