AHRQ Views: For Women’s Health Week, Let’s Make Prevention Primary

AHRQ Stats—Maternal Deaths by Age

Among women who gave birth in 2019, those aged 25 to 34 years were nearly twice as likely to die during a delivery hospitalization (5.2 deaths per 100,000 hospitalizations) as those aged 18 to 24 (2.6 deaths per 100,000 hospitalizations). Women aged 35 to 55 years were more than three times as likely to die (9.5 deaths per 100,000 hospitalizations). (Source: AHRQ 2023 Patient Safety Chartbook [PDF, 4 MB].)

Today's Headlines:

• AHRQ Views: For Women’s Health Week, Let’s Make Prevention Primary.
• Loss of Medicaid Supplemental Insurance Eligibility Associated With Healthcare Disparities.
• Craig A. Umscheid Selected To Direct AHRQ’s Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety.
• AHRQ Grantee Tests Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Breast Cancer Screening Accuracy and Efficiency.
• Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
• Register Now for June 15 Webinar on Using Clinical Decision Support at the Point of Care.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

AHRQ Views: For Women’s Health Week, Let’s Make Prevention Primary

In a new blog post in support of National Women’s Health Week, AHRQ Director Robert Otto Valdez, Ph.D., M.H.S.A., emphasized AHRQ’s commitment to addressing the unique healthcare needs of women, particularly preventive care. The theme of this year’s Women’s Health Week—“Women’s Health, Whole Health: Prevention, Care, and Well-Being”—reflects the importance of self-care, including proper diet and exercise, strategies to maintain positive mental health and regular primary care visits, including preventive care. AHRQ has invested in several initiatives to advance women's health and well-being. Dr. Valdez also cited the significance of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s May 9 recommendation that all women be screened for breast cancer every other year between the ages of 40 and 74. Access the full blog post. To receive all blog posts, submit your email address.

Loss of Medicaid Supplemental Insurance Eligibility Associated With Healthcare Disparities

Medicare beneficiaries of color who lose Medicaid supplemental insurance because their incomes increased above Federal poverty guidelines may face increased disparities in availability and access to healthcare, according to a study by an AHRQ-supported scholar published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers found that losing Medicaid eligibility was associated with increased difficulty accessing care due to cost, lower use of outpatient care and fewer medication fills among low-income Black and Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries. Among Black and Hispanic beneficiaries, loss of Medicaid eligibility was also associated with filling fewer chronic disease medications, raising concerns that low-income Medicare beneficiaries of color are less likely to receive appropriate care for chronic conditions when they are ineligible for Medicaid. In contrast, loss of Medicaid eligibility was associated with smaller or no differences in these outcomes among low-income White beneficiaries. Researchers suggested expanding eligibility for Medicaid supplemental insurance may narrow these disparities. Access the abstract.

Craig A. Umscheid Selected To Direct AHRQ’s Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety

Craig A. Umscheid, M.D., M.S., is the new director of AHRQ’s Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. A hospitalist and clinical epidemiologist, Dr. Umscheid brings extensive experience disseminating and implementing evidence into clinical practice to support high-quality patient care. He has firsthand experience with AHRQ’s quality and patient safety programs, most recently serving as senior science advisor and director of AHRQ’s Evidence-based Practice Center Division. Learn more about Dr. Umscheid’s background.

AHRQ Grantee Tests Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Breast Cancer Screening Accuracy and Efficiency

AHRQ’s latest grantee profile features William Hsu, Ph.D., associate professor of radiological sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research is testing whether artificial intelligence algorithms can improve the overall accuracy of the screening process, make workflow more efficient and improve the patient experience. While breast cancer screening has helped reduce U.S. patient deaths by nearly 40 percent since 1990, the screening process can be inefficient and linked to harms such as false positives and overdiagnosis. Achieving the goals of his study could transform the current screening to be more accurate and efficient. Check out Dr. Hsu’s profile and the profiles of other AHRQ grantees.

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:

• Improving safety during transitions of care through the use of electronic referral loops to receive and reconcile health information.
• Factors contributing to preventing operating room "never events": a machine learning analysis.
• Types of diagnostic errors reported by paediatric emergency providers in a global paediatric emergency care research network.

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).

Register Now for June 15 Webinar on Using Clinical Decision Support at the Point of Care

An AHRQ webinar on June 15 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. ET will highlight how modern, shareable and interoperable technologies have been used to implement patient-focused clinical decision support (CDS) tools. Expert speakers will share their research on how CDS tools can provide healthcare providers with knowledge and patient-specific information at the point of care to enhance clinical workflow, outcomes and quality of care. Access more information and register for the webinar sponsored by AHRQ’s Digital Healthcare Research program.

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Multilevel influences on patient engagement and chronic care management. Miller-Rosales C, Brewster AL, Shortell SM, et al. Am J Manag Care 2023 Apr;29(4):196-202. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Health care spending on respiratory diseases in the United States, 1996-2016. Duan KI, Birger M, Au DH, et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2023 Jan 15;207(2):183-92. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

A qualitative evidence synthesis of patient perspectives on migraine treatment features and outcomes. Urtecho M, Wagner B, Wang Z, et al. Headache 2023 Feb;63(2):185-201. Epub 2023 Jan 5. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

A systematic review of research on empathy in health care. Nembhard IM, David G, Ezzeddine I, et al. Health Serv Res 2023 Apr;58(2):250-63. Epub 2022 Jul 15. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Cardiovascular disease prevention and management of pre-existent cardiovascular disease in a cohort of prostate cancer survivors. Katz AJ, Chen RC, Usinger DS, et al. J Cancer Surviv 2023 Apr;17(2):351-9. Epub 2022 Jul 5. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Integrating alcohol-related prevention and treatment into primary care: a cluster randomized implementation trial. Lee AK, Bobb JF, Richards JE, et al. JAMA Intern Med 2023 Apr;183(4):319-28. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

The association of missed nursing care with very low birthweight infant outcomes. Lake ET, Staiger D, Smith JG, et al. Med Care Res Rev 2023 Jun;80(3):293-302. Epub 2023 Jan 24. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Racial/ethnic disparities in sleep-disordered breathing during pregnancy in the nuMoM2b study. Lucchini M, Rayport Y, Valeri L, et al. Obesity 2023 Apr;31(4):923-33. Epub 2023 Mar 2. Access the abstract on PubMed®.