AHRQ’s New “Data Spotlight” Series Begins With Focus on Infant Mortality and Low Birth Weight

AHRQ Stats: Complications After a Hip Replacement

The rate of adult patients who experienced complications after hip replacement surgery fell from 8 percent in 2010 to 4 percent in 2015. (Source: AHRQ, 2017 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report: Chartbook on Patient Safety.) 

Today's Headlines:

• AHRQ’s New “Data Spotlight” Series Begins With Focus on Infant Mortality and Low Birth Weight.
• Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
• Racial and Ethnic Disparities Vary With Level of Health.
• AHRQ Recruiting Hospitals for Project To Improve Surgical Care and Recovery.
• AHRQ Seeks Examples of Impact for Development of Case Studies.
• Dec. 5 Webinar Will Introduce New Users to AHRQ’s Consumer Assessment Surveys.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

AHRQ’s New “Data Spotlight” Series Begins With Focus on Infant Mortality and Low Birth Weight

Black mothers had a higher percentage of infants born at lower birth weights than all other races between 2007 and 2015, according to a new Data Spotlight from AHRQ’s 2017 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report (NHQDR). Paired with an infographic, the Data Spotlight inaugurates the agency’s aim to highlight important NHQDR findings regularly as well as ongoing efforts by the Department of Health and Human Services to address health disparities. Access the new Data Spotlight and infographic. 

Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network

AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network (PSNet) highlights journal articles, books and tools related to patient safety. Articles featured this week include:

• Patient safety theme issue (Health Affairs).
• Nurses' and patients' appraisals show patient safety in hospitals remains a concern.
• Association of nurse workload with missed nursing care in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Review additional new publications in PSNet’s current issue or access recent cases and commentaries in AHRQ’s WebM&M (Morbidity and Mortality Rounds on the Web). 

Racial and Ethnic Disparities Vary With Level of Health

The magnitude of racial and ethnic disparities varies with patients’ health status, according to a new AHRQ study. AHRQ staff researchers used 2010–2014 data from the agency’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to determine the relationship between health status and the magnitude of black–white and Hispanic–white disparities in the use of office-based or hospital outpatient care. They found that the Hispanic–white differences in the likelihood of having any visit were largest among adults in excellent health (27 percentage points) and narrowest when reporting poor or fair health (15 percentage points). In contrast, among the privately insured, they found wider disparities in the number of office visits for those reporting poor or fair health. Access the abstract of the study published in Health Services Research. 

AHRQ Recruiting Hospitals for Project To Improve Surgical Care and Recovery

Get help implementing an enhanced surgical recovery program for your hospital’s gynecology, colorectal, hip fracture or joint replacement surgery service by enrolling in a no-cost program funded and guided by AHRQ. Enrollment is open for the 12-month program that starts March 1, 2019. Informational webinars are available on Nov. 29, Dec. 3, and Dec. 13. Participating hospitals will receive evidence-based enhanced recovery pathways, coaching and content calls with experts in the field, implementation resources, access to the American College of Surgeons’ data collection platform and benchmark reports, and continuous clinical and implementation support. The program will be led by the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, in collaboration with the American College of Surgeons. Access information about webinars and program registration.  

AHRQ Seeks Examples of Impact for Development of Case Studies

Has your organization used an AHRQ tool to improve patient care, make a culture change or save costs? The agency would like to learn more about your use of AHRQ resources to develop Impact Case Studies. Since 2004, the agency has developed more than 400 Impact Case Studies that illustrate AHRQ’s contributions to health care improvement. Available online and searchable via an interactive map, the Impact Case Studies help to tell the story of how AHRQ-funded research findings, data and tools have made an impact on the lives of millions of American patients. To help us share your impact story, send a short description of how and where AHRQ resources were used, along with your contact information, to ImpactCaseStudies@ahrq.hhs.gov. 

Dec. 5 Webinar Will Introduce New Users to AHRQ’s Consumer Assessment Surveys

Register now for a webinar on Dec. 5 from noon to 1 p.m. ET to learn about AHRQ’s Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) surveys. The CAHPS program supports the development and use of standardized questionnaires to evaluate consumers’ assessments of their health care. Webinar speakers will explain how CAHPS surveys focus on patients’ priorities and build on current research in survey development and administration. Speakers will also review recommended guidelines for administering CAHPS surveys and discuss how organizations are using survey results. Email questions to cahps1@westat.com or call (800) 492-9261.

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Twelve-month health care use and mortality in commercially insured young people with incident psychosis in the United States. Schoenbaum M, Sutherland JM, Chappel A, et al. Schizophr Bull 2017 Oct 21;43(6):1262-72. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Examining factors associated with nonadherence and identifying providers caring for nonadherent subgroups. Taira DA, Seto BK, Davis JW, et al. J Pharm Health Serv Res 2017 Dec;8(4):247-53. Epub 2017 Aug 7. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

A new era of quality measurement in rheumatology: electronic clinical quality measures and national registries. Tonner C, Schmajuk G, Yazdany J. Curr Opin Rheumatol 2017 Mar;29(2):131-7. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Secondary prevention medication use after myocardial infarction in U.S. nursing home residents. Zullo AR, Sharmin S, Lee Y, et al. J Am Geriatr Soc 2017 Nov;65(11):2397-2404. Epub 2017 Oct 17. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Effects of transitioning to Medicare Part D on access to drugs for medical conditions among dual enrollees with cancer. Adams AS, Madden JM, Zhang F, et al. Value Health 2017 Dec;20(10):1345-54. Epub 2017 Jul 6. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Perception of barriers to the diagnosis and receipt of treatment for neuropsychiatric disturbances after traumatic brain injury. Albrecht JS, O'Hara LM, Moser KA, et al. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2017 Dec;98(12):2548-52. Epub 2017 Jul 5. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Outcomes of integrated behavioral health with primary care. Balasubramanian BA, Cohen DJ, Jetelina KK, et al. J Am Board Fam Med 2017 Mar-Apr;30(2):130-9. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Associations between Medicare Part D and out-of-pocket spending, HIV viral load, adherence, and ADAP use in dual eligibles with HIV. Belenky N, Pence BW, Cole SR, et al. Med Care 2018 Jan;56(1):47-53. Access the abstract on PubMed®.