Grant final reports now available from NTIS
The following grant final reports are now available from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). Each listing identifies the project's principal investigator, his or her affiliation, grant number, and project period and provides a brief description of the project. Records of documents archived at NTIS—including many AHRQ documents and final reports from all completed AHRQ-supported grants—can now be searched on the new NTIS Web site. For information about findings from the projects described here, please access the relevant final reports at the NTIS Web site. Also, all items in the database from 1997 to the present can be downloaded from the NTIS Web site. Go to http://www.ntis.gov for more information.
Editor's Note: In addition to these final reports, you can access information about these projects from several other sources. Most of these researchers have published interim findings in the professional literature, and many have been summarized in Research Activities during the course of the project. To find information presented in back issues of Research Activities, go to http://www.ahrq.gov/research/resact.htm and select "Search Research Activities." To search for information, enter either the grant or contract number or the principal investigator's last name in the query line. A reference librarian can help you find related journal articles through the National Library of Medicine's PubMed®.
Best Practices in Nurse-Managed Health Centers Conference. Tine Hansen-Turton, M.G.A., National Nursing Centers Consortium. AHRQ grant HS15633, project period 9/30/04-12/31/04.
This project provided support for the National Nursing Centers Consortium's 2004 Annual Conference which focused on best approaches to eliminating health disparities and producing strong health outcomes through research, policy, and practice. Sessions included data collection, funding streams, access to services, and best practices. Best practice sessions addressed primary health issues such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. The conference also explored effective ways to implement clinical practice guidelines for chronic diseases and health disparities to ensure better quality of care.
Abstract and final report (NTIS accession no. PB2007-102722; 6 pp, $14.00 paper, $14.00 microfiche) are available from NTIS.
BBA Effects on Geographic Variation in Post-Acute Care. Wen-Chieh Lin, Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia. AHRQ grant HS13422, project period 9/1/03-8/31/04.
This project examined how geographic regions responded to the initial Medicare post-acute care (PAC) payment reforms enacted by the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997. Researchers found that regions responded differently to the BBA changes and the consequential redistribution of services among PAC settings also varied across regions. Changes in early hospital readmission were similar across regions.
Abstract and final report (NTIS accession no. PB2007-102720; 17 pp, $26.50 paper, $14.00 microfiche) are available from NTIS.
Evaluating Diagnostic Decisions for Deep Vein Thrombosis. Daniel L. Riddle, P.T., Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth University. AHRQ grant HS13059, project period 7/1/02-6/30/04.
The purpose of this project was to determine the accuracy of orthpaedists' and orthopaedic physical therapists' estimates of the probability of proximal lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (PDVT). In addition, researchers also determined whether orthopaedists' planned use of diagnostic tests and therapists' decisions regarding referral were the same or different from evidence-based recommendations in the general medical literature.
Abstract and final report (NTIS accession no. PB2006-109765; 12 pp, $26.50 paper, $14.00 microfiche) are available from NTIS.
Surgical Volume Matters – Helping Patients Pick Hospitals. John D. Birkmeyer, M.D., Dartmouth College. AHRQ grant HS13049, project period 7/1/02-6/30/04.
The purpose of this project was to learn how Medicare patients currently choose hospitals for surgery and determine how best to inform Medicare beneficiaries about the relative quality of surgical providers. Patients rated good reputations of their hospitals or surgeons as the most influential factors in deciding where to have surgery. The next most influential factors were having had prior care at the hospital or the recommendations of family and friends. When asked how much various factors would influence advice they would give to a friend choosing where to go for major surgery, surgeon reputation was the most influential, followed by the hospital having "nationally recognized surgeons," surgeon volume, nurse-patient ratios, hospital volume, and hospital operative mortality rates.
Abstract and final report (NTIS accession no. PB2006-109041; 16 pp, $26.50 paper, $14.00 microfiche) are available from NTIS.
"Fair?" A Study of Physicians' Responses to Restricted Formularies. Paul Adler, University of Southern California. AHRQ grant HS13038, project period 9/30/02-9/29/04.
This study explored whether the fairness of formulary restrictions affects the impact of these restrictions on hospitals costs. Drawing on organizational justice theory, researchers examined the role of procedural fairness in shaping the cost effectiveness of bureaucratic standardization, and argue that the payoff to drug formularies depends on whether the process of setting and implementing formulary policies is fair. Results indicate that the cost effectiveness impact of drug standardization depends on the procedural fairness of the standardization process, controlling for patient, hospital, and hospital market factors.
Abstract and final report (NTIS accession no. PB2006-114009; 30 pp, $26.50 paper, $14.00 microfiche) are available from NTIS.
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