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
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 DisplayedSquires A, Engel P, Ma C
Continuity of care versus language concordance as an intervention to reduce hospital readmissions from home health care.
The purpose of this study was to examine the relative effectiveness of continuity of care and language concordance as alternative or complementary interventions to improve health outcomes of people with limited English proficiency. Participants included over 22,000 non-English-speaking patients from the New York City area who were admitted to their home health site following hospital discharge. Findings revealed that high continuity of care and high language concordance significantly decreased readmissions, along with high continuity of care and low language concordance; low continuity of care and high language concordance did not significantly impact readmissions. The authors concluded that enhancing continuity of care for those with language barriers the US home health system may help to address disparities and reduce hospital readmission rates.
AHRQ-funded; HS023593.
Citation: Squires A, Engel P, Ma C .
Continuity of care versus language concordance as an intervention to reduce hospital readmissions from home health care.
Med Care 2023 Sep; 61(9):605-10. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001884..
Keywords: Hospital Readmissions, Transitions of Care, Home Healthcare
Misra-Hebert AD, Rothberg MB, Fox J
Healthcare utilization and patient and provider experience with a home visit program for patients discharged from the hospital at high risk for readmission.
This retrospective cohort study assessed the association of home visits by advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and paramedics with healthcare utilization and mortality of patients released home after hospital discharge The authors looked at adult medical patients discharged to home from November 2017-September 2019. They assessed outcomes for home visit vs. matched comparison patients at 30, 90, and 180 days, including hospital admission, emergency department (ED) use, and death using two phases. Phase 1 was defined as APRN or paramedic visits assigned by geographic location and Phase 2 defined as APRN and paramedic visit teams assigned to patients. They also compared patients who declined home visits with those accepting them. Phase 1 outcomes showed no differences in readmissions, ED visits, or death at 30,90, and 180 days. Phase 2 showed patients who had home visits had fewer 30-day readmissions and no differences in other outcomes. Patients who accepted home visits had lower odds of readmission compared to patients who declined. Forty-four interviews were also conducted, and themes of Medication Understanding, Knowledge Gap after Discharge, Patient Medical Complexity, Social Context, and Patient Engagement/Need for Reassurance emerged.
AHRQ-funded; HS024128.
Citation: Misra-Hebert AD, Rothberg MB, Fox J .
Healthcare utilization and patient and provider experience with a home visit program for patients discharged from the hospital at high risk for readmission.
Healthc 2021 Mar;9(1):100518. doi: 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2020.100518..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Transitions of Care, Hospital Discharge, Hospital Readmissions
Weerahandi H, Bao H, Herrin J
Home health care after skilled nursing facility discharge following heart failure hospitalization.
Heart failure (HF) readmission rates have plateaued despite scrutiny of hospital discharge practices. Many HF patients are discharged to skilled nursing facility (SNF) after hospitalization before returning home. Home healthcare (HHC) services received during the additional transition from SNF to home may affect readmission risk. In this study, the investigators examined whether receipt of HHC affects readmission risk during the transition from SNF to home following HF hospitalization.
AHRQ-funded; HS022882.
Citation: Weerahandi H, Bao H, Herrin J .
Home health care after skilled nursing facility discharge following heart failure hospitalization.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2020 Jan;68(1):96-102. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16179..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Nursing Homes, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Hospitalization, Hospital Readmissions, Transitions of Care, Elderly
Jones CD, Falvey J, Hess E
Predicting hospital readmissions from home healthcare in Medicare beneficiaries.
The authors used patient-level clinical variables to develop and validate a parsimonious model to predict hospital readmissions from home healthcare (HHC) in Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. They found that variables available to HHC clinicians at the first post-discharge HHC visit can predict readmission risk and inform care plans in HHC. They recommend that future analyses incorporating measures of social determinants of health, such as housing instability or social support, have the potential to enhance prediction of this outcome.
AHRQ-funded; HS024569.
Citation: Jones CD, Falvey J, Hess E .
Predicting hospital readmissions from home healthcare in Medicare beneficiaries.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2019 Dec;67(12):2505-10. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16153..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Hospital Readmissions, Medicare, Elderly, Transitions of Care