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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
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1 to 3 of 3 Research Studies DisplayedMcGarry BE, Mao Y, Nelson D
Hospital proximity and emergency department use among assisted living residents.
The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to explore the association between the distance of assisted living (AL) communities to the nearest hospital and AL residents' rates of emergency department (ED) utilization. The researchers hypothesized that when access to an ED is a shorter distance, AL-to-ED transfers are more common, especially for non-emergency conditions. The study found that among 540,944 resident-years from 16,514 AL communities, the median distance to the closest hospital was 2.5 miles. After statistical adjustment, a doubling of distance to the closest hospital was related with 43.5 fewer ED treat-and-release visits per 1000 resident years and no significant difference in the rate of ED visits resulting in an inpatient admission. Among ED treat-and-release visits, a doubling of distance was related with a 3.0% decrease in visits classified as nonemergent, and a 1.6% decrease in visits classified as emergent, not primary care treatable.
AHRQ-funded; HS026893.
Citation: McGarry BE, Mao Y, Nelson D .
Hospital proximity and emergency department use among assisted living residents.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2023 Sep; 24(9):1349-55.e.5. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2023.05.002..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Elderly, Long-Term Care, Medicare, Hospitals
Nguyen JK, P P
Comparison of survival outcomes among older adults with major trauma after trauma center versus non-trauma center care in the United States.
This study’s objective was to compare level 1 and 2 trauma centers with similarly sized non-trauma centers on survival after major trauma among older adults. The authors used claims of 100% of 2012-2017 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries who received hospital care after major trauma. They assessed the roles of prehospital care, hospital quality, and volume. Thirty-day mortality was higher overall at level 1 versus non-trauma centers by 2.2 percentage points (pp). Thirty-day mortality was higher at level 1 versus non-trauma centers by 2.3 pp for falls and 2.3 pp for motor vehicle crashes. Outcomes were similar at level 1 and 2 trauma centers. The difference was not explained by hospital quality and volume. There were also no statistical differences in the ambulance-transported group, after adjusting for prehospital variables.
AHRQ-funded; HS025720.
Citation: Nguyen JK, P P .
Comparison of survival outcomes among older adults with major trauma after trauma center versus non-trauma center care in the United States.
Health Serv Res 2023 Aug; 58(4):817-27. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14148..
Keywords: Elderly, Trauma, Outcomes, Injuries and Wounds, Emergency Department, Hospitals
Arbaje AI, Woodman S, Keita Fakeye MB
Senior services in US hospitals and readmission risk or mortality among Medicare beneficiaries since the Affordable Care Act.
This study examined whether there was an association between readmission risk or mortality among Medicare beneficiaries and passage of the Affordable Care Act. The study updated the Senior Care Services Scale (SCSS) which describes hospital provision of older adult services before the passage of the Affordable Care Act. The authors conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of older adults ≥65 years (n = 1,416,669), admitted to 2570 US acute-care hospitals from 2014 to 2015. Outcomes were hospital readmission, or death, within 30 and 90 days of discharge. The updated SCSS included three service groups: Inpatient Specialty Care, Post-Acute Community Care, and Home Care and Hospice. Older adults admitted to high Inpatient-Specialty-Care-scoring hospitals had lower risk of death within 30 days, and 90 days. There was no significant association between the other two groups and study outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS022916.
Citation: Arbaje AI, Woodman S, Keita Fakeye MB .
Senior services in US hospitals and readmission risk or mortality among Medicare beneficiaries since the Affordable Care Act.
J Appl Gerontol 2023 Jul; 42(7):1424-32. doi: 10.1177/07334648231161925..
Keywords: Elderly, Hospitals, Hospital Readmissions, Medicare