National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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Topics
- Adverse Events (1)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (3)
- Care Coordination (3)
- Care Management (1)
- Children/Adolescents (1)
- Chronic Conditions (1)
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- Critical Care (1)
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- Primary Care: Models of Care (1)
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- Provider: Physician (1)
- 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 13 of 13 Research Studies DisplayedSaluja 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
Mueller S, Zheng J, Orav EJ
Inter-hospital transfer and patient outcomes: a retrospective cohort study.
Inter-hospital transfer (IHT, the transfer of patients between hospitals) occurs regularly and exposes patients to risks of discontinuity of care, though outcomes of transferred patients remains largely understudied. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the association between IHT and healthcare utilisation and clinical outcomes. The investigators concluded that IHT was associated with higher costs, longer LOS and lower odds of discharge home, but was differentially associated with odds of early death and 30 -day mortality depending on patients' disease category.
AHRQ-funded; HS023331.
Citation: Mueller S, Zheng J, Orav EJ .
Inter-hospital transfer and patient outcomes: a retrospective cohort study.
BMJ Qual Saf 2019 Nov;28(11):e1. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2018-008087..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Hospitals, Patient Safety, Elderly, Outcomes, Chronic Conditions, Mortality, Medicare
Goldstone AB, Chiu P, Baiocchi M
Interfacility transfer of Medicare beneficiaries with acute type a aortic dissection and regionalization of care in the United States.
Researchers investigated the hypothesis that regionalizing care at high-volume hospitals for acute type A aortic dissections will lower mortality. Operative mortality and long-term survival were compared for Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with an acute type A aortic dissection who were transferred versus not transferred, underwent surgery at high-volume versus low-volume hospitals, and were rerouted versus not rerouted to a high-volume hospital for treatment. The researchers found that, despite delaying surgery, a regionalization policy that transfers patients to high-volume hospitals was associated with a 7.2% absolute risk reduction in operative mortality. They recommended that policymakers evaluate the feasibility and benefits of regionalizing the surgical treatment of acute type A aortic dissection in the United States.
AHRQ-funded; HS022192.
Citation: Goldstone AB, Chiu P, Baiocchi M .
Interfacility transfer of Medicare beneficiaries with acute type a aortic dissection and regionalization of care in the United States.
Circulation 2019 Oct 8;140(15):1239-50. doi: 10.1161/circulationaha.118.038867..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Medicare, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Risk, Evidence-Based Practice, Mortality, Hospitals
Campbell Britton M, Hodshon B, Chaudhry SI
Implementing a warm handoff between hospital and skilled nursing facility clinicians.
This study focused on increasing better communication during transfers from hospitals and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Warm handoffs between hospital and SNF physicians was implemented. Participation in warm handoffs gradually increased – starting at 15.78% in stage 1 and increasing to 46.89% in stage 3. A total of 2417 patient discharges were included in this study.
AHRQ-funded; HS023554.
Citation: Campbell Britton M, Hodshon B, Chaudhry SI .
Implementing a warm handoff between hospital and skilled nursing facility clinicians.
J Patient Saf 2019 Sep;15(3):198-204. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000529..
Keywords: Communication, Patient Safety, Hospital Discharge, Transitions of Care, Care Coordination, Hospitals, Nursing Homes
Zachrison KS, Dhand A, Schwamm LH
A network approach to stroke systems of care.
This study provided a network analysis of stroke systems of care. Stroke patients are increasing transferred between hospitals to receive higher levels of care, but coordination and triage of these patients remains a challenge. The network analysis provides an understanding of the central hubs, the change of network structure over time, and the dissemination of innovations.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Zachrison KS, Dhand A, Schwamm LH .
A network approach to stroke systems of care.
Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2019 Aug;12(8):e005526. doi: 10.1161/circoutcomes.119.005526..
Keywords: Stroke, Care Coordination, Transitions of Care, Care Management, Cardiovascular Conditions, Hospitals
Hussain FS, Sosa T, Ambroggio L
Emergency transfers: an important predictor of adverse outcomes in hospitalized children.
This case-control study aimed to determine the predictive validity of an emergency transfer (ET) for outcomes in a free-standing children's hospital. Controls were matched in terms of age, hospital unit, and time of year. Patients who experienced an ET had a significantly higher likelihood of in-hospital mortality (22% vs 9%), longer ICU length of stay (4.9 vs 2.2 days), and longer posttransfer length of stay (26.4 vs 14.7 days) compared with controls (P < .03 for each).
AHRQ-funded; HS023827.
Citation: Hussain FS, Sosa T, Ambroggio L .
Emergency transfers: an important predictor of adverse outcomes in hospitalized children.
J Hosp Med 2019 Aug;14(8):482-85. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3219..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Children/Adolescents, Critical Care, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Adverse Events, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Inpatient Care, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Healthcare Delivery
Ingraham A, Wang X, Havlena J
Factors associated with the interhospital transfer of emergency general surgery patients.
Researchers used data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample to determine patient- and hospital-level factors associated with interhospital emergency general surgery (EGS) transfers. They identified that hospital-level characteristics more strongly predicted the need for transfer than patient-related factors. They recommended considering these factors in order to facilitate transfer decision-making.
AHRQ-funded; HS025224.
Citation: Ingraham A, Wang X, Havlena J .
Factors associated with the interhospital transfer of emergency general surgery patients.
J Surg Res 2019 Aug;240:191-200. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2018.11.053..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Emergency Department, Surgery, Shared Decision Making, Hospitals, Healthcare Delivery, Transitions of Care
Lauerman MH, Herrera AV, Albrecht JS
Interhospital transfers with wide variability in emergency general surgery.
This study examined modern hospital practices for interhospital transfers of emergency general surgery patients. A retrospective review of the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission database was conducted from 2013 to 2015. The majority of patients (94.1%) were not transferred with only 3.2% transferred to a hospital and 2.7% transferred from a hospital. For individual hospitals, there was a range of 0-30.5% of encounters transferred to a hospital, 0.02-14.62% transferred from a hospital and 69.25-99.95% not transferred.
AHRQ-funded; HS024560.
Citation: Lauerman MH, Herrera AV, Albrecht JS .
Interhospital transfers with wide variability in emergency general surgery.
Am Surg 2019 Jun;85(6):595-600..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Healthcare Delivery, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Outcomes, Quality of Care, Surgery, Transitions of Care
Mueller SK, Schnipper JL
Physician perspectives on interhospital transfers.
This study examined physician perspectives of the common problems that occur during acute care hospital interhospital transfers. The process tends to be nonstandardized which creates a number of issues. These issues include: patients sometimes, frequently, or always arriving without required specialized care (56% of the time), arriving with unrealistic expectations of care (77.2% of responses), arrived more than 24 hours after accepted transfer in 80.1% of responses, and arrived without necessary transfer records 86.9% of the time. The last issue and also time of day of arrival many physicians felt posed a risk to the transferred patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS023331.
Citation: Mueller SK, Schnipper JL .
Physician perspectives on interhospital transfers.
J Patient Saf 2019 Jun;15(2):86-89. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000312..
Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Hospitals, Patient Safety, Provider, Provider: Physician, Transitions of Care
Jones CD, Jones J, Bowles KH
Quality of hospital communication and patient preparation for home health care: results from a statewide survey of home health care nurses and staff.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of communication between hospitals and home health care (HHC) clinicians and patient preparedness to receive HHC in a statewide sample of HHC nurses and staff. The authors concluded that communication between hospitals and HHC was suboptimal, and patients were often not prepared to receive HHC. They suggest that providing EHR access for HHC clinicians is a promising solution to improve the quality of communication.
AHRQ-funded; HS024569.
Citation: Jones CD, Jones J, Bowles KH .
Quality of hospital communication and patient preparation for home health care: results from a statewide survey of home health care nurses and staff.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2019 Apr;20(4):487-91. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2019.01.004..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Home Healthcare, Hospital Discharge, Hospitals, Communication
Shah S, Xian Y, Sheng S
Use, temporal trends, and outcomes of endovascular therapy after interhospital transfer in the United States.
This study examined the use, trends and outcomes of endovascular therapy (EVT) after interhospital transfer in the United Sates. This cohort study analyzed trends from over 1.8 million patients with ischemic stroke admitted to 2143 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke participating hospitals between 2012 and 2017. There were differences in mortality for interhospital transfer patients, although those differences disappeared after adjusting for delay in EVT initiation.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Shah S, Xian Y, Sheng S .
Use, temporal trends, and outcomes of endovascular therapy after interhospital transfer in the United States.
Circulation 2019 Mar 26;139(13):1568-77. doi: 10.1161/circulationaha.118.036509..
Keywords: Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Transitions of Care, Outcomes, Healthcare Delivery, Hospitals, Mortality, Quality of Care
Nijhawan AE, Higashi RT, Marks EG
Patient and provider perspectives on 30-day readmissions, preventability, and strategies for improving transitions of care for patients with HIV at a safety net hospital.
Researchers assessed perceived causes of 30-day hospital readmissions, factors associated with preventability, and strategies to reduce preventable readmissions and improve continuity of care for HIV-positive individuals. Using semi-structured interviews, they found that the 30-day metric should be adjusted for safety net institutions and patients with AIDS; that participants disagreed about preventability; and that various stakeholders proposed readmission reduction strategies that spanned the inpatient to outpatient care continuum. They then outlined multiple interventions which could substantially decrease hospital readmissions in this underserved population.
AHRQ-funded; HS022418.
Citation: Nijhawan AE, Higashi RT, Marks EG .
Patient and provider perspectives on 30-day readmissions, preventability, and strategies for improving transitions of care for patients with HIV at a safety net hospital.
J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care 2019 Jan-Dec;18:2325958219827615. doi: 10.1177/2325958219827615..
Keywords: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Transitions of Care, Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals
Gupta S, Zengul FD, Davlyatov GK
Reduction in hospitals' readmission rates: role of hospital-based skilled nursing facilities.
The purpose of this study was to examine the association between hospital-based skilled nursing facilities (HBSNFs) and hospitals' readmission rates. Data sources included the American Hospital Association Annual Survey, Area Health Resources Files, CMS Medicare cost reports and Hospital Compare. Results showed that the presence of HBSNFs was associated with lower readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction and pneumonia. Further, higher skilled nursing facilities to hospitals ratio were associated with lower readmission rates.
AHRQ-funded; HS023345.
Citation: Gupta S, Zengul FD, Davlyatov GK .
Reduction in hospitals' readmission rates: role of hospital-based skilled nursing facilities.
Inquiry 2019 Jan-Dec;56:46958018817994. doi: 10.1177/0046958018817994..
Keywords: Hospital Readmissions, Transitions of Care, Care Coordination, Hospitals, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Measures, Quality of Care