National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Cardiovascular Conditions (1)
- Children/Adolescents (2)
- Emergency Department (1)
- Heart Disease and Health (1)
- Hospital Discharge (1)
- (-) Hospital Readmissions (3)
- (-) Hospitals (3)
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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 3 of 3 Research Studies DisplayedMeddings J, Smith SN, Hofer TP
Mixed messages to consumers from Medicare: Hospital Compare grades versus value-based payment penalty.
This study examined the discrepancy of ratings with hospitals with low readmission grades for heart failure (HF) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on the Hospital Compare website, yet received penalties for excessive readmissions under the hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. A retrospective data analysis was conducted of 2956 hospitals that had publicly reported HF grades on Hospital Compare. Of those, 92% were graded as “no different” than the national rate for HD readmissions, yet included 48.6% that were scored as having excessive HF admissions and 87% received an overall readmission penalty. Of the 120 hospitals graded as “better”, none were scored as having excessive HF readmissions and 50% were penalized. There were similar results for AMI.
AHRQ-funded; HS018334; HS019767.
Citation: Meddings J, Smith SN, Hofer TP .
Mixed messages to consumers from Medicare: Hospital Compare grades versus value-based payment penalty.
Am J Manag Care 2018 Dec;24(12):e399-e403..
Keywords: Medicare, Hospital Readmissions, Heart Disease and Health, Hospitals, Quality of Care, Cardiovascular Conditions, Provider Performance, Payment
Kaiser SV, Lam R, Joseph GB
Limitations of using pediatric respiratory illness readmissions to compare hospital performance.
Researcher sought to determine if a National Quality Forum (NQF)-endorsed measure for pediatric lower respiratory illness (LRI) 30-day readmission rates can meaningfully identify high- and low-performing hospitals. Subjects were children with LRI (bronchiolitis, influenza, or pneumonia as primary diagnosis, or with an LRI as a secondary diagnosis with a primary diagnosis of respiratory failure, sepsis, bacteremia, or asthma) from all hospital admissions in California from 2012 to 2014. The researchers were unable to identify meaningful variation in hospital performance without broadening the metric definition and merging multiple years of data. They recommend that utilizers of pediatric-quality measures consider modifying metrics to better evaluate the quality of pediatric care at low-volume hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS024385; HS022835; HS024592; HS025297.
Citation: Kaiser SV, Lam R, Joseph GB .
Limitations of using pediatric respiratory illness readmissions to compare hospital performance.
J Hosp Med 2018 Nov;13(11):737-42. doi: 10.12788/jhm.2988..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Respiratory Conditions, Provider Performance, Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Measures, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement
Sills MR, Macy ML, Kocher KE
Return visit admissions may not indicate quality of emergency department care for children.
The goal of this retrospective analysis was to test the hypothesis that in-hospital outcomes are worse among children admitted during a return ED visit than among those admitted during an index visit. Children who were hospitalized in Florida and New York hospitals during a return visit within 7 days were classified as "ED return admissions" or "readmissions"; in-hospital outcomes for ED return admissions and readmissions were compared to "index admissions without return admission". The results indicate that children who are initially discharged from the ED and then have a return admission had lower severity but similar cost in comparison with children who experienced an index admission without a return admission. The authors conclude that this suggests that ED return visit admissions do not involve worse outcomes than index admissions.
AHRQ-funded; HS024160; HS016418.
Citation: Sills MR, Macy ML, Kocher KE .
Return visit admissions may not indicate quality of emergency department care for children.
Acad Emerg Med 2018 Mar;25(3):283-92. doi: 10.1111/acem.13324..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Hospital Discharge, Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals, Quality of Care, Outcomes