National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Adverse Events (2)
- Blood Clots (1)
- Cancer: Breast Cancer (1)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (2)
- Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) (2)
- Data (2)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (1)
- Disparities (1)
- Education: Continuing Medical Education (3)
- Elderly (1)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (1)
- Emergency Department (1)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (4)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (2)
- Healthcare Costs (4)
- Healthcare Delivery (2)
- Healthcare Utilization (2)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (1)
- Health Insurance (1)
- Heart Disease and Health (3)
- Home Healthcare (1)
- Hospital Discharge (1)
- Hospitalization (3)
- Hospital Readmissions (3)
- Hospitals (13)
- Imaging (1)
- Injuries and Wounds (2)
- Medicaid (1)
- Medicare (6)
- Mortality (4)
- Nursing Homes (1)
- Obesity (1)
- Obesity: Weight Management (1)
- Orthopedics (2)
- Outcomes (1)
- Patient Safety (9)
- Payment (9)
- Pneumonia (1)
- Practice Patterns (1)
- Prevention (1)
- (-) Provider Performance (35)
- Public Reporting (3)
- Quality Improvement (4)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (5)
- Quality Measures (5)
- Quality of Care (16)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (1)
- Respiratory Conditions (1)
- Screening (1)
- Social Media (1)
- Surgery (4)
- Teams (1)
- Training (2)
- Women (1)
- Workforce (1)
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 25 of 35 Research Studies DisplayedCatchpole K, Neyens DM, Abernathy J
Framework for direct observation of performance and safety in healthcare.
This viewpoint paper discusses non-participant direct observation of healthcare processes as a rich method for understanding safety and performance improvement. The authors suggest that as a prospective method for error prediction and modelling, observation can capture a broad range of performance issues that can be related to higher aspects of the system.
AHRQ-funded; HS024380.
Citation: Catchpole K, Neyens DM, Abernathy J .
Framework for direct observation of performance and safety in healthcare.
BMJ Qual Saf 2017 Dec;26(12):1015-21. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2016-006407..
Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Patient Safety, Provider Performance, Quality Improvement
Paddock SM, Damberg CL, Yanagihara D
What role does efficiency play in understanding the relationship between cost and quality in physician organizations?
Previous studies demonstrate overuse of a narrow set of services, suggesting provider inefficiency, but existing studies neither quantify inefficiency more broadly nor assess its variation across physician organizations (POs). This study found that POs had substantial variation in efficiency, producing widely differing levels of quality for the same cost.
AHRQ-funded; HS021860.
Citation: Paddock SM, Damberg CL, Yanagihara D .
What role does efficiency play in understanding the relationship between cost and quality in physician organizations?
Med Care 2017 Dec;55(12):1039-45. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000823.
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Keywords: Practice Patterns, Healthcare Costs, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement, Payment, Provider Performance
Masnick M, Morgan DJ, Sorkin JD
Can national healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) data differentiate hospitals in the United States?
This study was designed to determine whether patients using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website can use nationally reported healthcare-associated infection (HAI) data to differentiate hospitals. The authors concluded that HAI data generally are reported by enough hospitals to meet minimal criteria for useful comparisons in many geographic locations, though this varies by type of HAI.
AHRQ-funded; HS018111.
Citation: Masnick M, Morgan DJ, Sorkin JD .
Can national healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) data differentiate hospitals in the United States?
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017 Oct;38(10):1167-71. doi: 10.1017/ice.2017.179..
Keywords: Quality of Care, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Provider Performance, Quality Measures
Adams JL, Paddock SM
Misclassification risk of tier-based physician quality performance systems.
The authors estimated misclassification rates for two-category high-quality physician identification systems. They found that current methods for profiling physicians on quality may produce misleading results, and that misclassification is a policy-relevant measure of the potential impact of tiering on providers, payers, and patients. They concluded that quantifying misclassification rates should inform the construction of high-performance networks and quality improvement initiatives.
AHRQ-funded; HS021860.
Citation: Adams JL, Paddock SM .
Misclassification risk of tier-based physician quality performance systems.
Health Serv Res 2017 Aug;52(4):1277-96. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12561.
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Keywords: Provider Performance, Quality of Care, Payment
Smith SN, Reichert HA, Ameling JM
Dissecting Leapfrog: how well do Leapfrog safe practices scores correlate with Hospital Compare ratings and penalties, and how much do they matter?
Voluntary Leapfrog Safe Practices Score (SPS) measures were among the first public reports of hospital performance. Recently, Medicare's Hospital Compare website has reported compulsory measures. Leapfrog's Hospital Safety Score (HSS) grades incorporate SPS and Medicare measures. The researchers evaluated associations between Leapfrog SPS and Medicare measures. They found that voluntary Leapfrog SPS measures skew toward positive self-report and bear little association with compulsory Medicare outcomes and penalties.
AHRQ-funded; HS019767; HS024385; HS018334.
Citation: Smith SN, Reichert HA, Ameling JM .
Dissecting Leapfrog: how well do Leapfrog safe practices scores correlate with Hospital Compare ratings and penalties, and how much do they matter?
Med Care 2017 Jun;55(6):606-14. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000716.
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Keywords: Patient Safety, Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Provider Performance
DeLancey JO, Softcheck J, Chung JW
Associations between hospital characteristics, measure reporting, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings.
This study evaluated associations between hospital characteristics, number and types of measures reported, and the star ratings. Of 3,591 hospitals receiving a star rating,4 or 5 stars were awarded to 15.8 percent of major teaching hospitals, 18.8 percent of other teaching hospitals, 30.2 percent of community hospitals, 33.3 percent of critical access hospitals, and 87.3 percent of specialty hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS021857.
Citation: DeLancey JO, Softcheck J, Chung JW .
Associations between hospital characteristics, measure reporting, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings.
JAMA 2017 May 16;317(19):2015-17. doi: 10.1001/jama.2017.3148.
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Keywords: Hospitals, Quality of Care, Quality Measures, Provider Performance, Patient Safety
Fernandez R, Shah S, Rosenman ED
Developing team cognition: a role for simulation.
Evidence from team science research demonstrates a strong relationship between team cognition and team performance and suggests a role for simulation in the development of this team-level construct. In this article, the researchers synthesize research from the broader team science literature to provide foundational knowledge regarding team cognition and highlight best practices for using simulation to target team cognition.
AHRQ-funded; HS020295; HS022458.
Citation: Fernandez R, Shah S, Rosenman ED .
Developing team cognition: a role for simulation.
Simul Healthc 2017 Apr;12(2):96-103. doi: 10.1097/sih.0000000000000200.
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Keywords: Teams, Training, Provider Performance, Patient Safety
Mendelson A, Kondo K, Damberg C
The effects of pay-for-performance programs on health, health care use, and processes of care: a systematic review.
This review updated and expanded a prior review examining the effects of P4P programs targeted at the physician, group, managerial, or institutional level on process-of-care and patient outcomes in ambulatory and inpatient settings. It found that pay-for-performance programs may be associated with improved processes of care in ambulatory settings, but consistently positive associations with improved health outcomes have not been demonstrated in any setting.
AHRQ-funded; HS022981.
Citation: Mendelson A, Kondo K, Damberg C .
The effects of pay-for-performance programs on health, health care use, and processes of care: a systematic review.
Ann Intern Med 2017 Mar 7;166(5):341-53. doi: 10.7326/m16-1881.
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Keywords: Payment, Provider Performance, Healthcare Utilization, Quality of Care
Lewis VA, Fraze T, Fisher ES
ACOs serving high proportions of racial and ethnic minorities lag in quality performance.
Researchers analyzed racial and ethnic disparities in health care outcomes among accountable care organizations (ACOs). Their findings suggest that ACOs with a high share of minority patients may struggle with quality performance under ACO contracts, especially during their early years of participation-maintaining or potentially exacerbating current inequities.
AHRQ-funded; HS024075.
Citation: Lewis VA, Fraze T, Fisher ES .
ACOs serving high proportions of racial and ethnic minorities lag in quality performance.
Health Aff 2017 Jan;36(1):57-66. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0626.
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Keywords: Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Provider Performance, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality of Care
Davis JD, Olsen MA, Bommarito K
All-payer analysis of heart failure hospitalization 30-day readmission: comorbidities matter.
In this study, the researchers investigated readmission characteristics and the magnitude of 30-day hospital readmissions after hospital discharge for heart failure using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases (SID). They found in this large all-payer cohort, ∼70% of 30-day readmissions were for non-heart failure causes, and the median time to readmission was 12 days.
AHRQ-funded; HS019455.
Citation: Davis JD, Olsen MA, Bommarito K .
All-payer analysis of heart failure hospitalization 30-day readmission: comorbidities matter.
Am J Med 2017 Jan;130(1):93.e9-93.e28. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2016.07.030..
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Heart Disease and Health, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Hospital Readmissions, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Provider Performance
Govindan S, Chopra V, Iwashyna TJ
Do clinicians understand quality metric data? An evaluation in a Twitter-derived sample.
The researchers assessed clinician comprehension of central line-associated blood stream infection (CLABSI) quality metric data. It found that the mean percentage of correct answers was 61 percent. Overall, doctor performance was better than performance by nurses and other respondents. In basic numeracy, mean percent correct was 82 percent. For risk-adjustment numeracy, the mean percent correct was 70 percent.
AHRQ-funded; HS022835.
Citation: Govindan S, Chopra V, Iwashyna TJ .
Do clinicians understand quality metric data? An evaluation in a Twitter-derived sample.
J Hosp Med 2017 Jan;12(1):18-22.
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Keywords: Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI), Data, Quality of Care, Provider Performance, Social Media
George EI, Ročková V, Rosenbaum PR
Mortality rate estimation and standardization for public reporting: Medicare’s Hospital Compare.
The authors calibrated Bayesian recommendation systems by checking, out of sample, whether predictions aggregate to give correct general advice derived from another sample. Their process leads to substantial revisions in the Hospital Compare model for acute myocardial infarction mortality. They found that indirect standardization, as currently used by Hospital Compare, fails to adequately control for differences in patient risk factors and systematically underestimates mortality rates at the low volume hospitals. They proposed direct standardization instead.
AHRQ-funded; HS021854.
Citation: George EI, Ročková V, Rosenbaum PR .
Mortality rate estimation and standardization for public reporting: Medicare’s Hospital Compare.
Journal of the American Statistical Association 2017;112(519):933-47. doi: 10.1080/01621459.2016.1276021.
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Keywords: Hospitals, Medicare, Mortality, Provider Performance
Calderwood MS, Kleinman K, Huang SS
Surgical site infections: volume-outcome relationship and year-to-year stability of performance rankings.
The researchers evaluated the volume-outcome relationship as well as the year-to-year stability of performance rankings following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and hip arthroplasty. They concluded that aggregate surgical site infection risk is highest in hospitals with low annual procedure volumes. Even for higher volume hospitals, year-to-year random variation makes past experience an unreliable estimator of current performance.
AHRQ-funded; HS021424.
Citation: Calderwood MS, Kleinman K, Huang SS .
Surgical site infections: volume-outcome relationship and year-to-year stability of performance rankings.
Med Care 2017 Jan;55(1):79-85. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000620.
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Keywords: Surgery, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Adverse Events, Injuries and Wounds, Hospitals, Provider Performance, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality of Care, Patient Safety, Elderly
Frasier LL, Azari DP, Ma Y
A marker-less technique for measuring kinematics in the operating room.
The researchers investigated a novel, marker-less technique for evaluating technical skill during open operations and for differentiating tasks and surgeon experience level. They were able to detect kinematic differences in performance using marker-less tracking during open operative cases. Suturing task evaluation was most sensitive to differences in surgeon role and task category and may represent a scalable approach for providing quantitative feedback to surgeons about technical skill.
AHRQ-funded; HS022403.
Citation: Frasier LL, Azari DP, Ma Y .
A marker-less technique for measuring kinematics in the operating room.
Surgery 2016 Nov;160(5):1400-13. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2016.05.004.
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Keywords: Surgery, Provider Performance, Patient Safety
Wang Y, Pandolfi MM, Fine J
Community level association between home health and nursing home performance on quality and hospital 30-day readmissions for Medicare patients.
Using CMS data from 2010 to 2012, the researchers evaluated whether community-level home health agencies and nursing home performance is associated with community-level hospital 30-day all-cause risk-standardized readmission rates for Medicare patients. They found that increasing nursing home performance by one star for all of its 4 measures and home health performance by 10 points for all of its 6 measures is associated with decreases in community-level risk-standardized readmission rates.
AHRQ-funded; HS023000.
Citation: Wang Y, Pandolfi MM, Fine J .
Community level association between home health and nursing home performance on quality and hospital 30-day readmissions for Medicare patients.
Home Health Care Manag Pract 2016 Nov;28(4):201-08. doi: 10.1177/1084822316639032.
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Keywords: Quality of Care, Hospital Readmissions, Home Healthcare, Nursing Homes, Provider Performance
Elmore JG, Cook AJ, Bogart A
Radiologists' interpretive skills in screening vs. diagnostic mammography: are they related?
This study aimed to determine whether radiologists who perform well in screening also perform well in interpreting diagnostic mammography. It evaluated the accuracy of 468 radiologists interpreting 2,234,947 screening and 196,164 diagnostic mammograms and found a moderate correlation for radiologists' accuracy when interpreting screening versus their accuracy on diagnostic examinations.
AHRQ-funded; HS010591.
Citation: Elmore JG, Cook AJ, Bogart A .
Radiologists' interpretive skills in screening vs. diagnostic mammography: are they related?
Clin Imaging 2016 Nov - Dec;40(6):1096-103. doi: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2016.06.014.
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Keywords: Cancer: Breast Cancer, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Screening, Imaging, Women, Provider Performance
Varban OA, Greenberg CC, Schram J
Surgical skill in bariatric surgery: Does skill in one procedure predict outcomes for another?
Whether skill for one bariatric procedure can predict outcomes for another related procedure is unknown. This study found that video ratings of surgical skill with laparoscopic gastric bypass do not predict outcomes of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Evaluation of surgical skill with one procedure may not apply to other related procedures and may require independent assessment of surgical technical proficiency.
AHRQ-funded; R01 HS023597.
Citation: Varban OA, Greenberg CC, Schram J .
Surgical skill in bariatric surgery: Does skill in one procedure predict outcomes for another?
Surgery 2016 Nov;160(5):1172-81. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2016.04.033.
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Keywords: Surgery, Obesity: Weight Management, Obesity, Outcomes, Provider Performance
Barsuk JH, Cohen ER, Williams MV
The effect of simulation-based mastery learning on thoracentesis referral patterns.
This study aimed to (1) assess the effect of simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) on internal medicine residents' simulated thoracentesis skills and (2) compare thoracentesis referral patterns, self-confidence, and reasons for referral between traditionally trained residents (non-SBML-trained), SBML-trained residents, and hospitalist physicians. This study identified confidence and time as reasons physicians refer thoracenteses rather than perform them at the bedside.
AHRQ-funded; HS021202.
Citation: Barsuk JH, Cohen ER, Williams MV .
The effect of simulation-based mastery learning on thoracentesis referral patterns.
J Hosp Med 2016 Nov;11(11):792-95. doi: 10.1002/jhm.2623..
Keywords: Education: Continuing Medical Education, Provider Performance, Training
Mazur LM, Mosaly PR, Moore C
Toward a better understanding of task demands, workload, and performance during physician-computer interactions.
The researchers assessed the relationship between (1) task demands and workload, (2) task demands and performance, and (3) workload and performance, all during physician-computer interactions in a simulated environment. Two experiments were performed in 2 different electronic medical record environments: WebCIS and Epic. Results suggest that task demands as experienced by participants are related to participants' performance.
AHRQ-funded; HS023458; HS024062.
Citation: Mazur LM, Mosaly PR, Moore C .
Toward a better understanding of task demands, workload, and performance during physician-computer interactions.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2016 Nov;23(6):1113-20. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocw016.
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Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Provider Performance
Klerman EB, Beckett SA, Landrigan CP
Applying mathematical models to predict resident physician performance and alertness on traditional and novel work schedules.
Using a mathematical model of the effects of circadian rhythms and length of time awake on objective performance and subjective alertness, the researchers compared predictions for traditional intern schedules to those that limit work to </= 16 consecutive hours. Their model predicted fewer hours with poor performance and alertness, especially during night-time work hours, for all three novel schedules than for either of the two traditional schedules.
AHRQ-funded; HS017357.
Citation: Klerman EB, Beckett SA, Landrigan CP .
Applying mathematical models to predict resident physician performance and alertness on traditional and novel work schedules.
BMC Med Educ 2016 Sep 13;16(1):239. doi: 10.1186/s12909-016-0751-9.
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Keywords: Education: Continuing Medical Education, Patient Safety, Provider Performance, Workforce
Taylor LK, Thomas GW, Karam MD
Assessing wire navigation performance in the operating room.
The researchers sought to develop meaningful, objective measures of wire navigation performance in the operating room. They concluded that several video-based metrics were consistent across the 4 video reviewers and are likely to be useful for performance assessment. The tip-apex distance (TAD) measurement was less reliable than previous reports have suggested, but remains a valuable metric of performance.
AHRQ-funded; HS022077.
Citation: Taylor LK, Thomas GW, Karam MD .
Assessing wire navigation performance in the operating room.
J Surg Educ 2016 Sep-Oct;73(5):780-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2016.03.018.
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Keywords: Surgery, Provider Performance, Injuries and Wounds, Orthopedics
Lau BD, Haut ER, Hobson DB
ICD-9 code-based venous thromboembolism performance targets fail to measure up.
Suboptimal prevention practices have prompted payers to consider hospital-associated Venous thromboembolism (VTE) as a potentially preventable condition for which financial incentives or penalties exist to drive practice improvement. The authors reviewed a subset of hospital-associated VTE that were identified by ICD-9 codes used by a state-run pay-for-performance quality improvement program and discuss their findings.
AHRQ-funded; HS017952.
Citation: Lau BD, Haut ER, Hobson DB .
ICD-9 code-based venous thromboembolism performance targets fail to measure up.
Am J Med Qual 2016 Sep;31(5):448-53. doi: 10.1177/1062860615583547.
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Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Quality Indicators (QIs), Prevention, Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Blood Clots, Payment, Provider Performance
Ellimoottil C, Ryan AM, Hou H
Medicare's new bundled payment for joint replacement may penalize hospitals that treat medically complex patients.
Using Medicare claims for patients in Michigan who underwent lower extremity joint replacement in the period 2011-13, the researchers applied payment methods analogous to those CMS intends to use in determining annual bonuses or penalties (reconciliation payments) to hospitals. Their findings suggest that CMS should include risk adjustment in the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement program and in future bundled payment programs.
AHRQ-funded; HS024193; HS018546.
Citation: Ellimoottil C, Ryan AM, Hou H .
Medicare's new bundled payment for joint replacement may penalize hospitals that treat medically complex patients.
Health Aff 2016 Sep;35(9):1651-7. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0263.
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Keywords: Medicare, Payment, Healthcare Costs, Orthopedics, Provider Performance
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
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.
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Keywords: Adverse Events, Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals, Medicare, Mortality, Heart Disease and Health, Patient Safety, Provider Performance