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
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 4 of 4 Research Studies DisplayedSong Zhang, Zhang X, Patterson LJ
Racial and ethnic disparities in hospitalization outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study assessed assess racial and ethnic differences in hospitalization outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic among Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare claims from the Social Security Administration was used to determine in-hospital mortality and mortality inclusive of discharges to hospice and discharges to postacute care. Over 31 million Medicare recipients in the database were analyzed with over 14 million hospitalizations from January 2019 to February 2021. There was a decline in non-COVID-19 and an emergence of COVID-19 hospitalizations among beneficiaries of different racial and ethnic minority groups through February 2021. In-hospital mortality was not significantly different among Black patients relative to White patients but was 3.5 percentage points higher among Hispanic patients and other racial and ethnic minority groups. There were disparities in discharges to hospice and postacute care as well.
AHRQ-funded; HS024072.
Citation: Song Zhang, Zhang X, Patterson LJ .
Racial and ethnic disparities in hospitalization outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
JAMA Health Forum 2021 Dec 23;2(12):e214223. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2021.4223..
Keywords: COVID-19, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities, Medicare, Hospitalization, Outcomes, Mortality
Ingraham NE, Purcell LN, Karam BS
Racial and ethnic disparities in hospital admissions from COVID-19: determining the impact of neighborhood deprivation and primary language.
This retrospective cohort study evaluated neighborhood-level deprivation and English language proficiency effects on disproportionate outcomes seen in racial and ethnic minorities diagnosed with COVID-19. Health records of 12 Midwest hospitals and 60 clinics in Minnesota between March 4 and August 19, 2020 were used. COVID-19 hospitalization rates were evaluated against the patient’s Area Deprivation Index (ADI) and primary language. A total of 5577 individuals were included, with 866 hospitalized within 45 days of diagnosis. Hospitalized patients were older, and more likely to be male. Minority/race ethnicity was associated with COVID-19 severity, but ADI was not associated with increased hospitalization. Non-English speaking significantly increased odds of hospital admission across and within minority groups.
AHRQ-funded; HS024532; HS26732; HS026379.
Citation: Ingraham NE, Purcell LN, Karam BS .
Racial and ethnic disparities in hospital admissions from COVID-19: determining the impact of neighborhood deprivation and primary language.
J Gen Intern Med 2021 Nov;36(11):3462-70. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-06790-w..
Keywords: COVID-19, Hospitalization, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities
Dixon BE, Grannis SJ, Lembcke LR
The synchronicity of COVID-19 disparities: statewide epidemiologic trends in SARS-CoV-2 morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality among racial minorities and in rural America.
Researchers sought to examine trends in COVID-19 morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality over time for minority and rural populations, especially during the U.S. fall surge. Data were taken from a statewide cohort of adult residents in Indiana tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The researchers found that, by the fall of 2020, hospitalization and mortality rates in rural areas surpassed those of urban areas, and gaps between black/brown and white populations narrowed. Cumulative morbidity and mortality were highest among minority groups and in rural communities. They concluded that the synchronicity of disparities in COVID-19 by race and geography suggested that health officials explicitly measure disparities and adjust mitigation as well as vaccination strategies to protect those sub-populations with greater disease burden.
AHRQ-funded; HS025502.
Citation: Dixon BE, Grannis SJ, Lembcke LR .
The synchronicity of COVID-19 disparities: statewide epidemiologic trends in SARS-CoV-2 morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality among racial minorities and in rural America.
PLoS One 2021 Jul 23;16(7):e0255063. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255063..
Keywords: COVID-19, Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Hospitalization, Mortality, Rural Health
Pollack LM, Lowder JL, Keller M
Racial/ethnic differences in the risk of surgical complications and posthysterectomy hospitalization among women undergoing hysterectomy for benign conditions.
The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate whether 30- and 90-day surgical complication and postoperative hospitalization rates after hysterectomy for benign conditions differed by race/ethnicity and whether the differences remained after controlling for patient, hospital, and surgical characteristics. The investigators concluded that Black and Asian/Pacific Islander women had higher risk of some 30- and 90-day surgical complications after hysterectomy than white women. Black and Hispanic women had higher risk of posthysterectomy hospitalization.
AHRQ-funded; HS019455.
Citation: Pollack LM, Lowder JL, Keller M .
Racial/ethnic differences in the risk of surgical complications and posthysterectomy hospitalization among women undergoing hysterectomy for benign conditions.
J Minim Invasive Gynecol 2021 May;28(5):1022-32.e12. doi: 10.1016/j.jmig.2020.12.032..
Keywords: Surgery, Risk, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Adverse Events, Hospitalization, Women