September 9 Webinar to Highlight New AHRQ Guide on Using Rapid-Cycle Research

AHRQ Stats: Treatment Costs for Heart Disease and Cancer

Among the five costliest health conditions in both 2002 and 2012, average per-person treatment expenditures were highest for cancer and heart conditions. Treatment for heart conditions averaged $4,349 per person in 2012, an increase from the average cost of $4,243 in 2002. Cancer treatment costs averaged $5,631 per person in 2012 compared with $5,509 per person in 2002. Trauma-related disorders, mental disorders and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma also ranked among the five costliest conditions in 2002 and 2012. (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #470: Trends in the Five Most Costly Conditions among the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 2002 and 2012).

Today's Headlines

1. September 9 Webinar to Highlight New AHRQ Guide on Using Rapid-Cycle Research.
2. Keynote Speakers Announced for 2015 AHRQ Research Conference.
3. New Issue Brief Explores Health Care Big Data.
4. AHRQ Safety Primer Examines Impact of Patient Errors, Adverse Events on Clinicians.
5. Featured Impact Case Study: New York Health System Implements TeamSTEPPS® To Improve Patient Safety.
6. AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

1. September 9 Webinar to Highlight New AHRQ Guide on Using Rapid-Cycle Research

A new guide available from AHRQ is designed to help researchers change how research is conducted based on changes in how primary care is delivered. "Using Rapid-Cycle Research to Reach Goals: Awareness, Assessment, Adaptation, Acceleration" draws on the experience of practice-based research networks. The guide provides resources and advice for conducting rapid-cycle research. It describes methods for identifying problems, solutions that work in real-world settings and study methods to accelerate the research cycle. AHRQ's Practice-Based Research Network Resource Center is hosting a research methodology webinar featuring the rapid-cycle research guide September 9 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. ET. David Gustafson, M.D., and Kim Johnson, M.D., will discuss the guide. Application for CME credit has been filed with the American Academy of Family Physicians. Determination of credit is pending. Registration is open.

2. Keynote Speakers Announced for 2015 AHRQ Research Conference

Look who’s talking at the 2015 AHRQ Research Conference: Bruce Siegel, M.D., America’s Essential Hospitals; Alice Rivlin, Brookings Institution; J. Nadine Gracia, M.D., HHS Office of Minority Health; and more. The agenda for the conference, which is scheduled for October 4–6 at Crystal Gateway Marriott, Crystal City, Va., is now available. Learn about results and impacts of AHRQ-sponsored research, data and tools that have helped to improve care in a changing health care environment. Join hosts AHRQ and AcademyHealth as they partner with the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) for joint sessions on October 6 to address key issues in dissemination and implementation of patient-centered outcomes research, launching PCORI's first annual meeting, October 6-8, at the same location. Register by October 3 and save. (Special hotel room rate is available only until September 12.)

3. New Issue Brief Explores Health Care Big Data

A new issue brief from AHRQ explores the current uses and promise of data to improve health care. "Harnessing the Power of Data: How AHRQ is Catalyzing Transformation in Health Care" offers an overview of AHRQ-funded research projects that use health care data to improve care for children living with pediatric inflammatory bowel disease, people planning to have surgeries and patients who have had joint replacements. The issue brief also provides an overview of AHRQ's Registry of Registries and shares insights from experts on challenges and future directions in using health care data.

4. AHRQ Safety Primer Examines Impact of Patient Errors, Adverse Events on Clinicians

Involvement in medical errors and adverse events can take a significant toll on clinicians, with as many as half of all clinicians estimated to be involved in a serious adverse event at least once during their career, according to a new primer posted on AHRQ's Patient Safety Network. The primer, "Support for Clinicians Involved in Errors and Adverse Events (Second Victims)," addresses clinician responses to their involvement in errors and adverse events while offering resources that can be put in place to respond to such events. When a medical error or patient harm occurs, the first priority is to attend to the patient and family members. However, damage from errors and adverse events can occur at three levels – patients, clinicians and health care organizations. The primer describes six stages of recovery for clinicians following an adverse event. This distress is known as the "second victim" phenomenon, a term coined by patient safety expert Albert Wu, M.D., M.P.H., to express how clinicians themselves feel wounded by the event.

5. Featured Impact Case Study: New York Health System Implements TeamSTEPPS® To Improve Patient Safety

New York's North Shore-LIJ Health System used AHRQ's TeamSTEPPS® and Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture to reduce medical malpractice expenses and patient harms. Implementation in 17 hospitals and three nursing facilities helped reduce medical malpractice expenses by 2.5 percent while contributing to a 60 percent decrease in central line-associated bloodstream infections and a 50 percent decrease in hospital-acquired pressure ulcers.

6. AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Nembhard IM, Cherian P, Bradley EH. Deliberate learning in health care: the effect of importing best practices and creative problem solving on hospital performance improvement. Med Care Res Rev 2014 Oct;71(5):450-71. Epub 2014 May 29. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Gummadi S, Housri N, Zimmers TA, et al. Electronic medical record: a balancing act of patient safety, privacy and health care delivery. Am J Med Sci 2014 Sep;348(3):238-43. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Liang SY, Theodoro DL, Schuur JD, et al. Infection prevention in the emergency department. Ann Emerg Med 2014 Sep;64(3):299-313. Epub 2014 Apr 12. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Horner-Johnson W, Fujiura GT, Goode TD, et al. Promoting a new research agenda: health disparities research at the intersection of disability, race, and ethnicity. Med Care 2014 Oct;52(10 Suppl 3):S1-2. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Hussey PS, Luft HS, McNamara P. Public reporting of provider performance at a crossroads in the United States: summary of current barriers and recommendations on how to move forward. Med Care Res Rev 2014 Oct;71(5 Suppl):5S-16S. Epub 2014 May 27. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Devine EB, Lee CJ, Overby CL, et al. Usability evaluation of pharmacogenomics clinical decision support aids and clinical knowledge resources in a computerized provider order entry system: a mixed methods approach. Int J Med Inform 2014 Jul;83(7):473-83. Epub 2014 May 9. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Checchi KD, Huybrechts KF, Avorn J, et al. Electronic medication packaging devices and medication adherence: a systematic review. JAMA 2014 Sep 24;312(12):1237-47. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Weinick RM, Quigley DD, Mayer LA, et al. Use of CAHPS patient experience surveys to assess the impact of health care innovations. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2014 Sep;40(9):418-27. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.