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 25 of 107 Research Studies DisplayedPost B, Hollenbeck BK, Norton EC
Hospital-physician integration and clinical volume in traditional Medicare.
The purpose of this study was to test the effect of hospital-physician integration on primary care physicians' (PCP) clinical volume in traditional Medicare. The researchers identified 70,000 PCPs, some of whom remained non-integrated and some who became hospital-integrated during this study period. An event study design was utilized to identify the effect of integration on key measures of physicians' clinical volume, including the number of claims, work-relative value units (RVUs), professional revenue generated, number of patients treated, and facility fee revenue generated. The study found that per-physician clinical volume declined by statistically and economically significant margins. Relative to the comparison group who remained non-integrated, work RVUs fell by 7%; the number of patients treated fell by 4%; and claims volume among PCPs who became hospital-integrated fell by over 15%.
AHRQ-funded; HS027044; HS025707.
Citation: Post B, Hollenbeck BK, Norton EC .
Hospital-physician integration and clinical volume in traditional Medicare.
Health Serv Res 2024 Feb; 59(1):e14172. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14172..
Keywords: Medicare, Primary Care, Healthcare Delivery, Provider: Physician
Loo S, Brady KJS, Ragavan MI
Validation of the Clinicians' Cultural Sensitivity Survey for use in pediatric primary care settings.
This study examined the validity of the Clinicians’ Cultural Sensitivity Survey (CCCS) for use in pediatric primary care, which was developed as a patient-reported survey assessing clinicians' recognition of cultural factors affecting care quality for older Latino patients. The authors adapted the survey for use with parents of pediatric patients. A convenience sampling approach was used to identify eligible parents during well-child visits at urban pediatric primary care clinic, and parents were administered the survey via electronic tablet. They first conducted exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) to explore the dimensionality of survey responses in the adapted CCSS, and then conducted a series of confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) using maximum likelihood estimation based on the results of the EFAs. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (N = 212 parent surveys) supported a three-factor structure assessing racial discrimination, culturally-affirming practices, and causal attribution of health problems. The 3-factor model also outperformed other potential factors in terms of fit statistics and demonstrated adequate fit.
AHRQ-funded; HS022242; HS026395.
Citation: Loo S, Brady KJS, Ragavan MI .
Validation of the Clinicians' Cultural Sensitivity Survey for use in pediatric primary care settings.
J Immigr Minor Health 2023 Aug; 25(4):790-802. doi: 10.1007/s10903-023-01469-2..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Primary Care, Cultural Competence, Healthcare Delivery
Zhou Y, Viswanatha A, Motaleb AA
A predictive decision analytics approach for primary care operations management: a case study of double-booking strategy design and evaluation.
This paper presented a decision analytics approach based on predictive analytics and hybrid simulation to facilitate management of underlying complexities and uncertainties in primary care delivery systems. The authors conducted a case study in a family medicine clinic to demonstrate the use of this approach for patient no-show management. The results showed that the optimum productivity/efficiency balance was derived under a prediction-based double-booking strategy. The authors concluded that their proposed approach had the potential to support decision-making in primary care operations management and to improve the system's performance, as well as to be generalized for broader applications for various healthcare settings.
AHRQ-funded; HS027277.
Citation: Zhou Y, Viswanatha A, Motaleb AA .
A predictive decision analytics approach for primary care operations management: a case study of double-booking strategy design and evaluation.
Comput Ind Eng 2023 Mar; 17. doi: 10.1016/j.cie.2023.109069..
Keywords: Primary Care, Healthcare Delivery
Safon CB, Estela MG, Rosenberg J
Implementation of a novel pediatric behavioral health integration initiative.
The purpose of this concurrent, qualitative-dominant mixed methods empirical study was to explore healthcare professionals' perceptions of the impact of behavioral health integration (BHI) on pediatric primary care delivery in community health centers (CHCs). The researchers utilized semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals at the end of the implementation phase of a 3-year process and surveys administered at three time points. Qualitative themes were mapped onto the Relational Coordination (RC) conceptual framework to triangulate and complement final qualitative results with quantitative results. The researchers round five emergent themes aligning with RC domains. The results of the survey showed that healthcare professionals reported both greater behavioral healthcare integration into clinic practice and greater clinic readiness to address behavioral health needs. The researchers concluded that effective pediatric BHI and care delivery at CHCs may depend on solid professional relationships and communication.
AHRQ-funded; HS022242.
Citation: Safon CB, Estela MG, Rosenberg J .
Implementation of a novel pediatric behavioral health integration initiative.
J Behav Health Serv Res 2023 Jan;50(1):1-17. doi: 10.1007/s11414-022-09803-6..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Behavioral Health, Healthcare Delivery, Primary Care, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Community-Based Practice
Beidler LB, Razon N, Lang H
"More than just giving them a piece of paper": interviews with primary care on social needs referrals to community-based organizations.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe primary care practice’s referrals to community-based organizations. The researchers utilized semi-structured interviews with 50 healthcare administrators in charge of social care efforts within their organization. Fifty diverse United States healthcare organizations and agencies were included. The study found that social needs referrals were an essential element of administrator’s social care activities. Administrators described the optimal referral program as one which places limited burden on care teams, provides patients with customized referrals, and facilitates closed-loop referrals. The researchers identified three key challenges organizations encounter when trying to implement the optimal referrals program: 1) developing and maintaining resources lists; 2) aligning referrals with patient needs; and 3) measuring the efficacy of referrals. Administrators The study concluded that primary care practice referrals to community-based organizations were used to improve patients' social conditions, but administrators report challenges providing customized and current information to their patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS024075.
Citation: Beidler LB, Razon N, Lang H .
"More than just giving them a piece of paper": interviews with primary care on social needs referrals to community-based organizations.
J Gen Intern Med 2022 Dec;37(16):4160-67. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07531-3..
Keywords: Primary Care, Social Determinants of Health, Community-Based Practice, Healthcare Delivery
Kuzel AJ, Cuellar A, Nichols L
The EvidenceNOW practice support initiative: the Heart of Virginia Healthcare.
The purpose of this study was for The Heart of Virginia Health care (HVH) collaborative (one of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) Evidence Now project’s 7 collaboratives) to test different ways to improve performance and outcomes on ABCS clinical quality measures (appropriate Aspirin use, Blood pressure control, Cholesterol control, and Smoking cessation counseling) within small primary care practices. The researchers recruited 264 eligible practices and randomized them to 3 cohorts in a stepped wedge design, with 173, utilizing 16 different EHRs, participated through the entire initiative. Trained coaches delivered the practice support curriculum to improve performance on the ABCS measures. The program included an initial kickoff meeting, 3 months of focused support, 9 months of continued support, and access to online materials and faculty. The intervention phase was shortened due to difficulty in recruiting a sufficient number of practices. The study found that the short HVH intervention had a small but statistically significant positive average effects on appropriate use of aspirin and other anti-thrombotics, small negative effects on blood pressure control, except for those practices which did not attend the kickoff, and small negative effects on smoking cessation counseling. The researchers concluded that the truncation of the intervention contributed to the lack of substantial improvements in the ABCS.
AHRQ-funded; HS023913.
Citation: Kuzel AJ, Cuellar A, Nichols L .
The EvidenceNOW practice support initiative: the Heart of Virginia Healthcare.
J Am Board Fam Med 2022 Oct 18;35(5):979-89. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2022.05.210021..
Keywords: Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Evidence-Based Practice, Primary Care, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Healthcare Delivery
Fraze TK, Lewis VA, Wood A
Configuration and delivery of primary care in rural and urban settings.
This study examined configuration and delivery of rural primary care of Medicare beneficiaries compared to more urban settings. The study included over 27 million participants with qualifying visits who were assigned to practices. The authors characterized practices’ structures, capabilities, and payment reform participation and measured beneficiary utilization by rurality. Rural practices were smaller, more primary care dominant and system owned with more beneficiaries per practice. Rural area beneficiaries were more likely to be from high-poverty areas and disabled. There was less engagement in quality-focused payment programs than in metropolitan practices. There was less preventive care, such as fewer beneficiaries with diabetes receiving an eye exam, fewer mammograms, and higher overall and condition-specific readmissions. While most isolated beneficiaries traveled to more urban practices for outpatient care, those receiving care in rural practices had similar outpatient and inpatient utilization to urban counterparts except for readmissions and quality metrics that rely on services outside of primary care.
AHRQ-funded; HS024075.
Citation: Fraze TK, Lewis VA, Wood A .
Configuration and delivery of primary care in rural and urban settings.
J Gen Intern Med 2022 Sep;37(12):3045-53. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07472-x..
Keywords: Primary Care, Healthcare Delivery, Rural Health, Urban Health, Medicare
Fraze TK, Beidler LB, De Marchis EH
"Beyond just a supplement": administrators' visions for the future of virtual primary care services.
The purpose of this study was to examine what health care organization administrators think about the future of virtual primary care services post-pandemic. In March-April 2021, the administrators of 17 health care organizations participated in semistructured qualitative phone interviews. The researchers explored how the administrators thought their organizations would offer virtual services after the pandemic. The study found that all the participants anticipated that their organization’s virtual primary care services would exist after the pandemic, with the main goals of 1) optimizing medical services; 2) enhancing the patient experience; and 3) increasing loyalty among patients, and the primary motivation being to remain competitive and financial solvency. The researchers concluded that administrators of health care organizations are examining how virtual services can continue after the pandemic, and what roles they will play in the delivery of services.
AHRQ-funded; HS024075.
Citation: Fraze TK, Beidler LB, De Marchis EH .
"Beyond just a supplement": administrators' visions for the future of virtual primary care services.
J Am Board Fam Med 2022 May-Jun;35(3):527-36. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2022.03.210479..
Keywords: Primary Care, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare Delivery, COVID-19
Bierman AS, Tong ST, McNellis RJ
AHRQ Author: Bierman AS, Tong ST, McNellis RJ
Realizing the dream: the future of primary care research.
In this article, the authors discussed the primary care research central to successful primary care transformation and to realizing the vision of a high-performing US health system to serve effectively all Americans and their communities while advancing health equity.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Bierman AS, Tong ST, McNellis RJ .
Realizing the dream: the future of primary care research.
Ann Fam Med 2022 Mar-Apr;20(2):170-74. doi: 10.1370/afm.2788..
Keywords: Primary Care, Healthcare Delivery, Evidence-Based Practice, Health Systems, Learning Health Systems, Patient-Centered Healthcare
Adler-Milstein J, Linden A, Bernstein S
Longitudinal participation in delivery and payment reform programs among US primary care organizations.
The purpose of this retrospective, observational study was to assess longitudinal primary care organization participation patterns in large-scale reform programs and to identify organizational characteristics associated with multiprogram participation. Medicare claims were used to identify organizations that delivered primary care services. Findings showed that no program achieved more than 50% participation; 36% of organizations did not participate in any program; 50% participated in one; 13% in two; and 1% in all three. Larger organizations, those with younger providers, those with more primary care providers, and those with larger Medicare patient panels were more likely to participate in more programs.
AHRQ-funded; HS025165.
Citation: Adler-Milstein J, Linden A, Bernstein S .
Longitudinal participation in delivery and payment reform programs among US primary care organizations.
Health Serv Res 2022 Feb;57(1):47-55. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13646..
Keywords: Primary Care, Medicare, Healthcare Delivery
Smith LB
The effect of nurse practitioner scope of practice laws on primary care delivery.
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are an increasingly integral part of the primary care workforce. NPs' authority to practice without physician oversight is regulated by state-level scope of practice (SOP) restrictions. To the extent that SOP restrictions prevent NPs from practicing to their full abilities and capacity, they could create inefficiencies and restrict access to health care. The purpose of this paper was to explore what occurs at primary care practices when states ease their scope of practice (SOP) laws. The researcher utilized a novel dataset of claims and electronic health records to quantify the effects of easing SOP laws in 3 areas: 1. Nurse Practitioners' autonomy in their everyday jobs; 2. Total workload and the allocation of patients between physicians and NPs; and 3. The delivery of low-value services at primary care practices. The study found no evidence that easing SOP laws impacts neither the volume or allocation of patients to NPs, nor the delivery of low-value services.
AHRQ-funded; HS026659.
Citation: Smith LB .
The effect of nurse practitioner scope of practice laws on primary care delivery.
Health Econ 2022 Jan; 31(1):21-41. doi: 10.1002/hec.4438..
Keywords: Primary Care, Healthcare Delivery, Policy, Provider: Clinician, Provider: Nurse
Bierman AS, Wang J, O'Malley PG
AHRQ Author: Bierman AS, Wang J, O'Malley PG, Moss DK
Transforming care for people with multiple chronic conditions: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's research agenda.
This article describes issues addressing the needs of those with multiple chronic conditions and discusses the AHRQ research agenda.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Bierman AS, Wang J, O'Malley PG .
Transforming care for people with multiple chronic conditions: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's research agenda.
Health Serv Res 2021 Oct;56(Suppl 1):973-79. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13863..
Keywords: Chronic Conditions, Health Services Research (HSR), Healthcare Delivery, Quality of Care, Primary Care, Guidelines, Evidence-Based Practice
Chen H, Upadhyay N, Lyu N
Association of primary and behavioral health integrated care upon pediatric mental disorder treatment.
This study’s objective was to examine whether linkage with mental health (MH) treatment differed across 3 different integrated care agreements (ICAs) following diagnosis for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) or Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) given by primary care providers (PCPs) in the pediatric setting. The ICAs were categorized as PCPs who practiced alone (non-co-located); PCPs practiced with specialist outside the practice but co-located at the practice site; and employed specialists who were co-located. A total of 4203 incident ADHD and 298 incident MDD diagnoses were identified, of which 74% of ADHD cases and 67% of MDD cases received treatment within 90 days of diagnosis. Children with ADHD were twice as likely to receive treatment if they were diagnosed by non-co-located or co-affiliated PCPs than those diagnosed by non-co-located PCPs. Those treated children were also 2 times more likely to receive guideline recommended psychotherapy and treated at the diagnosing site versus elsewhere.
AHRQ-funded; HS025251.
Citation: Chen H, Upadhyay N, Lyu N .
Association of primary and behavioral health integrated care upon pediatric mental disorder treatment.
Acad Pediatr 2021 Sep-Oct;21(7):1187-94. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.05.021..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Behavioral Health, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Primary Care, Healthcare Delivery, Depression
Quigley DD, Slaughter M, Qureshi N
Practices and changes associated with patient-centered medical home transformation.
Knowing which patient-centered medical home (PCMH) care delivery changes and quality improvement (QI) practices further PCMH implementation is essential. In this study, the investigators used the 2008-2017 National Committee of Quality Assurance (NCQA) PCMH directory of 15,188 primary care practices that received Level 1, 2, or 3 NCQA PCMH recognition to: 1.) construct a stratified national sample of 105 practices engaged in PCMH transformation and 2.) examine their QI practices and PCMH changes associated with PCMH transformation.
AHRQ-funded; HS016980; HS025920.
Citation: Quigley DD, Slaughter M, Qureshi N .
Practices and changes associated with patient-centered medical home transformation.
Am J Manag Care 2021 Sep;27(9):386-93. doi: 10.37765/ajmc.2021.88740..
Keywords: Patient-Centered Healthcare, Primary Care, Practice Improvement, Healthcare Delivery, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Misra-Hebert AD, Hu B, Pantalone KM
Primary care health care use for patients with type 2 diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study sought to examine factors associated with total and virtual primary care use for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study used electronic medical records in the Cleveland Clinic Health System comparing prepandemic use from August 2019 to March 2020 (baseline period 0) to two pandemic periods: March to June 2020 (period 1) when in-person visits were converted to virtual; and July to November 2020 when in-person visits resumed (period 2). Demographic characteristics were obtained including age, sex, race, insurance type, median income estimated by zip code and baseline HbA1C. The study included 76,015 patients with T2D who completed a primary care visit in baseline period 0. Cohort median age was 66.2 years, 50.7% women, 21.7% Black, 71.0% White and 7.4 Other. Insurance distribution was 43.2% private, 46.5% Medicare, and 9.5% Medicaid. Median income was estimated at $59,000 and baseline HbA1C was ≤ 7% for 59.6% of patients. There were higher odds of Black patients, those with uncontrolled T2D, and those with Medicare and Medicare using virtual visits during the 2 postpandemic periods suggesting that virtual visits may be a preference for those groups. Older and male patients had lower odds of visit completion.
AHRQ-funded; HS024128.
Citation: Misra-Hebert AD, Hu B, Pantalone KM .
Primary care health care use for patients with type 2 diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Diabetes Care 2021 Sep;44(9):e173-e74. doi: 10.2337/dc21-0853..
Keywords: COVID-19, Diabetes, Primary Care, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare Delivery, Access to Care, Chronic Conditions
Quigley DD, Qureshi N, AlMasarweh L
Using CAHPS patient experience data for patient-centered medical home transformation.
The purpose of this study was to examine how primary care practices used the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey and its patient-centered medical home (PCMH) items during their PCMH transition. The investigators concluded that CAHPS surveys were considered actionable for PCMH transformation and used in standardizing and coordinating care. The CAHPS PCMH items were considered integral to the continuous QI needed for moving beyond formal PCMH recognition and maximizing transformation.
AHRQ-funded; HS016980; HS025920.
Citation: Quigley DD, Qureshi N, AlMasarweh L .
Using CAHPS patient experience data for patient-centered medical home transformation.
Am J Manag Care 2021 Sep;27(9):e322-e29. doi: 10.37765/ajmc.2021.88745..
Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Patient Experience, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Primary Care, Practice Improvement, Healthcare Delivery, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Freedman S, Golberstein E, Huang TY
Docs with their eyes on the clock? The effect of time pressures on primary care productivity.
J Health Econ 2021 May;77:102442. doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2021.102442.
Investigators examined how time pressure, an important constraint faced by medical care providers, affects productivity in primary care. Data was taken from the electronic health records of a large integrated delivery system. They found that greater time pressure reduced the number of diagnoses recorded during a visit and increased both scheduled and unscheduled follow-up care. Further, they found evidence of increased low-value care, decreased preventive care, and decreased opioid prescribing.
Investigators examined how time pressure, an important constraint faced by medical care providers, affects productivity in primary care. Data was taken from the electronic health records of a large integrated delivery system. They found that greater time pressure reduced the number of diagnoses recorded during a visit and increased both scheduled and unscheduled follow-up care. Further, they found evidence of increased low-value care, decreased preventive care, and decreased opioid prescribing.
AHRQ-funded; HS000036.
Citation: Freedman S, Golberstein E, Huang TY .
Docs with their eyes on the clock? The effect of time pressures on primary care productivity.
J Health Econ 2021 May;77:102442. doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2021.102442..
Keywords: Primary Care, Healthcare Delivery, Workflow
Linke SE, Kallenberg GR, Kronick R
Integrating "Exercise Is Medicine" into primary care workflow: a study protocol.
As a major contributor to the burden of most chronic diseases, insufficient physical activity (PA) creates a significant financial burden on the health care system. Exercise Is Medicine (EIM) is a global health initiative committed to the belief that PA is integral to the prevention and treatment of diseases and should be routinely assessed as a vital sign and treated in the health care setting. This paper described an in-progress embedded quality improvement (QI) project that integrated EIM into routine clinical practice.
AHRQ-funded; HS026517.
Citation: Linke SE, Kallenberg GR, Kronick R .
Integrating "Exercise Is Medicine" into primary care workflow: a study protocol.
Transl Behav Med 2021 Apr 26;11(4):921-29. doi: 10.1093/tbm/ibaa088..
Keywords: Primary Care, Lifestyle Changes, Workflow, Healthcare Delivery
Kuo YF, Agrawal P, Chou LN
Assessing association between team structure and health outcome and cost by social network analysis.
Researchers sought to assess the impact of team structure composition and degree of collaboration among various providers on process and outcomes of primary care. Their findings showed that highly connected primary care practices with high collaborative care and less top-down MD-centered authority have lower odds of hospitalization, fewer emergency room admissions, and lower total spending. They concluded that these findings likely reflect better communication and more coordinated care of older patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS020642.
Citation: Kuo YF, Agrawal P, Chou LN .
Assessing association between team structure and health outcome and cost by social network analysis.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2021 Apr;69(4):946-54. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16962..
Keywords: Elderly, Teams, Healthcare Delivery, Primary Care, Primary Care: Models of Care, Care Coordination
Grove LR, Gertner AK, Swietek KE
Effect of enhanced primary care for people with serious mental illness on service use and screening.
This retrospective cohort study compared healthcare use and screening receipt of people with serious mental illness (SMI) newly receiving enhanced primary care to people with SMI newly receiving usual primary care. Outcome measures included outpatient visits, emergency department (ED) visits, inpatient stays and dates, and recommended screenings 18 months after the initial visit. Enhanced primary care was associated with an increase of 1.2 primary care visits in the 18 months after the initial visit and decreases of 0.33 non-psychiatric inpatient days and 3.0 non-psychiatric inpatient days. There was no significant effect on psychiatric service and ED visits. Enhanced primary care increased the probability of preventive screenings such as glucose and HIV, decreased the probability of lipid screening, and had no effect on hemoglobin A1c and colorectal cancer screening.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Grove LR, Gertner AK, Swietek KE .
Effect of enhanced primary care for people with serious mental illness on service use and screening.
J Gen Intern Med 2021 Apr;36(4):970-77. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06429-2..
Keywords: Behavioral Health, Primary Care: Models of Care, Primary Care, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Screening, Healthcare Utilization, Healthcare Delivery
Bhargava R, Gayre G, Huang J
Patient e-visit use and outcomes for common symptoms in an integrated health care delivery system.
The authors evaluated patients’ adoption and success of primary care e-visits by monitoring the 7-day follow-up care needed within an integrated health care delivery system. They found that e-visits offered quick, safe patient access to virtual health care for specific conditions without needing a scheduled visit, transportation, or time off of work. Their results suggested that a predominance of e-visits delivered clinical care successfully without follow-up visits or messages.
AHRQ-funded; HS25189.
Citation: Bhargava R, Gayre G, Huang J .
Patient e-visit use and outcomes for common symptoms in an integrated health care delivery system.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Mar;4(3):e212174. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.2174..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Primary Care, Healthcare Delivery
Han B, Chen PG, Yu H
Access to after-hours primary care: a key determinant of children's medical home status.
Researchers sought to identify individual survey items or domains that best predict medical home (MH) status for children and use them to develop brief markers of MH status. Using MEPS data, they found that accessibility, especially the ability to access health care after regular office hours, appeared to be the major predictor of having a MH among children. They recommended that the ongoing efforts to promote the MH model target improving accessibility of health care after regular hours for children overall and especially for Latino children.
AHRQ-funded; HS023336.
Citation: Han B, Chen PG, Yu H .
Access to after-hours primary care: a key determinant of children's medical home status.
BMC Health Serv Res 2021 Feb 27;21(1):185. doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-06192-y..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Children/Adolescents, Primary Care: Models of Care, Primary Care, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Access to Care, Healthcare Delivery, Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Kuo YF, Lin YL, D Jupiter, et al.
How to identify team-based primary care in the United States using Medicare data.
The authors assessed whether analyses using different sets of Medicare data can produce results similar to those from analyses using 100% data from an entire state in identifying primary care teams through social network analysis. They found that, depending on specific study purposes, researchers could use either 100% data from Medicare beneficiaries in randomly selected primary care services areas or data from a 20% national sample of Medicare beneficiaries to study team-based primary care in the United States.
AHRQ-funded; HS020642.
Citation: Kuo YF, Lin YL, D Jupiter, et al..
How to identify team-based primary care in the United States using Medicare data.
Med Care 2021 Feb;59(2):118-22. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001478.
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Keywords: Teams, Primary Care: Models of Care, Primary Care, Medicare, Health Services Research (HSR), Healthcare Delivery
Hung DY, Truong QA, Liang SY
Implementing lean quality improvement in primary care: impact on efficiency in performing common clinical tasks.
Investigators examined 3-year impacts of Lean implementation on the amount of time taken for physicians to complete common clinical tasks. They found that Lean redesigns led to improvements in timely completion of 3 out of 4 common clinical tasks, thus supporting the use of Lean techniques to engage teams in routine aspects of patient care. They recommended more research to understand the mechanisms by which Lean promotes quality improvement and effectiveness of care team workflows.
AHRQ-funded; HS024529.
Citation: Hung DY, Truong QA, Liang SY .
Implementing lean quality improvement in primary care: impact on efficiency in performing common clinical tasks.
J Gen Intern Med 2021 Feb;36(2):274-79. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06317-9..
Keywords: Primary Care, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Primary Care: Models of Care, Primary Care, Implementation, Workflow, Teams, Healthcare Delivery
Solberg LI, Kuzel A, Parchman ML
A taxonomy for external support for practice transformation.
There is no commonly accepted comprehensive framework for describing the practical specifics of external support for practice change. In this study, the researchers’goal was to develop a taxonomy that could be used by both external groups or researchers and health care leaders. The leaders of 8 grants from Agency for Research and Quality for the EvidenceNOW study of improving cardiovascular preventive services in over 1500 primary care practices nationwide worked collaboratively over 18 months to develop descriptions of key domains that might comprehensively characterize any external support intervention.
AHRQ-funded; HS023940.
Citation: Solberg LI, Kuzel A, Parchman ML .
A taxonomy for external support for practice transformation.
J Am Board Fam Med 2021 Jan-Feb;34(1):32-39. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2021.01.200225..
Keywords: Primary Care, Healthcare Delivery, Cardiovascular Conditions, Evidence-Based Practice, Prevention, Quality Improvement, Practice Improvement, Quality of Care