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.
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1 to 4 of 4 Research Studies DisplayedParikh 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
Hegland TA, Owens PL, Selden TM
AHRQ Author: Hegland TA, Owens PL, Selden TM
New evidence on geographic disparities in United States hospital capacity.
The purpose of this study was to describe hospital capacity across the United States. The researchers combined American Hospital Association Survey, Hospital Compare, and American Community Survey data with the 2017 near-census of U.S. hospital inpatient discharges from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). The study found that 0.11 more beds per 1000 population were supplied to zip codes where Non-Hispanic individuals live than zip codes where non-Hispanic White individuals live. However, the hospitals supplying this capacity have 0.36 fewer staff per bed and perform worse on many care quality measures. Zip codes in the most urban parts of America have the least hospital capacity (2.11 beds per 1000 persons) from across the rural-urban continuum. While more rural areas have higher capacity levels, urban areas have advantages in staff and capital per bed. The researchers did not find systematic differences in care quality between rural and urban areas. The study concluded that lower hospital care quality and resource intensity plays a key role in racial, ethnic, and income disparities in hospital care related outcomes.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Hegland TA, Owens PL, Selden TM .
New evidence on geographic disparities in United States hospital capacity.
Health Serv Res 2022 Oct;57(5):1006-19. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14010..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Disparities, Hospitals, Quality of Care, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Basu J, Hanchate A, Bierman A
AHRQ Author: Basu J, Bierman A
Racial/ethnic disparities in readmissions in US hospitals: the role of insurance coverage.
This study examined differences in rates of 30-day readmissions across patients by race/ethnicity and the extent to which these differences were moderated by insurance coverage. It found higher readmission risk for non-Hispanic blacks, compared with non-Hispanic whites, among those covered by Medicare and private insurance, but lower risk among uninsured and similar risk among Medicaid.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Basu J, Hanchate A, Bierman A .
Racial/ethnic disparities in readmissions in US hospitals: the role of insurance coverage.
Inquiry 2018 Jan-Dec;55:46958018774180. doi: 10.1177/0046958018774180.
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Keywords: Disparities, Health Insurance, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Hospitals, Hospital Readmissions
Popescu I, Heslin KC, Coffey RM
AHRQ Author: Heslin KC, Washington RE
Differences in use of high-quality and low-quality hospitals among working-age individuals by insurance type.
This study found that compared with patients who have private insurance, those with Medicaid or no insurance were more likely to be minorities and to reside in areas with low-socioeconomic status. The probability of admission to high-quality hospitals was similar for patients with Medicaid (23.3 percent) and private insurance (23.0 percent) but was significantly lower for patients without insurance (19.8 percent) compared with the other 2 insurance groups.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Popescu I, Heslin KC, Coffey RM .
Differences in use of high-quality and low-quality hospitals among working-age individuals by insurance type.
Med Care 2017 Feb;55(2):148-54. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000633.
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Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Health Insurance, Disparities, Quality of Care, Hospitals