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 Date
Topics
- Access to Care (5)
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (1)
- Adverse Events (14)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (3)
- Antibiotics (4)
- Antimicrobial Stewardship (4)
- Asthma (1)
- Back Health and Pain (1)
- Cancer (1)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (5)
- Care Coordination (2)
- Caregiving (1)
- Care Management (3)
- Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) (2)
- Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) (4)
- Children/Adolescents (12)
- Chronic Conditions (4)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (2)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (1)
- Clostridium difficile Infections (5)
- Communication (5)
- Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) (1)
- Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) (7)
- COVID-19 (9)
- Critical Care (3)
- Data (3)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (5)
- Disparities (3)
- Education: Patient and Caregiver (1)
- Elderly (6)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (8)
- Emergency Department (4)
- Evidence-Based Practice (3)
- Falls (4)
- Guidelines (1)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (15)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (6)
- Healthcare Costs (16)
- Healthcare Delivery (6)
- Healthcare Utilization (2)
- Health Information Exchange (HIE) (2)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (13)
- Health Insurance (5)
- Health Services Research (HSR) (2)
- Health Systems (4)
- Heart Disease and Health (2)
- Hospital Discharge (6)
- Hospitalization (12)
- Hospital Readmissions (15)
- (-) Hospitals (141)
- Imaging (1)
- Implementation (7)
- Infectious Diseases (5)
- Injuries and Wounds (3)
- Inpatient Care (10)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (4)
- Long-Term Care (1)
- Maternal Care (2)
- Medicaid (4)
- Medical Errors (4)
- Medicare (14)
- Medication (6)
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (4)
- Mortality (6)
- Neurological Disorders (2)
- Newborns/Infants (2)
- Nursing (1)
- Nursing Homes (4)
- Opioids (1)
- Organizational Change (2)
- Orthopedics (1)
- Outcomes (4)
- Pain (1)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (2)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (4)
- Patient and Family Engagement (2)
- Patient Experience (6)
- Patient Safety (38)
- Payment (7)
- Policy (3)
- Pregnancy (1)
- Pressure Ulcers (2)
- Prevention (11)
- Provider (3)
- Provider: Health Personnel (2)
- Provider: Nurse (3)
- Provider: Physician (5)
- Provider Performance (10)
- Public Health (7)
- Quality Improvement (13)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (4)
- Quality Measures (6)
- Quality of Care (26)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (2)
- Rehabilitation (2)
- Respiratory Conditions (3)
- Risk (6)
- Rural Health (7)
- Sepsis (5)
- Sexual Health (1)
- Shared Decision Making (5)
- Stroke (1)
- Substance Abuse (1)
- Surgery (20)
- Teams (3)
- TeamSTEPPS (2)
- Telehealth (1)
- Tools & Toolkits (1)
- Transitions of Care (7)
- Uninsured (1)
- Urban Health (1)
- Women (3)
- Workforce (4)
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 25 of 141 Research Studies DisplayedGoodman KE, Pineles L, Magder LS
Electronically available patient claims data improve models for comparing antibiotic use across hospitals: results from 576 U.S. facilities.
This study’s goal was to identify comorbidities causally related to appropriate antibiotic use and to compare seven models that include these comorbidities and other patient-level claims variables to a facility model for risk-adjusting inpatient antibiotic utilization. Subjects included adults discharged from Premier Database hospitals in 2016-2017. Findings showed that adding electronically available patient claims data to facility models consistently improved antibiotic utilization predictions and yielded substantial movement in hospitals' utilization rankings.
AHRQ-funded; HS026205.
Citation: Goodman KE, Pineles L, Magder LS .
Electronically available patient claims data improve models for comparing antibiotic use across hospitals: results from 576 U.S. facilities.
Clin Infect Dis 2021 Dec 6;73(11):e4484-e92. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1127..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Hospitals
Greenberg JK, Olsen MA, Dibble CF
Comparison of cost and complication rates for profiling hospital performance in lumbar fusion for spondylolisthesis.
Investigators sought to evaluate the reliability of 90-day inpatient hospital costs, overall complications, and rates of serious complications for profiling hospital performance in lumbar fusion surgery for spondylolisthesis. Using HCUP data, they found that 90-day inpatient costs were highly reliable for assessing variation across hospitals, whereas overall and serious complications were only moderately reliable for profiling performance. They concluded that their results support the viability of emerging bundled payment programs that assume true differences in costs of care exist across hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS027075; HS019455.
Citation: Greenberg JK, Olsen MA, Dibble CF .
Comparison of cost and complication rates for profiling hospital performance in lumbar fusion for spondylolisthesis.
Spine J 2021 Dec;21(12):2026-34. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2021.06.014..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Hospitals, Provider Performance, Surgery, Quality Measures, Quality of Care
Ziedan E, Kaestner R
Did the hospital readmissions reduction program reduce readmissions? An assessment of prior evidence and new estimates.
In this article, the investigators provided a comprehensive, empirical assessment of the hypothesis that the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) affected hospital readmissions. Their findings were consistent with conceptual considerations related to the assumptions underlying HRRP penalty: in particular, the difficulty of identifying preventable readmissions, the highly imperfect risk adjustment that affects the penalty determination, and the absence of proven tools to reduce readmissions.
AHRQ-funded; HS025586.
Citation: Ziedan E, Kaestner R .
Did the hospital readmissions reduction program reduce readmissions? An assessment of prior evidence and new estimates.
Eval Rev 2021 Dec;45(6):359-411. doi: 10.1177/0193841x211069704..
Keywords: Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals
Ackerman SL, Gourley G, Le G
Improving patient safety in public hospitals: developing standard measures to track medical errors and process breakdowns
This study’s aim was to develop standards for tracking patient safety gaps in ambulatory care in safety net health systems. Participants were invited leaders from five California safety net health systems. They participated in a modified Delphi process sponsored by the Safety Promotion Action Research and Knowledge Network (SPARKNet) and the California Safety Net Institute. The feasibility and validity of 13 proposed patient safety measures were discussed by the eight panelists and prioritized in three Delphi rounds. Consensus was unanimously reached to adopt 9 of the 13 proposed measures. However, concern was expressed about the feasibility of implementing several of the measures.
AHRQ-funded; HS024426; HS022047.
Citation: Ackerman SL, Gourley G, Le G .
Improving patient safety in public hospitals: developing standard measures to track medical errors and process breakdowns
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):e773-e90. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000480..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Hospitals
Michelson KA, Rees CA, Sarathy J
Interregional transfers for pandemic surges.
Hospital inpatient and intensive care unit (ICU) bed shortfalls may arise due to regional surges in volume. In this study, the investigators sought to determine how interregional transfers could alleviate bed shortfalls during a pandemic, using estimates of past and projected inpatient and ICU cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from 4 February 2020 to 1 October 2020.
AHRQ-funded; HS026503.
Citation: Michelson KA, Rees CA, Sarathy J .
Interregional transfers for pandemic surges.
Clin Infect Dis 2021 Dec 6;73(11):e4103-e10. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1549..
Keywords: COVID-19, Hospitals, Public Health, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care
Mueller SK, Shannon E, Dalal A
Patient and physician experience with interhospital transfer: a qualitative study.
This qualitative study explored patients’ and involved physicians’ experience with interhospital transfer (IHT) to understand specific factors that may impact the quality and safety of this care transition. Individual interviews were conducted with adult patients transferred to cardiology, general medicine, and oncology services at a tertiary care academic medical center, as well as their transferring physician, accepting attending physician, and accepting/admitting resident physician. Participants included 10 adults (6 cardiology, 2 medicine, and 2 oncology), 9 accepting attending physicians, 12 accepting and/or admitting resident physicians, and 5 transferring physicians. Emergent themes demonstrated that participants held a shared understanding for the reason for the transfer and relayed a general dissatisfaction regarding the timing and lack of advanced notification of transfer. The authors found distinct differences in IHT experience by stakeholder group - with physicians relaying discontent on intrahospital chains of communication and interhospital information exchange, and patient participants focused more readily on the physical aspects of IHT.
AHRQ-funded; HS023331.
Citation: Mueller SK, Shannon E, Dalal A .
Patient and physician experience with interhospital transfer: a qualitative study.
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):e752-e57. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000501..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Hospitals, Hospitalization, Provider: Physician, Patient Experience
Kunz SN, Helkey D, Zitnik M
Quantifying the variation in neonatal transport referral patterns using network analysis.
This retrospective study evaluated the association of neonatal patient characteristics with quantitative differences in neonatal transport networks. Data was analyzed for infants <28 days of age acutely transported within California from 2008 to 2012. The authors analyzed 34,708 acute transfers, representing 1594 unique transfer routes between 271 hospitals. They found greater degrees of regionalization for preterm and surgical patients compared to term infants and those transported for medical reasons.
AHRQ-funded; HS025749.
Citation: Kunz SN, Helkey D, Zitnik M .
Quantifying the variation in neonatal transport referral patterns using network analysis.
J Perinatol 2021 Dec;41(12):2795-803. doi: 10.1038/s41372-021-01091-w..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Hospitals, Transitions of Care
Liao JM, Chatterjee P, Wang E
The effect of hospital safety net status on the association between bundled payment participation and changes in medical episode outcomes.
This study evaluated whether hospital safety net status affected the association between bundled payment participation and medical outcomes. The hospitals included were participants in Medicare’s Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BCPI) program from 2011-2016. Data from Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction, pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were used. Among BCPI hospitals, safety net status was not associated with differential postdischarge spending or quality. However, BPCI safety net hospitals had differentially greater discharge due to institutional post-acute care and lower discharge home with home health than BPCI non-safety net hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS027595.
Citation: Liao JM, Chatterjee P, Wang E .
The effect of hospital safety net status on the association between bundled payment participation and changes in medical episode outcomes.
J Hosp Med 2021 Dec;16(12):716-23. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3722..
Keywords: Medicare, Payment, Hospitals
Chhabra KR, Sheetz KH, Regenbogen SE
Wide variation in surgical spending within hospital systems: a missed opportunity for bundled payment success.
Researchers sought to measure the extent of variation in episode spending around total hip replacement for fee-for-service Medicare patients within and across hospital systems identified in the American Hospital Association Annual Survey. They found that average episode payments varied nearly as much within hospital systems as they did between the lowest- and highest-cost quintiles of systems, with variation driven by post-acute care utilization.
AHRQ-funded; HS000053.
Citation: Chhabra KR, Sheetz KH, Regenbogen SE .
Wide variation in surgical spending within hospital systems: a missed opportunity for bundled payment success.
Ann Surg 2021 Dec 1;274(6):e1078-e84. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000003741..
Keywords: Surgery, Health Systems, Medicare, Healthcare Costs, Hospitals
Lafferty M, Harrod M, Krein S
It's like sending a message in a bottle: a qualitative study of the consequences of one-way communication technologies in hospitals.
Researchers examined how physicians and nurses use available communication technologies and identify the implications for communication and patient care based on the theory of workarounds. They found that one-way communication technologies created an environment where workarounds could flourish. By placing results within the context of the theory of workarounds, they extended what is known about why and how workarounds develop, and they offered strategies to minimize workarounds' adverse effects. They concluded that two-way communication technologies could minimize workarounds and gaps in information exchange and could reduce unnecessary interruptions and the potential for adverse events.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2021 Nov 25;28(12):2601-07. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocab191.
Citation: Lafferty M, Harrod M, Krein S .
It's like sending a message in a bottle: a qualitative study of the consequences of one-way communication technologies in hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS022305..
Keywords: Hospitals, Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Physician
Moehring RW, Yarrington ME, Davis AE
Effects of a collaborative, community hospital network for antimicrobial stewardship program implementation.
The authors investigated expertise, data resources, and educational tools to support antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) in hospitals. They found that network hospitals increased ASP activities and demonstrated decline in antimicrobial use over the 42-month study period. They concluded that their collaborative, consultative network proved a unique model in which hospitals can access ASP implementation expertise to support long-term program growth.
AHRQ-funded; HS023866.
Citation: Moehring RW, Yarrington ME, Davis AE .
Effects of a collaborative, community hospital network for antimicrobial stewardship program implementation.
Clin Infect Dis 2021 Nov 2;73(9):1656-63. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab356..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Hospitals, Implementation, Medication
Greenwood-Ericksen M, Kamdar N, Lin P
Association of rural and critical access hospital status with patient outcomes after emergency department visits among Medicare beneficiaries.
This study compared 30-day mortality rates after emergency department (ED) visits to rural or critical access hospitals (CAHs) compared to urban hospitals for Medicare beneficiaries. A 20% sample of Medicare beneficiaries was used from January 2011 to October 31, 2015. The primary outcome measured was 30-day mortality. Secondary outcome examined was ED visits with and without rehospitalization. Mortality rates were comparable with both groups, although patients in rural EDs experienced more transfers and less hospitalization.
AHRQ-funded; HS024160.
Citation: Greenwood-Ericksen M, Kamdar N, Lin P .
Association of rural and critical access hospital status with patient outcomes after emergency department visits among Medicare beneficiaries.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Nov;4(11):e2134980. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.34980..
Keywords: Hospitals, Rural Health, Urban Health, Emergency Department, Mortality, Outcomes
Schechter S, Jaladanki S, Rodean J
Sustainability of paediatric asthma care quality in community hospitals after ending a national quality improvement collaborative.
Community hospitals, which care for most hospitalised children in the USA, may be vulnerable to declines in paediatric care quality when quality improvement (QI) initiatives end. In this study, the investigators aimed to evaluate changes in care quality in community hospitals after the end of the Pathways for Improving Paediatric Asthma Care (PIPA) national QI collaborative. The investigators concluded that the end of the paediatric asthma QI collaborative was associated with concerning declines in guideline adherence in community hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS027041.
Citation: Schechter S, Jaladanki S, Rodean J .
Sustainability of paediatric asthma care quality in community hospitals after ending a national quality improvement collaborative.
BMJ Qual Saf 2021 Nov;30(11):876-83. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2020-012292..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Germack HD, Kandrack R, Martsolf GR
Relationship between rural hospital closures and the supply of nurse practitioners and certified registered nurse anesthetists.
This study sought to examine the extent to which rural hospital closures are associated with changes in the NP (nurse practitioner) and CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist) workforce. The authors used the Area Health Resources Files (AHRF) data from 2010-2017 to estimate the relationship between rural hospital closures and changes in the supply of NPs and CRNAs. They found 151 hospital closures among 1,544 rural counties. After controlling for local market characteristics, they did not find a significant relationship between hospital closure and the supply of NPs and CRNAs.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Germack HD, Kandrack R, Martsolf GR .
Relationship between rural hospital closures and the supply of nurse practitioners and certified registered nurse anesthetists.
Nurs Outlook 2021 Nov-Dec;69(6):945-52. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2021.05.005..
Keywords: Provider: Nurse, Workforce, Hospitals
Desai SM, McWilliams JM
340B Drug Pricing Program and hospital provision of uncompensated care.
This study evaluated whether hospital entry into the 340B Drug Pricing Program is associated with changes in hospital provision of uncompensated care. The authors analyzed secondary data on 340B participation and uncompensated care provision among general acute care hospitals and critical access hospitals from 2003 to 2015. They constructed an annual, hospital-level data set on hospital 340B participation and on uncompensated care provision. They did not find evidence that hospitals increased provision of uncompensated care after entry into the 340B program differentially more than hospitals that never entered or had not yet entered the program.
AHRQ-funded; HS026980; HS024072.
Citation: Desai SM, McWilliams JM .
340B Drug Pricing Program and hospital provision of uncompensated care.
Am J Manag Care 2021 Oct;27(10):432-37. doi: 10.37765/ajmc.2021.88761..
Keywords: Hospitals, Healthcare Costs, Medication
Henke RM, Fingar KR, Jiang HJ
AHRQ Author: Jiang HJ, Liang L
Access to obstetric, behavioral health, and surgical inpatient services after hospital mergers in rural areas.
This study examined the influence of rural hospital mergers on changes to inpatient service lines at hospitals and within their catchment areas. The authors used hospital discharge data from 32 HCUP Inpatient Databases from 2007 to 2018. They found that merged hospitals were more likely than independent hospitals to eliminate maternal/neonatal and surgical care. They also found that while the number of mental/substance use disorder-related stays decreased or remained stable at merged hospitals and their catchment areas, it increased for unaffiliated hospitals and their catchment areas. This indicates a potential unmet need in the communities of rural hospitals postmerger.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201800001C.
Citation: Henke RM, Fingar KR, Jiang HJ .
Access to obstetric, behavioral health, and surgical inpatient services after hospital mergers in rural areas.
Health Aff 2021 Oct;40(10):1627-36. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.00160..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Hospitals, Access to Care, Rural Health
Arntson E, Dimick JB, Nuliyalu U
Changes in hospital-acquired conditions and mortality associated with the hospital-acquired condition reduction program.
This study evaluated changes in Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs) and 30-day mortality after the announcement of the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services’ Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP) in August 2013. The authors evaluated models to test for changes in HACs and 30-day mortality before and after the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and after the HACRP. Fee-for-service Medicare claims from 2009 to 2015 were used. The HAC rate declined after the ACA was passed and declined further after the HACRP announcement. However, 30-day mortality rates were unchanged.
AHRQ-funded; HS026244.
Citation: Arntson E, Dimick JB, Nuliyalu U .
Changes in hospital-acquired conditions and mortality associated with the hospital-acquired condition reduction program.
Ann Surg 2021 Oct 1;274(4):e301-e07. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000003641..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Mortality, Medicare, Payment, Prevention, Patient Safety
Fowler FJ, Brenner PS, Hargraves JL
Comparing web and mail protocols for administering Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems surveys.
This study’s objective was to compare results of using web-based and mail HCAHPS data collection protocols. The cohort included patients who were hospitalized in a New England Hospital. Patients who provided email addresses were randomized to 1 of 3 data collection protocols: web-only, web with postal mail follow-up, and postal mail only. Those who did not provide email addresses were surveyed by postal mail only. The study lasted 8 weeks. Measures looked at included response rates, characteristics of respondents, 6 composite measures of their patient experiences, and two ratings of the hospital. Web-only response rates were significantly lower than for mail or combined protocols, and those who had not provided email addresses also had lower response rates. Older adults over age 65 were more likely to respond to all protocols, especially for mail-only respondents. Respondents without email addresses were older, less educated, and reported worse health than those who had email addresses.
AHRQ-funded; HS016978.
Citation: Fowler FJ, Brenner PS, Hargraves JL .
Comparing web and mail protocols for administering Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems surveys.
Med Care 2021 Oct;59(10):907-12. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001627..
Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Hospitals, Health Information Technology (HIT), Quality Measures, Provider Performance, Quality of Care
Quigley DD, Slaughter ME, Gidengil C
Usefulness of child HCAHPS survey data for improving inpatient pediatric care experiences.
Quality improvement (QI) requires data, indicators, and national benchmarks. Knowledge about the usefulness of Child Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (Child HCAHPS) data are lacking. In this study the investigators examined quality leader and frontline staff perceptions about patient experience measurement and use of Child HCAHPS data for QI. The investigators surveyed children's hospital leaders and staff about their use of Child HCAHPS for QI, including measures from other studies. They compared scale and item means for leaders and staff and compared means to other studies.
AHRQ-funded; HS025920.
Citation: Quigley DD, Slaughter ME, Gidengil C .
Usefulness of child HCAHPS survey data for improving inpatient pediatric care experiences.
Hosp Pediatr 2021 Oct;11(10):e199-e214. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2020-004283..
Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Children/Adolescents, Hospitals, Patient Experience, Quality Improvement, Quality Measures, Quality of Care
Holmgren AJ, Kuznetsova M, Classen D
Assessing hospital electronic health record vendor performance across publicly reported quality measures.
The authors measured hospital performance, stratified by electronic health record (EHR) vendor, across 4 quality metrics. They found that no EHR vendor was associated with higher quality across all measures, and the 2 largest vendors were not associated with the highest scores. Only a small fraction of quality variation was explained by EHR vendor choice. They concluded that top performance on quality measures can be achieved with any EHR vendor, as much of quality performance is driven by the hospital and how it uses the EHR.
AHRQ-funded; HS023696.
Citation: Holmgren AJ, Kuznetsova M, Classen D .
Assessing hospital electronic health record vendor performance across publicly reported quality measures.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2021 Sep 18;28(10):2101-07. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocab120..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Measures, Hospitals, Quality of Care, Provider Performance
Page B, Klompas M, Chan C
Surveillance for healthcare-associated infections: hospital-onset adult sepsis events versus current reportable conditions.
US hospitals are required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to publicly report central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), Clostridioidesdiffficile, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, and selected surgical site infections for benchmarking and pay-for-performance programs. In this study the investigators retrospectively assessed the overlap between HO-ASEs and reportable HAIs among adults hospitalized between June 2015-June 2018 in 3 hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS025008.
Citation: Page B, Klompas M, Chan C .
Surveillance for healthcare-associated infections: hospital-onset adult sepsis events versus current reportable conditions.
Clin Infect Dis 2021 Sep 15;73(6):1013-19. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab217..
Keywords: Sepsis, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Clostridium difficile Infections, Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI), Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI)
Herzig SJ, Rothberg MB, Moss CR
Risk of in-hospital falls among medications commonly used for insomnia in hospitalized patients.
This study investigated the risk of in-hospital falls among patients receiving medications commonly used for insomnia. This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a large academic medical center from January 2007 to July 2013. Adults admitted for a primary psychiatric disorder were excluded. Medications of interest included benzodiazepines, non-benzodiazepine benzodiazepine receptor agonists, trazodone, atypical antipsychotics, and diphenhydramine. Among 225,498 hospitalizations, 37.7% had exposure to at least one of the medication classes of interest with benzodiazepines being the most commonly prescribed. A fall occurred in 1.1% (2,427) of hospitalizations. The rate of falls per 1,000 hospital days was greater among patients with exposure to each of the medications of interest compared to unexposed patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS026215.
Citation: Herzig SJ, Rothberg MB, Moss CR .
Risk of in-hospital falls among medications commonly used for insomnia in hospitalized patients.
Sleep 2021 Sep 13;44(9):zsab064. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsab064..
Keywords: Falls, Medication, Adverse Events, Risk, Hospitals
Greenberg JK, Olsen MA, Poe J
Administrative data are unreliable for ranking hospital performance based on serious complications after spine fusion.
The authors evaluated the extent to which a metric of serious complications determined from administrative data can reliably profile hospital performance in spine fusion surgery. They found that a metric of serious complications was unreliable for benchmarking cervical fusion outcomes and only modestly reliable for thoracolumbar fusion. They concluded that, when assessed using administrative datasets, these measures appeared to be inappropriate for high-stakes applications, such as public reporting or pay-for-performance.
AHRQ-funded; HS027075; HS019455.
Citation: Greenberg JK, Olsen MA, Poe J .
Administrative data are unreliable for ranking hospital performance based on serious complications after spine fusion.
Spine 2021 Sep 1;46(17):1181-90. doi: 10.1097/brs.0000000000004017..
Keywords: Surgery, Provider Performance, Hospitals, Adverse Events, Back Health and Pain
Buxbaum JD, Rak S
Equity and the uneven distribution of federal COVID-19 relief funds To US hospitals.
This paper looked at the distribution of federal COVID-19 relief funds among US hospitals. The authors studied the relationship between the relief received by 2,709 hospitals and community- and hospital-level characteristics. Average funding through February 2021 was $25.7 million per hospital. They found that hospitals serving a community with a very high share of Black residents or having a very high ratio of Medicaid revenue to beds were associated with meaningful increased funding. However, hospitals with a very high share of Hispanic residents or a Medically Underserved Area were associated with decreased funding or no difference in funding.
AHRQ-funded; HS000055.
Citation: Buxbaum JD, Rak S .
Equity and the uneven distribution of federal COVID-19 relief funds To US hospitals.
Health Aff 2021 Sep;40(9):1473-82. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2020.02018..
Keywords: COVID-19, Hospitals
Pakyz AL, Wang H, Ozcan YA
Leapfrog Hospital Safety Score, magnet designation, and healthcare-associated infections in United States hospitals.
The goal of this study was to determine whether Magnet designation and hospitals with better Leapfrog Hospital Safety Scores have fewer healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Findings showed that “A” hospitals performed better on clostridium difficile infection (CDI) but not methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections, while Magnet designation was associated with fewer than expected MRSA infections but more than expected CDIs. These mixed results show that hospital global assessments of safety and workplace quality differentially and imperfectly predict its level of HAIs.
AHRQ-funded; HS018578.
Citation: Pakyz AL, Wang H, Ozcan YA .
Leapfrog Hospital Safety Score, magnet designation, and healthcare-associated infections in United States hospitals.
J Patient Saf 2021 Sep 1;17(6):445-50. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000378..
Keywords: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Patient Safety