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
Topics
- Access to Care (1)
- (-) Cancer (14)
- Cancer: Colorectal Cancer (1)
- Cancer: Prostate Cancer (1)
- Data (1)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (1)
- Evidence-Based Practice (1)
- Guidelines (1)
- Healthcare Costs (2)
- Healthcare Delivery (1)
- Healthcare Utilization (2)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (1)
- Health Systems (2)
- (-) Hospitals (14)
- Medicaid (1)
- Medicare (1)
- Men's Health (1)
- Outcomes (4)
- Palliative Care (1)
- Patient Safety (1)
- Provider Performance (1)
- Quality Improvement (2)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (2)
- Quality Measures (1)
- Quality of Care (7)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (1)
- Registries (1)
- Risk (1)
- Social Determinants of Health (1)
- Surgery (6)
- Treatments (1)
- Uninsured (1)
- Vulnerable Populations (1)
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 14 of 14 Research Studies DisplayedJayadevappa R, Malkowicz SB, Vapiwala N
Association between hospital competition and quality of prostate cancer care.
The purpose of this retrospective study was to explore the relationship between hospital competition and outcomes in elderly with localized prostate cancer (PCa). The researchers also evaluated whether race moderated the relationship. The researchers applied the Hirschman-Herfindahl index (HHI) to measure hospital competition. The study outcomes were emergency room (ER) visits, hospitalizations, Medicare expenditure and mortality assessed in acute survivorship phase (two years post-PCa diagnosis), and long-term mortality. The study found that among 253,176 patients, percent change in incident rate of ER visit was 17% higher for one unit increase in HHI. Incident rate of ER was 24% higher for whites and 48% higher for African Americans. For one unit increase in HHI, hazard of short-term all-cause mortality was 7% higher for whites and 11% lower for African Americans. The hazard of long-term all-cause mortality was 10% higher for whites and 13% higher for African Americans.
AHRQ-funded; HS024106.
Citation: Jayadevappa R, Malkowicz SB, Vapiwala N .
Association between hospital competition and quality of prostate cancer care.
BMC Health Serv Res 2023 Aug 5; 23(1):828. doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09851-4..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Men's Health, Hospitals, Quality of Care
Adhia AH, Feinglass JM, Schlick CJR
Hospital volume predicts guideline-concordant care in stage III esophageal cancer.
This study developed quality measures for management of stage III esophageal cancer including: utilization of neoadjuvant therapy, surgical sampling of at least 15 lymph nodes, resection within 60 days of chemotherapy or radiation, and completeness of resection to determine whether hospital volume varies measure adherence of published guidelines. A total of 1345 hospitals participating in the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2016 were included. The authors examined association of volume, program accreditation, safety net status, geographic region, and patient travel distance on adequate adherence (≥85% of patients are adherent) using logistic regression modeling. The rate of adequate adherence was worst in nodal staging at 12.6% and highest for utilization of neoadjuvant therapy at 84.8%. Academic programs had the highest rate of adequate adherence for induction therapy (77.2%), timing of surgery (56.6%), and completeness of resection (78.5%) but lowest for nodal staging at only 4.4%. Every additional esophagectomy performed per year increased the odds of adequate adherence for induction therapy and completeness of resection but decreased for nodal staging.
AHRQ-funded; HS026385.
Citation: Adhia AH, Feinglass JM, Schlick CJR .
Hospital volume predicts guideline-concordant care in stage III esophageal cancer.
Ann Thorac Surg 2022 Oct;114(4):1176-82. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2021.07.092..
Keywords: Hospitals, Cancer, Guidelines, Evidence-Based Practice
Taylor K, Diaz A, Nuliyalu U
Association of dual Medicare and Medicaid eligibility with outcomes and spending for cancer surgery in high-quality hospitals.
The purpose of this study was to assess whether treatment at high-quality hospitals mitigates dual-eligibility-associated disparities in outcomes and spending for cancer surgery. Medicare beneficiaries 65 years or older who underwent colectomy, rectal resection, lung resection, or pancreatectomy were evaluated. The findings indicate that, even among the highest-quality hospitals, dual-eligibility patients had poorer outcomes and higher spending. Dually eligible patients were more likely to be discharged to a facility and thus incurred higher post-acute care costs. Although treatment at high-quality hospitals is associated with reduced differences in outcomes, dual-eligibility patients remain at high risk for adverse post-operative outcomes as well as increased readmissions and post-acute care use.
AHRQ-funded; HS024763.
Citation: Taylor K, Diaz A, Nuliyalu U .
Association of dual Medicare and Medicaid eligibility with outcomes and spending for cancer surgery in high-quality hospitals.
JAMA Surg 2022 Apr;157(4):e217586. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2021.7586..
Keywords: Cancer, Surgery, Medicare, Medicaid, Outcomes, Hospitals
Diaz A, Chhabra KR, Dimick JB
Variations in surgical spending within hospital systems for complex cancer surgery.
Researchers sought to measure variations in episode spending within and across hospital systems among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing complex cancer surgery. They found wide variations in surgical episode spending both within and across hospital systems. They recommended that system leaders seek better understanding of variations in practices among their hospitals to standardize care and reduce variations in outcomes, use, and costs.
AHRQ-funded; HS024763.
Citation: Diaz A, Chhabra KR, Dimick JB .
Variations in surgical spending within hospital systems for complex cancer surgery.
Cancer 2021 Feb 15;127(4):586-97. doi: 10.1002/cncr.33299..
Keywords: Surgery, Cancer, Healthcare Costs, Health Systems, Hospitals
Jin B, Nembhard IM
Voluntary hospital reporting of performance in cancer care: does volume make a difference?
The authors hypothesized that patient volume is positively associated with both reporting and performance in cancer care. Studying 72 Pennsylvania hospitals accredited by the Commission on Cancer, they found that hospitals that publicly reported their performance had higher patient volumes than hospitals that did not release performance. Among reporting hospitals, no association was found between patient volume and performance on process of care metrics, suggesting that volume is not a predictor of performance for reporting hospitals. They recommended further research to identify other factors that differentiate performance within and across reporting and nonreporting hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS017589.
Citation: Jin B, Nembhard IM .
Voluntary hospital reporting of performance in cancer care: does volume make a difference?
J Healthc Qual 2020 Nov/Dec;42(6):e75-e82. doi: 10.1097/jhq.0000000000000225..
Keywords: Cancer, Provider Performance, Hospitals, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Measures, Quality of Care
Ellis RJ, Schlick CJR, Feinglass J
Failure to administer recommended chemotherapy: acceptable variation or cancer care quality blind spot?
This study examined hospital variation in cancer patients who did not receive recommended chemotherapy. Patients with breast, colon, and lung cancers who did not receive chemotherapy from 2000 to 2015 were identified from the National Cancer Database. A total of 183,148 patients at 1281 hospitals were included. For breast cancer, 3.5% of patients failed to receive recommended chemotherapy, and 6.6% with colon, and 10.7% with lung cancer. Sociodemographic factors showed that patients were less likely to receive chemotherapy if they were uninsured or on Medicaid, as were non-Hispanic black patients with both breast and colon cancer. There was also significant hospital variation with failure to administer as high as 21.8% for breast, 40.2% for colon, and 40.0% for lung cancer.
AHRQ-funded; HS000078; HS026385.
Citation: Ellis RJ, Schlick CJR, Feinglass J .
Failure to administer recommended chemotherapy: acceptable variation or cancer care quality blind spot?
BMJ Qual Saf 2020 Feb;29(2):103-12. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2019-009742..
Keywords: Treatments, Cancer, Healthcare Delivery, Access to Care, Healthcare Utilization, Social Determinants of Health, Vulnerable Populations, Uninsured, Hospitals, Quality of Care
Yu K, Westbrook M, Brodie S
Gaps in treatment and surveillance: head and neck cancer care in a safety-net hospital.
Treatment delays and suboptimal adherence to posttreatment surveillance may adversely affect head and neck cancer (HNC) outcomes. Such challenges can be exacerbated in safety-net settings that struggle with limited resources and serve a disproportionate number of patients vulnerable to gaps in care. This study aimed to characterize treatment delays and adherence with posttreatment surveillance in HNC care at an urban tertiary care public hospital in San Francisco.
AHRQ-funded; HS023558.
Citation: Yu K, Westbrook M, Brodie S .
Gaps in treatment and surveillance: head and neck cancer care in a safety-net hospital.
OTO Open 2020 Jan-Mar;4(1):2473974x19900761. doi: 10.1177/2473974x19900761..
Keywords: Cancer, Hospitals, Outcomes
Sheetz KH, Dimick JB, Nathan H
Centralization of high-risk cancer surgery within existing hospital systems.
Centralization is often proposed as a strategy to improve the quality of certain high-risk health care services. In this study, the investigators evaluated the extent to which existing hospital systems centralize high-risk cancer surgery and whether centralization is associated with short-term clinical outcomes. The investigators concluded that greater centralization of complex cancer surgery within existing hospital systems was associated with better outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS023597.
Citation: Sheetz KH, Dimick JB, Nathan H .
Centralization of high-risk cancer surgery within existing hospital systems.
J Clin Oncol 2019 Dec 1;37(34):3234-42. doi: 10.1200/jco.18.02035..
Keywords: Surgery, Cancer, Risk, Hospitals, Health Systems, Quality Improvement, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality of Care, Outcomes
Ellis RJ, Zhang LM, Ko CY
Variation in hospital utilization of minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy for localized pancreatic neoplasms.
The objectives of this study were to identify factors associated with use of minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy (MIDP) for localized neoplasms and to assess hospital variation in MIDP utilization. Results showed that utilization of MIDP for localized pancreatic neoplasms is highly variable; while some patient-level factors are associated with MIDP use, hospital adoption of MIDP appears to be the primary driver of utilization. Monitoring hospital-level use of MIDP may be a useful quality measure to monitor uptake of emerging techniques in pancreatic surgery.
AHRQ-funded; HS026385; HS000078.
Citation: Ellis RJ, Zhang LM, Ko CY .
Variation in hospital utilization of minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy for localized pancreatic neoplasms.
J Gastrointest Surg 2020 Dec;24(12):2780-88. doi: 10.1007/s11605-019-04414-7..
Keywords: Cancer, Surgery, Hospitals, Quality of Care
Sheetz KH, Chhabra KR, Smith ME
Association of discretionary hospital volume standards for high-risk cancer surgery with patient outcomes and access, 2005-2016.
Various clinical societies and patient advocacy organizations continue to encourage minimum volume standards at hospitals that perform certain high-risk operations. Although many clinicians and quality and safety experts believe this can improve outcomes, the extent to which hospitals have responded to these discretionary standards remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between short-term clinical outcomes and hospitals' adherence to the Leapfrog Group's minimum volume standards for high-risk cancer surgery.
AHRQ-funded; HS000053; HS023597; HS024763.
Citation: Sheetz KH, Chhabra KR, Smith ME .
Association of discretionary hospital volume standards for high-risk cancer surgery with patient outcomes and access, 2005-2016.
JAMA Surg 2019 Nov;154(11):1005-12. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2019.3017..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Hospitals, Outcomes, Surgery, Cancer
Antunez AG, Kanters AE, Regenbogen SE
Evaluation of access to hospitals most ready to achieve national accreditation for rectal cancer treatment.
This cohort study looked at hospitals’ readiness to be part of the American College of Surgeons National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), and what types of hospitals are most likely to receive NAPRC accreditation. A total of 1315 American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer-accredited hospitals from the National Cancer Database were sorted into 4 cohorts from 2011 to 2015. They were organized by high versus low volume, adherence to process standards, and patient and hospital characteristics and oncologic outcomes were compared. Among those hospitals, 38 (2.9%) met proposed thresholds for all 5 NAPRC process standards, and 220 (16.7%) met the threshold on 4 standards. Low-adherence hospitals were more likely to serve patients who were older, as well more public insurance recipients, or were black or Hispanic.
ARHQ-funded; HS000053.
Citation: Antunez AG, Kanters AE, Regenbogen SE .
Evaluation of access to hospitals most ready to achieve national accreditation for rectal cancer treatment.
JAMA Surg 2019 Jun;154(6):516-23. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2018.5521..
Keywords: Cancer: Colorectal Cancer, Cancer, Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Knox-Rice T, Xuan L, Wadsworth H
Knox-Rice T, Xuan L, Wadsworth H, Halm EA, Rhodes RL. Examining the association between healthcare utilization and clinical characteristics among cancer patients in a safety net health system.
The goal of this study was to examine the association between available patient and clinical characteristics and healthcare utilization in a cohort of breast, lung, and colorectal cancer patients within a safety-net hospital system. The investigators found that some patient and clinical characteristics associated with increased ER visits and hospitalizations in this cohort included race/ethnicity, palliative care referral, markers of advanced disease, and number opioids prescribed.
AHRQ-funded; R24 HS022418.
Citation: Knox-Rice T, Xuan L, Wadsworth H .
Knox-Rice T, Xuan L, Wadsworth H, Halm EA, Rhodes RL. Examining the association between healthcare utilization and clinical characteristics among cancer patients in a safety net health system.
J Palliat Med 2019 Jan;22(1):80-83. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2018.0202..
Keywords: Cancer, Healthcare Utilization, Palliative Care, Hospitals
Shubeck SP, Thumma JR, Dimick JB
Hospital quality, patient risk, and Medicare expenditures for cancer surgery.
The authors evaluated the potential interactive effect of hospital quality and patient risk on expenditures for cancer resections. They found that the total episode expenditures for cancer resections were lower when care was delivered at low-complication, high-quality hospitals. Expenditure differences were particularly large for high-risk patients, suggesting that the selective referral of high-risk patients to high-quality centers may be an effective strategy for optimizing value in cancer surgery.
AHRQ-funded; HS024763.
Citation: Shubeck SP, Thumma JR, Dimick JB .
Hospital quality, patient risk, and Medicare expenditures for cancer surgery.
Cancer 2018 Feb 15;124(4):826-32. doi: 10.1002/cncr.31120.
.
.
Keywords: Cancer, Healthcare Costs, Quality of Care, Hospitals, Surgery
Lee SJ, Grobe JE, Tiro JA
Assessing race and ethnicity data quality across cancer registries and EMRs in two hospitals.
The objective of this study was to characterize the quality of race/ethnicity data collection efforts. The authors assessed race and ethnicity data quality across cancer registries and electronic medical records in two hospitals. Their findings suggested that high-quality race/ethnicity data are attainable. Many of the "errors" in race/ethnicity data were caused by missing or "Unknown" data values.
AHRQ-funded; HS022418.
Citation: Lee SJ, Grobe JE, Tiro JA .
Assessing race and ethnicity data quality across cancer registries and EMRs in two hospitals.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2016 May;23(3):627-34. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocv156..
Keywords: Cancer, Data, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Hospitals, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Registries