Contents

Feature Story

• Experts call for integrating mental health into primary care

Primary Care

• Primary care coordination is more difficult for patients who see many specialists
• Accessible services in primary care practices promote preventive health screenings and care
• Residents should document sexual history during health care maintenance visits for older, asymptomatic adults

Health Care Costs and Financing

• Bundled payments for heart failure disease management programs can save money while reducing readmissions
• Medicaid pay-for-performance program in Massachusetts fails to improve quality during first-year

Elderly/Long-Term Care

• State regulation of care quality is costly to nursing homes
• Clinical informatics monitoring tool helps reduce adverse drug events in nursing home settings

Patient Safety and Quality

• Interdisciplinary team training with in-situ simulation helps reduce adverse events in obstetric patients
• No greater risk or mortality observed for endoscopic vein harvesting for coronary bypass surgery
• Duplicate medication order errors increase after computerized provider order entry is implemented
• Medical residents can use quality improvement methods to promote obesity screening
• Measuring quality of care for middle ear infection has many pitfalls
• California nurse staffing mandate did not reduce nursing workforce skill levels
• Leg compression devices are not a significant factor in in-hospital falls

Child/Adolescent Health

• A large proportion of hospitalized children receive numerous medications during their hospitalization
• Clostridium difficile infection rate has risen among hospitalized children since late 1990s
• Pediatric cardiology centers vary in treatment of infants with single ventricle congenital heart disease

Women's Health

• Breast cancer is associated with higher health care use and costs for women covered by fee-for-service Medicaid
• Lower educational level increases the likelihood of preclinical changes in mobility in older women

Disparities/Minority Health

• Many Texas residents cross Mexican border to obtain health care services
• Communications between patients with HIV and their providers differ along racial and substance use lines

Agency News and Notes

• ADHD medications don't increase serious heart risks in children or adults
• New study finds e-prescribing is safe and efficient, but barriers remain
• Cost of hospitalization highest among the non-elderly
• More seniors getting pneumonia shots, but some lag behind
• Evidence is weak on whole-body vibration therapy for osteoporosis
• New AHRQ campaign encourages Hispanics to work with their doctors to make the best treatment decisions
• Potential role of physical therapy in ICU patients
• Evidence lacking on optimal transition-of-care programs for heart attack and stroke patients following hospitalization
• Screening and treatment of subclinical thyroid dysfunction inadequately studied

Announcements

• AHRQ releases first primary care workforce facts and stats series
• Report explores prevalence of hypertension and use of antihypertensive drugs
• New health information technology funding opportunity on advancing health services through system modeling research
• Two EHC program report series identify research needs and provide guidance on identifying gaps in clinical evidence