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
1 to 6 of 6 Research Studies DisplayedProbst MA, Janke AT, Haimovich AD
Development of a novel emergency department quality measure to reduce very low-risk syncope hospitalizations.
The purpose of this study was to develop a new quality measure to apply with very low risk adult emergency department patients under 50 years of age and with no history of heart disease presenting with syncope. The study found that of the 3,292 patients meeting the study criteria, .46% suffered serious adverse events within 30 days after discharge. When the criteria were applied to the 2019 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) to assess its potential effect (assessing for hospital-level factors associated with hospitalization variation), of the 566,031 patients meeting the criteria, 2.7% were hospitalized. The researchers identified factors associated with increased hospitalization rates, which included a yearly ED volume of more than 80,000 and metropolitan teaching status. The study concluded that the novel syncope quality measure developed by the researchers can evaluate variation in low-value hospitalizations for unexplained syncope.
AHRQ-funded; HS022882.
Citation: Probst MA, Janke AT, Haimovich AD .
Development of a novel emergency department quality measure to reduce very low-risk syncope hospitalizations.
Ann Emerg Med 2022 Jun;79(6):509-17. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2022.03.008..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Quality Measures, Hospitalization, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality of Care
Sabbatini AK, Wright B, Kocher K
Postdischarge unplanned care events among commercially insured patients with an observation stay versus short inpatient admission.
Observation stays are composing an increasing proportion of unscheduled hospitalizations in the United States, with unclear consequences for the quality of care. This study used a nationally representative data set of commercially insured patients hospitalized from the emergency department (ED) to compare 30-day postdischarge unplanned care events after an observation stay versus a short inpatient admission.
AHRQ-funded; HS024160.
Citation: Sabbatini AK, Wright B, Kocher K .
Postdischarge unplanned care events among commercially insured patients with an observation stay versus short inpatient admission.
Ann Emerg Med 2019 Sep;74(3):334-44. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2018.10.002..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Hospitalization, Quality of Care
Lauerman MH, Herrera AV, Albrecht JS
Interhospital transfers with wide variability in emergency general surgery.
This study examined modern hospital practices for interhospital transfers of emergency general surgery patients. A retrospective review of the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission database was conducted from 2013 to 2015. The majority of patients (94.1%) were not transferred with only 3.2% transferred to a hospital and 2.7% transferred from a hospital. For individual hospitals, there was a range of 0-30.5% of encounters transferred to a hospital, 0.02-14.62% transferred from a hospital and 69.25-99.95% not transferred.
AHRQ-funded; HS024560.
Citation: Lauerman MH, Herrera AV, Albrecht JS .
Interhospital transfers with wide variability in emergency general surgery.
Am Surg 2019 Jun;85(6):595-600..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Healthcare Delivery, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Outcomes, Quality of Care, Surgery, Transitions of Care
Parast L, Bardach NS, Burkhart Q
Development of new quality measures for hospital-based care of suicidal youth.
This study researched the value of 4 new quality measures developed to assess hospital-based care for suicidal youth. The four quality measures focused on counseling caregivers about restricting access to lethal means of self-harm, and the benefits and risks of antidepressant medications. They were divided into measures for the emergency department (ED) and inpatient measures. Survey field tests were conducted with caregivers of youth who were admitted to the ED or inpatient care for suicidality at 1 of 2 children’s hospitals between July 2013 and June 2014. Most caregivers did receive counseling about restricting their child’s access to lethal means of self-harm and also reported higher rates of counseling of benefits on antidepressants both in the ED and in the inpatient setting than the risks.
AHRQ-funded; HS020506.
Citation: Parast L, Bardach NS, Burkhart Q .
Development of new quality measures for hospital-based care of suicidal youth.
Acad Pediatr 2018 Apr;18(3):248-55. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2017.09.017..
Keywords: Caregiving, Children/Adolescents, Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Education: Patient and Caregiver, Emergency Department, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Behavioral Health, Prevention, Quality of Care, Quality Measures
Rosenthal MB, Landrum MB, Robbins JA
Pay for performance in Medicaid: evidence from three natural experiments.
This study examined the impact of pay for performance in Medicaid on the quality and utilization of care. Primary outcomes of interest were Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS)-like process measures of quality, utilization by service category, and ambulatory care-sensitive admissions and emergency department visits. Its findings were mixed, with no measurable quality improvements across the three states (Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Alabama), but reductions in hospital admissions in two programs.
AHRQ-funded.
Citation: Rosenthal MB, Landrum MB, Robbins JA .
Pay for performance in Medicaid: evidence from three natural experiments.
Health Serv Res 2016 Aug;51(4):1444-66. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12426.
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Keywords: Medicaid, Payment, Provider Performance, Healthcare Utilization, Quality of Care, Hospitalization, Emergency Department
Moy E, Coffey RM, Moore BJ
AHRQ Author: Moy E
Length of stay in EDs: variation across classifications of clinical condition and patient discharge disposition.
The researchers used a census of one state's data to measure length of emergency departments stays by patients' conditions and dispositions and exlore differences between means and medians as quality metrics. For the 10 most common diagnoses, patients with relatively minor injuries typically required the shortest mean stay (3 hours or less); conditions resulting in admission or transfer tended to be more serious, resulting in longer stays.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Moy E, Coffey RM, Moore BJ .
Length of stay in EDs: variation across classifications of clinical condition and patient discharge disposition.
Am J Emerg Med 2016 Jan;34(1):83-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2015.09.031..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Emergency Department, Quality Measures, Hospitalization, Quality of Care