National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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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 27 Research Studies DisplayedBierman AS, Wang J, O'Malley PG
AHRQ Author: Bierman AS, Wang J, O'Malley PG, Moss DK
Transforming care for people with multiple chronic conditions: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's research agenda.
This article describes issues addressing the needs of those with multiple chronic conditions and discusses the AHRQ research agenda.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Bierman AS, Wang J, O'Malley PG .
Transforming care for people with multiple chronic conditions: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's research agenda.
Health Serv Res 2021 Oct;56(Suppl 1):973-79. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13863..
Keywords: Chronic Conditions, Health Services Research (HSR), Healthcare Delivery, Quality of Care, Primary Care, Guidelines, Evidence-Based Practice
Hernandez AV, Roman YM, White CM
Developing criteria and associated instructions for consistent and useful quality improvement study data extraction for health systems.
This paper describes AHRQ’s efforts to collate and assess quality improvement studies to support learning health systems (LHS). The authors identified quality improvement studies and evaluated the consistency of data extraction from two experienced independent reviewers at three time points: baseline, first revision, and final revision. Six investigators looked at the data extracted by the independent reviewers and determined the extent of similarity on a scale of 0 to 10. Two LHS participants were then asked to assess the relative value of their criteria. The consistency of extraction improved from a mean 1.17 score at baseline to 6.07 at first revision, and 6.81 at the final revision. There was not a significant improvement from the first to final revision. However, the LHS participants rated the value of these ratings a 9 and a 6, demonstrating that there is value in developing criteria.
AHRQ-funded; 290201500012I.
Citation: Hernandez AV, Roman YM, White CM .
Developing criteria and associated instructions for consistent and useful quality improvement study data extraction for health systems.
J Gen Intern Med 2020 Nov;35(Suppl 2):802-07. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06098-1..
Keywords: Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Learning Health Systems, Health Systems, Health Services Research (HSR), Research Methodologies
Carroll AR, Johnson DP
Know it when you see it: identifying and using special cause variation for quality improvement.
This article concerning an article that appears in the same issue discusses statistical process control charts. The authors conclude that by understanding the rules of special cause variation and applying them to data in real time, teams will be provided with information that will inform hypotheses testing, bolster knowledge about a system, and ultimately accelerate improvement work.
AHRQ-funded; HS026122.
Citation: Carroll AR, Johnson DP .
Know it when you see it: identifying and using special cause variation for quality improvement.
Hosp Pediatr 2020 Nov;10(11):e8-e10. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2020-002303..
Keywords: Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Health Services Research (HSR)
Markovitz AA, Hollingsworth JM, Ayanian JZ
Performance in the Medicare Shared Savings Program after accounting for nonrandom exit: an instrumental variable analysis.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) on spending and quality while accounting for clinicians' nonrandom exit. MSSP ACO participants were compared with control beneficiaries using adjusted longitudinal models that accounted for secular trends, market factors, and beneficiary characteristics. Results showed that, after adjustment for clinicians' nonrandom exit, the MSSP was not associated with improvements in spending or quality. Selection effects, including exit of high-cost clinicians, may drive estimates of savings in the MSSP.
AHRQ-funded; HS025615; HS024728; HS024525.
Citation: Markovitz AA, Hollingsworth JM, Ayanian JZ .
Performance in the Medicare Shared Savings Program after accounting for nonrandom exit: an instrumental variable analysis.
Ann Intern Med 2019 Jul 2;171(1):27-36. doi: 10.7326/m18-2539..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Health Services Research (HSR), Medicare, Quality of Care
Althoff KN, Wong C, Hogan B
Mind the gap: observation windows to define periods of event ascertainment as a quality control method for longitudinal electronic health record data.
Under the hypothesis that use of electronic health records in health research may lead to false assumptions of complete event ascertainment, the authors of this article estimated "observation windows" (OWs) as a quality-control approach to reduce the likelihood of false assumption. The impact of OWs on estimating rates of type II diabetes mellitus from HIV clinical cohorts are demonstrated. Data from 16 HIV clinical cohorts to the NA-ACCORD were used to identify and evaluate OWs for an operationalized definition of diabetes occurrence. The authors conclude that OWs have utility as a quality-control approach to complete event ascertainment and help to improve the accuracy of estimates.
AHRQ-funded; 90047713.
Citation: Althoff KN, Wong C, Hogan B .
Mind the gap: observation windows to define periods of event ascertainment as a quality control method for longitudinal electronic health record data.
Ann Epidemiol 2019 May;33:54-63. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2019.01.015..
Keywords: Diabetes, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Health Services Research (HSR), Quality of Care
I Auerbach, M Badaki-Makun, O
AHRQ Author: Barata
A research agenda to advance pediatric emergency care through enhanced collaboration across emergency departments.
In 2018, the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and the journal Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM) convened a consensus conference entitled, "Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference: Aligning the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Research Agenda to Reduce Health Outcome Gaps." This article is the product of the breakout session, "Emergency Department Collaboration-Pediatric Emergency Medicine in Non-Children's Hospital."
AHRQ-funded; HS026101.
Citation: I Auerbach, M Badaki-Makun, O .
A research agenda to advance pediatric emergency care through enhanced collaboration across emergency departments.
Acad Emerg Med 2018 Dec;25(12):1415-26. doi: 10.1111/acem.13642..
Keywords: Care Coordination, Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Evidence-Based Practice, Health Services Research (HSR), Outcomes, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement
Zhou L, Blackley SV, Kowalski L
Analysis of errors in dictated clinical documents assisted by speech recognition software and professional transcriptionists.
The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze errors at each stage of the speech recognition (SR) assisted dictation process. The study concluded that seven in 100 words in SR-generated documents contain errors; many errors involve clinical information. That most errors were corrected before notes were signed demonstrates the importance of manual review, quality assurance, and auditing.
AHRQ-funded; HS024264.
Citation: Zhou L, Blackley SV, Kowalski L .
Analysis of errors in dictated clinical documents assisted by speech recognition software and professional transcriptionists.
JAMA Network Open 2018 Jul;1(3):e180530. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.1627..
Keywords: Quality of Care, Health Information Technology (HIT), Health Services Research (HSR), Medical Errors, Patient Safety
Greenberg CC, Ghousseini HN, Pavuluri Quamme SR
A statewide surgical coaching program provides opportunity for continuous professional development.
Researchers sought to develop and evaluate a video-based coaching program for board-eligible/certified surgeons. They found that, overall, participants were satisfied with their experience and found the coaching program valuable. Future research to evaluate the impact of coaching on practice change and patient outcomes is recommended.
AHRQ-funded; HS022403.
Citation: Greenberg CC, Ghousseini HN, Pavuluri Quamme SR .
A statewide surgical coaching program provides opportunity for continuous professional development.
Ann Surg 2018 May;267(5):868-73. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000002341..
Keywords: Education: Continuing Medical Education, Health Services Research (HSR), Patient Safety, Provider, Provider: Physician, Quality of Care, Surgery
Alderwick H, Shortell SM, Briggs ADM
Can accountable care organisations really improve the English NHS? Lessons from the United States.
The authors summarize evidence on accountable care organizations in the US - including what they look like, their effect on the quality and cost of healthcare, and how they are redesigning care. Recognizing major differences in context, they offer lessons from the US experience for National Health Service policy makers as they consider the future of similar ventures in England.
AHRQ-funded; HS022241; HS024075.
Citation: Alderwick H, Shortell SM, Briggs ADM .
Can accountable care organisations really improve the English NHS? Lessons from the United States.
BMJ 2018 Mar 2;360:k921. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k921.
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Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Quality of Care, Health Services Research (HSR), Policy
Phillippi JC, Hartmann KE
Differentiating research, quality improvement, and case studies to ethically incorporate pregnant women.
This article discusses the need to involve pregnant women in research, quality improvement, and case studies and how to involve them in an ethical way with high standards to protect participants. This review includes vignettes to distinguish between the different types of studies and emphasizes that perinatal care providers will need to seek institutional review board approval for all research to be conducted.
AHRQ-funded; HS024733.
Citation: Phillippi JC, Hartmann KE .
Differentiating research, quality improvement, and case studies to ethically incorporate pregnant women.
J Midwifery Womens Health 2018 Jan;63(1):104-14. doi: 10.1111/jmwh.12673..
Keywords: Health Services Research (HSR), Healthcare Delivery, Maternal Care, Pregnancy, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement, Research Methodologies, Women
Colla CH, Mainor AJ
Choosing Wisely Campaign: valuable for providers who knew about it, but awareness remained constant, 2014-17.
The Choosing Wisely campaign has codified recommendations of which health care services' use should be questioned and discussed with patients. The ABIM Foundation administered surveys in 2014 and 2017 to examine physicians' attitudes toward and awareness of the use of low-value care. There were no significant changes between 2014 and 2017 in awareness of the campaign among physicians or physician-reported difficulty in talking to patients about avoiding a low-value service.
AHRQ-funded; HS023812.
Citation: Colla CH, Mainor AJ .
Choosing Wisely Campaign: valuable for providers who knew about it, but awareness remained constant, 2014-17.
Health Aff 2017 Nov;36(11):2005-11. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.0945.
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Keywords: Shared Decision Making, Guidelines, Quality of Care, Health Services Research (HSR), Clinician-Patient Communication
Gidengil CA, Linder JA, Beach S
Using clinical vignettes to assess quality of care for acute respiratory infections.
Overprescribing of antibiotics for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) is common. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a vignette-based method to estimate clinician ARI antibiotic prescribing. The researchers concluded that responses to 3 clinical vignettes can identify clinicians with relatively poor quality ARI antibiotic prescribing. Vignettes may be a mechanism to target clinicians for quality improvement efforts.
AHRQ-funded; HS018419.
Citation: Gidengil CA, Linder JA, Beach S .
Using clinical vignettes to assess quality of care for acute respiratory infections.
Inquiry 2016 Apr 20;53:pii: 0046958016636531. doi: 10.1177/0046958016636531..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Health Services Research (HSR), Medication, Practice Patterns, Primary Care, Quality of Care, Respiratory Conditions
Kronick R
AHRQ Author: Kronick R
AHRQ's role in improving quality, safety, and health system performance.
The author, director of AHRQ, focuses on several topics including investing in research and evidence to understand how to improve the safety and quality of health care, and generating measures and data used to track and improve performance and evaluate progress of the U.S. health-care system. He concludes by discussing AHRQ’s continuing exploration of ways to expand its efforts in patient safety into nonhospital settings.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Kronick R .
AHRQ's role in improving quality, safety, and health system performance.
Public Health Rep 2016 Mar-Apr;131(2):229-32.
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Keywords: Patient Safety, Quality of Care, Evidence-Based Practice, Health Services Research (HSR)
Kronick R, Casalino LP, Bindman AB
AHRQ Author: Kronick R
Apple pickers or federal judges: strong versus weak incentives in physician payment.
The authors provide an introduction for five papers commissioned by AHRQ focusing on incentives for physicians that are featured in this special issue of Health Services Research. These papers concentrate on suggesting a conceptual framework for the use of financial incentives in health care, key implications of the evidence to date on pay for performance and public reporting in health care and several related topics.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Kronick R, Casalino LP, Bindman AB .
Apple pickers or federal judges: strong versus weak incentives in physician payment.
Health Serv Res 2015 Dec;50 Suppl 2:2049-56. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12424.
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Keywords: Payment, Provider Performance, Policy, Health Services Research (HSR), Quality of Care, Healthcare Costs, Quality Improvement
Layton TJ, Ryan AM
Higher incentive payments in Medicare Advantage's pay-for-performance program did not improve quality but did increase plan offerings.
The researchers evaluated the effects of the size of financial bonuses on quality of care and the number of plan offerings in the Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Payment Demonstration. They concluded that at great expense to Medicare, double bonuses in the Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Payment Demonstration were not associated with improved quality but were associated with more plan offerings.
AHRQ-funded; HS018546.
Citation: Layton TJ, Ryan AM .
Higher incentive payments in Medicare Advantage's pay-for-performance program did not improve quality but did increase plan offerings.
Health Serv Res 2015 Dec;50(6):1810-28. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12409..
Keywords: Medicare, Payment, Provider Performance, Health Services Research (HSR), Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
McConnochie KM
Pursuit of value in connected healthcare.
The authors highlighted differences in care models to mitigate controversy and to distinguish capacities of these different models. They concluded that the pursuit of value in connected care is fundamentally the same as with in-person care.
AHRQ-funded; HS016871; HS015165; HS018912.
Citation: McConnochie KM .
Pursuit of value in connected healthcare.
Telemed J E Health 2015 Nov;21(11):863-9. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2015.0111.
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Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Quality of Care, Health Services Research (HSR), Telehealth
Blendon RJ, Benson JM, Gorski MT
The perspectives of six Latino heritage groups about their health care.
The authors examined the perspectives of six Latino heritage groups on the health care issues they face. They found that all six heritage groups agree that diabetes is the biggest health problem facing their families.
AHRQ-funded; HS000055.
Citation: Blendon RJ, Benson JM, Gorski MT .
The perspectives of six Latino heritage groups about their health care.
J Immigr Minor Health 2015 Oct;17(5):1347-54. doi: 10.1007/s10903-014-0078-8.
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Keywords: Quality of Care, Health Services Research (HSR), Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Patient Experience, Patient Experience
Zingmond DS, Parikh P, Louie R
Improving hospital reporting of patient race and ethnicity--approaches to data auditing.
This study investigated new metrics to improve the reporting of patient race and ethnicity (R/E) by hospitals. It examined agreement between hospital reported R/E versus self-report among mothers delivering babies and a cancer cohort in California. It concluded that comparison between reported R/E and R/E estimates using zip code level data may be a reasonable first approach to evaluate and track hospital R/E reporting.
AHRQ-funded; HS019963.
Citation: Zingmond DS, Parikh P, Louie R .
Improving hospital reporting of patient race and ethnicity--approaches to data auditing.
Health Serv Res 2015 Aug;50 Suppl 1:1372-89. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12324..
Keywords: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Hospitals, Hospital Discharge, Health Services Research (HSR), Registries, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Data
Ryan AM, Burgess JF, Dimick JB
Why we should not be indifferent to specification choices for difference-in-differences.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of specification choices on the accuracy of estimates in difference-in-differences models. They found that performance of alternative specifications varied dramatically when the probability of treatment was correlated with pre-intervention levels or trends. In these cases, propensity score matching resulted in much more accurate point estimates.
AHRQ-funded; HS018546.
Citation: Ryan AM, Burgess JF, Dimick JB .
Why we should not be indifferent to specification choices for difference-in-differences.
Health Serv Res 2015 Aug;50(4):1211-35. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12270..
Keywords: Quality of Care, Health Services Research (HSR)
Nembhard IM, Labao I, Savage S
Breaking the silence: determinants of voice for quality improvement in hospitals.
The researchers examined the drivers of “voice” for health professionals in hospitals. “Voice” is understood as the discretionary communication of ideas, suggestions, concerns, or opinions about work-related issues with the intent to improve organizational or unit functioning. They found that factors related to individuals (e.g., tenure), work (e.g., work configuration), organizational context (e.g., culture), data (e.g., benchmarking), and the external environment (e.g., attention) influenced health professionals’ voice.
AHRQ-funded; HS018987.
Citation: Nembhard IM, Labao I, Savage S .
Breaking the silence: determinants of voice for quality improvement in hospitals.
Health Care Manage Rev 2015 Jul-Sep;40(3):225-36. doi: 10.1097/hmr.0000000000000028..
Keywords: Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Communication, Organizational Change, Health Services Research (HSR)
Damberg CL, McNamara P
AHRQ Author: McNamara P
Postscript: research agenda to guide the next generation of public reports for consumers.
The authors identified five areas for additional public reporting tools research that, if addressed, could foster better design and delivery of quality and cost information to consumers.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Damberg CL, McNamara P .
Postscript: research agenda to guide the next generation of public reports for consumers.
Med Care Res Rev 2014 Oct;71(5 Suppl):97s-107s. doi: 10.1177/1077558714535982.
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Keywords: Education: Patient and Caregiver, Shared Decision Making, Quality of Care, Health Services Research (HSR), Public Reporting
Mistry KB, Chesley F, Llanos K
AHRQ Author: Mistry KB, Chesley F, Dougherty D.
Advancing children's health care and outcomes through the pediatric quality measures program.
This article focuses on the Pediatric Quality Measures Program and provides an overview of the program's goals and related activities, lessons learned, and future opportunities.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Mistry KB, Chesley F, Llanos K .
Advancing children's health care and outcomes through the pediatric quality measures program.
Acad Pediatr 2014 Sep-Oct;14(5 Suppl):S19-26. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2014.06.025.
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Keywords: Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Quality of Care, Health Services Research (HSR), Children/Adolescents, Quality Measures
Dougherty D, Mistry KB, Llanos K
AHRQ Author: Dougherty D, Mistry KB, Chesley F
An AHRQ and CMS perspective on the pediatric quality measures program.
This article describes the Pediatric Quality Measures Program (PQMP). The PQMP has worked to close gaps in children’s health care quality by increasing the portfolio of new measures and methods as envisioned by the CHIPRA legislation. It is the adoption and use of these measures that can lead to improvements in the quality of care and elimination of disparities in health care for children over time.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Dougherty D, Mistry KB, Llanos K .
An AHRQ and CMS perspective on the pediatric quality measures program.
Acad Pediatr 2014 Sep-Oct;14(5 Suppl):S17-8. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2014.06.017.
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Keywords: Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Quality of Care, Health Services Research (HSR), Children/Adolescents, Quality Measures
Dougherty D, Mistry KB, Lindly O
AHRQ Author: Dougherty D, Mistry KB, Desoto M, Chesley F
Systematic evidence-based quality measurement life-cycle approach to measure retirement in CHIPRA.
The authors assessed selected child core set (CCS) measures for potential retirement. The Subcommittee of the National Advisory Council on Healthcare Research and Quality recommended 3 measures for retirement: access to primary care; testing for strep before recommending antibiotics for pharyngitis; and annual HbA1c testing of children with diabetes. CMS recommended that state Medicaid and CHIP programs retire 2 of the recommended measures from the CCS, but retained the access to primary care measure.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Dougherty D, Mistry KB, Lindly O .
Systematic evidence-based quality measurement life-cycle approach to measure retirement in CHIPRA.
Acad Pediatr 2014 Sep-Oct;14(5 Suppl):S97-s103. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2014.06.015.
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Keywords: Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Quality of Care, Health Services Research (HSR), Children/Adolescents, Quality Measures
Mutter R, Clancy C
AHRQ Author: Mutter R, Clancy C
Investing in emergency medicine to improve health care for all Americans: the role of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
This article provides a description of the portfolio of emergency care-related activities that AHRQ sponsors. The discussion includes these areas: conduct of research; tool development; quality indicators; data and analytic capacity; and training of young investigators.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Mutter R, Clancy C .
Investing in emergency medicine to improve health care for all Americans: the role of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Ann Emerg Med 2014 May;63(5):580-3. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2013.06.021.
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Keywords: Emergency Department, Quality of Care, Health Services Research (HSR), Quality Improvement, TeamSTEPPS