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
Topics
- Access to Care (2)
- Cancer (1)
- Care Coordination (1)
- Care Management (1)
- Decision Making (2)
- Diabetes (1)
- Disparities (1)
- Education: Patient and Caregiver (1)
- Elderly (1)
- Healthcare Delivery (2)
- Healthcare Utilization (1)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (1)
- Hospital Discharge (1)
- Hospitals (2)
- Implementation (1)
- Inpatient Care (1)
- Low-Income (1)
- Medicaid (2)
- Medicare (1)
- Nursing Homes (1)
- Organizational Change (1)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (2)
- Patient Experience (1)
- Practice Improvement (1)
- Primary Care (2)
- Provider Performance (1)
- Public Reporting (1)
- Quality Improvement (2)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (1)
- (-) Quality of Care (9)
- Social Determinants of Health (2)
- Teams (1)
- Treatments (1)
- Uninsured (3)
- Urban Health (1)
- (-) Vulnerable Populations (9)
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 9 of 9 Research Studies DisplayedSmith K, Padmanabhan P, Chen A
The impacts of the 340B Program on health care quality for low-income patients.
This study’s objective was to assess the effects of hospital 340B eligibility on quality of inpatient care provided to Medicaid and uninsured patients and for all patients. HCUP State Inpatient Data, Hospital Cost Reporting Information System Data, Office of Pharmacy Affairs Information System Data, and the American Hospital Association Annual Survey were all used to extract inpatient data from general acute care hospitals from 2008 to 2014 in 15 states. Data was linked on hospital 340B eligibility and participation. The authors did not find discontinuities in inpatient care quality across the Program eligibility threshold for Medicaid and uninsured patients; specifically, on all-cause mortality, 30-day readmission rates, or other measures. Among insured and non-Medicaid patients, they found discontinuities for acute myocardial infarction and postoperative sepsis mortality.
AHRQ-funded; HS026980.
Citation: Smith K, Padmanabhan P, Chen A .
The impacts of the 340B Program on health care quality for low-income patients.
Health Serv Res 2023 Oct; 58(5):1089-97. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14204..
Keywords: Low-Income, Hospitals, Vulnerable Populations, Medicaid, Uninsured, Inpatient Care, Quality of Care
Lewis VA, Spivack S, Murray GF
FQHC designation and safety net patient revenue associated with primary care practice capabilities for access and quality.
Researchers assessed capabilities around access to and quality of care among primary care practices serving a high share of Medicaid and uninsured patients compared to practices serving a low share of these patients. Data from the National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems was analyzed. They found that federally qualified health centers were more likely than other types of primary care practices (both safety net practices and other practices) to possess capabilities related to access and quality. However, safety net practices were less likely than non-safety net practices to possess health information technology capabilities.
AHRQ-funded; HS024075.
Citation: Lewis VA, Spivack S, Murray GF .
FQHC designation and safety net patient revenue associated with primary care practice capabilities for access and quality.
J Gen Intern Med 2021 Oct;36(10):2922-28. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-06746-0..
Keywords: Vulnerable Populations, Primary Care, Access to Care, Uninsured, Medicaid, Quality of Care
Nguyen KH, Trivedi AN, Cole MB
Receipt of social needs assistance and health center patient experience of care.
The goal of this study was to examine the degree to which community health center patients report receiving social needs assistance and compares measures of access and quality. A nationally representative sample of 4,699 nonelderly adults receiving care at community health centers out of 12.6 million patients was studied from the 2014-2015 HRSA Health Center Patient Survey. Social needs assistance was defined as a patient receiving community health center assistance accessing social programs such as applying for government benefits or obtaining basic needs such as transportation, housing, or food. From the sample, 36% reported receiving social needs assistance. Patients receiving assistance were more likely to report their usual source of care as a community health center and to report perceived quality of care as “the best”. They were also significantly less likely to use emergency departments as their usual source of care.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Nguyen KH, Trivedi AN, Cole MB .
Receipt of social needs assistance and health center patient experience of care.
Am J Prev Med 2021 Mar;60(3):e139-e47. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.08.030..
Keywords: Social Determinants of Health, Vulnerable Populations, Patient Experience, Quality of Care
Ellis RJ, Schlick CJR, Feinglass J
Failure to administer recommended chemotherapy: acceptable variation or cancer care quality blind spot?
This study examined hospital variation in cancer patients who did not receive recommended chemotherapy. Patients with breast, colon, and lung cancers who did not receive chemotherapy from 2000 to 2015 were identified from the National Cancer Database. A total of 183,148 patients at 1281 hospitals were included. For breast cancer, 3.5% of patients failed to receive recommended chemotherapy, and 6.6% with colon, and 10.7% with lung cancer. Sociodemographic factors showed that patients were less likely to receive chemotherapy if they were uninsured or on Medicaid, as were non-Hispanic black patients with both breast and colon cancer. There was also significant hospital variation with failure to administer as high as 21.8% for breast, 40.2% for colon, and 40.0% for lung cancer.
AHRQ-funded; HS000078; HS026385.
Citation: Ellis RJ, Schlick CJR, Feinglass J .
Failure to administer recommended chemotherapy: acceptable variation or cancer care quality blind spot?
BMJ Qual Saf 2020 Feb;29(2):103-12. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2019-009742..
Keywords: Treatments, Cancer, Healthcare Delivery, Access to Care, Healthcare Utilization, Social Determinants of Health, Vulnerable Populations, Uninsured, Hospitals, Quality of Care
Zuckerman RB, Wu S, Chen LM
The five-star skilled nursing facility rating system and care of disadvantaged populations.
AHRQ-funded; HS000029.
Citation: Zuckerman RB, Wu S, Chen LM .
The five-star skilled nursing facility rating system and care of disadvantaged populations.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2019 Jan;67(1):108-14. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15629..
Keywords: Nursing Homes, Vulnerable Populations, Medicare, Elderly, Provider Performance, Quality of Care, Hospital Discharge, Disparities
Kranz AM, Dalton S, Damberg C
Using health IT to coordinate care and improve quality in safety-net clinics.
Health centers provide care to vulnerable and high-need populations. Recent investments have promoted use of health information technology (HIT) capabilities for improving care coordination and quality of care in health centers. This study examined factors associated with use of these HIT capabilities and the association between these capabilities and quality of care in a census of health centers in the United States.
AHRQ-funded; HS024067.
Citation: Kranz AM, Dalton S, Damberg C .
Using health IT to coordinate care and improve quality in safety-net clinics.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2018 Dec;44(12):731-40. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2018.03.006..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Care Coordination, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Vulnerable Populations, Care Management
Quigley DD, Predmore ZS, Chen AY
Implementation and sequencing of practice transformation in urban practices with underserved patients.
Researchers conducted interviews at 14 primary care practices undergoing patient-centered medical home (PCMH) transformation in a large urban federally qualified health center in California and used grounded theory to identify common themes and patterns. They concluded that full PCMH transformation took time and effort and relied on a sequential approach, with an early focus on foundational changes that included use of a robust quality improvement strategy.
AHRQ-funded; HS000029.
Citation: Quigley DD, Predmore ZS, Chen AY .
Implementation and sequencing of practice transformation in urban practices with underserved patients.
Qual Manag Health Care 2017 Jan/Mar;26(1):7-14. doi: 10.1097/qmh.0000000000000118.
.
.
Keywords: Patient-Centered Healthcare, Urban Health, Vulnerable Populations, Practice Improvement, Organizational Change, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Primary Care, Healthcare Delivery, Implementation, Teams
Goff SL, Mazor KM, Pekow PS
Patient navigators and parent use of quality data: a randomized trial.
The authors explored the effectiveness of strategies to overcome barriers in vulnerable populations. They found that an intervention to reduce barriers to using publicly reported health care quality data had a modest effect on patient choice, suggesting that factors other than performance on common publicly reported quality metrics have a stronger influence on which pediatric practices women choose.
AHRQ-funded; HS021864.
Citation: Goff SL, Mazor KM, Pekow PS .
Patient navigators and parent use of quality data: a randomized trial.
Pediatrics 2016 Oct;138(4). doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-1140.
.
.
Keywords: Decision Making, Quality of Care, Public Reporting, Quality Indicators (QIs), Vulnerable Populations
Longo DR, Crabtree BF, Pellerano MB
A qualitative study of vulnerable patient views of type 2 diabetes consumer reports.
This study aims to identify whether vulnerable populations with type 2 diabetes perceive consumer reports as helpful in making decisions about diabetes care. It found that participants in 18 focus groups expressed minimal interest in currently available consumer reports. They instead listed personal referrals and interpersonal interactions among the most important factors when choosing a physician.
AHRQ-funded; HS021902.
Citation: Longo DR, Crabtree BF, Pellerano MB .
A qualitative study of vulnerable patient views of type 2 diabetes consumer reports.
Patient 2016 Jun;9(3):231-40. doi: 10.1007/s40271-015-0146-8..
Keywords: Education: Patient and Caregiver, Decision Making, Diabetes, Quality of Care, Vulnerable Populations