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
101 to 125 of 762 Research Studies DisplayedVaughn VM, Hersh AL, Spivak ES
Antibiotic overuse and stewardship at hospital discharge: the reducing overuse of antibiotics at discharge home framework.
In this review, the authors discussed what is currently known about antibiotic overuse at hospital discharge, key barriers, and targets for improving antibiotic prescribing at discharge. They introduced an evidence-based framework, the Reducing Overuse of Antibiotics at Discharge Home Framework, for conducting discharge antibiotic stewardship.
AHRQ-funded; HS026530.
Citation: Vaughn VM, Hersh AL, Spivak ES .
Antibiotic overuse and stewardship at hospital discharge: the reducing overuse of antibiotics at discharge home framework.
Clin Infect Dis 2022 May 3;74(9):1696-702. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab842..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication, Hospital Discharge, Hospitals
Wang Y, Eldridge N, Metersky ML
AHRQ Author: Eldridge N, Rodrick D
Analysis of hospital-level readmission rates and variation in adverse events among patients with pneumonia in the United States.
The purpose of this AHRQ-authored cross-sectional study was to assess whether patients with pneumonia who were admitted to hospitals with higher risk-standardized readmission rates had a higher risk of in-hospital adverse events. The researchers linked patient-level adverse events data from the Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System (MPSMS) to the hospital-level pneumonia-specific all-cause readmissions data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The MPSMS data included 46,047 patients with pneumonia across 2,590 hospitals discharged from July 1, 2010, through December 31, 2019. For data from 2010 to 2017, analysis was completed from October 2019 through July 2020, and for data from 2018 to 2019 analysis was completed from March through April 2022. The study concluded that readmission rates are associated with the quality of hospital care for pneumonia; patients with pneumonia admitted to hospitals with high all-cause readmission rates had a higher likelihood of developing adverse events during the initial hospitalization.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201800005C.
Citation: Wang Y, Eldridge N, Metersky ML .
Analysis of hospital-level readmission rates and variation in adverse events among patients with pneumonia in the United States.
JAMA Netw Open 2022 May 2;5(5):e2214586. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.14586..
Keywords: Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals, Adverse Events, Pneumonia, Respiratory Conditions
Yu A, Jordan SR, Gilmartin H
"Our hands are tied until your doctor gets here": nursing perspectives on inter-hospital transfers.
The purpose of this study was to characterize the experiences of inpatient floor-level bedside nurses caring for inter-hospital transfer (IHT) patients and to identify care coordination challenges and solutions. Results from this study are mapped to AHRQ’s Care Coordination Measurement Framework domains of communication, assessing needs and goals, and negotiating accountability. Findings showed that three key themes characterized nurses' experiences with IHT related to these domains: challenges with information exchange and team communication during IHT, environmental and information preparation needed to anticipate transfers, and determining responsibility and care plans after the IHT patient has arrived at the accepting facility.
AHRQ-funded; HS023331.
Citation: Yu A, Jordan SR, Gilmartin H .
"Our hands are tied until your doctor gets here": nursing perspectives on inter-hospital transfers.
J Gen Intern Med 2022 May;37(7):1729-36. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-07276-5..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Hospitals, Provider: Nurse
Schmutz KE, Wallace AS, Bristol AA
Hospital discharge during COVID-19: the role of social resources.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability of patients to obtain and receive support post-discharge after medical or surgical hospital services. The researchers utilized the Individual and Family Self-Management Theory as a framework for semi-structured interviews conducted with 26 patients discharged from the hospital. The study found that the majority of participants described minimal impact on their ability to secure support, with the exception of one participant whose support changes radically affected her experience post-discharge. The researchers concluded that strong pre-existing social support networks were protective for patients returning home after hospitalization during the pandemic.
AHRQ-funded; HS026248.
Citation: Schmutz KE, Wallace AS, Bristol AA .
Hospital discharge during COVID-19: the role of social resources.
Clin Nurs Res 2022 May;31(4):724-32. doi: 10.1177/10547738221075760..
Keywords: COVID-19, Hospital Discharge, Hospitals
Sittig DF, Lakhani P, Singh H
Applying requisite imagination to safeguard electronic health record transitions.
In this study, the authors apply principles of Requisite Imagination, or the ability to imagine key aspects of the future one is planning, to offer 6 recommendations on how to safeguard proactively transitions of health care organizations from one EHR to another. They concluded that proactive approaches using their Requisite Imagination principles outlined in their article can help ensure safe, effective, and economically sound EHR transitions.
AHRQ-funded; HS027363.
Citation: Sittig DF, Lakhani P, Singh H .
Applying requisite imagination to safeguard electronic health record transitions.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2022 Apr 13;29(5):1014-18. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocab291..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Hospitals
Taylor K, Diaz A, Nuliyalu U
Association of dual Medicare and Medicaid eligibility with outcomes and spending for cancer surgery in high-quality hospitals.
The purpose of this study was to assess whether treatment at high-quality hospitals mitigates dual-eligibility-associated disparities in outcomes and spending for cancer surgery. Medicare beneficiaries 65 years or older who underwent colectomy, rectal resection, lung resection, or pancreatectomy were evaluated. The findings indicate that, even among the highest-quality hospitals, dual-eligibility patients had poorer outcomes and higher spending. Dually eligible patients were more likely to be discharged to a facility and thus incurred higher post-acute care costs. Although treatment at high-quality hospitals is associated with reduced differences in outcomes, dual-eligibility patients remain at high risk for adverse post-operative outcomes as well as increased readmissions and post-acute care use.
AHRQ-funded; HS024763.
Citation: Taylor K, Diaz A, Nuliyalu U .
Association of dual Medicare and Medicaid eligibility with outcomes and spending for cancer surgery in high-quality hospitals.
JAMA Surg 2022 Apr;157(4):e217586. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2021.7586..
Keywords: Cancer, Surgery, Medicare, Medicaid, Outcomes, Hospitals
Everson J, Adler-Milstein JR, Hollingsworth JM
Dispersion in the hospital network of shared patients is associated with less efficient care.
The purpose of this study was to examine the level of distribution of patient-sharing networks across U.S. hospitals and its relationship with 3 measures of care delivered by hospitals that were likely to relate to coordination. The researchers utilized data from 2016 Medicare Fee-for-Service claims to measure the volume of patients that hospitals treated in common, and then calculated a measure of dispersion for each hospital. The relationship between network dispersion, Medicare spending per beneficiary, readmission rates, and emergency department (ED) throughput rates were then estimated. The study reported that hospitals with more dispersed networks had greater spending rates but not higher admission rates or slower ED processes. Among hospitals with less resources, more dispersion was associated with higher readmission rates and slower ED processes. The researchers concluded that dispersed interhospital networks create difficulties in coordinating patients who are treated at multiple hospitals, and that the structure of patient-sharing networks may be an overlooked factor that influences the delivery of care in health care organizations.
AHRQ-funded; HS026395, HS024525, HS024728, HS024454.
Citation: Everson J, Adler-Milstein JR, Hollingsworth JM .
Dispersion in the hospital network of shared patients is associated with less efficient care.
Health Care Manage Rev 2022 Apr-Jun;47(2):88-99. doi: 10.1097/hmr.0000000000000295..
Keywords: Medicare, Hospitals, Care Coordination, Healthcare Delivery
McCleskey SG, Shek L, Grein J
Economic evaluation of quality improvement interventions to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections in the hospital setting: a systematic review.
This systematic review looked at economic evaluations of quality improvement (QI) interventions to reduce rates of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). A literature review was conducted for conference abstracts and studies from January 2000 to October 2020. Dual reviewers assessed study design, effectiveness, costs and study quality for eligibility. The reviewers performed a cost-consequence analysis from the hospital perspective, estimating the incidence rate ratio and increment net cost/savings per hospital over 3 years for each eligible study. Fifteen unique economic evaluations were eligible, and 12 studies were amenable to standardization. QI interventions were associated with a 43% decline in infections and wide ranges of net costs relative to usual care.
AHRQ-funded; HS022644.
Citation: McCleskey SG, Shek L, Grein J .
Economic evaluation of quality improvement interventions to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections in the hospital setting: a systematic review.
BMJ Qual Saf 2022 Apr;31(4):308-21. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2021-013839..
Keywords: Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Healthcare Costs
Jin B, Nembhard IM
Effects of affiliation network membership on hospital quality and financial performance.
This study examined the effects of hospital membership in affiliation networks-franchise-like networks sponsored by high-quality health systems in which affiliate hospitals pay an annual fee for access to sponsor's operational and clinical resources-on clinical quality, patient experience ratings, and financial performance of affiliates and their competitors. The authors used network membership data from press releases and websites of four sponsors (Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, MD Anderson, Memorial Sloan Kettering), American Hospital Association's Annual Survey, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Hospital Compare, and Healthcare Cost Report Information System, all for 2005-2016. The authors looked at 199 network affiliates. The affiliates experienced insignificant clinical quality changes but increased their net income and operating margin more than non-affiliates. There were no changes in measures for multispecialty affiliates.
AHRQ-funded; HS017589.
Citation: Jin B, Nembhard IM .
Effects of affiliation network membership on hospital quality and financial performance.
Health Serv Res 2022 Apr;57(2):248-58. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13876..
Keywords: Hospitals, Quality of Care
Bui LN, Marshall C, Miller-Rosales C
Hospital adoption of electronic decision support tools for preeclampsia management.
Maternal morbidity and mortality can be reduced by the utilization of evidence-based clinical guidelines for preeclampsia management. Electronic health record (EHR)-based clinical decision support tools can improve the use of those guidelines. The purpose of this study was to investigate the organizational capabilities and hospital adoption of HER-based decision tools for preeclampsia management. The researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis of hospitals that provided obstetric care in 2017. A total of 739 hospitals that responded to the 2017-2018 National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems (NSHOS) and their results were linked to the 2017 Area Health Resources File (AHRF) and the American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey Database. A final total of 425 hospitals from 49 states were analyzed. The primary outcome of the analysis was whether a hospital adopted EHR-based clinical decision support tools for preeclampsia management. The study found that 68% of the hospitals utilized EHR-based decision support tools for preeclampsia, and that hospitals with a single EHR system were more likely to adopt EHR-based decision support tools for preeclampsia than hospitals with multiple systems, including a combination of EHR and paper-based systems. The researchers also determined that hospitals with more processes to disseminate best patient care practices were more likely to adopt EHR-based decision support tools for preeclampsia management. The study concluded that having standardized EHRs and policies to disseminate evidence can help hospitals advance the use of EHR-based decision support tools for preeclampsia management in those hospitals that have not yet adopted them.
AHRQ-funded; HS024075.
Citation: Bui LN, Marshall C, Miller-Rosales C .
Hospital adoption of electronic decision support tools for preeclampsia management.
Qual Manag Health Care 2022 Apr-Jun;31(2):59-67. doi: 10.1097/qmh.0000000000000328..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Hospitals, Pregnancy, Women
Grennan M, Kim GH, McConnell KJ
Hospital management practices and medical device costs.
The authors sought to determine whether the variation in prices paid for cardiac medical devices was associated with management practices in cardiac units. Unit prices on management practice scores and other hospital characteristics were regressed for the 11 top-spending cardiac device categories. The authors found that better management practices were associated with lower device prices. They noted that this modest magnitude was similar to other events expected to lower input prices, such as transparency in the form of benchmarking information and hospital mergers.
AHRQ-funded; HS018466.
Citation: Grennan M, Kim GH, McConnell KJ .
Hospital management practices and medical device costs.
Health Serv Res 2022 Apr;57(2):227-36. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13898..
Keywords: Medical Devices, Hospitals, Healthcare Costs
Post B, Nallamothu BK, Hollenbeck B
Hospital-cardiologist integration often occurs without a practice acquisition.
This study’s objective was to determine how much of the increase in hospital-cardiologist integration comes from acquisition of physician practices compared to individual employment decisions. Data from 2011 to 2018 was used from the American Medical Association Masterfile and Medicare. In 2011 18% of cardiologists were integrated, which rose to 25% in 2016. It was found that 48% of integrations occurred without acquisitions and that physicians who had completed residencies in the past 5 years had higher rates of integration that increased over time. Rates of early career physicians joining hospital systems also rose from 25% to 32% during that time period.
AHRQ-funded; HS025707.
Citation: Post B, Nallamothu BK, Hollenbeck B .
Hospital-cardiologist integration often occurs without a practice acquisition.
Health Serv Res 2022 Apr;57(2):333-39. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13929..
Keywords: Hospitals, Provider: Physician, Healthcare Delivery, Workforce
Leyenaar JK, Esporas M, Mangione-Smith R
How does pediatric quality measure development reflect the real world needs of hospitalized children?
This study examined to what extent do the Pediatric Quality Measures Program (PQMP) reflect the real world needs of hospitalized children. The authors discussed recent advances in pediatric quality measurement in the context of the current epidemiology of pediatric hospitalization in the US. The history of PQMP is discussed, including AHRQ’s role from 2011 to 2016 as the manager of cooperative agreement grants to seven academic medical centers to develop the initial set of evidence-based quality measures designed to improve children’s quality of care. During the second phase (2016 to 2020), 6 institutions were funded to implement and disseminate these quality measures, with a goal of determining their feasibility and usability. The majority of these measures were developed at large children’s hospitals. However, 20% of children live in rural areas not near a children’s hospital. Among all general hospitals that admit children, 80% have pediatric volumes of less than 375 hospitalizations per year. Unique strategies will be needed to evaluate healthcare quality at these hospitals. The role of interhospital transfer to larger children’s hospitals is also discussed and how it impacts quality of care.
AHRQ-funded; HS025291.
Citation: Leyenaar JK, Esporas M, Mangione-Smith R .
How does pediatric quality measure development reflect the real world needs of hospitalized children?
Acad Pediatr 2022 Apr;22(3s):S70-s72. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.01.019..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Quality Measures, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Quality Indicators (QIs), Hospitals
Herrin J, Yu H, Venkatesh AK
Identifying high-value care for Medicare beneficiaries: a cross-sectional study of acute care hospitals in the USA.
Investigators sought to define hospital value and identify the characteristics of hospitals which provide high-value care. Participants were Medicare beneficiaries with claims included in CMS Overall Star Ratings or in publicly available Medicare spending per beneficiary data. The researchers found that there are high quality hospitals that are not high value, and a number of factors are strongly associated with being low or high value. They suggested that their findings can inform efforts of policymakers and hospitals to increase the value of care.
AHRQ-funded; HS022882; HS026980.
Citation: Herrin J, Yu H, Venkatesh AK .
Identifying high-value care for Medicare beneficiaries: a cross-sectional study of acute care hospitals in the USA.
BMJ Open 2022 Mar 31;12(3):e053629. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053629..
Keywords: Medicare, Quality of Care, Hospitals
Dierkes AM, Aiken LH, Sloane DM
Hospital nurse staffing and sepsis protocol compliance and outcomes among patients with sepsis in the USA: a multistate cross-sectional analysis.
The timely and effective administration of sepsis treatment may improve sepsis outcomes, and those improvements may provide evidence of the need for mandated reporting of adherence to sepsis care protocol. The purpose of the study was to better understand the association between patient-to-nurse staffing ratios, sepsis protocol compliance, and patient outcomes. The researchers conducted a cross-sectional study utilizing linked data from 537 hospitals from across California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York (representing 252,699 Medicare inpatients with sepsis present on admission), nurse and hospital surveys, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare and the corresponding MedPAR patient claims. The study found that every additional patient per nurse was associated with greater odds of mortality, readmission, ICU admission, and greater risk of relative duration of stay. Every 10% increase in compliance of sepsis protocol was only associated with a shorter duration of stay. The study concluded that improvements in nurse staffing and the nurse-to-patient ratios had a greater impact on sepsis infection outcomes than compliance with protocols.
AHRQ-funded; HS026232.
Citation: Dierkes AM, Aiken LH, Sloane DM .
Hospital nurse staffing and sepsis protocol compliance and outcomes among patients with sepsis in the USA: a multistate cross-sectional analysis.
BMJ Open 2022 Mar 22;12(3):e056802. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056802..
Keywords: Sepsis, Hospitals, Provider: Nurse, Workforce
Bergman ZR, Usher M, Olson A
Comparison of outcomes and process of care for patients treated at hospitals dedicated for COVID-19 care vs other hospitals.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the mortality rate and complications associated with treatment at the COVID-19-dedicated hospitals. Findings showed that, in this cohort study, COVID-19-dedicated hospitals in Minnesota had multiple benefits, including providing high-volume repetitive treatment and isolating patients with the infection. This experience suggests improved in-hospital mortality for patients treated at dedicated hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS026732; HS026379.
Citation: Bergman ZR, Usher M, Olson A .
Comparison of outcomes and process of care for patients treated at hospitals dedicated for COVID-19 care vs other hospitals.
JAMA Netw Open 2022 Mar;5(3):e220873. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.0873..
Keywords: COVID-19, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Evidence-Based Practice, Outcomes, Healthcare Delivery, Hospitals
Hua CL, Thomas KS, Bunker JN
Dementia diagnosis in the hospital and outcomes among patients with advanced dementia documented in the Minimum Data Set.
This retrospective cohort study examined the association between a dementia diagnosis listed on a hospital claim and patient outcomes among individuals with a Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment. The cohort was comprised of hospitalized patients aged 66 years and older with advanced dementia noted on an MDS assessment completed within 120 days prior to their first hospitalization in 2017. Among 120,989 patients with advanced dementia and a nursing home stay, 90.6% had a dementia diagnosis on their hospital claims. Documentation of a dementia diagnosis was associated with lower use of intensive care unit or coronary care unit, use of invasive mechanical ventilation, and 30-day mortality. These patients also had a shorter hospital length of stay.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Hua CL, Thomas KS, Bunker JN .
Dementia diagnosis in the hospital and outcomes among patients with advanced dementia documented in the Minimum Data Set.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2022 Mar;70(3):846-53. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17564..
Keywords: Dementia, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medicare, Hospitals, Neurological Disorders
Fitzgerald DC, Simpson AN, Baker RA DC, Simpson AN, Baker RA
Determinants of hospital variability in perioperative red blood cell transfusions during coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
This observational cohort study’s objective was to identify to what extent distinguishing patient and procedural characteristics can explain center-level transfusion variation during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. The study used patients from the Perfusion Measures and Outcomes Registry from 43 adult cardiac surgical programs from July 2011 through June 2017. Of the 22,272 adult patients undergoing isolate CABG surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass, 7241 (32.5%) received at least 1 U allogeneic red blood cells. Patients who received transfusions were older (68 vs 64 years), were women (41.5% vs 15.9%), and had a lower body surface area, respectively. The majority of center-level transfusion variations could not be explained through models containing both patient and intraoperative factors.
AHRQ-funded; HS026003.
Citation: Fitzgerald DC, Simpson AN, Baker RA DC, Simpson AN, Baker RA .
Determinants of hospital variability in perioperative red blood cell transfusions during coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2022 Mar;163(3):1015-24.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2020.04.141..
Keywords: Surgery, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Hospitals, Practice Patterns, Disparities
Dykes PC, Khasnabish S, Burns Z
Development and validation of a fall prevention efficiency scale.
This study examined nurses’ perception of implementing the Fall TIPS (Tailoring Interventions for Patient Safety) tool, which is an evidence-based fall prevention program which was shown to reduce falls in hospitalized adults by 25%. The authors conducted a 3-phase mixed method study at 3 hospitals in Massachusetts and 3 in New York to assess nurses’ perceptions of burdens imposed on them by using Fall TIPS or other fall prevention programs. A 20-item prototype Fall Prevention Efficiency Scale was developed and administered to 383 clinical nurses. This scale was reduced to 13 items. The scale achieved excellent internal consistency values when examined with the test, validation, and paired (both test and retest) samples.
AHRQ-funded; HS025128.
Citation: Dykes PC, Khasnabish S, Burns Z .
Development and validation of a fall prevention efficiency scale.
J Patient Saf 2022 Mar 1;18(2):94-101. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000811..
Keywords: Falls, Prevention, Patient Safety, Hospitals
Zhang J, Drawz PE, Zhu Y
Validation of administrative coding and clinical notes for hospital-acquired acute kidney injury in adults.
This retrospective study validated the quality of administrative coding for hospital-acquired acute kidney injury (AKI) and explored the opportunities to improve the phenotyping performance by utilizing additional data sources from the electronic health record. The researchers obtained significantly different quality measures of administrative coding from the previously reported ones in the U.S. They recommended the additional use of clinical notes by incorporating automatic natural language processing data extraction in order to increase the AUC in phenotyping AKI. Further, AKI was better recognized in patients with heart failure, indicating disparities in the coding and management of AKI.
AHRQ-funded; HS024532.
Citation: Zhang J, Drawz PE, Zhu Y .
Validation of administrative coding and clinical notes for hospital-acquired acute kidney injury in adults.
AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2022 Feb 21;2021:1234-43..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Kidney Disease and Health, Health Information Technology (HIT), Hospitals
Jaladanki S, Schechter SB, Genies MC
Strategies for sustaining high-quality pediatric asthma care in community hospitals.
This study’s objective was to identify strategies associated with sustained guideline adherence and high-quality pediatric asthma care in community hospitals. Hospitals who were part of the Pathways for Improving Pediatric Asthma Care (PIPA) national quality improvement (QI) intervention were included. Clinicians (n = 19) involved in clinical care of children hospitalized with asthma were interviewed from five higher- and three lower-performing hospitals. Higher-performing hospitals had dedicated local champions who consistently provided reminders of evidence-based practices and delivered ongoing education. These champions also modified/developed electronic health record (EHR) tools. Lower-performing hospital clinicians described unique barriers, including delays in modifying the EHR and lack of automation of EHR tools. For all hospitals, barriers to sustainability included challenges with quality monitoring, decreasing focus of local champions over time, and ongoing difficulties developing around evidence-based practices.
AHRQ-funded; HS027041.
Citation: Jaladanki S, Schechter SB, Genies MC .
Strategies for sustaining high-quality pediatric asthma care in community hospitals.
Health Serv Res 2022 Feb;57(1):125-36. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13870..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Chronic Conditions, Hospitals, Quality of Care
Carroll AR, McCoy AB, Modes K
Decreasing pre-procedural fasting times in hospitalized children.
The purpose of this study was to decrease pre-procedural clear liquid fasting time from 10 hours, 13 minutes to 5 hours for pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) patients. The study included all children admitted to the PHM service at a quaternary care children's hospital with an NPO (nil per os) order associated with a procedure requiring general anesthesia or sedation from November 2, 2017 to September 19, 2021. The study found that after implementation of a SmartPhrase in the NPO order, there was special cause variation resulting in a centerline shift from a mean of 10 h 13 min to 6 h 37 min. After implementation of a hospital-wide change to the NPO order format, another centerline shift to 6 h 7 min occurred and has been sustained for 6 months. The study concluded that in hospitalized children, higher reliability interventions and quality improvement methods safely reduced the mean pre-procedural fasting time.
AHRQ-funded; HS026122.
Citation: Carroll AR, McCoy AB, Modes K .
Decreasing pre-procedural fasting times in hospitalized children.
J Hosp Med 2022 Feb;17(2):96-103. doi: 10.1002/jhm.12782..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Inpatient Care, Hospitals
Eliason EL, MacDougall H, Peterson L
Understanding the aggressive practices of nonprofit hospitals in pursuit of patient debt.
This study examined the prevalence of extraordinary collection actions (ECAs) and characteristics of nonprofit hospitals that reported this behavior from 2010 to 2016. The authors used Community Benefit Insight data to compare these hospitals with ones that did not report these practices. ECAs include reporting patient debt to credit and collection agencies, filing lawsuits, placing liens on residences, and issuing civil arrest. Hospitals that reported ECAs significantly differed in total revenue, system membership, bed size, urban location, financial assistance policy use, and use of poverty guidelines for discounted care. Lower total hospital revenue was a significant predictor of ECAs.
AHRQ-funded; HS000084.
Citation: Eliason EL, MacDougall H, Peterson L .
Understanding the aggressive practices of nonprofit hospitals in pursuit of patient debt.
Health Soc Work 2022 Jan 31;47(1):36-44. doi: 10.1093/hsw/hlab034..
Keywords: Hospitals, Healthcare Costs, Policy
Herb J, Williams B, Stitzenberg K
Hospital price transparency rules are inadequate to inform patients needing major gastrointestinal cancer operations.
This cross-sectional descriptive study evaluated the hospital price transparency web pages, machine-readable files, and online out-of-pocket cost estimators (OOPCEs) for all National Cancer Institute Designated Clinical Cancer Centers. Findings showed that hospital charges were readily available and the availability of consumer-friendly OOPCEs had improved with the updated price transparency policy. However, the utility of the available information for cancer patients who need a major gastrointestinal operation was limited. Although chargemasters were available for nearly all hospitals, using these to determine what a patient may pay would be very difficult, if not impossible.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Herb J, Williams B, Stitzenberg K .
Hospital price transparency rules are inadequate to inform patients needing major gastrointestinal cancer operations.
Ann Surg Oncol 2022 Jan;29(1):45-46. doi: 10.1245/s10434-021-10244-2..
Keywords: Hospitals, Healthcare Costs, Surgery
Chopra V, O'Malley M, Horowitz J
Improving peripherally inserted central catheter appropriateness and reducing device-related complications: a quasiexperimental study in 52 Michigan hospitals.
It is unknown whether implementing the Michigan Appropriateness Guide for Intravenous Catheters (MAGIC) reduces complications and improves peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) use. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study design was to utilize MAGIC in 52 Michigan hospitals and collect data from medical records to measure hospital performance on three appropriateness criteria. The three criteria included: PICC use of less than 5 days, PICC placement in patients with chronic kidney disease, and the use of multi-lumen PICCs. The researchers compared PICC device complications and appropriateness preintervention and post intervention. The study found that among 38,592 PICCs, PICC appropriateness post-intervention increased 17.1% to 49%, and complications decreased 4% to 10.7%. Patients with appropriate PICC use had lower rate of complications than those with inappropriate PICC placement. The study concluded that the utilization of MAGIC in Michigan hospitals was associated with less complications for patients and increased PICC appropriateness.
AHRQ-funded; HS025891.
Citation: Chopra V, O'Malley M, Horowitz J .
Improving peripherally inserted central catheter appropriateness and reducing device-related complications: a quasiexperimental study in 52 Michigan hospitals.
BMJ Qual Saf 2022 Jan;31(1):23-30. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2021-013015..
Keywords: Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Hospitals, Adverse Events