National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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Topics
- Access to Care (3)
- (-) Ambulatory Care and Surgery (17)
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- Primary Care: Models of Care (1)
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- Quality Indicators (QIs) (1)
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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 17 of 17 Research Studies DisplayedValley TS, Schutz A, Peltan ID
Organization of outpatient care after COVID-19 hospitalization.
The purpose of this study was to describe post-discharge care delivery for patients with postacute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) across a large network of US academic and community hospitals. Beginning in July, 2021, the researchers surveyed 47 hospitals which were participating in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Clinical Trials Network for the Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL Network.) Surveys were completed by physicians, hospital administrators, social workers, research staff or other clinicians over an 8-week period, and data from the 2019 American Hospital Association annual survey database were used to describe the hospitals. The study found that 79% (37) of the responding hospitals provided COVID-specific discharge information to patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Only 26% of hospitals provided discharge information that included potential symptoms or impairments of postacute sequelae of COVID-19. Seventy percent (33) had a PASC clinic (a postdischarge outpatient clinic designed specifically for patients with COVID). Hospitals without PASC clinics were more likely to be located in a ZIP code with a higher Medicare population and a median annual income lower than $40,000, and were also more likely to be smaller, for-profit hospitals. The researchers identified several core areas for possible improvements in PASC care, including: examining the impact of PASC clinics on patient outcomes; assessing the extent to which the pathophysiology and management of PASC differ from sequelae of other infections and syndromes; and exploring whether an inability to systematically identify patients for PASC care may result in an inability for some patients to receive needed care. The researchers concluded that PASC clinics may offer opportunities to coordinate care and serve as an opportunity for making iterative gains in knowledge about PASC clinics and related models and processes and their effectiveness in improving longer-term patient-centered outcomes for survivors of COVID-19.
AHRQ-funded; HS028038.
Citation: Valley TS, Schutz A, Peltan ID .
Organization of outpatient care after COVID-19 hospitalization.
Chest 2022 Jun;161(6):1485-89. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2022.01.034..
Keywords: COVID-19, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Hospitalization, Care Coordination, Healthcare Delivery
Benneyan JC, White T, Nehls N
Systems analysis of a dedicated ambulatory respiratory unit for seeing and ensuring follow-up of patients with COVID-19 symptoms.
This paper is a systems analysis of a dedicated ambulatory respiratory unit for patients with COVID-19 symptoms. Workflow redesigns were necessitated by COVID and included new ambulatory workflows to handle surge volumes, protect patients and staff, and ensure timely reliable care. The workflow innovations observed can possibly be used to benefit routine care. Observations found that more than 85% of follow-ups were completed within 24 hours, and no staff or patient infections were associated with unit operations. Identified issues included role confusion, staffing and gatekeeping bottlenecks, and patient reluctance to visit in person or discuss concerns on the phone.
AHRQ-funded; HS027282.
Citation: Benneyan JC, White T, Nehls N .
Systems analysis of a dedicated ambulatory respiratory unit for seeing and ensuring follow-up of patients with COVID-19 symptoms.
J Ambul Care Manage 2021 Oct-Dec;44(4):293-303. doi: 10.1097/jac.0000000000000390..
Keywords: COVID-19, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Respiratory Conditions, Workflow, Healthcare Delivery
Lafferty M, Manojlovich M, Griggs JJ
Clinicians report barriers and facilitators to high-quality ambulatory oncology care.
This study’s aim was to examine clinician-reported factors within ambulatory oncology practices that affect care delivery processes and outcomes for patients and clinicians. Survey data were collected in 2017 from 298 clinicians across 29 ambulatory practices in Michigan. Clinicians provided written comments on 5 work-system components of the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety model that affected care delivery and outcome. Unfavorable aspects included staffing shortages and high patient volume, limited physical space, electronic health record usability issues, and order entry. Favorable aspects focused on the skills of colleagues, and collaboration and teamwork of the clinical staff.
AHRQ-funded; HS024914.
Citation: Lafferty M, Manojlovich M, Griggs JJ .
Clinicians report barriers and facilitators to high-quality ambulatory oncology care.
Cancer Nurs 2021 Sep-Oct;44(5):E303-E10. doi: 10.1097/ncc.0000000000000832..
Keywords: Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Healthcare Delivery, Quality of Care
Post B, Norton EC, Hollenbeck B
Hospital-physician integration and Medicare's site-based outpatient payments.
AHRQ-funded; HS027044.
Citation: Post B, Norton EC, Hollenbeck B .
Hospital-physician integration and Medicare's site-based outpatient payments.
Health Serv Res 2021 Feb;56(1):7-15. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13613..
Keywords: Hospitals, Payment, Medicare, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Healthcare Delivery
Agniel D, Haviland A, Shekelle P
Distinguishing high-performing health systems using a composite of publicly reported measures of ambulatory care.
The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a measure that ranks health care systems by ambulatory care quality. The authors concluded that their measure, using publicly reported data to produce valid, reliable, and stable ranks of ambulatory care quality for health care systems in Minnesota and California, could also be used in other applications.
AHRQ-funded; HS024067.
Citation: Agniel D, Haviland A, Shekelle P .
Distinguishing high-performing health systems using a composite of publicly reported measures of ambulatory care.
Ann Intern Med 2020 Nov 17;173(10):791-98. doi: 10.7326/m20-0718..
Keywords: Health Systems, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Measures, Quality of Care, Provider Performance, Healthcare Delivery
Shaker MS, Oppenheimer J, Grayson M
COVID-19: pandemic contingency planning for the allergy and immunology clinic.
In the event of a global infectious pandemic, drastic measures may be needed that limit or require adjustment of ambulatory allergy services. However, no rationale for how to prioritize service shut down and patient care exists. A consensus-based ad-hoc expert panel of allergy/immunology specialists from the United States and Canada developed a service and patient prioritization schematic to temporarily triage allergy/immunology services. This paper describes the process, recommendations and feedback.
AHRQ-funded; HS024599.
Citation: Shaker MS, Oppenheimer J, Grayson M .
COVID-19: pandemic contingency planning for the allergy and immunology clinic.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2020 May;8(5):1477-88.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2020.03.012..
Keywords: COVID-19, Respiratory Conditions, Emergency Preparedness, Public Health, Healthcare Delivery, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Infectious Diseases
Knox M, Murphy EJ, Leslie T
e-Consult implementation success: lessons from 5 county-based delivery systems.
This study evaluated organizational factors for e-consult implementation across five publicly financed, county-based health systems in California. Health system leaders whose systems received grant funding to plan and implement e-consult were interviewed to discuss platform selection, electronic health record compatibility, primary care clinician and specialist opinions, and project governance. Findings showed that three of the 5 systems successfully implemented e-consults. Existing primary care clinician-specialist relationships emerged as the strongest facilitator. E-consult-EHR technology integration was also important. These findings add to existing e-consult implementation literature that emphasizes reimbursement and leadership champions.
AHRQ-funded; HS022241.
Citation: Knox M, Murphy EJ, Leslie T .
e-Consult implementation success: lessons from 5 county-based delivery systems.
Am J Manag Care 2020 Jan;26(1):e21-e27. doi: 10.37765/ajmc.2020.42149..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare Delivery, Implementation, Primary Care, Ambulatory Care and Surgery
Gordon SH, Sommers BD, Wilson IB
Effects of Medicaid expansion on postpartum coverage and outpatient utilization.
Timely postpartum care is associated with lower maternal morbidity and mortality, yet fewer than half of Medicaid beneficiaries attend a postpartum visit. Using Medicaid claims data for 2013-2015 from Colorado, which expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and Utah, which did not, the authors conclude that expansion may promote the stability of postpartum coverage and increase the use of postpartum outpatient care in the Medicaid program.
AHRQ-funded; HS025560.
Citation: Gordon SH, Sommers BD, Wilson IB .
Effects of Medicaid expansion on postpartum coverage and outpatient utilization.
Health Aff 2020 Jan;39(1):77-84. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00547..
Keywords: Medicaid, Pregnancy, Women, Access to Care, Maternal Care, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Policy, Healthcare Delivery
Shi Y, Amill-Rosario A, Rudin RS
Health information technology for ambulatory care in health systems.
The adoption and use of health information technology (IT) by health systems in ambulatory care can be an important driver of care quality. In this study, the authors examine recent trends in health IT adoption by health system-affiliated ambulatory clinics in the context of the federal government's Meaningful Use and Promoting Interoperability programs.
AHRQ-funded; HS024067.
Citation: Shi Y, Amill-Rosario A, Rudin RS .
Health information technology for ambulatory care in health systems.
Am J Manag Care 2020 Jan;26(1):32-38..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Health Systems, Healthcare Delivery
Chan B, Hulen E, Edwards S
"It's like riding out the chaos": caring for socially complex patients in an ambulatory intensive care unit (A-ICU).
AHRQ-funded; HS022981.
Citation: Chan B, Hulen E, Edwards S .
"It's like riding out the chaos": caring for socially complex patients in an ambulatory intensive care unit (A-ICU).
Ann Fam Med 2019 Nov;17(6):495-501. doi: 10.1370/afm.2464..
Keywords: Primary Care, Primary Care: Models of Care, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Vulnerable Populations, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Healthcare Delivery
Feemster K, Localio R, Grundmeier R
Incidence of healthcare-associated influenza-like illness after a primary care encounter among young children.
The authors evaluated whether exposure to a pediatric clinic visit was associated with subsequent influenza-like illness (ILI) using electronic health record data. They found that pediatric clinic visits during a respiratory virus season were significantly associated with an increased incidence of subsequent ILI among children aged 2 to 6 years but not among those aged less than 2 years. They concluded that their findings support the hypothesis that respiratory virus transmission in a pediatric clinic can result in healthcare-associated ILI in young children.
AHRQ-funded; HS020939.
Citation: Feemster K, Localio R, Grundmeier R .
Incidence of healthcare-associated influenza-like illness after a primary care encounter among young children.
J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc 2019 Jul 1;8(3):191-96. doi: 10.1093/jpids/piy023..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Infectious Diseases, Influenza, Primary Care, Healthcare Delivery, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Respiratory Conditions
Huguet N, Valenzuela S, Marino M
Following uninsured patients through Medicaid expansion: ambulatory care use and diagnosed conditions.
The authors assessed ambulatory care use and diagnosed health conditions among a cohort of community health center (CHC) patients uninsured before enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and followed them after enactment. They found that, post-ACA, 20.9% of patients remained uninsured, 15.0% gained Medicaid, 12.4% gained other insurance, and 51.7% did not have a visit. The authors concluded that a significant percentage of CHC patients remained uninsured; that many who remained uninsured had diagnosed health conditions; and that one-half continued to have three or more visits to CHCs, which continue to be essential providers for uninsured patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS024270.
Citation: Huguet N, Valenzuela S, Marino M .
Following uninsured patients through Medicaid expansion: ambulatory care use and diagnosed conditions.
Ann Fam Med 2019 Jul;17(4):336-44. doi: 10.1370/afm.2385..
Keywords: Access to Care, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Community-Based Practice, Health Insurance, Healthcare Delivery, Medicaid, Policy, Uninsured
Stone C, Gebretsadik T, Lee RL
Trends in health care utilization for asthma exacerbations among diverse populations with asthma in the United States.
This article discusses trends in asthma hospitalization and outpatient visit rates from 2004 to 2010. The rates for all populations included in this study went down during the time period, in particular the population from the Tennessee Medicaid program (49%). Other populations used in the study included subjects 4 to 50 years enrolled in the US Department of Defense Military Health System (MHS), and 3 large integrated health delivery systems (IHCDS) of the Population Based Effectiveness in Asthma and Lung Diseases (PEAL) Network. The 3 PEAL health plans included Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Kaiser Permanente Georgia, and Kaiser Permanent Northern California. A total of 473,524 subjects in those 3 study populations were identified. These downward trends are encouraging but need to continue, particularly in diverse populations.
AHRQ-funded; HS019669; HS022093.
Citation: Stone C, Gebretsadik T, Lee RL .
Trends in health care utilization for asthma exacerbations among diverse populations with asthma in the United States.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2018 Jan - Feb;6(1):295-97.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2017.07.038..
Keywords: Asthma, Healthcare Utilization, Hospitalization, Healthcare Delivery, Chronic Conditions, Ambulatory Care and Surgery
Ray KN, Martsolf GR, Mehrotra A
Trends in visits to specialist physicians involving nurse practitioners and physician assistants, 2001 to 2013.
The purpose of this study is to examine trends in specialist physician visits where nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) provide care, based on the hypothesis that NPs and PAs provide care to patients of specialist physicians in increasing numbers, primarily for routine follow-up visits. Using the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) information on samples office visits, researchers identified visits to specialist physicians, divided these into surgical and medical specialists and examined unadjusted trends from 2001 - 2013 in the percentage of visits with NP or PA involvement. Visit characteristics associated with higher likelihood of NP or PA involvement were examined.
AHRQ-funded; HS022989.
Citation: Ray KN, Martsolf GR, Mehrotra A .
Trends in visits to specialist physicians involving nurse practitioners and physician assistants, 2001 to 2013.
JAMA Intern Med 2017 Aug;177(8):1213-16. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.1630..
Keywords: Access to Care, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Healthcare Delivery, Primary Care, Provider
Calvitti A, Hochheiser H, Ashfaq S
Physician activity during outpatient visits and subjective workload.
The researchers describe methods for capturing and analyzing EHR use and clinical workflow of physicians during outpatient encounters and relating activity to physicians' self-reported workload. They found that visit activity was highly variable across individual physicians, and the observed activity metrics ranged widely as correlates to subjective workload.
AHRQ-funded; HS021290.
Citation: Calvitti A, Hochheiser H, Ashfaq S .
Physician activity during outpatient visits and subjective workload.
J Biomed Inform 2017 May;69:135-49. doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2017.03.011.
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Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Workflow, Ambulatory Care and Surgery
Carney RM, Freedland KE, Steinmeyer BC
Collaborative care for depression symptoms in an outpatient cardiology setting: a randomized clinical trial.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether collaborative care (CC) for patients who screen positive for depression during an outpatient cardiology visit results in greater improvement in depression symptoms and better medical outcomes than seen in patients who screen positive for depression but receive only usual care (UC). Tthis trial did not show that CC produces better depression outcomes than UC.
AHRQ-funded; HS018335.
Citation: Carney RM, Freedland KE, Steinmeyer BC .
Collaborative care for depression symptoms in an outpatient cardiology setting: a randomized clinical trial.
Int J Cardiol 2016 Sep 15;219:164-71. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2016.06.045.
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Keywords: Care Management, Cardiovascular Conditions, Depression, Healthcare Delivery, Behavioral Health, Outcomes, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Teams
Hollingsworth JM, Birkmeyer JD, Ye Z
Specialty-specific trends in the prevalence and distribution of outpatient surgery: implications for payment and delivery system reforms.
The authors sought to assess the prevalence and distribution of outpatient surgery across specialties. They found that several specialties - urology, gastroenterology, plastic surgery, and ophthalmology - perform most of their cases in outpatient settings. They suggested that incorporating these findings into the design of future payment and delivery system reforms will help to ensure adequate surgeon exposure to the efficiency gains that evolve from them.
AHRQ-funded; HS020927; HS018346.
Citation: Hollingsworth JM, Birkmeyer JD, Ye Z .
Specialty-specific trends in the prevalence and distribution of outpatient surgery: implications for payment and delivery system reforms.
Surg Innov 2014 Dec;21(6):560-5. doi: 10.1177/1553350613520515.
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Keywords: Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Surgery, Healthcare Delivery, Payment