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
1 to 25 of 138 Research Studies DisplayedChen VW, Rosen T, Dong Y
Case sampling for evaluating hospital postoperative morbidity in US surgical quality improvement programs.
This study examined whether US surgical quality improvement (QI) programs using case sampling is robust enough for identifying hospitals with higher than expected complications. Eligible patients were 18 years and older who underwent a noncardiac operation at US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals with a record in the VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program (systematic sample) and the VA Corporate Data Warehouse surgical domain (100% of surgical cases). Most patients in both samples were men (90.2% vs 91.2%) and White (74.7% vs 74.5%). Overall, 30-day complication rates were 7.6% and 5.3% for the sample and universal review cohorts, respectively. Using over 2145 hospital quarters of data, hospitals were identified as an outlier in 15.0% of quarters using the sample and 18.2% with universal review. Average hospital quarterly complication rates were 4.7% for outliers identified using the sample only, 7.2% for universal only, and 7.4% for concurrent identification in both sources. For nonsampled cases, average hospital quarterly complication rates were 7.0% at outliers and 4.4% at nonoutliers. Among outlier hospital quarters in the sample, 54.2% were concurrently identified with universal review, and for those identified with universal review, 44.6% were concurrently identified using the sample.
AHRQ-funded; HS028560.
Citation: Chen VW, Rosen T, Dong Y .
Case sampling for evaluating hospital postoperative morbidity in US surgical quality improvement programs.
JAMA Surg 2024 Mar; 159(3):315-22. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2023.6524..
Keywords: Surgery, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Hospitals
Parikh K, Hall M, Tieder JS
Disparities in racial, ethnic, and payer groups for pediatric safety events in US hospitals.
A retrospective cohort study using the 2019 Kids' Inpatient Database found disparities in pediatric safety events. Black and Hispanic children had significantly higher odds in 5 of 7 safety indicators compared to white children, especially in postoperative sepsis and respiratory failure. Medicaid-covered children also showed higher odds in 4 of 7 indicators compared to privately insured children, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to enhance hospital patient safety, particularly among minority and Medicaid-covered populations.
AHRQ-funded; HS028484.
Citation: Parikh K, Hall M, Tieder JS .
Disparities in racial, ethnic, and payer groups for pediatric safety events in US hospitals.
Pediatrics 2024 Mar; 153(3):e2023063714. doi: 10.1542/peds.2023-063714.
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Children/Adolescents, Patient Safety, Hospitals
Bui LN, Knox M, Miller-Rosales C
Hospital capabilities associated with behavioral health integration within emergency departments.
The objective of this study was to identify hospital capabilities associated with behavioral health processes in emergency departments. Responses to the National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems were linked American Hospital Association Annual Survey data. Most hospitals reported screening for behavioral health conditions and provided direct referrals to community-based clinicians. Approximately half the hospitals used team approaches to behavioral health. Hospitals that reported more barriers to care delivery innovations also reported less screening and usage of a team approach. The authors concluded that research and interventions which focus on removing barriers or adding processes to disseminate best practices offer a path to accelerate behavioral health integration in emergency departments.
AHRQ-funded; HS024075.
Citation: Bui LN, Knox M, Miller-Rosales C .
Hospital capabilities associated with behavioral health integration within emergency departments.
Med Care 2024 Mar; 62(3):170-74. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001973.
Keywords: Behavioral Health, Emergency Department, Hospitals, Substance Abuse, Teams, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Wu J, Yuan CT, Moyal-Smith R
Electronic health record-supported implementation of an evidence-based pathway for perioperative surgical care.
This study examines the role of electronic health records (EHRs) in implementing enhanced recovery pathways (ERPs) for perioperative surgical care. Interviews with informaticians and clinicians from eight US hospitals revealed three thematic clusters: "EHR difficulties," "EHR enablers," and "EHR barriers." Researchers concluded that high performers and improvers successfully integrated ERPs into EHRs with dedicated multidisciplinary teams, while others faced challenges. Early involvement of informatics expertise benefited ERP implementation and sustainability.
AHRQ-funded; 2332015000201.
Citation: Wu J, Yuan CT, Moyal-Smith R .
Electronic health record-supported implementation of an evidence-based pathway for perioperative surgical care.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2024 Feb 16; 31(3):591-99. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocad237.
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Surgery, Evidence-Based Practice, Hospitals
Auerbach AD, Lee TM, Hubbard CC
Diagnostic errors in hospitalized adults who died or were transferred to intensive care.
The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to determine the prevalence, underlying causes, and harms of diagnostic errors in hospitalized adults who were transferred to an intensive care unit or who died. Data was taken from 29 academic medical centers in the U.S. in a random sample of adults hospitalized with general medical conditions. Errors were found to have contributed to temporary harm, permanent harm, or death in nearly 18% of patients; among patients who died, diagnostic error was judged to have contributed to death in 6.6% of cases. The researchers noted that problems with choosing and interpreting tests and the processes involved with clinician assessment were a high priority for improvement efforts.
AHRQ-funded; HS027369.
Citation: Auerbach AD, Lee TM, Hubbard CC .
Diagnostic errors in hospitalized adults who died or were transferred to intensive care.
JAMA Intern Med 2024 Feb; 184(2):164-73. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.7347..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Quality of Care, Patient Safety, Adverse Events
Dalal AK, Schnipper JL, Raffel K
Identifying and classifying diagnostic errors in acute care across hospitals: early lessons from the Utility of Predictive Systems in Diagnostic Errors (UPSIDE) study.
This paper describes the Utility of Predictive Systems in Diagnostic Errors (UPSIDE) study, whose aim was to define the prevalence and underlying causes of diagnostic errors (DEs) in patients who die in the hospital or are transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) after the first 48 hours. This study was conducted at 31 hospitals with more than 2500 cases reviewed using electronic health records. The authors identified some insights into key requirements into building a robust DE surveillance program by developing these steps: 1) Develop a shared understanding of what constitutes a diagnostic error; 2) Use validated tools to identify diagnostic errors and classify process failures, but respect your context; 3) Develop a standard approach to using electronic health records for case reviews; 4) Ensure reliability and consistency of the case review process; and 5) Link diagnostic error case reviews to institutional safety programs. They also developed steps to establish a diagnosis error review process at the hospital level with six processes.
AHRQ-funded; HS027369; HS026613.
Citation: Dalal AK, Schnipper JL, Raffel K .
Identifying and classifying diagnostic errors in acute care across hospitals: early lessons from the Utility of Predictive Systems in Diagnostic Errors (UPSIDE) study.
J Hosp Med 2024 Feb; 19(2):140-45. doi: 10.1002/jhm.13136..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Quality of Care, Hospitals
Kalata S, Schaefer SL, Nuliyahu U
Low-volume elective surgery and outcomes in Medicare beneficiaries treated at hospital networks.
This cross-sectional study’s objective was to quantify low-volume surgery and associated outcomes within hospital networks. This study used Medicare Provider Analysis and Review data to examine fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 66 to 99 years who underwent 1 of 10 elective surgical procedures (abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, carotid endarterectomy, mitral valve repair, hip or knee replacement, bariatric surgery, or resection for lung, esophageal, pancreatic, or rectal cancers) in a network hospital from 2016 to 2018. Hospital volume for each procedure (calculated with the use of National Inpatient Sample data) was compared with yearly hospital volume standards for that procedure recommended by The Leapfrog Group. The authors analyzed primary outcomes which were postoperative complications, 30-day readmission, and 30-day mortality, stratified by the volume status of the hospital and network type. Secondary outcome was the availability of a different high-volume hospital within the same network or outside the network and its proximity to the patient (based on hospital referral region and zip code). In all, data were analyzed for 950,079 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries (average age 74.4 years; 621,138 females and 427,931 males) who underwent 1,049,069 procedures at 2469 hospitals within 382 networks. Of these networks, almost 100% [380 (99.5%)] had at least 1 low-volume hospital performing the elective procedure of interest. In 79.8% of procedures that were performed at low-volume hospitals, there was a hospital that met volume standards within the same network and hospital referral region located a median (IQR) distance of 29 (12-60) miles from the patient's home. In adjusted analyses, postoperative outcomes were inferior at low-volume hospitals compared with hospitals meeting volume standards, with a 30-day mortality of 8.1% at low-volume hospitals vs 5.5% at hospitals that met volume standards.
AHRQ-funded; HS028606.
Citation: Kalata S, Schaefer SL, Nuliyahu U .
Low-volume elective surgery and outcomes in Medicare beneficiaries treated at hospital networks.
JAMA Surg 2024 Feb; 159(2):203-10. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2023.6542.
Keywords: Surgery, Medicare, Hospitals, Outcomes
Nash KA, Weerahandi H, Yu H
Measuring equity in readmission as a distinct assessment of hospital performance.
This study examined the measure of equitable readmissions in hospitals as developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Objectives were to define a measure of equitable readmissions; identify hospitals with equitable readmissions by insurance (dual eligible vs non-dual eligible) or patient race (Black vs White); and compare hospitals with and without equitable readmissions by hospital characteristics and performance on accountability measures (quality, cost, and value). The authors used data from a cross-section of hospitals who were eligible for the CMS Hospital-Wide Readmission measure using Medicare data from July 2018 through June 2019. Of 4638 hospitals, they found that 74% served a sufficient number of dual-eligible patients, and 42% served a sufficient number of Black patients to apply CMS Disparity Methods by insurance and race. Of these eligible hospitals, 17% had equitable readmission rates by insurance and 30% by race. Hospitals with equitable readmissions by insurance or race cared for a lower percentage of Black patients (insurance, 1.9% vs 3.3%, race, 7.6% vs 9.3%), and differed from nonequitable hospitals in multiple domains (teaching status, geography, size. In examining equity by insurance, hospitals with low costs were more likely to have equitable readmissions, and there was no relationship between quality and value, and equity. In examining equity by race, hospitals with high overall quality were more likely to have equitable readmissions, and there was no relationship between cost and value, and equity.
AHRQ-funded; HS022882.
Citation: Nash KA, Weerahandi H, Yu H .
Measuring equity in readmission as a distinct assessment of hospital performance.
JAMA 2024 Jan 9; 331(2):111-23. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.24874..
Keywords: Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals, Provider Performance, Disparities
Wolf RM, Hall M, Williams DJ
Disparities in pharmacologic restraint for children hospitalized in mental health crisis.
This retrospective cohort study examined associations between pharmacologic restraint use and race and ethnicity among children (aged 5-≤18 years) admitted for mental health conditions to acute care nonpsychiatric children's hospitals. Study period was 2018 to 2022 and was conducted at 41 US children’s hospitals and included a cohort of 61,503 hospitalizations. Compared with non-Hispanic Black children, children of non-Hispanic White (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.81), Asian (aOR, 0.82), or other race and ethnicity (aOR, 0.68) were less likely to receive pharmacologic restraint, with no significant difference with Hispanic children. When stratified by sex, racial/ethnic differences were magnified in males, except for Hispanic males, and not found in females. Sensitivity analysis revealed amplified disparities for all racial/ethnic groups, including Hispanic youth.
AHRQ-funded; HS026122.
Citation: Wolf RM, Hall M, Williams DJ .
Disparities in pharmacologic restraint for children hospitalized in mental health crisis.
Pediatrics 2024 Jan; 153(1). doi: 10.1542/peds.2023-061353..
Keywords: Disparities, Children/Adolescents, Behavioral Health, Inpatient Care, Hospitals, Medication
Venema DM, Skinner AM, Nailon R
Patient and system factors associated with unassisted and injurious falls in hospitals: an observational study.
Unassisted falls are more likely to result in injury than assisted falls. However, little is known about risk factors for falling unassisted. Furthermore, rural hospitals, which care for a high proportion of older adults, are underrepresented in research on hospital falls. This study identified risk factors for unassisted and injurious falls in rural hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS021429.
Citation: Venema DM, Skinner AM, Nailon R .
Patient and system factors associated with unassisted and injurious falls in hospitals: an observational study.
BMC Geriatr 2019 Dec 11;19(1):348. doi: 10.1186/s12877-019-1368-8..
Keywords: Falls, Injuries and Wounds, Patient Safety, Elderly, Risk, Hospitals, Adverse Events
CE Kranz, AM DeYoreo, M
AHRQ Author: O'Hanlon
Access, quality, and financial performance of rural hospitals following health system affiliation.
This study examined the effect of a rural hospital affiliating itself with a health system. The comparison study used data from 2008 to 2017. A propensity score-weighted set of twelve measures were used on structure, utilization, financial performance, and quality. The rural hospitals that affiliated themselves with a health system experienced a significant reduction in on-site diagnostic imaging technologies, the availability of obstetric and primary care services, and outpatient nonemergency visits as well as a significant increase in operating margins. While these affiliations may help to keep a rural hospital open, it may also reduce access to services in these rural areas.
AHRQ-funded; HS024067.
Citation: CE Kranz, AM DeYoreo, M .
Access, quality, and financial performance of rural hospitals following health system affiliation.
Health Aff 2019 Dec;38(12):2095-104. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00918..
Keywords: Provider Performance, Quality of Care, Hospitals, Rural Health
Sheetz KH, Dimick JB, Nathan H
Centralization of high-risk cancer surgery within existing hospital systems.
Centralization is often proposed as a strategy to improve the quality of certain high-risk health care services. In this study, the investigators evaluated the extent to which existing hospital systems centralize high-risk cancer surgery and whether centralization is associated with short-term clinical outcomes. The investigators concluded that greater centralization of complex cancer surgery within existing hospital systems was associated with better outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS023597.
Citation: Sheetz KH, Dimick JB, Nathan H .
Centralization of high-risk cancer surgery within existing hospital systems.
J Clin Oncol 2019 Dec 1;37(34):3234-42. doi: 10.1200/jco.18.02035..
Keywords: Surgery, Cancer, Risk, Hospitals, Health Systems, Quality Improvement, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality of Care, Outcomes
Williams CN, Eriksson CO, Kirby A
Hospital mortality and functional outcomes in pediatric neurocritical care.
Pediatric neurocritical care (PNCC) outcomes research is scarce. In this study, the investigators aimed to expand knowledge about outcomes in PNCC by evaluating death and changes in Functional Status Scale (FSS) from baseline among PNCC diagnoses. The investigators concluded that PNCC patients had high rates of death and new disability at discharge, varying significantly between PNCC diagnoses. Multiple domains of disability were affected, underscoring the ongoing multidisciplinary health care needs of survivors.
AHRQ-funded; HS022981.
Citation: Williams CN, Eriksson CO, Kirby A .
Hospital mortality and functional outcomes in pediatric neurocritical care.
Hosp Pediatr 2019 Dec;9(12):958-66. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2019-0173..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Newborns/Infants, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care, Neurological Disorders, Mortality, Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Saluja S, Hochman M, Bourgoin A
Primary care: the new frontier for reducing readmissions.
To date, efforts to reduce hospital readmissions have centered largely on hospitals. In a recently published environmental scan, the investigators examined the literature focusing on primary care-based efforts to reduce readmissions. They found that multi-component care transitions programs that are initiated early in the hospitalization and are part of broader primary care practice transformation appear most promising.
AHRQ-funded; 233201500019I.
Citation: Saluja S, Hochman M, Bourgoin A .
Primary care: the new frontier for reducing readmissions.
J Gen Intern Med 2019 Dec;34(12):2894-97. doi: 10.1007/s11606-019-05428-2.
.
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Keywords: Primary Care, Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals, Transitions of Care, Primary Care: Models of Care, Healthcare Delivery
Zachrison KS, Aaronson E, Mahmood S
Resource utilisation among patients transferred for intracerebral haemorrhage.
Patients with intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) are frequently transferred between hospitals for higher level of care. The investigators aimed to identify factors associated with resource utilisation among patients with ICH admitted to a single academic hospital. They used a prospectively collected registry of consecutive patients with primary ICH at an urban academic hospital between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2015.
hospital between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2015.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Zachrison KS, Aaronson E, Mahmood S .
Resource utilisation among patients transferred for intracerebral haemorrhage.
Stroke Vasc Neurol 2019 Dec;4(4):223-26. doi: 10.1136/svn-2019-000255..
Keywords: Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Healthcare Utilization, Hospitals
Barbash IJ, Kahn JM
Sepsis quality in safety-net hospitals: an analysis of Medicare's SEP-1 performance measure.
Researchers studied the relationship between hospital safety-net status and performance on Medicare's SEP-1 quality measure. Data from 2827 hospitals were analyzed. They found that existing sepsis policies may harm safety-net hospitals and widen health disparities. They suggest that strategies to promote collaboration among hospitals may be an avenue for sepsis performance improvement in these hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS025455.
Citation: Barbash IJ, Kahn JM .
Sepsis quality in safety-net hospitals: an analysis of Medicare's SEP-1 performance measure.
J Crit Care 2019 Dec;54:88-93. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2019.08.009.
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Keywords: Sepsis, Quality Measures, Quality of Care, Hospitals, Provider Performance, Quality Improvement
Krein SL, Kuhn L, Ratz D
Use of designated nurse PICC teams and CLABSI prevention practices among U.S. hospitals: a survey-based study.
The authors identified the prevalence of and factors associated with having a designated nurse peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) team among U.S. acute care hospitals. They found that nurse PICC teams inserted PICCs in more than 60% of U.S. hospitals during the study period. Moreover, certain practices to prevent central line-associated bloodstream infection, including maximum sterile barrier precautions, chlorhexidine gluconate for insertion site antisepsis, and facility-wide insertion checklists were regularly used by a higher percentage of hospitals with nurse PICC teams compared with those without. They concluded that nurse PICC teams play an integral role in PICC use at many hospitals and that use of such teams may promote key practices to prevent complications.
AHRQ-funded; HS022835.
Citation: Krein SL, Kuhn L, Ratz D .
Use of designated nurse PICC teams and CLABSI prevention practices among U.S. hospitals: a survey-based study.
J Patient Saf 2019 Dec;15(4):293-95. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000246..
Keywords: Nursing, Teams, Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Inpatient Care, Hospitals, Patient Safety, Prevention, Provider: Nurse, Provider
Germack HD, Kandrack R, Martsolf GR
When rural hospitals close, the physician workforce goes.
Researchers examined the relationship between rural hospital closures and the supply of physicians across different specialties in the years leading up to and after a closure. They observed significant annual reductions in the supply of general surgeons in the years leading up to a closure. They also found that rural hospital closures were associated with immediate and persistent decreases in the supply of surgical specialists and long-term decreases in the supply of physicians across multiple specialties. Because this decrease could lead to reduced access to care for rural residents, they recommended that future policy efforts focus on supporting and maintaining health care delivery models that do not depend on hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Germack HD, Kandrack R, Martsolf GR .
When rural hospitals close, the physician workforce goes.
Health Aff 2019 Dec;38(12):2086-94. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00916..
Keywords: Rural Health, Hospitals, Workforce, Provider: Physician, Provider
Kundi H, Strom JB, Valsdottir LR
Trends in isolated surgical aortic valve replacement according to hospital-based transcatheter aortic valve replacement volumes.
This research analyzed trends in isolated surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) procedures with the advent of the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure. Hospitalizations of adults from January 2011 through December 2014 was analyzed with data from the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review database using ICD-9 Revision-Clinical Modification procedure codes. The annual value of isolated SAVR went down as TAVR volumes increased which also decreased short- and long-term mortality over the study period.
AHRQ-funded; HS024520.
Citation: Kundi H, Strom JB, Valsdottir LR .
Trends in isolated surgical aortic valve replacement according to hospital-based transcatheter aortic valve replacement volumes.
JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2018 Nov 12;11(21):2148-56. doi: 10.1016/j.jcin.2018.07.002..
Keywords: Surgery, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Hospitals
Sun EC, Mello MM, Moshfegh J
Assessment of out-of-network billing for privately insured patients receiving care in in-network hospitals.
This retrospective analysis used data from the Clinformatics Data Mart database (Optum) to examine out-of-network billing among privately insured patients with an inpatient admission or emergency department (ED) visit at in-network hospitals. The investigators found that out-of-network billing appeared to have become common for privately insured patients even when they soughttreatment at in-network hospitals. They indicated that the mean amounts billed appeared to be sufficiently large that they may create financial strain for a substantial proportion of patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS026128.
Citation: Sun EC, Mello MM, Moshfegh J .
Assessment of out-of-network billing for privately insured patients receiving care in in-network hospitals.
JAMA Intern Med 2019 Nov;179(11):1453-612. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.3451..
Keywords: Health Insurance, Healthcare Costs, Payment, Hospitals, Emergency Department
Turner NA, Grambow SC, Woods CW
Epidemiologic trends in Clostridioides difficile infections in a regional community hospital network.
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) remains a leading cause of health care facility-associated infection. A greater understanding of the regional epidemiologic profile of CDI could inform targeted prevention strategies. The objectives of this study was to assess trends in incidence of health care facility-associated and community-acquired CDI among hospitalized patients over time and to conduct a subanalysis of trends in the NAP1 strain of CDI over time.
AHRQ-funded; HS023866.
Citation: Turner NA, Grambow SC, Woods CW .
Epidemiologic trends in Clostridioides difficile infections in a regional community hospital network.
JAMA Netw Open 2019 Oct 2;2(10):e1914149. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.14149..
Keywords: Clostridium difficile Infections, Community-Acquired Infections, Infectious Diseases, Hospitals
Leary JC, Walsh KE, Morin RA
Quality and safety of pediatric inpatient care in community hospitals: a scoping review.
This study’s aim was to conduct a scoping review and synthesize literature on the quality and safety of pediatric inpatient care in nonpediatric hospitals in the United States. A systematic literature review was performed in October 2016 to identify pediatric studies that reported on safety, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, patient-centeredness, or equity set. A total of 44 articles were included using inclusion criteria. There was a moderate or high risk of bias for 72% of the studies. This study shows there is very limited research currently and would benefit from more multicenter collaborations.
AHRQ-funded; HS024133.
Citation: Leary JC, Walsh KE, Morin RA .
Quality and safety of pediatric inpatient care in community hospitals: a scoping review.
J Hosp Med 2019 Nov 1;14(10):694-703. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3268..
Keywords: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Evidence-Based Practice, Children/Adolescents, Inpatient Care, Hospitals, Patient Safety, Quality of Care
Haldar S, Mishra SR, Kim Y
Use and impact of an online community for hospital patients.
This study examined the impact of a technology resembling an online health community for hospitalized patients to exchange advice and provide each other support during their hospitalization. It was deployed at 1 pediatric and 1 adult hospital. Thirty participants were recruited and were interviewed bedside and were observed how they used the technology, along with follow-up phone interviews. It was found to be helpful to patients and that most (64%) of the shared advice was positive in nature. They also reported positive impacts to their quality, safety, and hospital experience due to the inpatient peer support community.
AHRQ-funded; HS022894.
Citation: Haldar S, Mishra SR, Kim Y .
Use and impact of an online community for hospital patients.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2020 Apr;27(4):549-57. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocz212..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Hospitals, Patient and Family Engagement, Patient Experience
Ellis RJ, Zhang LM, Ko CY
Variation in hospital utilization of minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy for localized pancreatic neoplasms.
The objectives of this study were to identify factors associated with use of minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy (MIDP) for localized neoplasms and to assess hospital variation in MIDP utilization. Results showed that utilization of MIDP for localized pancreatic neoplasms is highly variable; while some patient-level factors are associated with MIDP use, hospital adoption of MIDP appears to be the primary driver of utilization. Monitoring hospital-level use of MIDP may be a useful quality measure to monitor uptake of emerging techniques in pancreatic surgery.
AHRQ-funded; HS026385; HS000078.
Citation: Ellis RJ, Zhang LM, Ko CY .
Variation in hospital utilization of minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy for localized pancreatic neoplasms.
J Gastrointest Surg 2020 Dec;24(12):2780-88. doi: 10.1007/s11605-019-04414-7..
Keywords: Cancer, Surgery, Hospitals, Quality of Care
Stolldorf DP, Schnipper JL, Mixon AS
Organisational context of hospitals that participated in a multi-site mentored medication reconciliation quality improvement project (MARQUIS2): a cross-sectional observational study.
Medication reconciliation (MedRec) is an important patient safety strategy and is widespread in US hospitals and globally. Nevertheless, high quality MedRec has been difficult to implement. As part of a larger study investigating MedRec interventions, the investigators evaluated and compared organisational contextual factors and team cohesion by hospital characteristics and implementation team members' profession to better understand the environmental context and its correlates during a multi-site quality improvement (QI) initiative.
AHRQ-funded; HS025486.
Citation: Stolldorf DP, Schnipper JL, Mixon AS .
Organisational context of hospitals that participated in a multi-site mentored medication reconciliation quality improvement project (MARQUIS2): a cross-sectional observational study.
BMJ Open 2019 Nov 2;9(11):e030834. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030834.
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Keywords: Medication, Quality Improvement, Hospitals, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Implementation