National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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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 13 of 13 Research Studies DisplayedGreenberg JK, Olsen MA, Dibble CF
Comparison of cost and complication rates for profiling hospital performance in lumbar fusion for spondylolisthesis.
Investigators sought to evaluate the reliability of 90-day inpatient hospital costs, overall complications, and rates of serious complications for profiling hospital performance in lumbar fusion surgery for spondylolisthesis. Using HCUP data, they found that 90-day inpatient costs were highly reliable for assessing variation across hospitals, whereas overall and serious complications were only moderately reliable for profiling performance. They concluded that their results support the viability of emerging bundled payment programs that assume true differences in costs of care exist across hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS027075; HS019455.
Citation: Greenberg JK, Olsen MA, Dibble CF .
Comparison of cost and complication rates for profiling hospital performance in lumbar fusion for spondylolisthesis.
Spine J 2021 Dec;21(12):2026-34. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2021.06.014..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Hospitals, Provider Performance, Surgery, Quality Measures, Quality of Care
Chhabra KR, Sheetz KH, Regenbogen SE
Wide variation in surgical spending within hospital systems: a missed opportunity for bundled payment success.
Researchers sought to measure the extent of variation in episode spending around total hip replacement for fee-for-service Medicare patients within and across hospital systems identified in the American Hospital Association Annual Survey. They found that average episode payments varied nearly as much within hospital systems as they did between the lowest- and highest-cost quintiles of systems, with variation driven by post-acute care utilization.
AHRQ-funded; HS000053.
Citation: Chhabra KR, Sheetz KH, Regenbogen SE .
Wide variation in surgical spending within hospital systems: a missed opportunity for bundled payment success.
Ann Surg 2021 Dec 1;274(6):e1078-e84. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000003741..
Keywords: Surgery, Health Systems, Medicare, Healthcare Costs, Hospitals
Liao JM, Gupta A, Zhao Y
Association between hospital voluntary participation, mandatory participation, or nonparticipation in bundled payments and Medicare episodic spending for hip and knee replacements.
The purpose of this study was to examine and compare 2011-2017 spending for hip and joint replacements between hospitals with voluntary participation, mandatory participation and nonparticipation in the Medicare Bundled Payments for Care Improvement program.
Citation: Liao JM, Gupta A, Zhao Y .
Association between hospital voluntary participation, mandatory participation, or nonparticipation in bundled payments and Medicare episodic spending for hip and knee replacements.
JAMA 2021 Aug 3;326(5):438-40. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.10046..
Keywords: Medicare, Hospitals, Payment, Surgery, Orthopedics, Healthcare Costs
Khanijow AN, Wood LN, Xie R
The impact of an enhanced recovery program (ERP) on the costs of colorectal surgery.
This study’s objective was to investigate the costs associated with a colorectal Enhanced Recovery Program (ERP) in a large academic health system. Subjects were patients who underwent colorectal surgery 2012-14 (pre-ERP) and 2015-17 (ERP). Findings showed that implementation of an ERP for colorectal surgery was associated with lower variable costs compared to pre-ERP.
AHRQ-funded; HS023009.
Citation: Khanijow AN, Wood LN, Xie R .
The impact of an enhanced recovery program (ERP) on the costs of colorectal surgery.
Am J Surg 2021 Jul;222(1):186-92. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2020.11.034..
Keywords: Surgery, Adverse Events, Healthcare Costs
Herb JN, Ollila DW, Stitzenberg KB
Use and costs of sentinel lymph node biopsy in non-ulcerated T1b melanoma: analysis of a population-based registry.
This study looked at the utility of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for non-ulcerated T1b melanoma. The aim of the study was to estimate SLNB use, positivity, prevalence, and procedural costs in patients with non-ulcerated T1b melanoma using a population-based registry. Patients with clinically node-negative, non-ulcerated T1b melanoma were identified in the SEER database from 2010 to 2016. Among 7245 included patients, 53% underwent SLNB of which 156 (4.1%) had a positive SLNB. Higher odds of positivity were associated with younger age, >1 mitosis per mm2, female sex, and truncal tumor location. Estimated SLNB costs to identify one patient with Stage II disease was $71,700. Out-of-pocket expenses for a Medicare patient was estimated to be $652 for a wide local excision (WLE) and SLNB and $79 for WLE alone.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Herb JN, Ollila DW, Stitzenberg KB .
Use and costs of sentinel lymph node biopsy in non-ulcerated T1b melanoma: analysis of a population-based registry.
Ann Surg Oncol 2021 Jul;28(7):3470-78. doi: 10.1245/s10434-021-09998-6..
Keywords: Cancer: Skin Cancer, Cancer, Surgery, Healthcare Costs, Skin Conditions
Childers CP, Ettner SL, Hays RD
Variation in intraoperative and postoperative utilization for 3 common general surgery procedures.
The goal of this study was to understand variation in intraoperative and postoperative utilization for common general surgery procedures. Electronic health record data for 7762 operations from two health systems were analyzed. Findings showed that surgeons were significant drivers of variation in surgical supply costs and procedure time, but much less so for postoperative length of stay. Intraoperative and postoperative utilization profiles can be generated for individual surgeons and may be an important tool for reducing surgical costs.
AHRQ-funded; HS025079.
Citation: Childers CP, Ettner SL, Hays RD .
Variation in intraoperative and postoperative utilization for 3 common general surgery procedures.
Ann Surg 2021 Jul 1;274(1):107-13. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000003571..
Keywords: Surgery, Healthcare Costs
Medbery RL, Fernandez FG, Kosinski AS
Costs associated with lobectomy for lung cancer: an analysis merging STS and Medicare data.
Researchers sought to identify underlying case mix factors that contribute to variability of 90-day costs of lobectomy for early-stage lung cancer. Using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database, they found that lobectomy is associated with substantial variability of episode-of-care costs. Variability is driven by patient demographic and clinical factors, hospital characteristics, and the occurrence and severity of complications.
AHRQ-funded; R01 HS022279.
Citation: Medbery RL, Fernandez FG, Kosinski AS .
Costs associated with lobectomy for lung cancer: an analysis merging STS and Medicare data.
Ann Thorac Surg 2021 Jun;111(6):1781-90. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.08.073..
Keywords: Cancer: Lung Cancer, Cancer, Healthcare Costs, Surgery, Elderly, Medicare
Cowper PA, Feng L, Kosinski AS
Initial and longitudinal cost of surgical resection for lung cancer.
This study looked at the 4-year longitudinal cost of surgical resection of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study describes initial and 4-year resource use and cost for NSCLC patients aged 65 years of age or older who were treated surgically from 2008 to 2013. Clinical data for NSCLC resections from The Society of Thoracic Surgery Database linked to Medicare claims, resource use and cost of preoperative staging, surgery, and subsequent care through 4 years were examined. Outcomes were stratified by pathologic stage and surgical approach for stage I lobectomy patients. In the first 90 days costs ranged from $12,430 for stage I to $26,350 for stage IV. Cumulative costs ranged from $131,032 for stage I to $205,368 for stage IV. For the stage I lobectomy cohort, patients who had minimally invasive procedures had lower 4-year costs than thoracotomy patients ($120,346 versus $136,250).
AHRQ-funded; R01 HS022279.
Citation: Cowper PA, Feng L, Kosinski AS .
Initial and longitudinal cost of surgical resection for lung cancer.
Ann Thorac Surg 2021 Jun;111(6):1827-33. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.07.048..
Keywords: Cancer: Lung Cancer, Cancer, Surgery, Healthcare Costs
Chhabra KR, Fan Z, Chao GF
The role of commercial health insurance characteristics in bariatric surgery utilization.
The goal of this study was to understand relationships among insurance plan type, out-of-pocket cost sharing, and the utilization of bariatric surgery among commercially insured patients. Over 73,000 commercially insured members of the IBM MarketScan commercial claims database who underwent bariatric surgery from 2014-17 were retroactively reviewed. Findings showed that insurance plan types with higher cost sharing have lower utilization of bariatric surgery.
AHRQ-funded; HS025778; HS000053.
Citation: Chhabra KR, Fan Z, Chao GF .
The role of commercial health insurance characteristics in bariatric surgery utilization.
Ann Surg 2021 Jun;273(6):1150-56. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000003569..
Keywords: Health Insurance, Obesity, Obesity: Weight Management, Surgery, Healthcare Costs, Healthcare Utilization
O'Hara NN, Mullins CD, Slobogean GP
Association of postoperative infections after fractures with long-term income among adults.
This retrospective cohort study evaluated the association between postoperative infection in patients with surgically treated fractures and long-term income loss. Out of 11,673 adults who underwent surgery to treat fractures of the extremities or pelvis from 2003-2016, a total of 3.5% had a postoperative infection. These infections were associated with a $6080 annual decrease in household income in the 6 years after injury. There was a 6.6% increase in the risk of catastrophic wage loss within 2 years of the fracture and a 45% increase in the odds of receiving Social Security benefits. However, postoperative infections were not associated with an increase in the value of the Social Security benefits received.
AHRQ-funded; HS027218.
Citation: O'Hara NN, Mullins CD, Slobogean GP .
Association of postoperative infections after fractures with long-term income among adults.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Apr;4(4):e216673. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.6673..
Keywords: Surgery, Injuries and Wounds, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Adverse Events, Healthcare Costs
Haddad DN, Shipe ME, Absi TS
Preparing for bundled payments: impact of complications post-coronary artery bypass grafting on costs.
This study examined the impact of complications on bundled payments for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for care provided from admission through 90 days post-discharge. The authors linked clinical and internal cost data for patients undergoing CABG from 2014 to 2017 at a single institution. They performed multivariable linear regression to evaluate drivers of high costs, adjusting for preoperative and intraoperative characteristics and postoperative complications. They reviewed records of 1789 patients undergoing CABG with an average of 2.7 vessels. A large proportion of patients were diabetic and obese. Factors associated with increased adjusted costs were preoperative renal failure, diabetes and body mass index, postoperative stroke, prolonged ventilation, rebleeding requiring reoperation, and renal failure with varying magnitude.
AHRQ-funded; HS026122.
Citation: Haddad DN, Shipe ME, Absi TS .
Preparing for bundled payments: impact of complications post-coronary artery bypass grafting on costs.
Ann Thorac Surg 2021 Apr;111(4):1258-63. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.06.105..
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Surgery, Adverse Events, Healthcare Costs, Payment
Diaz A, Chhabra KR, Dimick JB
Variations in surgical spending within hospital systems for complex cancer surgery.
Researchers sought to measure variations in episode spending within and across hospital systems among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing complex cancer surgery. They found wide variations in surgical episode spending both within and across hospital systems. They recommended that system leaders seek better understanding of variations in practices among their hospitals to standardize care and reduce variations in outcomes, use, and costs.
AHRQ-funded; HS024763.
Citation: Diaz A, Chhabra KR, Dimick JB .
Variations in surgical spending within hospital systems for complex cancer surgery.
Cancer 2021 Feb 15;127(4):586-97. doi: 10.1002/cncr.33299..
Keywords: Surgery, Cancer, Healthcare Costs, Health Systems, Hospitals
Modi PK, Kaufman SR, Caram ME
Medicare Accountable Care Organizations and the adoption of new surgical technology.
Dissemination of new surgical technology is a major contributor to healthcare spending growth. Accountable care organization (ACO) policy aims to control spending while maintaining quality. As a result, ACOs provide incentive for hospitals to selectively adopt newer procedures with high value. In this retrospective cohort study the investigators concluded that despite ACO policy incentives to selectively adopt newer surgical technology, ACO participation was not associated with differences in rate of surgery or use of newer surgical technology for 6 major surgical procedures.
AHRQ-funded; HS025707.
Citation: Modi PK, Kaufman SR, Caram ME .
Medicare Accountable Care Organizations and the adoption of new surgical technology.
J Am Coll Surg 2021 Feb;232(2):138-45.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2020.10.016..
Keywords: Medicare, Surgery, Policy, Healthcare Costs