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
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (1)
- Behavioral Health (1)
- Cancer (2)
- Cancer: Lung Cancer (1)
- Genetics (1)
- Guidelines (1)
- Healthcare Delivery (8)
- Health Insurance (1)
- Health Services Research (HSR) (3)
- Health Systems (3)
- Hospitals (4)
- (-) Implementation (18)
- Learning Health Systems (3)
- (-) Organizational Change (18)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (4)
- Patient Safety (3)
- Payment (1)
- Practice Improvement (3)
- Pressure Ulcers (1)
- Prevention (2)
- Primary Care (6)
- Primary Care: Models of Care (1)
- Provider Performance (1)
- Quality Improvement (6)
- Quality of Care (6)
- Rural Health (1)
- Screening (2)
- Teams (3)
- TeamSTEPPS (1)
- Urban Health (1)
- Vulnerable Populations (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 18 of 18 Research Studies DisplayedSpalluto LB, Lewis JA, Stolldorf D
Organizational readiness for lung cancer screening: a cross-sectional evaluation at a Veterans Affairs medical center.
Lung cancer has the highest cancer-related mortality in the United States and among Veterans. Screening of high-risk individuals with low-dose CT (LDCT) can improve survival through detection of early-stage lung cancer. Organizational factors that aid or impede implementation of this evidence-based practice in diverse populations are not well described. In this study, the investigators evaluated organizational readiness for change and change valence (belief that change is beneficial and valuable) for implementation of LDCT screening.
AHRQ-funded; HS026395.
Citation: Spalluto LB, Lewis JA, Stolldorf D .
Organizational readiness for lung cancer screening: a cross-sectional evaluation at a Veterans Affairs medical center.
J Am Coll Radiol 2021 Jun;18(6):809-19. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2020.12.010..
Keywords: Cancer: Lung Cancer, Cancer, Screening, Implementation, Organizational Change
Harrison MI, Shortell SM
AHRQ Author: Harrison MI
Multi-level analysis of the learning health system: Integrating contributions from research on organizations and implementation.
The authors have developed a comprehensive, multilevel framework to inform learning health systems (LHSs) research and practice in order to enhance both research on LHSs and practical steps toward their development. Drawing on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, the social-ecological framework, and the organizational change framework, their new framework can help investigators and practitioners broadly scan and then investigate forces influencing improvement and learning and may point to otherwise unnoticed interactions among influential factors.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Harrison MI, Shortell SM .
Multi-level analysis of the learning health system: Integrating contributions from research on organizations and implementation.
Learn Health Syst 2021 Apr;5(2):e10226. doi: 10.1002/lrh2.10226..
Keywords: Learning Health Systems, Health Systems, Implementation, Organizational Change
Baloh J, Zhu X, Ward MM
What influences sustainment and nonsustainment of facilitation activities in implementation? Analysis of organizational factors in hospitals implementing TeamSTEPPS.
This study looked at the influences on sustainment of internal facilitation activities. For two years the authors followed 10 small rural hospitals implementing TeamSTEPPS, a patient safety program. Factors the authors examined were the influence of senior management support (SMS), middle management support (MMS), facilitator team time availability (TIME), and team continuity (CONTINUITY). Five hospitals sustained facilitation activities and they found that the combination of SMS, MMS, and CONTINUITY was a sufficient condition for sustainment. The five other hospitals that did not sustain facilitation activities either lacked MMS or lacked both TIME and CONTINUITY. They also discussed the implications for research and practice.
AHRQ-funded; HS024112; HS018396.
Citation: Baloh J, Zhu X, Ward MM .
What influences sustainment and nonsustainment of facilitation activities in implementation? Analysis of organizational factors in hospitals implementing TeamSTEPPS.
Med Care Res Rev 2021 Apr;78(2):146-56. doi: 10.1177/1077558719848267..
Keywords: TeamSTEPPS, Teams, Implementation, Hospitals, Patient Safety, Rural Health, Organizational Change
Lee YSH, Cleary PD, Nembhard IM
Effects of leader tactics on the creativity, implementation, and evolution of ideas to improve healthcare delivery.
Researchers examined the association between leader tactics and the creativity, implementation outcome, and evolution of quality improvement ideas from clinicians and staff. They found that two identified tactics, brainstorming and reflection, were helpful depending on goals. They suggested that brainstorming may aide leaders seeking disruptive change via more creative, rapidly implemented ideas, while reflection on team process may aide leaders seeking high-engagement ideas that may be implemented slowly. They concluded that both tactics may help leaders cultivate dynamics that increase implementation of ideas that improve healthcare.
AHRQ-funded; HS016978.
Citation: Lee YSH, Cleary PD, Nembhard IM .
Effects of leader tactics on the creativity, implementation, and evolution of ideas to improve healthcare delivery.
J Gen Intern Med 2021 Feb;36(2):341-48. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06139-9..
Keywords: Organizational Change, Healthcare Delivery, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Implementation
Yuce TK, Yang AD, Johnson JK
Association between implementing comprehensive learning collaborative strategies in a statewide collaborative and changes in hospital safety culture.
Hospital safety culture remains a critical consideration when seeking to reduce medical errors and improve quality of care. Little is known regarding whether participation in a comprehensive, multicomponent, statewide quality collaborative is associated with changes in hospital safety culture. The purpose of this study was to examine whether implementation of a comprehensive, multicomponent, statewide surgical quality improvement collaborative was associated with changes in hospital safety culture.
AHRQ-funded; HS024516.
Citation: Yuce TK, Yang AD, Johnson JK .
Association between implementing comprehensive learning collaborative strategies in a statewide collaborative and changes in hospital safety culture.
JAMA Surg 2020 Oct;155(10):934-40. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2020.2842..
Keywords: Hospitals, Patient Safety, Organizational Change, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Implementation
Knerr S, West KM, Angelo FA
Organizational readiness to implement population-based screening and genetic service delivery for hereditary cancer prevention and control.
Programs conducting population-based screening and genetic service delivery for hereditary cancer prevention and control are rare in practice. The authors interviewed individuals instrumental in implementing seven unique clinical programs conducting either universal tumor screening for Lynch Syndrome or routine family history screening and provision of genetic services for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in the United States. Their findings suggest that developing interventions targeting change efficacy and cultivating practice change champions may be two promising ways to increase uptake of population-based hereditary cancer screening and genetic service delivery in clinical practice.
AHRQ-funded; HS022982.
Citation: Knerr S, West KM, Angelo FA .
Organizational readiness to implement population-based screening and genetic service delivery for hereditary cancer prevention and control.
J Genet Couns 2020 Oct;29(5):867-76. doi: 10.1002/jgc4.1216.
.
.
Keywords: Cancer, Screening, Genetics, Prevention, Guidelines, Healthcare Delivery, Organizational Change, Implementation
Smith JD, Rafferty MR, Heinemann AW
Pragmatic adaptation of implementation research measures for a novel context and multiple professional roles: a factor analysis study.
In this study, the investigators examined the internal consistency, factor structure, and structural invariance of four well-validated measures of inner setting factors across four groups of respondents. The items in these measures were adapted as part of an evaluation of a large-scale organizational change in a rehabilitation hospital, which involved transitioning to a new building and a new model of patient care, facilitated by a significant redesign of patient care and research spaces.
AHRQ-funded; HS025077.
Citation: Smith JD, Rafferty MR, Heinemann AW .
Pragmatic adaptation of implementation research measures for a novel context and multiple professional roles: a factor analysis study.
BMC Health Serv Res 2020 Mar 30;20(1):257. doi: 10.1186/s12913-020-05118-4..
Keywords: Implementation, Health Services Research (HSR), Organizational Change
Wood SJ, Albertson EM, Conrad DA
Accountable care program implementation and effects on participating health care systems in Washington state: a conceptual model.
This study used key informant interviews with health care executives representing 5 large health systems contracted with the Washington State Health Care Authority to provide accountable care network services under the State Innovation Model initiative. Two rounds of semistructured interviews were conducted, and results indicated the need to present a modified conceptual model aligned better with accountable care program (ACP) implementation.
AHRQ-funded; HS013853.
Citation: Wood SJ, Albertson EM, Conrad DA .
Accountable care program implementation and effects on participating health care systems in Washington state: a conceptual model.
J Ambul Care Manage 2019 Oct/Dec;42(4):321-36. doi: 10.1097/jac.0000000000000302..
Keywords: Health Systems, Provider Performance, Organizational Change, Health Services Research (HSR), Payment, Health Insurance, Implementation
Harrison MI, Grantham S
AHRQ Author: Harrison MI
Learning from implementation setbacks: identifying and responding to contextual challenges.
The authors addressed organizational learning about implementation context during setbacks to primary care redesign in an ambulatory system. They found that redesigned teams were not implemented as widely or rapidly as anticipated and did not deliver hoped-for gains in operational metrics; however, team redesign was leading to improvements in chronic care and prevention and eased provider burden. Redesign and system leaders engaged in more thorough organizational learning. Their responses to challenges helped to strengthen the redesign's prospects, improved the delivery system's position in its labor market, and helped the system prepare to meet emerging requirements for value-based care and population health.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 2902010000341.
Citation: Harrison MI, Grantham S .
Learning from implementation setbacks: identifying and responding to contextual challenges.
Learn Health Syst 2018 Oct;2(4):e10068. doi: 10.1002/lrh2.10068..
Keywords: Organizational Change, Learning Health Systems, Health Systems, Primary Care: Models of Care, Primary Care, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Implementation
Soban LM, Kim L, Yuan AH
Organisational strategies to implement hospital pressure ulcer prevention programmes: findings from a national survey.
The researchers describe the presence and operationalisation of organisational strategies to support implementation of pressure ulcer prevention programmes across acute care hospitals in a large, integrated health-care system. Organisational strategies that support implementation of a pressure ulcer prevention programme (policy, committee, staff education, wound care specialists, and use of performance data) were reported at high level.
AHRQ-funded; HS000046.
Citation: Soban LM, Kim L, Yuan AH .
Organisational strategies to implement hospital pressure ulcer prevention programmes: findings from a national survey.
J Nurs Manag 2017 Sep;25(6):457-67. doi: 10.1111/jonm.12416.
.
.
Keywords: Pressure Ulcers, Prevention, Hospitals, Patient Safety, Implementation, Organizational Change
Hoff T, Scott S
The strategic nature of individual change behavior: how physicians and their staff implement medical home care.
The purpose of this study was to gain insight into patient-centered medical home (PCMH) implementation at the workplace level by understanding better how primary care physicians and staff perceive, experience, and use certain types of PCMH work for adapting to new demands. The investigators indicated that the findings showed that particular forms of PCMH work not only advanced patient care in favorable ways but also enhanced individual and organizational capacity for adapting to this innovative model and its demands.
AHRQ-funded; HS020931.
Citation: Hoff T, Scott S .
The strategic nature of individual change behavior: how physicians and their staff implement medical home care.
Health Care Manage Rev 2017 Jul/Sep;42(3):226-36. doi: 10.1097/hmr.0000000000000109..
Keywords: Patient-Centered Healthcare, Primary Care, Organizational Change, Practice Improvement, Implementation
Kerrissey M, Satterstrom P, Leydon N
Integrating: a managerial practice that enables implementation in fragmented health care environments.
This inductive qualitative study examines primary care clinics implementing improvement efforts in order to identify mechanisms that enable implementation despite common barriers, such as lack of time and fragmentation across stakeholder groups. It found that successfully implementing clinics exhibited the managerial practice of integrating, which was defined as achieving unity of effort among stakeholder groups in the pursuit of a shared and mutually developed goal.
AHRQ-funded; HS019508.
Citation: Kerrissey M, Satterstrom P, Leydon N .
Integrating: a managerial practice that enables implementation in fragmented health care environments.
Health Care Manage Rev 2017 Jul/Sep;42(3):213-25. doi: 10.1097/hmr.0000000000000114.
.
.
Keywords: Primary Care, Quality Improvement, Organizational Change, Implementation, Quality of Care
Clark KD, Miller BF, Green LA
Implementation of behavioral health interventions in real world scenarios: managing complex change.
This paper reports the change management strategies employed by practice leaders making changes to integrate care, as observed by independent investigators. It offers an empirically based set of actionable recommendations that are relevant to a range of leaders (policymakers, medical directors) and practice members who wish to effectively manage the complex changes associated with integrated primary care.
AHRQ-funded; HS022981.
Citation: Clark KD, Miller BF, Green LA .
Implementation of behavioral health interventions in real world scenarios: managing complex change.
Fam Syst Health 2017 Mar;35(1):36-45. doi: 10.1037/fsh0000239.
.
.
Keywords: Behavioral Health, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Primary Care, Implementation, Organizational Change, Healthcare Delivery
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
Harrison MI, Paez K, Carman KL
AHRQ Author: Harrison MI
Effects of organizational context on Lean implementation in five hospital systems.
In order to help reduce gaps in knowledge of effects of intraorganizational context, the authors researched Lean implementation initiatives in five organizations and examined 12 of their Lean rapid improvement projects. They identified intraorganizational characteristics including CEO commitment to Lean and active support for it, prior organizational capacity for quality improvement-based performance improvement, and alignment of the Lean initiative with the organizational mission.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Harrison MI, Paez K, Carman KL .
Effects of organizational context on Lean implementation in five hospital systems.
Health Care Manage Rev 2016 Apr-Jun;41(2):127-44. doi: 10.1097/hmr.0000000000000049..
Keywords: Organizational Change, Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Healthcare Delivery, Implementation
Nembhard IM, Morrow CT, Bradley EH
Implementing role-changing versus time-changing innovations in health care: differences in helpfulness of staff improvement teams, management, and network for learning.
This paper examined the hypothesis that the degree to which access to groups that can alter organizational learning depends on innovation type. Team representativeness and network membership were positively associated with implementing role-changing practices; while senior management engagement was positively associated with implementing time-changing practices. The authors concluded that these findings advance implementation science by explaining mixed results across past studies, that the nature of change for workers alters potential facilitators' effects on implementation.
AHRQ-funded; HS018987.
Citation: Nembhard IM, Morrow CT, Bradley EH .
Implementing role-changing versus time-changing innovations in health care: differences in helpfulness of staff improvement teams, management, and network for learning.
Med Care Res Rev 2015 Dec;72(6):707-35. doi: 10.1177/1077558715592315.
.
.
Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Quality Improvement, Organizational Change, Teams, Quality of Care, Learning Health Systems, Implementation
Fontaine P, Whitebird R, Solberg LI
Minnesota's early experience with medical home implementation: viewpoints from the front lines.
This study aimed to identify the facilitators and barriers encountered by nine diverse primary care practices selected from the first 80 to achieve patient-centered medical home (PCMH) certification in Minnesota. It found that facilitators to achieve PCMH certification included a requirement for patient involvement, which pushed practices to create patient-centered innovations, and new reimbursement models based on quality indicators for a population.
AHRQ-funded; HS019161.
Citation: Fontaine P, Whitebird R, Solberg LI .
Minnesota's early experience with medical home implementation: viewpoints from the front lines.
J Gen Intern Med 2015 Jul;30(7):899-906. doi: 10.1007/s11606-014-3136-y..
Keywords: Patient-Centered Healthcare, Primary Care, Implementation, Organizational Change, Healthcare Delivery, Practice Improvement, Health Services Research (HSR)
Birken SA, Lee SY, Weiner BJ
From strategy to action: how top managers' support increases middle managers' commitment to innovation implementation in health care organizations.
The researchers surveyed and interviewed middle managers implementing an innovation intended to reduce health disparities in 120 U.S. health centers to assess whether top managers’ support directly influences middle managers’ commitment. Their results suggest that top managers increase middle managers’ commitment by directly conveying to middle managers that innovation implementation is an organizational priority, as well as by several other means.
AHRQ-funded; HS019107; HS013635.
Citation: Birken SA, Lee SY, Weiner BJ .
From strategy to action: how top managers' support increases middle managers' commitment to innovation implementation in health care organizations.
Health Care Manage Rev 2015 Apr-Jun;40(2):159-68. doi: 10.1097/hmr.0000000000000018..
Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Implementation, Organizational Change