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
51 to 75 of 78 Research Studies DisplayedFisher KA, Mazor KM
Patient and family complaints in cancer care: what can we learn from the tip of the iceberg?
This paper comments on the Mack et al. article “Evaluation of Patient and Family Outpatient Complaints as a Strategy to Prioritize Efforts to Improve Cancer Care Delivery”, published in 2017 in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, in which Mack et al. categorized all complaints filed at a large outpatient cancer center during a two-year period, put forth a preliminary rating system for assessing complaint severity, and catalogued the actions taken in response to the complaints.
AHRQ-funded; HS024596; HS022757.
Citation: Fisher KA, Mazor KM .
Patient and family complaints in cancer care: what can we learn from the tip of the iceberg?
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2017 Oct;43(10):495-97. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2017.07.003..
Keywords: Cancer, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Patient Experience, Patient Safety, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement
Ehlers AP, Khor S, Cizik AM
Use of patient-reported outcomes and satisfaction for quality assessments.
This study investigated the relationship between PROs and satisfaction among spine surgery patients. The authors hypothesized that there would be significant disparities between patient satisfaction and PROs at the 1-year postoperative time point. The study found that overall, patients undergoing elective lumbar spine surgery reported being satisfied with outcomes, but the reported responses in PROs were much more variable.
AHRQ-funded; HS020025.
Citation: Ehlers AP, Khor S, Cizik AM .
Use of patient-reported outcomes and satisfaction for quality assessments.
Am J Manag Care 2017 Oct;23(10):618-22..
Keywords: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Patient Experience, Quality of Care, Surgery, Outcomes, Orthopedics
Waljee JF, Dimick JB
Do patient-reported outcomes correlate with clinical outcomes following surgery?
This study examines whether patient-reported outcomes (PROs) correlate with clinical outcomes following surgery. PROs are distinct from clinical outcomes and represent a potential indicator of performance that can be targeted to improve quality of care. Future studies that examine the influence of measurement techniques, case mix, and disease characteristics on PROs will inform efforts to routinely and efficiently integrate these critical outcomes into existing strategies to capture treatment effectiveness and quality of care for surgical conditions.
AHRQ-funded; HS023313.
Citation: Waljee JF, Dimick JB .
Do patient-reported outcomes correlate with clinical outcomes following surgery?
Adv Surg 2017 Sep;51(1):141-50. doi: 10.1016/j.yasu.2017.03.011..
Keywords: Quality of Care, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Surgery, Patient Experience, Quality Measures
Hatfield LA, Zaslavsky AM
Implications of variation in the relationships between beneficiary characteristics and Medicare Advantage CAHPS measures.
The researchers studied how differences in quality score adjustments across Medicare Advantage contracts change comparisons for individuals and contracts. They found that, for average consumers, standard adjustment is sufficient to represent variation in contract quality standardized to a common population. For people with characteristics far from average, personalized reporting using their characteristics and contract-specific coefficients can substantially change the expected quality measures across contracts.
AHRQ-funded; HS016978.
Citation: Hatfield LA, Zaslavsky AM .
Implications of variation in the relationships between beneficiary characteristics and Medicare Advantage CAHPS measures.
Health Serv Res 2017 Aug;52(4):1310-29. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12544.
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Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Medicare, Health Status, Patient Experience, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement, Quality Measures
Fisher K, Smith K, Gallagher T
We want to know: eliciting hospitalized patients' perspectives on breakdowns in care.
Researchers interviewed a broad sample of patients during hospitalization and postdischarge to elicit patient perspectives on breakdowns in care. When asked directly, almost 4 out of 10 hospitalized patients reported a breakdown in their care. Patient- perceived breakdowns in care are frequently associated with perceived harm, illustrating the importance of detecting and addressing these events.
AHRQ-funded; HS024596; HS022757.
Citation: Fisher K, Smith K, Gallagher T .
We want to know: eliciting hospitalized patients' perspectives on breakdowns in care.
J Hosp Med 2017 Aug;12(8):603-09. doi: 10.12788/jhm.2783.
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Keywords: Communication, Quality of Care, Inpatient Care, Patient Experience, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Khatri N, Gupta V, Varma A
The relationship between HR capabilities and quality of patient care: the mediating role of proactive work behaviors.
The researchers developed a multidimensional construct of human resource (HR) capabilities and tested its relationship with quality of patient care using a national sample of U.S. hospitals. Their analyses using structural equation modeling suggest that the positive relationship of HR capabilities with quality of patient care is mediated by proactive behaviors of health care workers. Implications of the study findings for research and practice are discussed.
AHRQ-funded; HS017549.
Citation: Khatri N, Gupta V, Varma A .
The relationship between HR capabilities and quality of patient care: the mediating role of proactive work behaviors.
Hum Resour Manage 2017 Jul-Aug;56(4):673-91. doi: 10.1002/hrm.21794.
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Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Hospitals, Quality of Care, Patient Experience, Patient Experience
Toomey SL, Elliott MN, Zaslavsky AM
Variation in family experience of pediatric inpatient care as measured by child HCAHPS.
Making national comparisons of family experience of inpatient pediatric care has been limited by the lack of a publicly available survey. A new survey developed by AHRQ and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services makes use of 18 measures. It found that family experience of pediatric inpatient care shows substantial room for improvement and varies considerably across hospitals and measures.
AHRQ-funded; HS020513.
Citation: Toomey SL, Elliott MN, Zaslavsky AM .
Variation in family experience of pediatric inpatient care as measured by child HCAHPS.
Pediatrics 2017 Apr;139(4):e20163372. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-3372.
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Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Children/Adolescents, Patient Experience, Patient Experience, Quality of Care
Martino SC, Shaller D, Schlesinger M
CAHPS and comments: how closed-ended survey questions and narrative accounts interact in the assessment of patient experience.
The authors investigated whether content from patient narratives explains variation in patients' primary care provider (PCP) ratings beyond information from the closed-ended questions of CAHPS Clinician and Group Survey and whether the relative placement of closed- and open-ended survey questions affects either the content of narratives or the CAHPS composite scores. They found that incorporating a protocol for eliciting narratives into a patient experience survey resulted in minimal distortion of patient feedback, and narratives from sicker patients helped explain variation in provider ratings.
AHRQ-funded; HS016980; HS016978; HS021858.
Citation: Martino SC, Shaller D, Schlesinger M .
CAHPS and comments: how closed-ended survey questions and narrative accounts interact in the assessment of patient experience.
J Patient Exp 2017 Mar;4(1):37-45. doi: 10.1177/2374373516685940.
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Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Patient Experience, Primary Care, Quality of Care, Quality Measures
Rajaram R, Saddat L, Chung J
Impact of the 2011 ACGME resident duty hour reform on hospital patient experience and processes-of-care.
The investigators evaluated the association between resident duty hour reform and measures of processes-of-care and patient experience. They concluded that the 2011 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education duty hour reform was not associated with improvements in process-of-care and patient experience measures.
AHRQ-funded; HS000078.
Citation: Rajaram R, Saddat L, Chung J .
Impact of the 2011 ACGME resident duty hour reform on hospital patient experience and processes-of-care.
BMJ Qual Saf 2016 Dec;25(12):962-70. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2015-004794.
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Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Education: Continuing Medical Education, Quality of Care, Patient Experience, Patient Safety
Cleary PD
Evolving concepts of patient-centered care and the assessment of patient care experiences: optimism and opposition.
Improving the infrastructure supporting certain aspects of care may have broad effects because system changes can influence multiple outcomes. Thus, rather than detract from general quality improvement efforts, making changes that facilitate patient-centered care may lead to broader improvements. There is good reason to be optimistic that our health care system will increasingly be "patient centered."
AHRQ-funded; HS016978.
Citation: Cleary PD .
Evolving concepts of patient-centered care and the assessment of patient care experiences: optimism and opposition.
J Health Polit Policy Law 2016 Aug;41(4):675-96. doi: 10.1215/03616878-3620881.
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Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Patient-Centered Healthcare, Patient Experience, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement
Schapira MM, Shea JA, Duey KA
The Nursing Home Compare report card: perceptions of residents and caregivers regarding quality ratings and nursing home choice.
The researchers evaluated the perceived usefulness of publicly reported nursing home quality indicators. They found that star ratings, clinical quality measures, and benchmarking information were salient to decision making, with preferred formats varying across participants. Participants desired additional information on the source of quality data. Confusion was evident regarding the relationship between domain-specific and overall star quality ratings.
AHRQ-funded; HS02861.
Citation: Schapira MM, Shea JA, Duey KA .
The Nursing Home Compare report card: perceptions of residents and caregivers regarding quality ratings and nursing home choice.
Health Serv Res 2016 Jun;51 Suppl 2:1212-28. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12458.
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Keywords: Nursing Homes, Quality Indicators (QIs), Patient Experience, Patient Experience, Quality of Care
Maurer M, Firminger K, Dardees P
Understanding consumer perceptions and awareness of hospital-based maternity care quality measures.
This study explored factors that may influence use of comparative public reports for hospital maternity care. It found that, when describing high-quality maternity care, participants focused on interactions with providers, including respect for preferences and communication. The importance of quality measures was influenced by the extent to which they focused on babies' health, were perceived as the hospital's responsibility, and were perceived as representing "standard care."
AHRQ-funded; HS021873.
Citation: Maurer M, Firminger K, Dardees P .
Understanding consumer perceptions and awareness of hospital-based maternity care quality measures.
Health Serv Res 2016 Jun;51 Suppl 2:1188-211. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12472.
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Keywords: Maternal Care, Pregnancy, Patient Experience, Quality Measures, Quality of Care, Public Reporting
Mukamel DB, Amin A, Weimer DL
When patients customize nursing home ratings, choices and rankings differ from the government's version.
Report cards currently published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) offer composite quality measures, such as the one featured on the Nursing Home Compare website. Nursing Home Compare Plus is an alternative that allows patients and their families to create their own composite scores based on their own preferences and medical needs. When comparing Nursing Home Compare Plus to Medicare's five-star ratings, we found only minimal agreement on ranking of nursing homes.
AHRQ-funded; HS021844.
Citation: Mukamel DB, Amin A, Weimer DL .
When patients customize nursing home ratings, choices and rankings differ from the government's version.
Health Aff 2016 Apr;35(4):714-9. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1340.
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Keywords: Nursing Homes, Quality of Care, Quality Indicators (QIs), Patient Experience, Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS)
Kanouse DE, Schlesinger M, Shaller D
How patient comments affect consumers' use of physician performance measures.
In order to evaluate the relationship between patient characteristics and the frequency and duration of incident steroid use, the researchers applied a 2-part hurdle model to Medicare data. Their study identified differences in predictors of frequency and duration of medication use and suggests the utility of two-part models to examine drug utilization patterns.
AHRQ-funded; HS016978; HS016980.
Citation: Kanouse DE, Schlesinger M, Shaller D .
How patient comments affect consumers' use of physician performance measures.
Med Care 2016 Jan;54(1):24-31. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000443..
Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Quality of Care, Patient and Family Engagement, Patient Experience, Clinician-Patient Communication
Schlesinger M, Grob R, Shaller D
Using patient-reported information to improve clinical practice.
The purposes of this study were to assess what is known about the relationship between patient experience measures and incentives designed to improve care, and to identify how public policy and medical practices can promote patient-valued outcomes in health systems with strong financial incentives. It concluded that unless public policies are attentive to patients' perspectives, stronger financial incentives for clinicians can threaten aspects of care that patients most value.
AHRQ-funded.
Citation: Schlesinger M, Grob R, Shaller D .
Using patient-reported information to improve clinical practice.
Health Serv Res 2015 Dec;50 Suppl 2:2116-54. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12420.
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Keywords: Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Patient Experience, Provider Performance, Policy, Payment, Public Reporting
Aysola J, Werner RM, Keddem S
Asking the patient about patient-centered medical homes: a qualitative analysis.
The researchers characterized patients' experiences with care after PCMH adoption and their understanding and perceptions of the PCMH model and its key components, and to compare responses by degree of practice-level PCMH adoption and patient race/ethnicity. They found that patients uniformly lacked awareness of the PCMH concept, and the vast majority perceived no PCMH-related structural changes, regardless of the degree of practice-reported PCMH adoption or the patient's race/ethnicity.
AHRQ-funded; HS021706.
Citation: Aysola J, Werner RM, Keddem S .
Asking the patient about patient-centered medical homes: a qualitative analysis.
J Gen Intern Med 2015 Oct;30(10):1461-7. doi: 10.1007/s11606-015-3312-8.
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Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Quality of Care, Patient Experience, Patient Experience, Patient-Centered Healthcare
Blendon RJ, Benson JM, Gorski MT
The perspectives of six Latino heritage groups about their health care.
The authors examined the perspectives of six Latino heritage groups on the health care issues they face. They found that all six heritage groups agree that diabetes is the biggest health problem facing their families.
AHRQ-funded; HS000055.
Citation: Blendon RJ, Benson JM, Gorski MT .
The perspectives of six Latino heritage groups about their health care.
J Immigr Minor Health 2015 Oct;17(5):1347-54. doi: 10.1007/s10903-014-0078-8.
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Keywords: Quality of Care, Health Services Research (HSR), Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Patient Experience, Patient Experience
Sawicki GS, Garvey KC, Toomey SL
Development and validation of the adolescent assessment of preparation for transition: a novel patient experience measure.
The authors developed an adolescent-reported measure of the quality of health care transition (HCT) preparation received from pediatric health care providers. They found that the Adolescent Assessment of Preparation for Transition (ADAPT) is a reliable, validated instrument measuring the quality of HCT preparation experiences reported by adolescents with chronic disease.
AHRQ-funded; HS020513.
Citation: Sawicki GS, Garvey KC, Toomey SL .
Development and validation of the adolescent assessment of preparation for transition: a novel patient experience measure.
J Adolesc Health 2015 Sep;57(3):282-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.06.004.
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Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Chronic Conditions, Patient Experience, Quality of Care, Transitions of Care
Aboumatar HJ, Chang BH, Danaf J
Promising practices for achieving patient-centered hospital care: a national study of high-performing US hospitals.
The researchers conducted a national study of hospitals that achieved the highest performance on Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems HCAHPS to identify promising practices for improving patient-centeredness, common challenges met, and how those were addressed. They found that high-performing hospitals used a set of patient-centered care processes that involved both leaders and clinicians in ensuring that patient needs and preferences are addressed.
AHRQ-funded; HS021921.
Citation: Aboumatar HJ, Chang BH, Danaf J .
Promising practices for achieving patient-centered hospital care: a national study of high-performing US hospitals.
Med Care 2015 Sep;53(9):758-67. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000396..
Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Hospitals, Patient Experience, Quality of Care, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Xu X, Buta E, Anhang Price R
Methodological considerations when studying the association between patient-reported care experiences and mortality.
This study illustrated methodological considerations when assessing the relationship between patient care experiences and mortality. It found that the association between overall care experiences and mortality was significant for deaths not amenable to medical care and all-cause mortality, but not for amenable deaths.
AHRQ-funded; HS016980; HS016978.
Citation: Xu X, Buta E, Anhang Price R .
Methodological considerations when studying the association between patient-reported care experiences and mortality.
Health Serv Res 2015 Aug;50(4):1146-61. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12264..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Patient Experience, Mortality, Quality of Care, Research Methodologies
Toomey SL, Zaslavsky AM, Elliott MN
The development of a pediatric inpatient experience of care measure: Child HCAHPS.
This article describes the development of Child Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS), which included a national field test with 69 hospitals in 34 States, psychometric analysis, and end-user testing of the final survey. The final Child HCAHPS instrument has 62 items, including 39 patient experience items, 10 screeners, 12 demographic/descriptive items and 1 open-ended item.
AHRQ-funded; HS020513.
Citation: Toomey SL, Zaslavsky AM, Elliott MN .
The development of a pediatric inpatient experience of care measure: Child HCAHPS.
Pediatrics 2015 Aug;136(2):360-9. doi: 10.1542/peds.2015-0966..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Patient Experience, Quality of Care
Nembhard IM, Yuan CT, Shabanova V
The relationship between voice climate and patients' experience of timely care in primary care clinics.
The aims of this study were to assess the relationship between organizational climate and patients’ reports of timely care in primary care clinics and to broadly examine the link between staff’s work environment and patient care experiences. It found that clinical and administrative staff (e.g., nurses and office assistants) reported clinics’ climates to be significantly less supportive of voice than did clinical leaders (e.g., physicians).
AHRQ-funded; HS018987; HS016978.
Citation: Nembhard IM, Yuan CT, Shabanova V .
The relationship between voice climate and patients' experience of timely care in primary care clinics.
Health Care Manage Rev 2015 Apr-Jun;40(2):104-15. doi: 10.1097/hmr.0000000000000017..
Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Patient Experience, Primary Care, Quality of Care, Organizational Change, Provider
Anhang Price R, Elliott MN, Cleary PD
Should health care providers be accountable for patients' care experiences?
Using evidence from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems surveys, the authors address seven common critiques of patient experience measures. These include: lack of consumer expertise, the subjectivity of patient satisfaction, and the trade-off between providing good patient experiences and providing high-quality clinical care.
AHRQ-funded; HS016980; HS016978
Citation: Anhang Price R, Elliott MN, Cleary PD .
Should health care providers be accountable for patients' care experiences?
J Gen Intern Med. 2015 Feb;30(2):253-6. doi: 10.1007/s11606-014-3111-7..
Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Quality of Care, Patient Experience, Patient-Centered Healthcare
Ryan AM, Burgess JF, Pesko MF
The early effects of Medicare's mandatory hospital pay-for-performance program.
This study evaluated the impact of hospital value-based purchasing (HVBP) on clinical quality and patient experience during its initial implementation period. It found that hospitals that were exposed to HVBP did not show greater improvement for either the clinical process or patient experience measures during the program’s initial implementation period.
AHRQ-funded; HS018546
Citation: Ryan AM, Burgess JF, Pesko MF .
The early effects of Medicare's mandatory hospital pay-for-performance program.
Health Serv Res. 2015 Feb;50(1):81-97. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12206..
Keywords: Medicare, Provider Performance, Payment, Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Patient Experience
Anhang Price R, Elliott MN, Zaslavsky AM
Examining the role of patient experience surveys in measuring health care quality.
The authors reviewed the literature on the association between patient experiences and other measures of health care quality. They concluded that patient experience measures that are collected using psychometrically sound instruments, employing recommended sample sizes and adjustment procedures, and implemented according to standard protocols are intrinsically meaningful and are appropriate complements for clinical process and outcome measures in public reporting and pay-for-performance programs.
AHRQ-funded; HS016980; HS016978.
Citation: Anhang Price R, Elliott MN, Zaslavsky AM .
Examining the role of patient experience surveys in measuring health care quality.
Med Care Res Rev 2014 Oct;71(5):522-54. doi: 10.1177/1077558714541480.
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Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Patient Experience, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement, Quality Measures