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 Date
Topics
- Adverse Events (1)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (1)
- Children/Adolescents (1)
- Community-Based Practice (1)
- (-) Disparities (9)
- Elderly (1)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (1)
- Health Insurance (1)
- Heart Disease and Health (1)
- Hospital Discharge (1)
- Hospitalization (1)
- Hospitals (1)
- Medicare (1)
- Nursing Homes (2)
- Outcomes (1)
- Palliative Care (1)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (1)
- Patient Safety (1)
- Provider Performance (2)
- Public Reporting (1)
- Quality Improvement (1)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (1)
- (-) Quality of Care (9)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (6)
- Social Determinants of 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 9 of 9 Research Studies DisplayedDesai NR, Udell JA, Wang Y
Trends in performance and opportunities for improvement on a composite measure of acute myocardial infarction care.
This study sought to examine trends in patient- and hospital-level performance on a composite defect-free care measure, identify disparities in the performance across sociodemographic groups, and identify opportunities to improve quality and outcomes. Using data from the Chest Pain - Myocardial Infarction Registry, the researchers found that, despite improvements in the proportion of patients with acute myocardial infarction receiving defect-free care overall and across sociodemographic groups, nearly 1 in 4 patients did not receive optimal care; absolute performance was consistently lower among older patients, women, black, and Hispanic patients. They conclude that composite measures of cardiovascular care can illuminate opportunities to improve quality of care.
AHRQ-funded; HS023000.
Citation: Desai NR, Udell JA, Wang Y .
Trends in performance and opportunities for improvement on a composite measure of acute myocardial infarction care.
Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2019 Mar;12(3):e004983. doi: 10.1161/circoutcomes.118.004983..
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Disparities, Heart Disease and Health, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement
Stockwell DC, Landrigan CP, Toomey SL
Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in patient safety events for hospitalized children.
Previous studies have revealed racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in quality of care and patient safety. However, these disparities have not been examined in a pediatric inpatient environment by using a measure of clinically confirmed adverse events (AEs). In this study, the investigators do so using the Global Assessment of Pediatric Patient Safety (GAPPS) Trigger Tool. The investigators concluded that the GAPPS analysis revealed racial and/or ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in rates of AEs experienced by hospitalized children across a broad range of geographic and hospital settings.
AHRQ-funded; HS020513; HS025299.
Citation: Stockwell DC, Landrigan CP, Toomey SL .
Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in patient safety events for hospitalized children.
Hosp Pediatr 2019 Jan;9(1):1-5. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2018-0131..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Social Determinants of Health, Hospitalization, Patient Safety, Quality of Care, Adverse Events
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
Cole MB, Wilson IB, Trivedi AN
State variation in quality outcomes and disparities in outcomes in community health centers.
The researchers estimated between-state variation in hypertension, diabetes, and pregnancy outcomes and racial/ethnic disparities in these outcomes for health center patients. They found wide variation in both outcomes and racial/ethnic disparities in outcomes between states for patients seen at health centers..
AHRQ-funded; HS024652.
Citation: Cole MB, Wilson IB, Trivedi AN .
State variation in quality outcomes and disparities in outcomes in community health centers.
Med Care 2017 Dec;55(12):1001-07. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000818.
.
.
Keywords: Community-Based Practice, Disparities, Quality of Care, Outcomes, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Hefele JG, Ritter GA, Bishop CE
Examining racial and ethnic differences in nursing home quality.
The authors measured within-facility differences for a range of publicly reported nursing home quality measures. They found that, on average, care is delivered equally across all racial/ethnic groups in the same nursing home. They concluded that nursing home providers should attempt to identify racial/ethnic within-facility differences in care.
AHRQ-funded; HS021891.
Citation: Hefele JG, Ritter GA, Bishop CE .
Examining racial and ethnic differences in nursing home quality.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2017 Nov;43(11):554-64. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2017.06.003.
.
.
Keywords: Disparities, Quality of Care, Nursing Homes, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Public Reporting
Schpero WL, Morden NE, Sequist TD
For selected services, blacks and Hispanics more likely to receive low-value care than whites.
US minority populations receive fewer effective health services than whites. Using Medicare administrative data for 2006-11, the researchers found no consistent, corresponding protection against the receipt of ineffective health services. Compared with whites, blacks and Hispanics were often more likely to receive the low-value services studied.
AHRQ-funded; HS017589.
Citation: Schpero WL, Morden NE, Sequist TD .
For selected services, blacks and Hispanics more likely to receive low-value care than whites.
Health Aff 2017 Jun;36(6):1065-69. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2016.1416.
.
.
Keywords: Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Quality of Care, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Kamal AH, Bull J, Wolf SP
Unmet needs of African Americans and whites at the time of palliative care consultation.
Researchers aimed to compare characteristics and palliative care needs of African Americans (AAs) and whites during initial palliative care consultation. Nearly two-thirds in both racial groups reported 3 or more symptoms of any severity; one-third reported 3 or more moderate or severe symptoms. A larger proportion of Africans than whites reported pain of any severity.
AHRQ-funded; HS023681; HS022763.
Citation: Kamal AH, Bull J, Wolf SP .
Unmet needs of African Americans and whites at the time of palliative care consultation.
Am J Hosp Palliat Care 2017 Jun;34(5):461-65. doi: 10.1177/1049909116632508.
.
.
Keywords: Disparities, Quality of Care, Palliative Care, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Popescu I, Heslin KC, Coffey RM
AHRQ Author: Heslin KC, Washington RE
Differences in use of high-quality and low-quality hospitals among working-age individuals by insurance type.
This study found that compared with patients who have private insurance, those with Medicaid or no insurance were more likely to be minorities and to reside in areas with low-socioeconomic status. The probability of admission to high-quality hospitals was similar for patients with Medicaid (23.3 percent) and private insurance (23.0 percent) but was significantly lower for patients without insurance (19.8 percent) compared with the other 2 insurance groups.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Popescu I, Heslin KC, Coffey RM .
Differences in use of high-quality and low-quality hospitals among working-age individuals by insurance type.
Med Care 2017 Feb;55(2):148-54. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000633.
.
.
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Health Insurance, Disparities, Quality of Care, Hospitals
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.
.
.
Keywords: Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Provider Performance, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality of Care