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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 DisplayedMcGarry BE, Mao Y, Nelson D
Hospital proximity and emergency department use among assisted living residents.
The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to explore the association between the distance of assisted living (AL) communities to the nearest hospital and AL residents' rates of emergency department (ED) utilization. The researchers hypothesized that when access to an ED is a shorter distance, AL-to-ED transfers are more common, especially for non-emergency conditions. The study found that among 540,944 resident-years from 16,514 AL communities, the median distance to the closest hospital was 2.5 miles. After statistical adjustment, a doubling of distance to the closest hospital was related with 43.5 fewer ED treat-and-release visits per 1000 resident years and no significant difference in the rate of ED visits resulting in an inpatient admission. Among ED treat-and-release visits, a doubling of distance was related with a 3.0% decrease in visits classified as nonemergent, and a 1.6% decrease in visits classified as emergent, not primary care treatable.
AHRQ-funded; HS026893.
Citation: McGarry BE, Mao Y, Nelson D .
Hospital proximity and emergency department use among assisted living residents.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2023 Sep; 24(9):1349-55.e.5. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2023.05.002..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Elderly, Long-Term Care, Medicare, Hospitals
Smulowitz PB, O'Malley AJ, McWilliams JM
Variation in rates of hospital admission from the emergency department among Medicare patients at the regional, hospital, and physician levels.
Rates of admission from the emergency department (ED) vary widely across regions of the country, hospitals within regions, and physicians within hospitals. The study objective was to determine the extent to which variation in admission decisions was described by differences in admission rates at these 3 levels. The investigators concluded that within-area variation, both across hospitals within a region and across physicians within a hospital, was a more substantial component of observed variation in admission rates from the ED than regional level variation.
AHRQ-funded; HS025408.
Citation: Smulowitz PB, O'Malley AJ, McWilliams JM .
Variation in rates of hospital admission from the emergency department among Medicare patients at the regional, hospital, and physician levels.
Ann Emerg Med 2021 Oct;78(4):474-83. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2021.03.020..
Keywords: Medicare, Hospitalization, Emergency Department, Practice Patterns
Hua CL, Zhang W, Cornell PY
Characterizing emergency department use in assisted living.
The objective of this observational retrospective cohort study was to examine state variability in all-cause and injury-related emergency department (ED) use among residents in assisted living (AL). Participants were traditional Medicare beneficiaries residing in larger AL communities. Findings showed significant variability among states in all-cause and injury-related ED use among AL residents. Recommendations included the need for a better understanding as to why this variability is occurring in order to prevent avoidable visits to the ED.
AHRQ-funded; T32 HS000011.
Citation: Hua CL, Zhang W, Cornell PY .
Characterizing emergency department use in assisted living.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2021 Apr;22(4):913-17.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2020.05.019..
Keywords: Elderly, Emergency Department, Medicare
Gettel CJ, Canavan ME, D'Onofrio G
Who provides what care? An analysis of clinical focus among the national emergency care workforce.
This study looked at the clinical focus of emergency department (ED) workers using the 2017 Medicare Public Use Files for clinicians receiving reimbursement for emergency care Evaluation & Management (E/M) services for Medicare fee-for-service Part B. Clinicians were categorized as EM physicians, non-EM physicians, and advanced practice providers (APPs). Of the 65,710 unique clinicians providing care, 59.4% were classified as EM physicians, 12.4% as non-EM physicians, and 28.5% as APPs. EM physicians have twice as much clinician median focus in comparison to EM physicians providing emergency care (92.8% vs 45.2) and APPs are focused 100%.
AHRQ-funded; HS023614.
Citation: Gettel CJ, Canavan ME, D'Onofrio G .
Who provides what care? An analysis of clinical focus among the national emergency care workforce.
Am J Emerg Med 2021 Apr;42:228-32. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.11.069..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Workforce, Provider: Physician, Provider: Clinician, Provider, Medicare
Smulowitz PB, O'Malley AJ, Zaborski L
Variation in emergency department admission rates among Medicare patients: does the physician matter?
Hospitalizations account for the largest share of health care spending. New payment models increasingly encourage health care providers to reduce hospital admissions. Although emergency department (ED) physicians play a major role in the decision to admit a patient, the extent to which admission rates vary among ED physicians even within the same hospital remains poorly understood. In this study the investigators examined physician-level variation in ED admission rates for Medicare patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS025408.
Citation: Smulowitz PB, O'Malley AJ, Zaborski L .
Variation in emergency department admission rates among Medicare patients: does the physician matter?
Health Aff 2021 Feb;40(2):251-57. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00670..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Hospitalization, Medicare, Provider: Physician, Provider
Hsuan C, Carr BG, Hsia RY
Assessment of hospital readmissions from the emergency department after implementation of Medicare's hospital readmissions reduction program.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether the Medicare Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) was associated with changes in the probability of readmission at emergency department (ED) visits after hospital discharge (ED revisits) overall and depending on whether admission is typically indicated for the patient's condition at the ED revisit. Using hospital and ED discharge data from California, Florida, and New York, findings suggested that implementation of the HRRP was associated with a lower likelihood of readmission for recently discharged patients presenting to the ED, specifically for congestive heart failure. These findings highlighted the critical role of the ED in readmission reduction under the HRRP and suggested that patient outcomes after HRRP implementation merit further study.
AHRQ-funded; HS025838.
Citation: Hsuan C, Carr BG, Hsia RY .
Assessment of hospital readmissions from the emergency department after implementation of Medicare's hospital readmissions reduction program.
JAMA Netw Open 2020 May;3(5):e203857. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.3857..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Emergency Department, Hospital Readmissions, Hospital Discharge, Hospitals, Medicare
Hanchate AD, Paasche-Orlow MK, Baker WE
Association of race/ethnicity with emergency department destination of emergency medical services transport.
The authors examined the patterns of emergency department (ED) destination of emergency medical services (EMS) transport according to patient race/ethnicity and compared the patterns between those transported by EMS and those who did not draw on EMS. Using Medicare claims data, they found race/ethnicity variation in ED destination for patients using EMS transport, with black and Hispanic patients more likely to be transported to a safety-net hospital ED compared with white patients living in the same zip code.
AHRQ-funded; HS022242.
Citation: Hanchate AD, Paasche-Orlow MK, Baker WE .
Association of race/ethnicity with emergency department destination of emergency medical services transport.
JAMA Netw Open 2019 Sep 4;2(9):e1910816. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.10816..
Keywords: Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Emergency Department, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Medicare, Disparities
Hanchate AD, Dyer KS, Paasche-Orlow MK
Disparities in emergency department visits among collocated racial/ethnic Medicare enrollees.
In this retrospective cohort study, the investigators estimated emergency department (ED) use differences across Medicare enrollees of different race/ethnicity who were residing in the same zip codes. The investigators found that among Medicare enrollees, blacks and Hispanics had higher ED use rates than whites overall and among subgroups by demographics and socioeconomic status.
AHRQ-funded; HS022242.
Citation: Hanchate AD, Dyer KS, Paasche-Orlow MK .
Disparities in emergency department visits among collocated racial/ethnic Medicare enrollees.
Ann Emerg Med 2019 Mar;73(3):225-35. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2018.09.007..
Keywords: Disparities, Emergency Department, Healthcare Utilization, Medicare, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Dharmarajan K, Qin L, Bierlein M
Outcomes after observation stays among older adult Medicare beneficiaries in the USA: retrospective cohort study.
This study characterized rates and trends over time of emergency department treatment-and-discharge stays, repeat observation stays, inpatient stays, any hospital revisit, and death within 30 days of discharge from observation stays. Hospital revisits are common after discharge from observation stays, frequently result in inpatient hospitalizations, and have increased over time among Medicare beneficiaries.
AHRQ-funded; HS023000.
Citation: Dharmarajan K, Qin L, Bierlein M .
Outcomes after observation stays among older adult Medicare beneficiaries in the USA: retrospective cohort study.
BMJ 2017 Jun 20;357:j2616. doi: 10.1136/bmj.j2616.
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Keywords: Elderly, Emergency Department, Hospital Discharge, Hospital Readmissions, Medicare
Singh S, Lin YL, Nattinger AB
Variation in readmission rates by emergency departments and emergency department providers caring for patients after discharge.
This study of Texas acute-care hospitals and ED facilities has found that the risk of readmission varies by ED provider caring for patients after discharge. A large part of this variation is explained by the ED facility in which the ED providers practice. Thus, ED provider practices patterns and ED facility systems of care may be a target for interventions to reduce readmissions.
AHRQ-funded; HS022134.
Citation: Singh S, Lin YL, Nattinger AB .
Variation in readmission rates by emergency departments and emergency department providers caring for patients after discharge.
J Hosp Med 2015 Nov;10(11):705-10. doi: 10.1002/jhm.2407.
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Keywords: Emergency Department, Elderly, Hospital Discharge, Hospital Readmissions, Medicare
Toth M, Holmes M, Van Houtven C
Rural Medicare beneficiaries have fewer follow-up visits and greater emergency department use postdischarge.
This study tested whether rural Medicare beneficiaries have a lower likelihood of follow-up care and greater likelihood of a readmission and ED visit within 30 days postdischarge, compared with urban beneficiaries. The results provide evidence of lower quality postdischarge care for Medicare beneficiaries in rural settings.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Toth M, Holmes M, Van Houtven C .
Rural Medicare beneficiaries have fewer follow-up visits and greater emergency department use postdischarge.
Med Care 2015 Sep;53(9):800-8. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000401..
Keywords: Rural Health, Elderly, Medicare, Hospital Readmissions, Emergency Department, Hospital Discharge
Kindermann DR, Mutter RL, Houchens RL
AHRQ Author: Mutter RL
The transfer instability index: a novel metric of emergency department transfer relationships.
The researchers developed the “transfer instability index” to describe sending hospitals’ relationships with receiving hospitals. They found that emergency departments with a greater share of publicly insured patients had a greater transfer instability index, which may indicate less stable, protocolized, and regionalized transfer relationships.
AHRQ-funded; 290201300002C.
Citation: Kindermann DR, Mutter RL, Houchens RL .
The transfer instability index: a novel metric of emergency department transfer relationships.
Acad Emerg Med 2015 Feb;22(2):166-71. doi: 10.1111/acem.12589..
Keywords: Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Emergency Department, Transitions of Care, Medicaid, Medicare
Gabayan GZ, Sarkisian CA, Liang LJ
Predictors of admission after emergency department discharge in older adults.
The objective of this study was to identify the incidence and predictors of admissions to nonfederal California hospitals within 7 days of ED discharge of older Medicare beneficiaries. It found that five percent of older Medicare beneficiaries have a hospital inpatient admission after discharge from the ED, with chronic disease such as renal disease and heart failure being associated with the greatest odds of admission.
AHRQ-funded; HS18098.
Citation: Gabayan GZ, Sarkisian CA, Liang LJ .
Predictors of admission after emergency department discharge in older adults.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2015 Jan;63(1):39-45. doi: 10.1111/jgs.13185..
Keywords: Elderly, Emergency Department, Hospital Discharge, Hospital Readmissions, Medicare