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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.
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1 to 7 of 7 Research Studies DisplayedLing VB, Levi EE, Harrington AR
The cost of improving care: a multisite economic analysis of hospital resource use for implementing recommended postpartum contraception programmes.
Researchers evaluated the cost of implementing immediate postpartum contraceptive services at four academic centers and one private hospital in the US. Using mixed-methods cost analysis, they found that pre-implementation activities required more resources than execution activities, and sites that used lower-cost employees observed lower costs per hour for implementation activities. Further, implementation activities and costs were associated with local contextual factors, including stakeholder acceptance, integration of employees, and infrastructure readiness for the change effort.
AHRQ-funded; HS025465; HS023784.
Citation: Ling VB, Levi EE, Harrington AR .
The cost of improving care: a multisite economic analysis of hospital resource use for implementing recommended postpartum contraception programmes.
BMJ Qual Saf 2021 Aug;30(8):658-67. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2020-011111..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Sexual Health, Women, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Andino J, Zhu A, Chopra Z
Video visits are practical for the follow-up and management of established male infertility patients.
This study looked at the use and benefits of video visits for the follow-up and management of established male infertility patients at a tertiary academic center in southeast Michigan. This review was conducted for visits prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most male infertility patients had an endocrinologic (29%) or anatomic (21%) cause for their infertility. The majority (73%) of visits involved reviewing results; 30% included counseling regarding assistive reproductive technologies; and 25% of visits resulted in prescribing hormonally active medications. No patients required an unplanned in-person visit with two patients coming in for an elective varicocelectomy. Cost savings ranged from $149 to $252 and they were estimated to save a median of 97 minutes of travel per visit.
AHRQ-funded; HS027632.
Citation: Andino J, Zhu A, Chopra Z .
Video visits are practical for the follow-up and management of established male infertility patients.
Urology 2021 Aug;154:158-63. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2021.03.050..
Keywords: Men's Health, Sexual Health, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare Costs
Moniz MH, Peahl AF, Fendrick AM
Cost sharing, postpartum contraceptive use, and short interpregnancy interval rates among commercially insured women.
This study compared postpartum contraceptive use among women who had high, low, or no cost sharing for different types of contraception. The authors conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of commercially insured women undergoing childbirth from 2014 to 2018 using Optum's (Eden Prairie, MN) de-identified Clinformatics Data Mart database. The women were included if they had continuous enrollment for 12 months postpartum. Among 25,298 plans with cost sharing data, 172,941 women were identified, including 47.7% with no cost sharing, 13.1% in low cost sharing, and 39.2% in high cost sharing plans. Women in no cost sharing plans had a higher predicted probability of using long-acting reversible contraceptives and a lower predicted probability of no prescription method use than those in low or high cost sharing plans. There was no difference in short interpregnancy intervals between the plan cost sharing types.
AHRQ-funded; HS025465.
Citation: Moniz MH, Peahl AF, Fendrick AM .
Cost sharing, postpartum contraceptive use, and short interpregnancy interval rates among commercially insured women.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2021 Mar;224(3):282.e1-82.e17. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2020.08.109..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Women, Health Insurance, Access to Care, Sexual Health
Dalton VK, Moniz MH, Bailey MJ
Trends in birth rates after elimination of cost sharing for contraception by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Researchers evaluated changes in birth rates by income level among commercially insured women before (2008-2013) and after (2014-2018) the elimination of cost sharing for contraception under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The analytic sample included over 4.5 million women enrolled in 47,721 health plans. In this cross-sectional study, the researchers found that the elimination of cost sharing for contraception under the ACA was associated with improvements in contraceptive method prescription fills and a decrease in births among commercially insured women. Women with low income had more precipitous decreases than women with higher income, suggesting that enhanced access to contraception may address well-documented income-related disparities in unintended birth rates.
AHRQ-funded; HS025465; HS023784.
Citation: Dalton VK, Moniz MH, Bailey MJ .
Trends in birth rates after elimination of cost sharing for contraception by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
JAMA Netw Open 2020 Nov 2;3(11):e2024398. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.24398..
Keywords: Policy, Health Insurance, Women, Healthcare Costs, Pregnancy, Sexual Health
Dalton VK, Carlos RC, Kolenic GE
The impact of cost sharing on women's use of annual examinations and effective contraception.
The goal of this study was to describe the relationship between the elimination of out-of-pocket costs and women's use of preventive care office visits and long-acting reversible contraception after accounting for baseline levels of cost sharing. Researchers found that out-of-pocket costs were low prior to the Affordable Care Act, and that eliminating costs was associated with increases in preventive service use among those with high levels of cost, but effect sizes were low, suggesting that cost is only one barrier. They concluded that failing to recognize that cost sharing was already low could lead to a false inference that the elimination of cost sharing was ineffective.
AHRQ-funded; HS023784.
Citation: Dalton VK, Carlos RC, Kolenic GE .
The impact of cost sharing on women's use of annual examinations and effective contraception.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2018 Jul;219(1):93.e1-93.e13. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2018.04.051..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Women, Sexual Health
Heisel E, Kolenic GE, Moniz MM
Intrauterine device insertion before and after mandated health care coverage: the importance of baseline costs.
This study evaluated changes in out-of-pocket cost for intrauterine device (IUD) placement before and after mandated coverage of contraceptive services and examined how changes in out-of-pocket cost influenced IUD insertion as a function of baseline cost. It concluded that women in plans with the greatest reduction in out-of-pocket cost after mandated coverage of contraception had the greatest gains in IUD insertion.
AHRQ-funded; HS023784.
Citation: Heisel E, Kolenic GE, Moniz MM .
Intrauterine device insertion before and after mandated health care coverage: the importance of baseline costs.
Obstet Gynecol 2018 May;131(5):843-49. doi: 10.1097/aog.0000000000002567.
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Keywords: Sexual Health, Women, Policy, Healthcare Costs
Haidari LA, Brown ST, Constenla D
Geospatial planning and the resulting economic impact of human papillomavirus vaccine introduction in Mozambique.
Researchers developed the Strategic Integrated Geo-temporal Mapping Application) to determine the potential economic impact of HPV immunization in Mozambique. If each health center covers a catchment area with a 5-km radius, then 40 percent of the target population could be reached to prevent 50 cases, 178 disability-adjusted life years, and US $202,854 in health care costs and lost productivity.
AHRQ-funded; HS023317.
Citation: Haidari LA, Brown ST, Constenla D .
Geospatial planning and the resulting economic impact of human papillomavirus vaccine introduction in Mozambique.
Sex Transm Dis 2017 Apr;44(4):222-26. doi: 10.1097/olq.0000000000000574.
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Keywords: Cancer, Healthcare Costs, Infectious Diseases, Sexual Health, Vaccination