National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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Search All Research Studies
Topics
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (1)
- Diabetes (1)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (4)
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- (-) Health Information Technology (HIT) (7)
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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 7 of 7 Research Studies DisplayedApathy NC, Hare AJ, Fendrich S
Early changes in billing and notes after evaluation and management guideline change.
This study investigated whether the American Medical Association updated 2021 guidance for frequently used billing codes for outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) visits changed E/M visit use, documentation length, and time spent in the electronic health record (EHR). The authors used data from 303,547 advanced practice providers and physicians across 389 organizations who use the Epic Systems EHR. Data containing weekly provider-level E/M code and EHR use metadata were extracted from the Epic Signal database for visits from September 2020 through April 2021. Following the new guidelines, level 3 visits decreased by 2.41 percentage points to 38.5% of all E/M visits, a 5.9% relative decrease from fall 2020. Level 4 visits increased by 0.89 percentage points to 40.9% of E/M visits, a 2.2% relative increase. Level 5 visits (the highest acuity level) increased by 1.85 percentage points to 10.1% of E/M visits, a 22.6% relative increase. Changes varied by specialty. No meaning changes in measures of note length or time spent in the EHR were found. The authors noted that fully realizing the intended benefits of this guideline change will require more time, facilitation, and scaling of best practices that more directly address EHR documentation practices and associated burden.
AHRQ-funded; HS026116.
Citation: Apathy NC, Hare AJ, Fendrich S .
Early changes in billing and notes after evaluation and management guideline change.
Ann Intern Med 2022 Apr;175(4):499-504. doi: 10.7326/m21-4402..
Keywords: Payment, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Kandel ZK, Rittenhouse DR, Bibi S
The CMS State Innovation Models Initiative and improved health information technology and care management capabilities of physician practices.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) State Innovation Models (SIMs) initiative funded 17 states to implement health care payment and delivery system reforms to improve health system performance. The authors investigated whether SIM improved health information technology (HIT) and care management capabilities of physician practices. They found that the CMS SIM Initiative did not accelerate the adoption of ten foundational physician practice capabilities beyond national trends.
AHRQ-funded; HS024075.
Citation: Kandel ZK, Rittenhouse DR, Bibi S .
The CMS State Innovation Models Initiative and improved health information technology and care management capabilities of physician practices.
Med Care Res Rev 2021 Aug;78(4):350-60. doi: 10.1177/1077558719901217..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare Delivery, Payment, Health Systems
Zachrison KS, Boggs KM, Cash RE
Are state telemedicine parity laws associated with greater use of telemedicine in the emergency department?
Telemedicine is a valuable tool to improve access to specialty care in emergency departments (EDs), and states have passed telemedicine parity laws requiring insurers to reimburse for telemedicine visits. The objective of this study was to determine if there was an association between such laws and the use of telemedicine in an ED. The investigators concluded that telemedicine parity laws were not associated with use of telemedicine in the ED.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Zachrison KS, Boggs KM, Cash RE .
Are state telemedicine parity laws associated with greater use of telemedicine in the emergency department?
J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open 2021 Feb;2(1):e212359. doi: 10.1002/emp2.12359..
Keywords: Telehealth, Emergency Department, Health Information Technology (HIT), Policy, Payment
Yu J, Mink PJ, Huckfeldt PJ
Population-level estimates of telemedicine service provision using an all-payer claims database.
Researchers used information from the Minnesota All Payer Claims Database to conduct a population-level analysis of telemedicine service provision from 2010 to 2015. Variations in provision by coverage type, provider type, and rurality of patient residence were documented. During the 2010-15 period, the number of telemedicine visits increased enormously; rates of use varied by coverage type and location. Telemedicine visits in metropolitan areas were usually direct-to-consumer services covered by commercial insurance and provided by nurse practitioners or physician assistants, while telemedicine use in nonmetropolitan areas was more often real-time provider-initiated, publicly insured services. The researchers conclude that expanded coverage and increased provider reimbursement for telemedicine services could lead to expanded use of telemedicine and new approaches to reach new patient populations.
AHRQ-funded; HS026088.
Citation: Yu J, Mink PJ, Huckfeldt PJ .
Population-level estimates of telemedicine service provision using an all-payer claims database.
Health Aff 2018 Dec;37(12):1931-39. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05116..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Health Insurance, Payment, Telehealth
Khoong EC, Cherian R, Rivadeneira NA
Accurate measurement In California's safety-net health systems has gaps and barriers.
The purpose of this study was to measure California’s pay-for-performance program in safety-net hospitals. Results showed both suboptimal performance in aspects of ambulatory safety and questionable reliability in data reporting. Health care systems that lack seamlessly integrated electronic health records and patient registries encountered barriers to reporting reliable ambulatory safety data, precluding accurate performance measurement in many areas. The authors recommended that policymakers and safety advocates support the development of information systems and measures that facilitate the accurate ascertainment of the health systems, patients, and clinical tasks at greatest risk for ambulatory safety failures.
AHRQ-funded; HS024412; HS024426.
Citation: Khoong EC, Cherian R, Rivadeneira NA .
Accurate measurement In California's safety-net health systems has gaps and barriers.
Health Aff 2018 Nov;37(11):1760-69. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0709..
Keywords: Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient Safety, Provider Performance, Quality Indicators (QIs), Payment
Cohen DJ, Dorr DA, Knierim K
Primary care practices' abilities and challenges in using electronic health record data for quality improvement.
Federal value-based payment programs require primary care practices to conduct quality improvement activities, informed by the electronic reports on clinical quality measures that their electronic health records (EHRs) generate. This study concluded that the current state of EHR measurement functionality may be insufficient to support federal initiatives that tie payment to clinical quality measures.
AHRQ-funded; HS023940.
Citation: Cohen DJ, Dorr DA, Knierim K .
Primary care practices' abilities and challenges in using electronic health record data for quality improvement.
Health Aff 2018 Apr;37(4):635-43. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1254.
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Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Primary Care, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Health Information Technology (HIT), Payment
Zhang M, Shubina M, Morrison F
Following the money: copy-paste of lifestyle counseling documentation and provider billing.
To find out whether copied documentation of lifestyle counseling was used to justify higher evaluation and management (E&M) charges, researchers investigated 12,527 patient encounters in which lifestyle counseling was documented. When time spent on counseling was recorded, copied lifestyle counseling was associated with a decrease of 70.5% in the odds of higher E&M charges.
AHRQ-funded; HS017030
Citation: Zhang M, Shubina M, Morrison F .
Following the money: copy-paste of lifestyle counseling documentation and provider billing.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2013 Oct 2;13:377. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-13-377..
Keywords: Diabetes, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Health Insurance, Lifestyle Changes, Payment