Women Paying a Larger Share of Maternity Care Costs

AHRQ Stats: Choice of Healthcare Plans

Among private-sector establishments offering health insurance, the percentage of employees with a choice of health plans increased from 72.4 percent in 2017 to 75.7 percent in 2018. (Source: AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey—Insurance Component 2018 Chartbook.)

Today's Headlines:

• Women Paying a Larger Share of Maternity Care Costs.
• Available Now: Second Edition of Healthcare Simulation Dictionary.
• New Members Sought for U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
• Highlights From AHRQ's Patient Safety Network.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

Women Paying a Larger Share of Maternity Care Costs

Average out-of-pocket spending for maternity care increased among women with employer-based insurance from 2008 to 2015, largely driven by paying more in deductibles, according to an AHRQ-funded study. While the average cost for deliveries remained relatively stable, the average proportion of costs paid by women increased from 12 percent in 2008 to nearly 20 percent in 2015, the study concluded. Among those with out-of-pocket costs, average patient spending for maternity care increased from $3,069 in 2008 to $4,569 in 2015. Access the abstract of the study, published in Health Affairs. 

Available Now: Second Edition of Healthcare Simulation Dictionary

The second edition of the Healthcare Simulation Dictionary, an online publication from AHRQ and the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, has been updated to include 40 new entries, including terms such as "artificial intelligence," "gamification" and "virtual world." Twelve additional definitions have been expanded, and the new edition identifies 27 abbreviations commonly used among professionals in teaching, education, assessment, research and system integration activities. The dictionary, part of AHRQ's ongoing efforts to improve patient safety, will continue to be updated as a free reference for healthcare simulationists. 

New Members Sought for U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

Nominations are due by March 15 for new members to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The USPSTF is an independent body of experts who work to improve the health of all Americans by making evidence-based recommendations about the effectiveness of clinical preventive services and health promotion. Its recommendations address clinical preventive services for adults and children, and include screening tests, counseling services and preventive medications. Qualified candidates must demonstrate expertise and national leadership in clinical preventive services, critical evaluation of research and implementation of evidence-based recommendations in clinical practice. AHRQ seeks diverse candidates with experience in public health; the reduction of health disparities; the application of science to health policy; and the communication of findings to various audiences. Access more information about the nomination process, how to nominate an individual for consideration, or how to self-nominate. New members are expected to join the USPSTF in January 2021.

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:

• Association between mobile telephone interruptions and medication administration errors in a vpediatric intensive care unit.
• Severe illness getting noticed sooner—SIGNS-for-Kids: developing an illness recognition tool to connect home and hospital.
• Diagnostic error in the emergency department: learning from national patient safety incident report analysis.

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). 

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Identifying tests related to breast cancer care in claims data. Franc BL, Thombley R, Luo Y, et al. Breast J 2019 Nov 18. [Epub ahead of print.] Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Home health care services to persons with dementia and language preference. Ma C, Herrmann L, Miner S, et al. Geriatr Nurs 2019 Oct 24. [Epub ahead of print.] Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Primary care practices' ability to report electronic clinical quality measures in the EvidenceNOW Southwest initiative to improve heart health. Knierim KE, Hall TL, Dickinson LM, et al. JAMA Netw Open 2019 Aug 2;2(8):e198569. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

The dynamics of Medicaid enrollment, employment, and beneficiary health status. Vistnes JP, Hill SC. Health Aff (Millwood) 2019 Sep;38(9):1491-5. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Factor analysis of the CES-D 12 among a community sample of black men. Adams LB, Gottfredson N, Lightfoot AF, et al. Am J Mens Health 2019 Mar-Apr;13(2):1557988319834105. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Contributions of traditional and HIV-related risk factors on non-AIDS-defining cancer, myocardial infarction, and end-stage liver and renal diseases in adults with HIV in the USA and Canada: a collaboration of cohort studies. Althoff KN, Gebo KA, Moore RD, et al. Lancet HIV 2019 Feb;6(2):e93-e104. Epub 2019 Jan 22. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Power of a learning network in congenital heart disease. Anderson JB, Brown DW, Lihn S, et al. World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg 2019 Jan;10(1):66-71. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Medicaid coverage and continuity for juvenile justice-involved youth. Anderson VR, Ouyang F, Tu W, et al. J Correct Health Care 2019 Jan;25(1):45-54. Epub 2019 Jan 7. Access the abstract on PubMed®.