Interactive Tool Explores Hospital Trends for COVID-19 and Other Conditions
Issue Number
773
July 20, 2021
AHRQ Stats: Costliest Hospital Stays
The overall costliest hospital stays in 2018 were for septicemia ($41.5 billion), osteoarthritis ($18 billion) and acute myocardial infarction ($14.7 billion). (Source: AHRQ, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Statistical Brief #277: Most Frequent Principal Diagnoses for Inpatient Stays in U.S. Hospitals, 2018.)
Today's Headlines:
- Interactive Tool Explores Hospital Trends for COVID-19 and Other Conditions.
- Health System Integration Resulted in Sharp Medicare Spending Increase.
- Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
- Cirrhosis Patients, Caregivers Report Reasons for Declining Test of Health Information Technology App.
- New Research and Evidence From AHRQ.
- AHRQ in the Professional Literature.
Interactive Tool Explores Hospital Trends for COVID-19 and Other Conditions
A new interactive data visualization tool from AHRQ allows users to explore State-specific monthly trends on inpatient stays from 2018 to 2020 related to COVID-19 and other conditions. Data drawn from the agency’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) summary trend tables are depicted in graphs that incorporate information from 46 States and the District of Columbia. The visualization facilitates comparisons of the number of hospital discharges, the average lengths of stay and in-hospital mortality rates across medical conditions including COVID-19, influenza, maternal and neonatal conditions, and mental health and substance use disorders.
Health System Integration Resulted in Sharp Medicare Spending Increase
Hospital and health system ownership of physician practices was associated with an additional $40.2 million in Medicare spending on imaging tests and $32.9 million on laboratory tests, according to an AHRQ-funded study published in Health Affairs. Medicare fee-for-service claims data from 2013 to 2016 indicated average reimbursement increased by $6.38 for imaging tests and $0.57 for laboratory tests after practices were integrated. Despite a decrease in testing performed at non-hospital sites, a sharp rise in hospital-site testing resulted in integrated practices performing 1.5 more imaging tests and 8.5 more laboratory tests per every 1,000 beneficiaries on average after integration. Access the abstract.
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:
- Critical care nurses’ physical and mental health, worksite wellness support, and medical errors.
- The influence of COVID-19 visitation restrictions on patient experience and safety outcomes: a critical role for subjective advocates.
- The RCA ReCAst: a root cause analysis simulation for the interprofessional clinical learning environment.
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).
Cirrhosis Patients, Caregivers Report Reasons for Declining Test of Health Information Technology App
Among 349 pairs of cirrhosis patients and their caregivers, approximately 75 percent declined to test a digital app designed to reduce hospital readmissions, with caregiver reluctance and perceived burden being reported as major reasons in their decision, according to an AHRQ-funded study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. Those with a history of opioid or alcohol use were also more likely to decline the opportunity. None of the groups listed privacy as a concern for their refusal. Access the abstract.
New Research and Evidence From AHRQ
AHRQ in the Professional Literature
Low serum potassium levels and clinical outcomes in peritoneal dialysis-international results from PDOPPS. Davies SJ, Zhao J, Morgenstern H, et al. Kidney Int Rep 2021 Feb;6(2):313-24. Epub 2020 Nov 22. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Stakeholder perspectives in anticipation of sharing physicians' notes with parents of hospitalized children. Kelly MM, Smith CA, Hoonakker PLT, et al. Acad Pediatr 2021 Mar;21(2):259-64. Epub 2020 Nov 28. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Self-driven prehospital triage decisions for suspected stroke—another step closer. Zachrison KS, Khatri P. JAMA Neurol 2021 Feb;78(2):146-8. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Positive beliefs and the likelihood of successful community discharge from skilled nursing facilities. Evans E, Kosar CM, Thomas KS. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2021 Mar;102(3):480-7. Epub 2020 Sep 28. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Super fragmented: a nationally representative cross-sectional study exploring the fragmentation of inpatient care among super-utilizers. Kaltenborn Z, Paul K, Kirsch JD, et al. BMC Health Serv Res 2021 Apr 14;21(1):338. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Brief report: Hospitalization rates among persons with HIV who gained Medicaid or private insurance after the Affordable Care Act in 2014. Chow JY, Nijhawan AE, Mathews WC, et al. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2021 Jun 1;87(2):776-80. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Assessment of variation in electronic health record capabilities and reported clinical quality performance in ambulatory care clinics, 2014-2017. Shekelle PG, Pane JD, Agniel D, et al. JAMA Netw Open 2021 Apr;4(4):e217476. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Diagnostic stewardship of endotracheal aspirate cultures in a PICU. Sick-Samuels AC, Linz M, Bergmann J, et al. Pediatrics 2021 May;147(5). Epub 2021 Apr 7. Access the abstract on PubMed®.