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
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (1)
- Adverse Events (5)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (1)
- Digestive Disease and Health (2)
- Elderly (2)
- Emergency Department (1)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (1)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (1)
- Heart Disease and Health (1)
- Hospital Discharge (2)
- (-) Hospital Readmissions (13)
- Hospitals (2)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (2)
- Low-Income (1)
- Medicare (1)
- Mortality (2)
- Outcomes (4)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (1)
- (-) Patient Safety (13)
- Prevention (1)
- Provider Performance (1)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (1)
- Quality of Care (2)
- Social Determinants of Health (1)
- Surgery (6)
- Telehealth (1)
- Transitions of Care (1)
- Transplantation (1)
- Treatments (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 13 of 13 Research Studies DisplayedYuce TK, Ellis RJ, Merkow RP
Post-operative complications and readmissions following outpatient elective Nissen fundoplication.
Traditionally, laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LNF) has been considered an inpatient procedure. Advances in surgical and anesthetic techniques have led to a shift towards outpatient LNF procedures. However, differences in surgical outcomes between outpatient and inpatient LNF are poorly understood. The objectives of this study were (1) to describe the frequency of outpatient LNF in a national cohort and (2) to identify any differences in complications or readmission rates between outpatient and inpatient LNF.
AHRQ-funded; HS024516.
Citation: Yuce TK, Ellis RJ, Merkow RP .
Post-operative complications and readmissions following outpatient elective Nissen fundoplication.
Surg Endosc 2020 May;34(5):2143-48. doi: 10.1007/s00464-019-07020-5..
Keywords: Surgery, Hospital Readmissions, Adverse Events, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Digestive Disease and Health, Patient Safety
Hoffman GJ, Min LC, Liu H
Role of post-acute care in readmissions for preexisting healthcare-associated infections.
Researchers examined the risk of preexisting healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) readmissions according to patient discharge disposition and comorbidity level. They found that skilled nursing facility discharges were associated with fewer avoidable readmissions for preexisting HAIs compared with home discharges. They recommended further research to identify modifiable mechanisms to improve posthospital infection care at home.
AHRQ-funded; HS025838; HS025451.
Citation: Hoffman GJ, Min LC, Liu H .
Role of post-acute care in readmissions for preexisting healthcare-associated infections.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2020 Feb;68(2):370-78. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16208..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospital Readmissions, Hospital Discharge, Hospitals, Patient Safety, Elderly
Shaffer R, Backhus L, Finnegan MA
Thirty-day unplanned postoperative inpatient and emergency department visits following thoracotomy.
This study examined thirty-day unplanned postoperative inpatient and emergency department visits following thoracotomy. The study concluded that following thoracotomy, postoperative emergency department visits and inpatient readmissions are common. Patients with public insurance were at high risk for readmission, while patients with underlying lung cancer diagnosis had a lower readmission risk. Emphasizing postoperative management in at-risk populations could improve health outcomes and reduce unplanned returns to care.
AHRQ-funded; HS024096.
Citation: Shaffer R, Backhus L, Finnegan MA .
Thirty-day unplanned postoperative inpatient and emergency department visits following thoracotomy.
J Surg Res 2018 Oct;230:117-24. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2018.04.065..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Hospital Readmissions, Outcomes, Patient Safety, Surgery
Arms MA, Fleming J, Sangani DB
Incidence and impact of adverse drug events contributing to hospital readmissions in kidney transplant recipients.
This longitudinal cohort study examined 3 cohorts (no readmissions, readmissions not due to an adverse drug event, and adverse drug events contributing to readmissions) of adult kidney recipients transplanted between 2005 and 2010 and followed through 2013. The study results demonstrated that adverse drug events may be associated with a significant increase in the risk of hospital readmission after kidney transplant and subsequent graft loss.
AHRQ-funded; HS023754
Citation: Arms MA, Fleming J, Sangani DB .
Incidence and impact of adverse drug events contributing to hospital readmissions in kidney transplant recipients.
Surgery 2018 Feb;163(2):430-35. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2017.09.027..
Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Patient Safety, Hospital Readmissions, Transplantation
Symer MM, Abelson JS, Milsom J
A mobile health application to track patients after gastrointestinal surgery: results from a pilot study.
Many surgical readmissions are preventable. Mobile health technology can identify nascent complications and potentially prevent readmission. The researchers performed a pilot study of a new mobile health application in adults undergoing major abdominal surgery and determined the app can track patient recovery from major abdominal surgery, is easy to use, and has potential to improve outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS000066.
Citation: Symer MM, Abelson JS, Milsom J .
A mobile health application to track patients after gastrointestinal surgery: results from a pilot study.
J Gastrointest Surg 2017 Sep;21(9):1500-05. doi: 10.1007/s11605-017-3482-2..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Hospital Readmissions, Surgery, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Digestive Disease and Health, Prevention
Wang Y, Eldridge N, Metersky ML
AHRQ Author: Eldridge N
Association between hospital performance on patient safety and 30-day mortality and unplanned readmission for Medicare fee-for-service patients with acute myocardial infarction.
The researchers studied the relationship between hospital performance on adverse event rates and hospital performance on 30-day mortality and unplanned readmission rates for Medicare fee-for-service patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). They found that for Medicare fee-for-service patients discharged with AMI, hospitals with poorer patient safety performance were also more likely to have poorer performance on 30-day all-cause mortality and on unplanned readmissions.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Wang Y, Eldridge N, Metersky ML .
Association between hospital performance on patient safety and 30-day mortality and unplanned readmission for Medicare fee-for-service patients with acute myocardial infarction.
J Am Heart Assoc 2016 Jul;5(7):pii: e003731. doi: 10.1161/jaha.116.003731.
.
.
Keywords: Adverse Events, Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals, Medicare, Mortality, Heart Disease and Health, Patient Safety, Provider Performance
Balaban RB, Galbraith AA, Burns ME
A patient navigator intervention to reduce hospital readmissions among high-risk safety-net patients: a randomized controlled trial.
The researchers sough to determine if an intervention by patient navigators, hospital-based Community Health Workers, reduces readmissions among high risk, low socioeconomic status patients. They found that, overall, 30-day readmission rates did not differ between intervention and control patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS020628.
Citation: Balaban RB, Galbraith AA, Burns ME .
A patient navigator intervention to reduce hospital readmissions among high-risk safety-net patients: a randomized controlled trial.
J Gen Intern Med 2015 Jul;30(7):907-15. doi: 10.1007/s11606-015-3185-x..
Keywords: Hospital Readmissions, Low-Income, Social Determinants of Health, Patient Safety
Moghavem N, Morrison D, Ratliff JK
Cranial neurosurgical 30-day readmissions by clinical indication.
The objects of this study were to determine population-level, 30-day, all-cause readmission rates for cranial neurosurgery and identify factors associated with readmission. It fund that the frequency of 30-day readmission rates for patients undergoing cranial neurosurgery varied by diagnosis between 14% and 24%. Important patient characteristics and comorbidities that were associated with an increased readmission risk were identified.
AHRQ-funded; HS018558.
Citation: Moghavem N, Morrison D, Ratliff JK .
Cranial neurosurgical 30-day readmissions by clinical indication.
J Neurosurg 2015 Jul;123(1):189-97. doi: 10.3171/2014.12.jns14447..
Keywords: Hospital Readmissions, Surgery, Patient Safety, Outcomes
Gonzalez AA, Abdelsattar ZM, Dimick JB
Time-to-readmission and mortality after high-risk surgery.
This study used 5 years of data on Medicare beneficiaries undergoing high-risk surgical procedures to investigate whether postdischarge mortality varies by time to readmission. It found that surgical readmissions within 10 days of discharge are disproportionately common and associated with increased mortality independent of index complications.
AHRQ-funded; HS017765; HS000053.
Citation: Gonzalez AA, Abdelsattar ZM, Dimick JB .
Time-to-readmission and mortality after high-risk surgery.
Ann Surg 2015 Jul;262(1):53-9. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000000912..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Mortality, Hospital Readmissions, Adverse Events, Surgery
Brown SE, Ratcliffe SJ, Halpern SD
Assessing the utility of ICU readmissions as a quality metric: an analysis of changes mediated by residency work-hour reforms.
This study sought to determine whether ICU readmission rates changed after the 2003 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Resident Duty Hours reform and whether there were temporally corresponding changes in other ICU outcomes. The decrease in ICU readmission rates after reform, without corresponding changes in mortality, suggest that ICU readmissions are not causally related to other untoward patient outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS018406.
Citation: Brown SE, Ratcliffe SJ, Halpern SD .
Assessing the utility of ICU readmissions as a quality metric: an analysis of changes mediated by residency work-hour reforms.
Chest 2015 Mar;147(3):626-36. doi: 10.1378/chest.14-1060..
Keywords: Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Hospital Readmissions, Quality of Care, Patient Safety, Outcomes
Goode AP, Richardson WJ, Schectman RM
Complications, revision fusions, readmissions, and utilization over a 1-year period after bone morphogenetic protein use during primary cervical spine fusions.
The authors sought to determine the 1-year risk of complications, cervical revision fusions, hospital readmissions, and health care services utilization after bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) use with cervical spine fusions. They found that patients receiving BMP were 29% more likely to have a complication and a nervous system complication; cervical revision fusions were more likely among patients receiving BMP; the risk of 30-day readmission was greater with BMP use; and readmission occurred 27.4% sooner on an average. Additionally, patients receiving BMP were more likely to receive computed tomography scans and epidurals with anterior surgical approaches.
AHRQ-funded; HS019479.
Citation: Goode AP, Richardson WJ, Schectman RM .
Complications, revision fusions, readmissions, and utilization over a 1-year period after bone morphogenetic protein use during primary cervical spine fusions.
Spine J 2014 Sep;14(9):2051-9. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2013.11.042.
.
.
Keywords: Adverse Events, Hospital Readmissions, Patient Safety, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Surgery, Treatments
Brown SE, Ratcliffe SJ, Halpern SD
An empirical comparison of key statistical attributes among potential ICU quality indicators.
The researchers assessed the performance of candidate indicators of ICU quality based on face validity, relevance to patients, ability to be measured reliably, sufficient variability to identify poor performers, relative insensitivity to severity adjustment, and the ability to capture what providers do rather than patients' characteristics. They concluded that no indicator performed optimally across assessments and recommended that future research seek to define and operationalize quality in a way that is relevant to both patients and providers.
AHRQ-funded; HS018406.
Citation: Brown SE, Ratcliffe SJ, Halpern SD .
An empirical comparison of key statistical attributes among potential ICU quality indicators.
Crit Care Med 2014 Aug;42(8):1821-31. doi: 10.1097/ccm.0000000000000334.
.
.
Keywords: Quality of Care, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Patient Safety, Quality Indicators (QIs), Hospital Readmissions
Clancy CM
AHRQ Author: Clancy CM
New hospital readmission policy links financial and quality incentives.
This article describes AHRQ-related projects to reduce hospital readmissions, including Porject RED (Re-Engineered Discharge), Project BOOST (Better Outcomes for Older adults through Safe Transitions), and Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs).
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Clancy CM .
New hospital readmission policy links financial and quality incentives.
J Nurs Care Qual 2013 Jan-Mar;28(1):1-4. doi: 10.1097/NCQ.0b013e3182725d82.
.
.
Keywords: Elderly, Hospital Discharge, Patient Safety, Hospital Readmissions, Transitions of Care