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
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 6 of 6 Research Studies DisplayedChhabra KR, Sheetz KH, Regenbogen SE
Wide variation in surgical spending within hospital systems: a missed opportunity for bundled payment success.
Researchers sought to measure the extent of variation in episode spending around total hip replacement for fee-for-service Medicare patients within and across hospital systems identified in the American Hospital Association Annual Survey. They found that average episode payments varied nearly as much within hospital systems as they did between the lowest- and highest-cost quintiles of systems, with variation driven by post-acute care utilization.
AHRQ-funded; HS000053.
Citation: Chhabra KR, Sheetz KH, Regenbogen SE .
Wide variation in surgical spending within hospital systems: a missed opportunity for bundled payment success.
Ann Surg 2021 Dec 1;274(6):e1078-e84. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000003741..
Keywords: Surgery, Health Systems, Medicare, Healthcare Costs, Hospitals
Diaz A, Chhabra KR, Dimick JB
Variations in surgical spending within hospital systems for complex cancer surgery.
Researchers sought to measure variations in episode spending within and across hospital systems among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing complex cancer surgery. They found wide variations in surgical episode spending both within and across hospital systems. They recommended that system leaders seek better understanding of variations in practices among their hospitals to standardize care and reduce variations in outcomes, use, and costs.
AHRQ-funded; HS024763.
Citation: Diaz A, Chhabra KR, Dimick JB .
Variations in surgical spending within hospital systems for complex cancer surgery.
Cancer 2021 Feb 15;127(4):586-97. doi: 10.1002/cncr.33299..
Keywords: Surgery, Cancer, Healthcare Costs, Health Systems, Hospitals
Sheetz KH, Chhabra K, Nathan H
The quality of surgical care at hospitals associated with America's highest-rated medical centers.
The objective of this study was to assess whether the quality of surgical care changes as hospitals form networks with established, high-quality medical centers. The investigators concluded that network formation was not associated with a significant improvement in quality or reduction in Medicare expenditures across all procedures studied for hospitals joining the networks of America’s highest rated medical centers.
AHRQ-funded; HS023597.
Citation: Sheetz KH, Chhabra K, Nathan H .
The quality of surgical care at hospitals associated with America's highest-rated medical centers.
Ann Surg 2020 May;271(5):862-67. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000003195..
Keywords: Surgery, Hospitals, Quality of Care, Medicare, Health Systems
Sheetz KH, Dimick JB, Nathan H
Centralization of high-risk cancer surgery within existing hospital systems.
Centralization is often proposed as a strategy to improve the quality of certain high-risk health care services. In this study, the investigators evaluated the extent to which existing hospital systems centralize high-risk cancer surgery and whether centralization is associated with short-term clinical outcomes. The investigators concluded that greater centralization of complex cancer surgery within existing hospital systems was associated with better outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS023597.
Citation: Sheetz KH, Dimick JB, Nathan H .
Centralization of high-risk cancer surgery within existing hospital systems.
J Clin Oncol 2019 Dec 1;37(34):3234-42. doi: 10.1200/jco.18.02035..
Keywords: Surgery, Cancer, Risk, Hospitals, Health Systems, Quality Improvement, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality of Care, Outcomes
Funk RJ, Owen-Smith J, Kaufman SA
Association of informal clinical integration of physicians with cardiac surgery payments.
This study examined how physician interaction patterns vary between health systems and to assess whether variation in informal integration is associated with care delivery payments. It found that when beneficiaries were treated in health systems with higher informal integration, the greatest savings of lower estimated payments were from hospital readmissions (13.0 percent) and postacute care services (5.8 percent).
AHRQ-funded; HS024728.
Citation: Funk RJ, Owen-Smith J, Kaufman SA .
Association of informal clinical integration of physicians with cardiac surgery payments.
JAMA Surg 2018 May;153(5):446-53. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2017.5150.
.
.
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Payment, Health Systems, Surgery
Simianu VV, Fichera A, Bastawrous AL
Number of diverticulitis episodes before resection and factors associated with earlier interventions.
The authors described patterns of episodes of diverticulitis before surgery and factors associated with earlier interventions using inpatient, outpatient, and antibiotic prescription claims. They found that 56.3% of elective resections for uncomplicated diverticulitis occurred after fewer than 3 episodes. Further, they determined that earlier surgery was not explained by younger age, laparoscopy, time between the last 2 episodes preceding surgery, or financial risk-bearing for patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS020025.
Citation: Simianu VV, Fichera A, Bastawrous AL .
Number of diverticulitis episodes before resection and factors associated with earlier interventions.
JAMA Surg 2016 Jul;151(7):604-10. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2015.5478.
.
.
Keywords: Shared Decision Making, Digestive Disease and Health, Health Systems, Healthcare Utilization, Surgery