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 Date
Topics
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (1)
- Care Coordination (1)
- Chronic Conditions (1)
- Communication (1)
- Data (1)
- (-) Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (8)
- Emergency Department (1)
- Healthcare Delivery (1)
- (-) Health Information Exchange (HIE) (8)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (7)
- Hospitals (1)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (1)
- Patient and Family Engagement (1)
- Quality Measures (1)
- Quality of Care (1)
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 8 of 8 Research Studies DisplayedNorton JM, Ip A, Ruggiano N
AHRQ Author: Camara DS, Hsiao CJ, Bierman AS
Assessing progress toward the vision of a comprehensive, shared electronic care plan: scoping review.
People with multiple chronic conditions often receive care from a broad array of clinicians across multiple health care settings, making it difficult to share care plans between those facilities and providers. One method for possibly improving care for those individuals is through the development and use of comprehensive, shared, electronic care (e-care) plans. The purpose of the study was to review existing e-care plans and related initiatives that could be utilized to develop a comprehensive, shared e-care plan, and facilitate the National Institutes of Health and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality joint initiative’s creation of e-care planning tools for people with multiple chronic conditions. The researchers conducted a review of literature from 2015-2020, as well as interviews of expert informants to identify information missing from the literature search. The study identified 7 different interventions for e-care plans and 3 different projects for health care data standards, all of which included elements which could be utilized to further the goals of developing a comprehensive, shared e-care plan. The study concluded that while none of the existing interventions met all the optimal e-care plan criteria for people with multiple chronic conditions, each plan included the infrastructure necessary to progress toward that goal. The researchers reported that gaps must first be addressed, but that a comprehensive, shared e-care plan can improve care coordination across multiple care settings and clinicians.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Norton JM, Ip A, Ruggiano N .
Assessing progress toward the vision of a comprehensive, shared electronic care plan: scoping review.
J Med Internet Res 2022 Jun 10;24(6):e36569. doi: 10.2196/36569..
Keywords: Chronic Conditions, Care Coordination, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare Delivery, Health Information Exchange (HIE)
Apathy NC, Holmgren AJ, Werner RM
Growth in health information exchange with ACO market penetration.
This study’s objectives were to assess whether hospitals expand the network breadth of their health information exchange (HIE) partners after joining an accountable care organization (ACO) and to analyze whether this HIE network expansion effect varies across markets with differing levels of ACO penetration. The authors used data from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey and Information Technology Supplement to measure nonfederal acute care hospitals from 2014-2017. There was a 30.7% increase in HIE breadth for 0.35 partner types with ACO participation. This effect was larger for hospitals in high-ACO penetration markets (32% increase) and smaller for hospitals in low-ACO penetration markets (24.8% increase).
AHRQ-funded; HS026116.
Citation: Apathy NC, Holmgren AJ, Werner RM .
Growth in health information exchange with ACO market penetration.
Am J Manag Care 2022 Jan;28(1):e7-e13. doi: 10.37765/ajmc.2022.88815..
Keywords: Health Information Exchange (HIE), Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Vest JR, Freedman S, Unruh MA
Strategic use of health information exchange and market share, payer mix, and operating margins.
The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of hospitals' use of Health information exchange (HIE) capabilities on outcomes that may be sensitive to changes in different contracting arrangements and referral patterns occurring as a result of improved connectivity. The researchers utilized a panel of community hospitals in nine states and explored the relationship between the number of different data types the hospital could exchange via HIE and changes in market share, payer mix, and operating margin. The study found that an increase in HIE capability was related with a 13% increase in a hospital's discharges that were covered by commercial insurers or Medicare. Increasing intraorganizational sharing of information was related with a 9.6% decrease in the percentage of discharges covered by commercial insurers or Medicare. There was no relationship between increasing HIE capability or intraorganizational information sharing and increased market share or operating margin. CONCLUSIONS: Improving information sharing with external organizations may be an approach to support strategic business goals. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Organizations may be served by identifying ways to leverage HIE instead of focusing on intraorganizational exchange capabilities.
AHRQ-funded; HS024717.
Citation: Vest JR, Freedman S, Unruh MA .
Strategic use of health information exchange and market share, payer mix, and operating margins.
Health Care Manage Rev 2022 Jan-Mar; 47(1):28-36. doi: 10.1097/hmr.0000000000000293..
Keywords: Health Information Exchange (HIE), Health Information Technology (HIT), Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
Pylypchuk Y, Meyerhoefer CD, Encinosa W
AHRQ Author: Encinosa W
The role of electronic health record developers in hospital patient sharing.
This study’s objective was to determine whether hospital adoption of a new electronic health record (EHR) developer increases patient sharing with hospitals using the same developer. Data was extracted on patients shared with other hospitals for 2076 US nonfederal acute care hospitals from the 2011 to 2016 CMS Physician Shared Patient Patterns database. The authors calculated the ratio of patients shared with hospitals outside of the focal hospital’s network that use the same EHR developer as the focal hospital. Switching to a new developer increased the ratio of patients shared with other hospitals using the same developer by 4.1-19.3%, depending on model specification. Magnitude of this effect varied by EHR developer and was increasing in developer market share.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Pylypchuk Y, Meyerhoefer CD, Encinosa W .
The role of electronic health record developers in hospital patient sharing.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2022 Jan;29(3):435-42. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocab263..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Exchange (HIE), Health Information Technology (HIT), Hospitals
Kim KK, Joseph JG, Ohno-Machado L
Comparison of consumers' views on electronic data sharing for healthcare and research.
The researchers surveyed California consumers to learn their views of privacy, security, and consent in electronic data sharing for healthcare and research together. They found considerable concern that health information exchanges will worsen privacy (40.3 percent) and security (42.5 percent). Consumers are in favor of electronic data sharing but elements of transparency are important: individual control, who has access, and the purpose for use of data.
AHRQ-funded; HS019913.
Citation: Kim KK, Joseph JG, Ohno-Machado L .
Comparison of consumers' views on electronic data sharing for healthcare and research.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2015 Jul;22(4):821-30. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocv014..
Keywords: Communication, Data, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Exchange (HIE), Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient-Centered Healthcare
Rajamani S, Chen ES, Akre ME
Assessing the adequacy of the HL7/LOINC Document Ontology Role axis.
This study assessed the adequacy of the Role axis for representing the type of author documenting care. Experts used a master list of 220 values created from seven resources and established mapping guidelines. Baseline certification, licensure, and didactic training were identified as key parameters that define roles and hence often need to be pre-coordinated. Document Ontology (DO) was inadequate in representing 82 percent of roles, and this gap was primarily due to lack of granularity in DO.
AHRQ-funded; HS022085.
Citation: Rajamani S, Chen ES, Akre ME .
Assessing the adequacy of the HL7/LOINC Document Ontology Role axis.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2015 May;22(3):615-20. doi: 10.1136/amiajnl-2014-003100..
Keywords: Health Information Exchange (HIE), Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Garg N, Kuperman G, Onyile A
Validating health information exchange (HIE) data for quality measurement across four hospitals.
The study objective was to validate the secondary use of HIE data for two emergency department (ED) quality measures: identification of frequent ED users and early (72-hour) ED returns in four hospitals. It found that there was no significant difference in the total counts for frequent ED users or early ED returns for any of the four hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS021261.
Citation: Garg N, Kuperman G, Onyile A .
Validating health information exchange (HIE) data for quality measurement across four hospitals.
AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2014 Nov 14;2014:573-9..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Emergency Department, Quality of Care, Health Information Exchange (HIE), Quality Measures
Furukawa MF, King J, Patel V
AHRQ Author: Furukawa MF, Hsiao CJ
Despite substantial progress in EHR adoption, health information exchange and patient engagement remain low in office settings.
The authors investigated the growth of EHR adoption. They found gaps in EHR adoption, with physicians in solo practices and non-primary care specialties lagging behind others; exchange with other providers was limited, with only 14 percent sharing data with providers outside their organization; and 24 percent routinely provided patients with the ability to view online, download, or transmit their health record.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Furukawa MF, King J, Patel V .
Despite substantial progress in EHR adoption, health information exchange and patient engagement remain low in office settings.
Health Aff 2014 Sep;33(9):1672-9. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2014.0445.
.
.
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Exchange (HIE), Health Information Technology (HIT), Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Patient and Family Engagement