| June 24, 2014, Issue #429 AHRQ StatsIn 2011, 21.5 million Americans (nearly 7 percent) paid $2,000 or more out of pocket for medical care, while nearly 4.8 million (1.5 percent) paid $5,000 or more out of pocket and about 1.3 million (0.4 percent) paid $10,000 or more. (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #423: Differentials in the Concentration in the Level of Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditures across Population Subgroups in the U.S., 2011.) Today's Headlines:AHRQ "Stay Healthy" Brochures Focus on Recommended Preventive Care AHRQ's newly revised "Stay Healthy" brochures inform consumers about the different preventive services that can help them stay healthy. The brochures describe recommended screening tests and steps for maintaining good health. The four Stay Healthy brochures available on the AHRQ website are: Men: Stay Healthy at Any Age; Men: Stay Healthy at 50+; Women: Stay Healthy at Any Age; and Women: Stay Healthy at 50+. Organizations can order up to 200 print copies of the brochures free of charge by contacting ahrqpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov or calling 800-358-9295. Additional copies cost $15 per pack of 100 brochures, plus shipping. New Fact Sheet and Webinar Materials Available on National Quality Strategy and Using Levers To Improve Health and Health Care A new fact sheet outlines nine levers identified in the National Quality Strategy to help organizations improve health and health care. Organizations can use these core business functions and other tools to provide better, more affordable care to individuals and the community. In addition, slides and a transcript from a May 13 webinar entitled National Quality Strategy: Using Levers to Achieve Improved Health and Health Care Webinar, are now available. AHRQ Study Examines Impact of Regulation and Report Cards An AHRQ-funded study published in this year's Annual Review of Public Health examines and contrasts the effects of regulation and public reporting of the quality of care by various providers, including nursing homes, hospitals and physicians. "Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches to Health Care Quality: The Impacts of Regulation and Report Cards" is a literature review that explores the effects of both approaches on provider and consumer behavior. The study finds that both approaches can lead to positive impacts as well as some unintended consequences. The study also outlines research gaps that could help inform future research efforts. AHRQ's Health Care Innovations Exchange Focuses on Alarm Fatigue in Hospital Settings The latest issue of AHRQ's Health Care Innovations Exchange features profiles about two programs that minimized alarm fatigue in hospitals by changing alarm systems to reduce audible alarms and rescue events. One of the featured profiles describes a hospital cardiac unit that reduced clinically insignificant alarms and made it easier for nurses to respond to alarms signaling genuine problems. Key actions included elevating heart rate alarms previously identified as "warning" alarms that do not require a nurse response to "crisis" alarms that do require a response, adding an audible alarm for atrial fibrillation episodes to the existing visual alarm, and allowing two nurses to collaborate to change alarm parameters for individual patients (with a physician's approval). The initiative reduced audible alarms by 89 percent and significantly increased satisfaction among both nurses and patients. | AHRQ in the Professional Literature Hwang SW, Chambers C, Chiu S, et al. A comprehensive assessment of health care utilization among homeless adults under a system of universal health insurance. Am J Public Health. 2013 Dec;103 Suppl 2:S294-301. Epub 2013 Oct 22. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.
Nkoy FL, Stone BL, Fassl BA, et al. Longitudinal validation of a tool for asthma self-monitoring. Pediatrics. 2013 Dec;132(6):e1554-61. Epub 2013 Nov 11. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.
Hatch B, Angier H, Marino M, et al. Using electronic health records to conduct children's health insurance surveillance.
Pediatrics. 2013 Dec;132(6):e1584-91. Epub 2013 Nov 18. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.
Gilbert AL, Bauer NS, Carroll AE, et al. Child exposure to parental violence and psychological distress associated with delayed milestones. Pediatrics. 2013 Dec;132(6):e1577-83. Epub 2013 Nov 4. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.
Zhang S, Senteio C, Felizzola J, et al. Racial/ethnic disparities in antiretroviral treatment among HIV-infected pregnant Medicaid enrollees, 2005-2007. Am J Public Health. 2013 Dec;103(12):e46-53. Epub 2013 Oct 17. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.
Shapiro JS, Johnson SA, Angiollilo J, et al. Health information exchange improves identification of frequent emergency department users. Health Aff. 2013 Dec;32(12):2193-8. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®. Letourneau AR, Calderwood MS, Huang SS, et al. Harnessing claims to improve detection of surgical site infections following hysterectomy and colorectal surgery. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2013 Dec;34(12):1321-3. Epub 2013 Oct 28. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®. Schiff GD, Puopolo AL, Huben-Kearney A, et al. Primary care closed claims experience of Massachusetts malpractice insurers. JAMA Intern Med. 2013 Dec 9-23;173(22):2063-8. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®. Contact Information Please address comments and questions about the AHRQ Electronic Newsletter to Jeff Hardy at (301) 427-1802 or Jeff.Hardy@ahrq.hhs.gov |
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