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
- COVID-19 (1)
- Disparities (1)
- Elderly (1)
- Home Healthcare (1)
- Hospitalization (1)
- (-) Medicare (5)
- Mortality (2)
- Nursing Homes (1)
- (-) Outcomes (5)
- Patient Experience (1)
- Provider Performance (1)
- Quality Improvement (1)
- Quality Measures (1)
- Quality of Care (2)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (1)
- Sepsis (2)
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 5 of 5 Research Studies DisplayedSong Zhang, Zhang X, Patterson LJ
Racial and ethnic disparities in hospitalization outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study assessed assess racial and ethnic differences in hospitalization outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic among Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare claims from the Social Security Administration was used to determine in-hospital mortality and mortality inclusive of discharges to hospice and discharges to postacute care. Over 31 million Medicare recipients in the database were analyzed with over 14 million hospitalizations from January 2019 to February 2021. There was a decline in non-COVID-19 and an emergence of COVID-19 hospitalizations among beneficiaries of different racial and ethnic minority groups through February 2021. In-hospital mortality was not significantly different among Black patients relative to White patients but was 3.5 percentage points higher among Hispanic patients and other racial and ethnic minority groups. There were disparities in discharges to hospice and postacute care as well.
AHRQ-funded; HS024072.
Citation: Song Zhang, Zhang X, Patterson LJ .
Racial and ethnic disparities in hospitalization outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
JAMA Health Forum 2021 Dec 23;2(12):e214223. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2021.4223..
Keywords: COVID-19, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities, Medicare, Hospitalization, Outcomes, Mortality
Barbash IJ, Davis BS, Yabes JG
Treatment patterns and clinical outcomes after the introduction of the Medicare Sepsis Performance Measure (SEP-1).
This study evaluated the effect of Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Early Management Bundle (SEP-1) on treatment patterns and patient outcomes. Findings showed that, two years after its implementation, SEP-1 was associated with variable changes in process measures, with the greatest effect being an increase in lactate measurement within 3 hours of sepsis onset. There were small increases in antibiotic administration and fluid administration, a small increase in ICU admissions, and no changes in mortality or discharge to home.
Citation: Barbash IJ, Davis BS, Yabes JG .
Treatment patterns and clinical outcomes after the introduction of the Medicare Sepsis Performance Measure (SEP-1).
Ann Intern Med 2021 Jul;174(7):927-35. doi: 10.7326/m20-5043..
Keywords: Sepsis, Medicare, Outcomes, Quality Measures, Quality of Care
Downer B, Pritchard K, Thomas KS
Improvement in activities of daily living during a nursing home stay and one-year mortality among older adults with sepsis.
This study looked at the association between recovery of activities of daily living (ADLs) during a skilled nursing facility (SNF) stay and 1-year mortality after SNF discharge among Medicare beneficiaries treated in intensive care for sepsis. This retrospective cohort study identified 59,383 Medicare beneficiaries who were admitted to an SNF within 3 days of discharge from hospitalization that included time in an ICU for sepsis from all of 2013 to October 2015. About 58% of SNF residents showed improvement in ADL function. The higher the improvement in ADL score the less the mortality risk compared to residents who did not improve.
AHRQ-funded; HS026133.
Citation: Downer B, Pritchard K, Thomas KS .
Improvement in activities of daily living during a nursing home stay and one-year mortality among older adults with sepsis.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2021 Apr;69(4):938-45. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16915..
Keywords: Elderly, Nursing Homes, Medicare, Sepsis, Mortality, Outcomes
Wang J, Ying M, Temkin-Greener H
Utilization and functional outcomes among Medicare home health recipients varied across living situations.
Home health (HH) is a major type of home-based skilled care available to Medicare beneficiaries. In this study, the investigators examined the association between living situation and utilization and functional outcomes among Medicare HH recipients. The investigators concluded that, in the study population, patients living with others at home had the highest risk of hospitalization and ED visits, whereas assisted living (AL) residents had the lowest risk of hospitalization and patients living alone at home had the lowest risk of ED visits.
AHRQ-funded; HS026893.
Citation: Wang J, Ying M, Temkin-Greener H .
Utilization and functional outcomes among Medicare home health recipients varied across living situations.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2021 Mar;69(3):704-10. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16949..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Medicare, Outcomes
Meyers DJ, Trivedi AN, Wilson IB, DJ, Trivedi AN, Wilson IB
Higher Medicare Advantage Star Ratings are associated with improvements In patient outcomes.
Researchers examined CMS' five-star rating system for the overall quality of Medicare Advantage (MA) contracts. They found that enrollees experiencing a one-star MA rating increase were 20.8 percent less likely to leave their plan voluntarily to enroll in another plan or traditional Medicare. When hospitalized, enrollees were 3.4 percent more likely to use a higher-quality hospital and 2.6 percent less likely to be readmitted within ninety days. These findings suggest that MA star ratings may capture key domains of an MA plan's quality.
AHRQ-funded; HS027051.
Citation: Meyers DJ, Trivedi AN, Wilson IB, DJ, Trivedi AN, Wilson IB .
Higher Medicare Advantage Star Ratings are associated with improvements In patient outcomes.
Health Aff 2021 Feb;40(2):243-50. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00845..
Keywords: Patient Experience, Provider Performance, Medicare, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Outcomes