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 (17)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (1)
- Cancer (1)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (1)
- Children/Adolescents (2)
- COVID-19 (1)
- Elderly (1)
- Emergency Department (5)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) (2)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (3)
- Healthcare Costs (2)
- Healthcare Delivery (3)
- Healthcare Utilization (4)
- Health Insurance (2)
- Health Services Research (HSR) (1)
- (-) Hospitals (17)
- Labor and Delivery (2)
- Maternal Care (2)
- Medicaid (2)
- Medicare (2)
- Nursing Homes (1)
- Payment (1)
- Policy (2)
- Provider (1)
- Provider: Nurse (1)
- Provider: Physician (1)
- Public Health (1)
- Quality of Care (1)
- Rehabilitation (1)
- Respiratory Conditions (1)
- Rural Health (5)
- Social Determinants of Health (1)
- Stroke (1)
- Surgery (2)
- Treatments (1)
- Uninsured (3)
- Vulnerable Populations (1)
- Workforce (2)
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 17 of 17 Research Studies DisplayedMeille G, Post B
AHRQ Author: Meille G
The effects of the Medicaid expansion on hospital utilization, employment, and capital.
This AHRQ-authored paper describes the effect of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion on hospital utilization, employment, and capital. The authors conducted a difference-in-differences analysis that compared changes to hospital demand and supply in Medicaid expansion and nonexpansion states. They used 2010-2016 data from the American Hospital Association and the Healthcare Cost Report Information System to quantify changes to hospital utilization and characterize how hospitals adjusted labor and capital inputs. Medicaid expansion was associated with increases in emergency department visits and other outpatient hospital visits. They found strong evidence that hospitals met increases in demand by hiring nursing staff and weaker evidence that they increased hiring of technicians and investments in equipment. They found no evidence that hospitals adjusted hiring of physicians, support staff, or investments in other capital inputs.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Meille G, Post B .
The effects of the Medicaid expansion on hospital utilization, employment, and capital.
Med Care Res Rev 2023 Apr;80(2):165-74. doi: 10.1177/10775587221133165.
Keywords: Medicaid, Hospitals, Healthcare Utilization, Health Insurance, Policy, Access to Care, Uninsured
Friedman HR, Holmes GM
Rural Medicare beneficiaries are increasingly likely to be admitted to urban hospitals.
This study looked at trends in admission to urban hospitals by rural Medicare FFS beneficiaries from 2010 to 2018. The authors combined data from the 2010 to 2018 Hospital Service Area File (HSAF) and the 2010-2017 American Hospital Association (AHA) survey. They found that controlling for distance to the nearest hospitals, an increase of 1 year was associated with a 2.0% increase in the number of admissions to urban hospitals from each rural ZIP code. New system affiliation of the nearest rural hospital was associated with an increase of 1.7%.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Friedman HR, Holmes GM .
Rural Medicare beneficiaries are increasingly likely to be admitted to urban hospitals.
Health Serv Res 2022 Oct;57(5):1029-34. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14017..
Keywords: Medicare, Rural Health, Hospitals, Access to Care
Henke RM, Fingar KR, Jiang HJ
AHRQ Author: Jiang HJ, Liang L
Access to obstetric, behavioral health, and surgical inpatient services after hospital mergers in rural areas.
This study examined the influence of rural hospital mergers on changes to inpatient service lines at hospitals and within their catchment areas. The authors used hospital discharge data from 32 HCUP Inpatient Databases from 2007 to 2018. They found that merged hospitals were more likely than independent hospitals to eliminate maternal/neonatal and surgical care. They also found that while the number of mental/substance use disorder-related stays decreased or remained stable at merged hospitals and their catchment areas, it increased for unaffiliated hospitals and their catchment areas. This indicates a potential unmet need in the communities of rural hospitals postmerger.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201800001C.
Citation: Henke RM, Fingar KR, Jiang HJ .
Access to obstetric, behavioral health, and surgical inpatient services after hospital mergers in rural areas.
Health Aff 2021 Oct;40(10):1627-36. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.00160..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Hospitals, Access to Care, Rural Health
Ingraham AM, Chaffee SM, Ayturk MD
Gaps in emergency general surgery coverage in the United States.
Researchers sought to measure gaps in round-the-clock emergency general surgery (EGS) care via a survey of all US adult acute care general hospitals with an emergency room, at least 1 operating room. They found that 17.1% of hospitals responding were unable to always provide round-the-clock EGS care. Rural location, smaller bed size, and non-teaching status were associated with lack of round-the-clock care. Inconsistent surgeon coverage was the primary reason for this lack. However, lack of a tiered system for booking emergency cases, no anesthesia availability overnight, and no stipend for EGS call were also associated with the inability to provide round-the-clock EGS care.
AHRQ-funded; HS025224; HS022694.
Citation: Ingraham AM, Chaffee SM, Ayturk MD .
Gaps in emergency general surgery coverage in the United States.
Ann Surg Open 2021 Mar;2(1). doi: 10.1097/as9.0000000000000043..
Keywords: Surgery, Emergency Department, Hospitals, Access to Care, Workforce
Martin BI, Brodke DS, Wilson FA
The impact of halting elective admissions in anticipation of a demand surge due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).
This study’s objective was to estimate excess demand for hospital beds due to COVID-19 and the net financial impact of eliminating elective admissions to meet demand. An economic simulation was conducted combining epidemiological reports, the US Census, American Hospital Association Annual Survey, and the National Inpatient Sample. The base case used relied on a hospital admission rate reported by the CDC of 137.6 per 100,000, with the highest rates in people aged 65 year and older and 50-64 years. Elective admissions accounted for 20% of total hospital admissions, with an average rate of 30% unoccupied beds across hospitals. Hospitals that restricted elective care due to a COVID surge was only financial favorable if capacity was filled by a high proportion of COVID-19 cases among hospitals with low rates of elective admissions. There is a substantial financial risk to hospitals that restrict elective care.
AHRQ-funded; HS024714.
Citation: Martin BI, Brodke DS, Wilson FA .
The impact of halting elective admissions in anticipation of a demand surge due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).
Med Care 2021 Mar;59(3):213-19. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001496..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), COVID-19, Hospitals, Healthcare Costs, Access to Care, Public Health
Dean JM, Hreha K, Hong I
Post-acute care use patterns among hospital service areas by older adults in the United States: a cross-sectional study.
This study examined post-stroke acute care patterns across Hospital Service Areas among a national stroke cohort of Medicare beneficiaries to determine drivers of variation in post-acute care service utilization. Data was extracted from 2013 to 2014 (174,498 total records across 3232 Hospital Service Areas). Patients’ residence ZIP codes were linked to the facility ZIP code where care was received. Patients were considered a “traveler” if they did not live in the Hospital Service Area where they received care. Only 23.5% of all patients received care in skilled nursing-only Hospital Service Areas although 73.4% of all Hospital Service Areas were skilled nursing-only. Thirty-five percent of all patients traveled to a different Hospital Service Area from their residence. Patients living in skilled nursing-only Hospital Service Areas had more than 5 times the odds of traveling compared to those living in Hospital Service Areas with skilled nursing, inpatient rehabilitation, and long-term care hospital services.
AHRQ-funded; HS026133; HS024711.
Citation: Dean JM, Hreha K, Hong I .
Post-acute care use patterns among hospital service areas by older adults in the United States: a cross-sectional study.
BMC Health Serv Res 2021 Feb 25;21(1):176. doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-06159-z..
Keywords: Elderly, Hospitals, Access to Care, Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Healthcare Utilization, Rehabilitation, Nursing Homes
Cohen C, Baird M, Koirola N
The surgical and anesthesia workforce and provision of surgical services in rural communities: a mixed-methods examination.
This mixed-methods study described the distribution of the surgical and anesthesia workforce and qualitatively explored how such workforce and other factors influenced rural hospitals' provision of surgical services. Using American Hospital Association survey data, the researchers found that within rural counties, 55.1% had no surgeon, 81.2% had no anesthesiologist, and 58.1% had no Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. While rural hospitals reported meeting community needs for elective and noncomplex surgeries, these hospitals continued to face significant challenges providing subspecialty surgeries, emergency surgeries, and 24-hour obstetrical services.
AHRQ-funded; HS023009.
Citation: Cohen C, Baird M, Koirola N .
The surgical and anesthesia workforce and provision of surgical services in rural communities: a mixed-methods examination.
J Rural Health 2021 Jan;37(1):45-54. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12417..
Keywords: Rural Health, Access to Care, Surgery, Workforce, Provider: Physician, Provider: Nurse, Provider, Hospitals
Chien AT, Pandey A, Lu S
Pediatric hospital services within a one-hour drive: a national study.
Researchers determined the proportion of US counties whose 0- to 19-year-old patients could reach pediatric hospital services within one hour of driving; then, among counties within a one-hour drive, they determined each county’s beds per 100,000 pediatric-aged population to provide a sense of hospital capacity relative to the size of their pediatric population. They concluded that the need to drive more than one hour to reach hospital-based pediatric services is more the rule than the exception.
AHRQ-funded; HS024072; HS025299.
Citation: Chien AT, Pandey A, Lu S .
Pediatric hospital services within a one-hour drive: a national study.
Pediatrics 2020 Nov;146(5). doi: 10.1542/peds.2020-1724..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Hospitals, Access to Care, Healthcare Delivery
Mohr NM, Wu C, Ward MJ
Potentially avoidable inter-facilit transfer from Veterans Health Administration emergency departments: a cohort study.
The objective of this study was to describe ED-based inter-facility transfer practices within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and to estimate the proportion of potentially avoidable transfers. Results showed that VHA inter-facility transfer was commonly performed for mental health and cardiac evaluation, particularly for patients in rural settings. The proportion that are potentially avoidable is small. Future work should focus on improving capabilities to provide specialty evaluation locally for these conditions, possibly using telehealth solutions.
AHRQ-funded; HS025753.
Citation: Mohr NM, Wu C, Ward MJ .
Potentially avoidable inter-facilit transfer from Veterans Health Administration emergency departments: a cohort study.
BMC Health Serv Res 2020 Feb 12;20(1):110. doi: 10.1186/s12913-020-4956-6..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Hospitals, Healthcare Delivery, Access to Care, Rural Health
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
Hsuan C, Hsia RY, Horwitz JR
Ambulance diversions following public hospital emergency department closures.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether hospitals are more likely to temporarily close their emergency departments to ambulances, through ambulance diversions, if neighboring diverting hospitals are public vs private. Results showed that sample hospitals respond differently to diversions by neighboring public (vs private) hospitals. The authors conclude that these findings suggest that these hospitals might be strategically declaring ambulance diversions to avoid treating low-paying patients served by public hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS024247.
Citation: Hsuan C, Hsia RY, Horwitz JR .
Ambulance diversions following public hospital emergency department closures.
Health Serv Res 2019 Aug;54(4):870-79. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13147..
Keywords: Access to Care, Emergency Department, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Health Services Research (HSR), Hospitals
Pickens G, Karaca Z, Gibson TB
AHRQ Author: Karaca Z, Wong HS
Changes in hospital service demand, cost, and patient illness severity following health reform.
This study examined the effects of expanded Medicaid coverage and the health insurance exchange on the number of hospital inpatient and emergency department (ED) utilization rates, cost, and patient illness severity. There was a significant drop in uninsured inpatient discharges and ED visits in states where Medicaid was expanded. For all by young females, uninsured inpatient discharge rates fell by 39% or greater. In nonexpansion states, the rates remained unchanged or increased slightly. Changes in all-payer and private insurance rates were not as dramatic, as was inpatient costs per discharge and all-payer inpatient costs.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201300002C.
Citation: Pickens G, Karaca Z, Gibson TB .
Changes in hospital service demand, cost, and patient illness severity following health reform.
Health Serv Res 2019 Aug;54(4):739-51. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13165..
Keywords: Access to Care, Health Insurance, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Healthcare Costs, Healthcare Utilization, Hospitals, Medicaid, Policy, Uninsured
Kenyon CC, Gruschow SM, Haaland WL
Kenyon CC, Gruschow SM, Haaland WL, Desai AD, Adams SA, Hitt TA, Williams DJ, et al. Perceived access to outpatient care and hospital reutilization following acute respiratory illnesses.
The authors’ goal was to assess the relationship between perceived access to timely office-based care and subsequent 30-day pediatric revisits following hospital discharge for asthma, bronchiolitis, croup, and pneumonia. They found that perceived access to timely office-based care was associated with significantly greater odds of subsequent emergency department revisit. They concluded that focusing solely on enhancing timely access to care following discharge for common respiratory illnesses may be insufficient to prevent repeat utilization.
AHRQ-funded; HS024299.
Citation: Kenyon CC, Gruschow SM, Haaland WL .
Kenyon CC, Gruschow SM, Haaland WL, Desai AD, Adams SA, Hitt TA, Williams DJ, et al. Perceived access to outpatient care and hospital reutilization following acute respiratory illnesses.
Acad Pediatr 2019 May - Jun;19(4):370-77. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2018.07.001..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Respiratory Conditions, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Emergency Department, Access to Care, Hospitals
Gowrisankaran G, Lucarelli C, Schmidt-Dengler P
Can amputation save the hospital? The impact of the Medicare Rural Flexibility Program on demand and welfare.
This paper sought to understand the impact of the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program on hospital choice and consumer welfare for rural residents. The Flex Program created a new class of hospital, the Critical Access Hospital (CAH), which received more generous Medicare reimbursements in return for limits on capacity and length of stay. The investigators found that conversion to CAH status resulted in a 4.7 percent drop in inpatient admissions to participating hospitals, almost all of which was driven by factors other than capacity constraints.
AHRQ-funded; HS018424.
Citation: Gowrisankaran G, Lucarelli C, Schmidt-Dengler P .
Can amputation save the hospital? The impact of the Medicare Rural Flexibility Program on demand and welfare.
J Health Econ 2018 Mar;58:110-22. doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2018.01.004..
Keywords: Rural Health, Access to Care, Hospitals, Medicare, Payment
Lee DC, Carr BG, Smith TE
The impact of hospital closures and hospital and population characteristics on increasing emergency department volume: a geographic analysis.
The objective of this study was to test the association of hospital and population characteristics and the effect of hospital closures with increases in emergency department volume. Emergency volume increased nearly twice as fast at tertiary referral centers (4.8 percent) and nonurban hospitals (3.7 percent versus urban at 2.1 percent) after adjusting for other characteristics. The effect of hospital closures also strongly predicted variation in growth.
AHRQ-funded; HS018362; HS010914.
Citation: Lee DC, Carr BG, Smith TE .
The impact of hospital closures and hospital and population characteristics on increasing emergency department volume: a geographic analysis.
Popul Health Manag 2015 Dec;18(6):459-66. doi: 10.1089/pop.2014.0123.
.
.
Keywords: Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Emergency Department, Hospitals, Access to Care
Korst LM, Feldman DS, Bollman DL
Cross-sectional survey of California childbirth hospitals: implications for defining maternal levels of risk-appropriate care.
The researchers examined the extent to which hospitals could be classified by increasingly sophisticated maternal levels of care. They concluded that childbirth services varied widely across California hospitals, and most hospitals did not fit easily into proposed levels. Cognizance of this existing variation is critical to determining the optimal configuration of services for basic, intermediate, and regional maternal levels of care.
AHRQ-funded; HS020915.
Citation: Korst LM, Feldman DS, Bollman DL .
Cross-sectional survey of California childbirth hospitals: implications for defining maternal levels of risk-appropriate care.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2015 Oct;213(4):527.e1-27.e12. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2015.07.014..
Keywords: Labor and Delivery, Maternal Care, Hospitals, Access to Care
Korst LM, Feldman DS, Bollman DL
Variation in childbirth services in California: a cross-sectional survey of childbirth hospitals.
The objective of the study was to describe the resources and activities associated with childbirth services. It concluded that childbirth services varied widely across California hospitals. Cognizance of this variation and linkage of these data to childbirth outcomes should assist in the identification of key resources and activities that optimize the hospital environment for pregnant women.
AHRQ-funded; HS020915.
Citation: Korst LM, Feldman DS, Bollman DL .
Variation in childbirth services in California: a cross-sectional survey of childbirth hospitals.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2015 Oct;213(4):523.e1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2015.08.013..
Keywords: Labor and Delivery, Maternal Care, Hospitals, Access to Care