National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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Search All Research Studies
Topics
- Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) (1)
- Education: Patient and Caregiver (1)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (2)
- (-) Home Healthcare (8)
- Hospitalization (1)
- Hospital Readmissions (1)
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- Nursing Homes (1)
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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 8 of 8 Research Studies DisplayedLi J
Home health agencies with high quality of patient care star ratings reduced short-term hospitalization rates and increased days independently at home.
Accurate Medicare Quality of Patient Care home health star ratings are crucial to helping patients find high-quality care, yet critics of these ratings indicate that they are not valid. The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess whether using the highest-rated home health agency available in a ZIP code improves outcomes. The researchers included 1,870,080 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries using home health care from July 2015 through July 2016 in the United States. The study found that treatment by the highest-rated agencies available decreased risks of hospitalization, emergency department use, and institutionalization during the initial episode, and increased days independently at home by 2.6% or 3.75 days in the 180 days after the end of the initial episode. Treatment effects were stronger for agencies that were above-average, had 1 or more stars than the next-best agency, and nonrural residents. Effects were positive for both postacute and community-entry patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS026836.
Citation: Li J .
Home health agencies with high quality of patient care star ratings reduced short-term hospitalization rates and increased days independently at home.
Med Care 2024 Jan; 62(1):11-20. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001930..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Quality of Care, Hospitalization, Provider Performance
Watnick S, Blake PG, Mehrotra R
System-level strategies to improve home dialysis: policy levers and quality initiatives.
This article discusses trends in home dialysis use, reviews the evolving understanding of what constitutes high quality care for the home dialysis population (as well as how this can be measured), and discusses policy and advocacy efforts that continue to shape the care of US patients, and compares with experiences in other countries. The authors conclude by discussing future directions for quality and advocacy efforts.
AHRQ-funded; HS028684.
Citation: Watnick S, Blake PG, Mehrotra R .
System-level strategies to improve home dialysis: policy levers and quality initiatives.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2023 Dec; 18(12):1616-25. doi: 10.2215/cjn.0000000000000299..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Kidney Disease and Health, Policy, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Schwartz ML, Rahman M, Thomas KS
Consumer selection and home health agency quality and patient experience stars.
The objective of this study was to compare the impact of the introduction of two distinct sets of star ratings, quality of care, and patient experience, on home health agency (HHA) selection. The investigators concluded that the introduction of quality of care and patient experience stars were associated with changes in HHA selection; however, the strength of these relationships was weaker than observed in other health care settings where a single star rating was reported.
AHRQ-funded; HS026440.
Citation: Schwartz ML, Rahman M, Thomas KS .
Consumer selection and home health agency quality and patient experience stars.
Health Serv Res 2022 Feb;57(1):113-24. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13867..
Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Home Healthcare, Patient Experience, Quality Measures, Quality of Care, Provider Performance, Quality Indicators (QIs)
Geng F, Mansouri S, Stevenson DG
Evolution of the home health care market: the expansion and quality performance of multi-agency chains.
This study examined the growth and quality performance of multi-agency home health agency (HHA) chains from 2005 to 2018. All Medicare-certified HHAs were included. Over the time period, the number of HHAs increased from 7899 to 10,818 and the number of chain-owned HHAs more than doubled from 903 to 1841. In 2018, for-profit nonchain agencies were still the largest category - both in the number of agencies (67.8%) and number of Medicare enrollees served (40.7%). Non-chain for-profit HHAs served the highest proportion of dual eligible beneficiaries and African Americans among all agency types.
AHRQ-funded; HS024072.
Citation: Geng F, Mansouri S, Stevenson DG .
Evolution of the home health care market: the expansion and quality performance of multi-agency chains.
Health Serv Res 2020 Dec;55(Suppl 3):1073-84. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13597..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Provider Performance, Quality of Care
Wang Y, Spatz ES, Tariq M
Home health agency performance in the United States: 2011-15.
This review’s evaluation of home health agency quality performance included 11,462 Medicare-certified home health agencies that served 92.4 percent of all ZIP codes nationwide, accounting for 315.2 million people. It found that home health agency performance on several quality indicators varied, and many agencies were persistently in the lowest quartile of performance.
AHRQ-funded; HS023000.
Citation: Wang Y, Spatz ES, Tariq M .
Home health agency performance in the United States: 2011-15.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2017 Dec;65(12):2572-79. doi: 10.1111/jgs.14987.
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Keywords: Quality of Care, Home Healthcare, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Measures
Wang Y, Pandolfi MM, Fine J
Community level association between home health and nursing home performance on quality and hospital 30-day readmissions for Medicare patients.
Using CMS data from 2010 to 2012, the researchers evaluated whether community-level home health agencies and nursing home performance is associated with community-level hospital 30-day all-cause risk-standardized readmission rates for Medicare patients. They found that increasing nursing home performance by one star for all of its 4 measures and home health performance by 10 points for all of its 6 measures is associated with decreases in community-level risk-standardized readmission rates.
AHRQ-funded; HS023000.
Citation: Wang Y, Pandolfi MM, Fine J .
Community level association between home health and nursing home performance on quality and hospital 30-day readmissions for Medicare patients.
Home Health Care Manag Pract 2016 Nov;28(4):201-08. doi: 10.1177/1084822316639032.
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Keywords: Quality of Care, Hospital Readmissions, Home Healthcare, Nursing Homes, Provider Performance
Koru G, Alhuwail D, Topaz M
Investigating the challenges and opportunities in home care to facilitate effective information technology adoption.
This investigation of the pressing challenges and opportunities for achieving effectiveness in IT adoption found that coordinating clinical and administrative workflows was an important challenge. Inadequate access to patients' medical history and difficulties with medication reconciliation detracted from the quality of care. Hiring, training, scheduling, and retaining qualified personnel constituted another important challenge.
AHRQ-funded; HS022352.
Citation: Koru G, Alhuwail D, Topaz M .
Investigating the challenges and opportunities in home care to facilitate effective information technology adoption.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2016 Jan;17(1):53-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2015.10.008.
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Keywords: Home Healthcare, Health Information Technology (HIT), Quality of Care
Baier RR, Cooper E, Wysocki A
Using qualitative methods to create a home health web application user interface for patients with low computer proficiency.
The researchers undertook a multi-phased approach to create a consumer-facing home health web application in Rhode Island. This included reviewing the evidence base to identify design recommendations and then creating a paper prototype and wireframe. They performed qualitative research to iteratively test their proposed user interface with two user groups, home health consumers and hospital case managers and t]hen refined their design to create the final web application.
AHRQ-funded; HS021879
Citation: Baier RR, Cooper E, Wysocki A .
Using qualitative methods to create a home health web application user interface for patients with low computer proficiency.
eGEMS. 2015 May 13;3(2):1166. doi: 10.13063/2327-9214.1166..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Health Information Technology (HIT), Quality of Care, Education: Patient and Caregiver