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Articles of Interest

December 3, 2010

This weekly compilation of articles appearing in recently released journals and newsletters includes:

Articles funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Articles mentioning or discussing AHRQ staff, activities, and publications/products.
Articles related to AHRQ-funded Evidence-based Practice Centers.
Articles related to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force or Put Prevention into Practice program.
Articles mentioning the National Healthcare Disparities Report and National Healthcare Quality Report.
Other research using AHRQ data or products.

AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles

Current Diabetes Reports
Osborn CY, Mayberry LS, Mulvaney SA, Hess R. Patient web portals to improve diabetes outcomes: a systematic review. Curr Diab Rep 2010 Dec; 10(6):422-35. [Supported in part by grant R18 HS18168 (to last author); cites AHRQ-funded article by Weingart et al. (J Am Med inform Assoc, 2006).] Select to access the abstract.

Health Services Research
Dimick JB, Staiger DO, Birkmeyer JD. Ranking hospitals on surgical mortality: the importance of reliability adjustment. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 1):1614-29. [Supported in part by career development award grant K08 HS17765 (to first author); cites Inpatient Quality Indicators (IQI) Composite Measure Workgroup Final Report, March 2008, 2008, as published on AHRQ's Quality Indicators Web site; cites articles by Dimick, Welch, and Birkmeyer (JAMA, 2004), which uses 2000 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) data, and Southern, Quan, and Ghali (Med Care, 2004), which uses AHRQ's Elixhauser comorbidity measures (Elixhauser et al., Med Care, 1998).] Select to access the abstract.

Wright DB. Time is money: opportunity cost and physicians' provision of charity care 1996-2005. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 1):1670-92. [Supported in part by a National Research Service Award (NRSA) pre-doctoral traineeship grant T32 HS00032 (sponsored by the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.] Select to access the abstract.

Lebrun LA, Dubay LC. Access to primary and preventive care among foreign-born adults in Canada and the United States. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 1):1693-719. [Supported in part by a NRSA training grant, grant number not given; cites USPSTF recommendations in Guide to Clinical Practice Services, 2005.] Select to access the abstract.

Li Y, Harrington C, Spector WD, et al. State regulatory enforcement and nursing home termination from the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 1):1796-814. [Third author is a researcher in AHRQ's Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets; see comments by Fennell (Health Serv Res, 2010) cited in AHRQ-Related Articles.] Select to access the abstract.

Fraser I, Encinosa W, Baker L. Payment reform. Introduction. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 2):1847-53. [First and second authors are director of and senior economist in AHRQ's Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets, respectively; mentions AHRQ-sponsored 2008 "Improving Efficiency and Value in Health" themed issue of Health Services Research and the subsequent AHRQ-sponsored 2010 "Payment Reform" theme issue of Health Services Research, citing AHRQ-authored article by Fraser, Encinosa, and Glied (Health Serv Res, 2008); cites AHRQ Resources on Pay for Performance (P4P), 2006, as published on AHRQ Web site; comments on AHRQ-funded articles by Chien et al., Yu and Dick, and Hoverman Colla et al. in the same issue, all cited below, by Fisher and Skinner, Barnato, and Grabowski et al. in the same issue, cited in AHRQ-Related Articles, and by Silber et al. and Holmboe et al. in the same issue cited in Research by Others Using AHRQ Data or Products.]

Chien AT, Li Z, Rosenthal MB. Improving timely childhood immunizations through pay for performance in Medicaid-managed care. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 2):1934-7. [Supported in part by career development award grant K08 HS17146 (to first author); cites AHRQ publication, Strategies to Support Quality-based Purchasing: A Review of the Evidence, 2004.] Select to access the abstract.

Yu H, Dick AW. Risk-adjusted capitation rates for children: how useful are the survey-based measures? Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 2):1948-62. [Supported by grant 1 R01 HS16742; uses 2000-2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data, citing MEPS HC-050: 2000 Full Year Consolidated Data File, 2003 and MEPS HC-092: 1996-2004 Risk Adjustment Scores Public Use File, 2008; cites AHRQ-authored article by Cohen, Monheit, Beauregard, Cohen, Lefkowitz, Potter, Sommers, Taylor, Arnett (current and former researchers in/directors of AHRQ's Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends) (Inquiry, 1996-1997), which uses MEPS data.] Select to access the abstract.

Colla CH, Escarce JJ, Buntin MB, et al. Effects of competition on the cost and quality of inpatient rehabilitation care under prospective payment. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 2):1981-2006. [Supported in part by grant R01 HS18541.] Select to access the abstract.

Journal of Patient Safety
Croskerry P, Abbass A, Wu AW. Emotional influences in patient safety. J Patient Saf 2010 Dec; 6(4):199-205. [Supported in part by AHRQ grants P20 HS11592-02 (to first author) and U18 HS11902-01 (to last author); cites AHRQ publication, Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation, 2005.]

Nemeth LS, Wessell AM. Improving medication safety in primary care using electronic health records. 2010 Dec; 6(4):238-43. [Supported by grant 1 R18 HS17037-01; cites AHRQ publications, Clinical Practice Improvement and Redesign: How Change in Workflow Can be Supported by Clinical Decision Support, 2009, and Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation, Vol. 1: Research Findings, 2005; cites article by Nemeth presented at AHRQ National Practice Based Research Networks Research Meeting, 2009; cites AHRQ-funded systematic review by Chaudhry et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2006) on impact of health information technology on quality, efficiency, and costs of medical care.

Mardon RE, Khanna K, Sorra J, et al. Exploring relationships between hospital patient safety culture and adverse events. J Patient Saf 2010 Dec; 6(4):226-32. [Supported by contract 233-02-0087; uses AHRQ's Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture and AHRQ's Patient Safety Indicators and HCUP data, citing Patient Safety Culture Surveys, 2009, 2009 HCUP data as published on AHRQ's HCUP Web site, Patient Safety Indicators Overview. AHRQ Quality Indicators, 2006, as published on AHRQ's Quality Indicators Web site, and AHRQ publications, Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture 20010 Comparative Database Report, 2010, Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture 2009 Comparative Database Report, 2009, Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture 2008 Comparative Database Report, 2008, and Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture 2008 Comparative Database Report, 2007; cites AHRQ technical review, Measures of Patient Safety Based on Hospital Administrative Data – The Patient Safety Indicators, 2002.] Select to access the abstract.

Obstetrics and Gynecology
Berkowitz Z, Saraiya M, Benard V, et al. Common abnormal results of pap and human papillomavirus cotesting: what physicians are recommending for management. Obstet Gynecol 2010 Dec; 116(6):1332-40. [Supported in part by interagency agreements Y3-PC-6017-01 (in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]), Y3-PC-5019-01, and Y3-PC-5019-03.] Select to access the abstract.

AHRQ-Related Articles

American Journal of Public Health
McClave AK, McKnight-Eily LR, Davis SP, et al. Smoking characteristics of adults with selected lifetime mental illnesses: results from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey. Am J Public Health 2010 Dec; 100(12):2464-72. [Cites AHRQ-sponsored guideline, Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update, 2008.] Select to access the abstract.

Klesges RC, Sherrill-Mittleman D, Ebbert JO, et al. Tobacco use harm reduction, elimination, and escalation in a large military cohort. Am J Public Health 2010 Dec; 100(12):2487-92. [Cites AHRQ-sponsored guideline, Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update, 2008.] Select to access the abstract.

Evaluation and the Health Professions
Allen B Jr, Boley Cruz T, Leonard E, et al. Eval Health Prof 2010 Dec; 33(4):414-36. [Cites AHRQ-sponsored guideline, Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update, 2008.]

Gerontologist
Gitlin LN, Jacobs M, Earland TV. Translation of a dementia caregiver intervention for delivery in homecare as a reimbursable Medicare service: outcomes and lessons learned. Gerontologist 2010 Dec; 50(6):847-54. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Gruber-Baldini et al. (J Am Geriatr, 2007).] Select to access the abstract.

Health Services Research
Fennell ML. Nursing home termination, nursing home closure, and many unanswered questions. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 1):1581-4. [Comments on and cites AHRQ-authored by Li, Harrington, Spector et al. (Health Serv Res, 2010) cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles, mentioning that "Li and colleagues are to be congratulated for their careful attention to the differences between nursing home termination and closure, and between voluntary and involuntary termination"; cites AHRQ-funded article by Mor et al. (Milbank Q, 2004).]

Guy GP Jr. The effects of cost sharing on access to care among childless adults. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 1):1720-39. [Cites AHRQ-authored articles by Cohen (researcher in AHRQ's Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends) and Cunningham (Health Aff, 1995) and Hahn (former AHRQ researcher) (Med Care, 1994), both of which use 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES) data; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Trivedi et al. (N Engl J Med, 2008), Herring et al. (J Health Econ, 2005), and Rask and Rask (J Health Econ, 2000).] Select to access the abstract.

Tabak YP, Sun X, Derby KG, et al. Development and validation of a disease-specific risk adjustment system using automated clinical data. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 1):1815-35. [Comments on the usability/adaptability of AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCS) 2011, as a clinical grouping system; cites AHRQ-authored articles by Jordan, Pine, Elixhauser (researcher in AHRQ's Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets) et al. (J Patient Saf, 2007) and Pine, Jordan, Elixhauser et al. (Med Decis Making, 2009 and JAMA, 2007), both of which use AHRQ's Patient Safety Indicators and Inpatient Quality Indicators, respectively; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Fine et al. (N Engl J Med, 1997), Normand, Glickman, and Gatsonis (J Am Stat Assoc, 1997), Goldman et al. (N Engl J Med, 1996), and Silber et al. (JAMA, 1995).] Select to access the abstract.

Fisher E, Skinner J. Comment on Silber et al.: Aggressive treatment styles and surgical outcomes. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 2):1893-902; discussion 1908-11. [Comments on and cites article by Silber et al. (Health Serv Res, 2010) cited in Research by Others Using AHRQ Data or Products; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Thabut et al. (JAMA, 2010), Ghaferi, Birkmeyer, and Dimick (N Engl J Med, 2009), Rogowski, Staiger, and Horbar (Health Aff, 2004), and Fisher et al. (N Engl J Med, 1994); see also article by Barnato and author reply by Silber and Kaestner in same issue, cited below.]

Barnato AE. Comment on Silber et al.: Investing in postadmission survival - a "failure-to-rescue" U.S. population health. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 2):1903-7; discussion 1908-11. [Comments on and cites article by Silber et al. (Health Serv Res, 2010) cited in Research by Others Using AHRQ Data or Products below; see also article by Fisher and Skinner above and author reply by Silber and Kaestner below.]

Silber JH, Kaestner R. Response to commentaries on Silber et al.: Aggressive treatment styles and surgical outcomes. Health Serv Res 010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 2):1908-11. [Author reply to and cites articles by Fisher and Skinner (Health Serv Res, 2010) and Barnato (Health Serv Res, 2010), both cited above, on article by Silber et al. (Health Serv Res, 2010) cited in Research by Others Using AHRQ Data or Products.]

Grabowski DC, Feng Z, Intrator O, et al. Medicaid bed-hold policy and Medicare skilled nursing facility rehospitalizations. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 2):1963-80. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Mor et al. (Milbank Q, 2004), Intrator and Mor (J Am Geriatr Soc, 2004), Carter and Porell (Gerontologist, 2003), and others.] Select to access the abstract.

JAMA
Engaging physicians and pharmacists in providing smoking cessation counseling. JAMA 2010 Dec 1; 304(21):2342. [Abstracts article by Prokhorov et al. (Arch Intern Med, 2010), which uses AHRQ-sponsored guideline, Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, 2008 Update, 2008).]

Linder JA. Diagnosis of pertussis. JAMA 2010 Dec 1; 304(21):2358. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Linder (Clin Infect Dis, 2008).]

Journal of Patient Safety
Watts BV, Percarpio K, West P, et al. Use of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire as a measure in patient safety improvement. J Patient Saf 2010 Dec; 6(4):206-9. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Pronovost et al. (J Crit Care, 2008), Modak et al. (J Gen Intern Med, 2007), Sexton et al. (BMC Health Serv Res, 2006), and Thomas et al. (BMC Health Serv Res, 2005).]

Ashely L, Armitage G. Failure mode and effects analysis: an empirical comparison of failure mode scoring procedures. J Patient Saf 2010 Dec; 6(4):210-15. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Wetterneck, Hundt, and Carayon (J Patient Saf, 2009), Wetterneck et al. (Am J Health Syst Pharm, 2006), Linkin et al. (Clin Infect Dis, 2005), and Castle et al. (Health Serv Res, 2005).]

Noble DJ, Pronovost PJ. Underreporting of patient safety incidents reduces health care's ability to quantify and accurately measure harm reduction. J Patient Saf 2010 Dec; 6(4):247-50. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Farley, Haviland, Champagn, Jain, Battles, Munier (third and fourth authors are Social Science Analyst for Patient Safety and director, respectively, in AHRQ's Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety) et al. (Qual Saf Health Care, 2008); cites AHRQ publication, Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation, Volume 4. Programs, Tools, and Products, 2005, as published on AHRQ Web site; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Newman-Toker and Pronovost (JAMA, 2009).]

Medical Care Research and Review
Grabowski DC, Aschbrenner KA, Rome VF, et al. Quality of mental health care for nursing home residents: a literature review. Med Care Res Rev 2010 Dec; 67(6):627-56. [Cites articles by Jones, Marcantonio, and Rabinowitz (J Am Geriatr Soc, 2003) and Dobalian, Tsao, and Radcliff (J Rural Health, 2003), which use 1996 MEPS-NHC data, and articles by Mechanic and McAlpine (Psychiatr Serv, 2000) and Smyer, Shea, and Streit (Am Psychol, 1989), which use NMES data; cites AHRQ-funded article by Mor et al. (Milbank Q, 2004).] Select to access the abstract.

Neurosurgery
Zusman EE. Comparative effectiveness research: is it progress? Neurosurgery 2010 Dec; 67(6):N20-N21. [Mentions AHRQ's receipt of comparative effectiveness research funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.]

Obstetrics and Gynecology
Rogo-Gupta LJ, Lewin SN, Kim JH, et al. The effect of surgeon volume on outcomes and resource use for vaginal hysterectomy. Obstet Gynecol 2010 Dec; 116(6):1341-7. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Stulberg et al. (JAMA, 2010), Birkmeyer et al. (N Engl J Med, 2003 and 2002), and Deyo, Cherkin, and Ciol (J Clin Epidemiol, 1992).] Select to access the abstract.

Pediatrics
Rosen DS, The Committee on Adolescence. Clinical report identification and management of eating disorders in children and adolescents. Pediatrics 2010 Dec; 126(6):1240-53. [Cites AHRQ publication, News and Numbers: Eating Disorders Sending More Americans to the Hospital, 2009, as published on AHRQ Web site.]

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)/Put Prevention Into Practice (PPIP)-Related Articles

American Journal of Public Health
Yeung A, Shyu I, Fisher L, et al. Culturally sensitive collaborative treatment for depressed Chinese Americans in primary care. Am J Public Health 2010 Dec; 100(12):2397-402. [Cites USPSTF recommendation statement, Screening for Depression, 2002, as published on AHRQ Web site.] Select to access the abstract.

Canadian Journal of Surgery
Eskicioglu C, Forbes SS, Fenech DS, et al. Preoperative bowel preparation for patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery: a clinical practice guideline endorsed by the Canadian Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. Can J Surg 2010 Dec; 53(6):385-95. [Uses USPSTF grade definitions and quality of evidence, citing AHRQ-sponsored article by Harris et al. (Am J Prev Med, 2001) on USPSTF methodologies.] Select to access the abstract.

Obstetrics and Gynecology
Tao G, Hoover KW, Kent CK. 2009 cervical cytology guidelines and Chlamydia testing among sexually active young women. Obstet Gynecol 2010 Dec; 116(6):1319-23. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for chlamydial infections (Ann Intern Med, 2007).] Select to access the abstract.

Grimes DA, Peipert JF. Electronic fetal monitoring as a public health screening program: the arithmetic of failure. Obstet Gynecol 2010 Dec; 116(6):1397-400. [Cites USPSTF recommendations from Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 1996.] Select to access the abstract.

Griffin JL, Pearlman MD. Breast cancer screening in women at average risk and high risk. Obstet Gynecol 2010 Dec; 116(6):1410-21. [Discusses the controversy over release of updated USPSTF breast cancer screening recommendations, citing USPSTF recommendations on screening for breast cancer, related evidence update by Nelson et al., and AHRQ-funded article by Mandelblatt et al. (all published in Ann Intern Med, 2009); cites USPSTF-sponsored evidence summary on breast cancer screening (Ann Intern Med, 2002).] Select to access the abstract.

Practice bulletin no.117: gynecologic care for women with human immunodeficiency virus. Obstet Gynecol 2010 Dec; 116(6):1492-509. [Uses USPSTF methodologies on levels of evidence grading to review and evaluate selected studies for quality.]

Psychiatric Services
Schmitt MR, Miller MJ, Harrison DL, et al. Relationship of depression screening and physician office visit duration in a national sample. Psychiatr Serv 2010 Nov; 61(11):1126-31. [Uses, discusses, and cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for depression (Ann Intern Med, 2002); cites USPSTF-sponsored evidence summary on screening for depression in adults (Ann Intern Med, 2002). Also refer to AHRQ-funded article by Lebrun and Dubay (Health Serv Res, 2010) cited above in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles.] Select to access the abstract.

Evidence-based Practice Centers-Related Articles

De Brantes F, Rastogi A, Painter M. Reducing potentially avoidable complications in patients with chronic diseases: the Prometheus Payment approach. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 2):1854-71. [Cites AHRQ Quality Indicators, Prevention Quality Indicators: Technical Specifications, Version 3.2, 2008; cites AHRQ technical review, Closing the Quality Gap: A Critical Analysis of Quality Improvement Strategies, 2007 (as prepared by the Stanford University-UCSF Evidence-Based Practice Center under contract 290-02-0017); cites AHRQ publications, Nationwide Frequency and Costs of Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations, 2006, HCUP Statistical Brief 72, 2009, Hospital Stays Related to Asthma for Adults, 2005, HCUP Statistical Brief 54, 2008, and Hospital Stays Related to Asthma for Children, 2006, 2008, all published on AHRQ's HCUP Web site. Also refer to AHRQ-funded articles by Nemeth and Wessell (J Patient Saf, 2010) and Mardon et al. (J Patient Saf, 2010) cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles above, and article by De Brantes et al. (Health Serv Res, 2010).] Select to access the abstract.

National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR)/National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR)-Related Articles

Family Medicine
Dent MM, Mathis MW, Outland M, et al. Chronic disease management: teaching medical students to incorporate community. Fam Med 2010 Nov-Dec; 42(10):736-40. [Cites AHRQ's NHDR, 2009.] Select to access the abstract.

Health Services Research
Fagan PJ, Schuster AB, Boyd C, et al. Chronic care improvement in primary care: evaluation of an integrated pay-for-performance and practice-based care coordination program among elderly patients with diabetes. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 1):1763-82. [Cites AHRQ's NHQR, 2005; cites AHRQ publication, Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation, 2005; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Fuhlbrigge et al. (Med Care, 2008), Baker et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2007), Rosenthal and Frank (Med Care Res Rev, 2006), Dudley (JAMA, 2005), and others. Also refer to article by Holmboe et al. (Health Serv Res, 2010) cited in Research by Others Using AHRQ Data or Products.] Select to access the abstract.

Research by Others Using AHRQ Data or Products

Gerontologist
Kim H, Capezuti E, Kovner C, et al. Prevalence and predictors of adverse events in older surgical patients: impact of the present on admission indicator. Gerontologist 2010 Dec; 50(6):810-20. [Uses 2004 HCUP State Inpatient Databases (SID) data for California and AHRQ's Patient Safety Indicators software version 3.2 (as developed by the University of California Stanford Evidence-based Practice Center, citing Introduction to the HCUP State Inpatient Databases (SID), 2009, Chronic Care Indicators for ICD-9-CM, 2008, AHRQ publication, The Case for the Present-on-Admission (POA) Indicators, HCUP Methods Series Report 2006-01, 2006, all published on AHRQ's HCUP Web site; cites AHRQ-authored articles by Houches, Elixhauser (researcher in AHRQ's Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets), and Romano (Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf, 2008), Rivard, Luther, Christiansen, Shibei, Loveland, Elixhauser et al. (Med Care Res Rev, 2008), Zhan and Miller (researcher in AHRQ's Center for Outcomes and Evidence and former AHRQ director, respectively) (JAMA, 2003), and Miller, Elixhauser, Zhan, and Meyer (former AHRQ research) (Health Serv Res, 2001), which use various HCUP data sets and/or AHRQ's Patient Safety Indicators; cites article by Bahl et al. (Med Care, 2008), which uses AHRQ's Patient Safety Indicators; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Pronovost et al. (N Engl J Med, 2006), Poulose et al. (J Surg Res, 2005), and Mark et al. (Health Serv Res, 2004).] Select to access the abstract.

Health Services Research
Huppertz JW, Carlson JP. Consumers' use of H-CAHPS ratings and word-of-mouth in hospital choice. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 1):1602-13. [Uses Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (H-CAHPS) survey data; cites presentations by Isaac et al., 2008, and Sofaer, 2008, given at the CAHPS® User Group Meeting, December, 2008; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Peters et al. (Health Aff, 2007), Wilson, Woloshin, Schwartz (Arch Surg, 2007), and Hibbard et al. (Health Aff, 2000).] Select to access the abstract.

Silber JH, Kaestner R, Even-Shoshan O, et al. Aggressive treatment style and surgical outcomes. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 2):1872-92. [Uses AHRQ's Elixhauser comorbidity measures (Elixhauser et al., Med Care, 1998); cites articles by Silber et al. (Arch Surg, 2009, and Med Care, 2007), which use AHRQ's Elixhauser comorbidity measures and AHRQ's failure-to-rescue definition and Patient Safety Indicators, respectively), Volpp et al. (J Gen Intern Med, 2009, and JAMA, 2007), which use AHRQ's Inpatient Quality Indicators, Quality Indicators, and/or AHRQ's Elixhauser comorbidity measures, and Stukenborg, Wagner, Connors (Med Care, 2001), which uses AHRQ's Elixhauser comorbidity measures; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Glance et al. (Health Serv Res, 2006), Lawthers et al. (Med Care, 2000), Deyo, Cherkin, and Ciol (J Clin Epidemiol, 1992), and others.] Select to access the abstract.

Holmboe ES, Weng W, Arnold GK, et al. The comprehensive care project: measuring physician performance in ambulatory practice. Health Serv Res 2010 Dec; 45(6 Pt 2):1912-33. [Authors acknowledge "that participants were drawn from 13 states sorted by the 2005 AHRQ quality ranking of medical care within groups so as to draw physicians from the United States with variable levels of practice size and performance", citing AHRQ's NHQR, 2005; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Scholle et al. (Am J Manag Care, 2008), Young et al. (J Gen Intern Med, 2007), Palmer et al. (Med Care, 1996), and others.] Select to access the abstract.

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
Lee I, Agarwal RK, Lee BY, et al. Systematic review and cost analysis comparing use of chlorhexidine with use of iodine for preoperative skin antisepsis to prevent surgical site infection. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2010 Dec; 31(12):1219-29. [Uses AHRQ Web site to search for eligible studies on chlorhexidine in preventing surgical site infections.] Select to access the abstract.

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
van Walraven C, Austin PC, Manuel D, et al. The usefulness of administrative databases for identifying disease cohorts is increased with a multivariate model. J Clin Epidemiol 2010 Dec; 63(12):1332-41. [Uses AHRQ's Elixhauser comorbidity measures (Elixhauser et al., Med Care, 1998).] Select to access the abstract.

Medical Care Research and Review
Lurie IZ, Minicozzi A. Understanding the increasingly popular itemized deduction for medical expenses. Med Care Res Rev 2010 Dec; 67(6):707-21. [Uses 2005 MEPS-Household Component (MEPS-HC) data; cites AHRQ-authored articles by Selden (researcher in AHRQ's Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends) (Int J Health Care Finance Econ, 2008) and Banthin and Bernard (researchers in AHRQ's Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends) (JAMA, 2006), and Monheit (former AHRQ center director) (Med Care, 2003), which use various MEPS data sets.]

Psychiatric Services
Nossel IR, Calmes CA, Brown CH, et al. Patterns of emergency department use for medical conditions among persons with serious mental illness. Psychiatr Serv 2010 Dec; 61(12):1251-4. [Uses MEPS data to assess "perceived barriers to receipt of medical care and satisfaction with care quality". Also refer to AHRQ-funded articles by Yu and Dick (Health Serv Res, 2010) and Mardon, Khanna, and Sorra (J Patient Saf, 2010) cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles.] Select to access the abstract.

Current as of December 2010

Internet Citation:

Articles of Interest, December 3, 2010. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/articles/art120310.htm