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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 15 of 15 Research Studies DisplayedEncinosa W, Nguyen P
AHRQ Author: Encinosa W
Is the recent surge in physician-hospital consolidation finally producing cost-savings?
This article revisits earlier integration studies using IBM MarketScan data 2010–2016 to re-examine the relationship between primary care physicians integrated with hospitals and spending under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) during that period. The authors observe an association between physician-hospital integration and overall cost-savings, a reversal of the relationship noted in earlier studies. They recommend that future research examine the precise mechanism of physician-hospital clinical integration in greater detail.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Encinosa W, Nguyen P .
Is the recent surge in physician-hospital consolidation finally producing cost-savings?
J Gen Intern Med 2022 Dec;37(16):4289-91. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07634-x..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Provider: Physician, Hospitals, Primary Care
Post B, Norton EC, Hollenbeck BK
Hospital-physician integration and risk-coding intensity.
This study analyzed whether hospital-physician integration affects providers' coding of patient severity, because greater diagnostic severity will increase practices’ payment under risk-based arrangements. The authors used a two-way fixed effects model, an event study, and a stacked difference-in-differences analysis of 5 million patient-year observations from 2010 to 2015. They found that the integration of a patient's primary care doctor is associated with a robust 2%-4% increase in coded severity, the risk-score equivalent of aging a physician's patients by 4-8 months. This effect wasn’t driven by physicians treating different patients nor by physicians seeing patients more often. Their evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that hospitals share organizational resources with acquired physician practices to increase the measured clinical severity of patients. They believe that increases in the intensity of coding will improve vertically-integrated practices' performance in alternative payment models and pay-for-performance programs while raising overall health care spending.
AHRQ-funded; HS025707;HS027044.
Citation: Post B, Norton EC, Hollenbeck BK .
Hospital-physician integration and risk-coding intensity.
Health Econ 2022 Jul; 31(7):1423-37. doi: 10.1002/hec.4516..
Keywords: Hospitals, Provider: Physician, Payment
Post B, Nallamothu BK, Hollenbeck B
Hospital-cardiologist integration often occurs without a practice acquisition.
This study’s objective was to determine how much of the increase in hospital-cardiologist integration comes from acquisition of physician practices compared to individual employment decisions. Data from 2011 to 2018 was used from the American Medical Association Masterfile and Medicare. In 2011 18% of cardiologists were integrated, which rose to 25% in 2016. It was found that 48% of integrations occurred without acquisitions and that physicians who had completed residencies in the past 5 years had higher rates of integration that increased over time. Rates of early career physicians joining hospital systems also rose from 25% to 32% during that time period.
AHRQ-funded; HS025707.
Citation: Post B, Nallamothu BK, Hollenbeck B .
Hospital-cardiologist integration often occurs without a practice acquisition.
Health Serv Res 2022 Apr;57(2):333-39. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13929..
Keywords: Hospitals, Provider: Physician, Healthcare Delivery, Workforce
Mueller SK, Shannon E, Dalal A
Patient and physician experience with interhospital transfer: a qualitative study.
This qualitative study explored patients’ and involved physicians’ experience with interhospital transfer (IHT) to understand specific factors that may impact the quality and safety of this care transition. Individual interviews were conducted with adult patients transferred to cardiology, general medicine, and oncology services at a tertiary care academic medical center, as well as their transferring physician, accepting attending physician, and accepting/admitting resident physician. Participants included 10 adults (6 cardiology, 2 medicine, and 2 oncology), 9 accepting attending physicians, 12 accepting and/or admitting resident physicians, and 5 transferring physicians. Emergent themes demonstrated that participants held a shared understanding for the reason for the transfer and relayed a general dissatisfaction regarding the timing and lack of advanced notification of transfer. The authors found distinct differences in IHT experience by stakeholder group - with physicians relaying discontent on intrahospital chains of communication and interhospital information exchange, and patient participants focused more readily on the physical aspects of IHT.
AHRQ-funded; HS023331.
Citation: Mueller SK, Shannon E, Dalal A .
Patient and physician experience with interhospital transfer: a qualitative study.
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):e752-e57. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000501..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Hospitals, Hospitalization, Provider: Physician, Patient Experience
Lafferty M, Harrod M, Krein S
It's like sending a message in a bottle: a qualitative study of the consequences of one-way communication technologies in hospitals.
Researchers examined how physicians and nurses use available communication technologies and identify the implications for communication and patient care based on the theory of workarounds. They found that one-way communication technologies created an environment where workarounds could flourish. By placing results within the context of the theory of workarounds, they extended what is known about why and how workarounds develop, and they offered strategies to minimize workarounds' adverse effects. They concluded that two-way communication technologies could minimize workarounds and gaps in information exchange and could reduce unnecessary interruptions and the potential for adverse events.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2021 Nov 25;28(12):2601-07. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocab191.
Citation: Lafferty M, Harrod M, Krein S .
It's like sending a message in a bottle: a qualitative study of the consequences of one-way communication technologies in hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS022305..
Keywords: Hospitals, Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Physician
Valdez S
Do Medicare's facility fees incentivize hospitals to vertically integrate with oncologists?
Within the past decade, the U.S. health care market has undergone massive vertical integration, prompting economists to study the underlying causes and consequences of hospital-physician integration. This paper examined whether or not hospitals strategically chose to vertically integrate with clinical oncologists in order to capture facility fees, a commonly cited reason for increased consolidation in the health care market.
AHRQ-funded; HS000046.
Citation: Valdez S .
Do Medicare's facility fees incentivize hospitals to vertically integrate with oncologists?
Inquiry 2021 Jan-Dec;58:469580211022968. doi: 10.1177/00469580211022968..
Keywords: Medicare, Hospitals, Provider: Physician
Cohen C, Baird M, Koirola N
The surgical and anesthesia workforce and provision of surgical services in rural communities: a mixed-methods examination.
This mixed-methods study described the distribution of the surgical and anesthesia workforce and qualitatively explored how such workforce and other factors influenced rural hospitals' provision of surgical services. Using American Hospital Association survey data, the researchers found that within rural counties, 55.1% had no surgeon, 81.2% had no anesthesiologist, and 58.1% had no Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. While rural hospitals reported meeting community needs for elective and noncomplex surgeries, these hospitals continued to face significant challenges providing subspecialty surgeries, emergency surgeries, and 24-hour obstetrical services.
AHRQ-funded; HS023009.
Citation: Cohen C, Baird M, Koirola N .
The surgical and anesthesia workforce and provision of surgical services in rural communities: a mixed-methods examination.
J Rural Health 2021 Jan;37(1):45-54. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12417..
Keywords: Rural Health, Access to Care, Surgery, Workforce, Provider: Physician, Provider: Nurse, Provider, Hospitals
O'Leary KJ, Manojlovich M, Johnson JK
A multisite study of interprofessional teamwork and collaboration on general medical services.
This multisite study of four mid-sized hospitals measured teamwork climate of nurses, nurse assistants, and physicians working on general medical services. Teamwork climate scores for 380 participants (80 hospitalists, 13 resident physicians, 193 nurses, and 94 nurses) were measured using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. Hospitalists had the highest median teamwork climate score and nurses had the lowest, but it was not a statistically significant difference. A higher percentage of hospitalists (63.3%) rated the quality of collaboration with nurses as high or very high, but only 48.7% of nurses rated the collaboration with hospitalists as high or very high. There were significant differences in perceptions of teamwork climate across sites and across professional categories.
AHRQ-funded; HS025649.
Citation: O'Leary KJ, Manojlovich M, Johnson JK .
A multisite study of interprofessional teamwork and collaboration on general medical services.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2020 Dec;46(12):667-72. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2020.09.009..
Keywords: Teams, Hospitals, Patient Safety, Provider: Clinician, Provider: Physician, Provider: Nurse, Provider
Shubeck SP, Newman EA, Vitous CA
Hiring practices of US academic surgery departments-challenges and opportunities for more inclusive hiring.
To increase workforce diversity among academic medical centers, the Association of American Medical Colleges recommends multiple inclusive strategies for evaluating and hiring candidates. The objective of this study was to determine (1) usual and inclusive hiring practices used among academic surgery departments and (2) the barriers to utilization of inclusive hiring practices. The investigators concluded that many chairs rely heavily on internal hires or trusted networks, which may limit both demographic and cognitive diversity.
AHRQ-funded; HS026030.
Citation: Shubeck SP, Newman EA, Vitous CA .
Hiring practices of US academic surgery departments-challenges and opportunities for more inclusive hiring.
J Surg Res 2020 Oct;254:23-30. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2020.03.054..
Keywords: Surgery, Provider: Physician, Provider, Workforce, Hospitals
Pruitt LCC, Skarda DE, Barnhart DC
Impact of consolidation of cases on post-operative outcomes for index pediatric surgery cases.
The effect of the consolidation of neonatal pediatric surgical cases to limited surgeons within a hospital is unknown. In this retrospective cohort study, the authors elected to model the distribution of complex neonatal procedures using an economic measure of market concentration, the Herfindahl-Hirschmann Index (HHI), and study its effect on outcomes of index pediatric surgical operations.
AHRQ-funded; HS025776.
Citation: Pruitt LCC, Skarda DE, Barnhart DC .
Impact of consolidation of cases on post-operative outcomes for index pediatric surgery cases.
J Pediatr Surg 2020 Jun;55(6):1048-52. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2020.02.044..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Surgery, Hospitals, Provider: Physician, Provider
Manojlovich M, Harrod M, Hofer TP
Using qualitative methods to explore communication practices in the context of patient care rounds on general care units.
This study examined communication practices between nurses and physicians in general care units at 4 Midwestern hospitals. A total of 163 physicians, registered nurses, and nurse practitioners participated. The researchers observed and shadowed clinicians during rounds and other times during a 2 week period as well as conducting interviews and holding focus groups. Workflow differences affected rounds and subsequently communication practices. Good rapport between physicians and nurses contributed to nurse participation during rounds. Lower rapport made some nurses feel uncomfortable accompanying physicians during rounds unless invited.
AHRQ-funded; HS022305.
Citation: Manojlovich M, Harrod M, Hofer TP .
Using qualitative methods to explore communication practices in the context of patient care rounds on general care units.
J Gen Intern Med 2020 Mar;35(3):839-45. doi: 10.1007/s11606-019-05580-9..
Keywords: Communication, Provider: Physician, Provider: Nurse, Provider, Hospitals, Teams, Inpatient Care, Healthcare Delivery
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
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
Simpkin AL, Khan A, West DC
Stress from uncertainty and resilience among depressed and burned out residents: a cross-sectional study.
This study examined how stress from uncertainty is related to resilience among medical residents and whether those attributes are related to depression and burnout. The investigators surveyed 86 residents in pediatric residency programs from 4 urban freestanding children’s hospitals in North America in 2015. They used the Physicians’ Reaction to Uncertainty Scale to measure stress from uncertainty, the 14-item Resilience Scale to measure uncertainty, the Harvard National Depression Scale for depression, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory for burnout. There was a response rate of 58.1%. Five residents met depression criteria, and 15 residents met the burnout criteria. Depressed and burned out residents both had higher mean levels of stress compared to residents who neither depressed nor burned out.
AHRQ-funded; HS022986.
Citation: Simpkin AL, Khan A, West DC .
Stress from uncertainty and resilience among depressed and burned out residents: a cross-sectional study.
Acad Pediatr 2018 Aug;18(6):698-704. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2018.03.002..
Keywords: Burnout, Stress, Depression, Provider: Physician, Behavioral Health, Provider, Education: Continuing Medical Education, Hospitals
Berian JR, Thomas JM, Minami CA
Evaluation of a novel mentor program to improve surgical care for US hospitals.
This study evaluated a novel mentor program for 27 US surgeons, charged with improving quality at their respective hospitals, having been paired 1:1 with 27 surgeon mentors through a state-wide quality improvement (QI) initiative. It found that mentorship played a vital role in advancing surgeon knowledge and engagement with QI in the Illinois Surgical Quality Improvement Collaborative.
AHRQ-funded; HS024516.
Citation: Berian JR, Thomas JM, Minami CA .
Evaluation of a novel mentor program to improve surgical care for US hospitals.
Int J Qual Health Care 2017 Apr 1;29(2):234-42. doi: 10.1093/intqhc/mzx005.
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Keywords: Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Patient Safety, Surgery, Quality of Care, Provider: Physician, Provider