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July 28, 2015 Issue
#480
AHRQ Stats: Private Versus Public Employee Insurance Costs
On average,
private-sector employees paid a larger share of health insurance premiums
($1,170 for singles, $4,421 for families) than public-sector employees ($722 for
singles, $3,155 for families) in 2013. However, total annual health insurance
premiums were lower for private-sector employees ($5,571 for singles, $16,029
for families) than public-sector employees ($6,611 for singles, $17,270 for
families). (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical
Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #474: Premiums and Employee Contributions for
Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance: Private versus Private Sector,
2013.)
Today's Headlines:
AHRQ
Releases New Tool for Analysis of Hospital Discharge Data
AHRQ has released Fast Stats, a new online tool from the Healthcare
Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) that provides easy access to the latest HCUP
statistics from 41 states on numbers of hospital discharges by payer group
(Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, uninsured) and by condition category
(surgical, mental health, injury, medical). Fast Stats enables state-by-state
comparisons and can be used to analyze the effects of Medicaid expansion on
hospital utilization levels and payment sources. For example, Fast Stats shows
that in Colorado, a Medicaid expansion state, there was a 50 percent increase in
Medicaid-covered hospital stays during the first nine months of 2014. During the
same period, hospital stays for the uninsured declined 90 percent. In contrast,
Missouri, which did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act,
experienced no significant changes in hospital stays for Medicaid or uninsured
patients. Information in Fast Stats is presented in graphics accompanied by
underlying tables with numbers and data export options for analysts. Statistics
will be updated quarterly or annually as new data become available. Data for
2014 are fully or partially available for 17 states. New topics about health
care delivery in U.S. hospitals will be added in the future.
A supportive hospital culture is essential
for successful implementation of AHRQ’s Re-Engineered Discharge (RED) toolkit,
while a flexible strategy can be used to implement RED and reduce avoidable
readmissions, according to a new study. RED is a proven hospital discharge
planning method that consists of 12 components, including medication
reconciliation and making sure patients have scheduled follow-up primary care
visits. The study describes the RED Toolkit, implementation challenges hospitals face and ways
these barriers can be mitigated. Researchers recruited 10 hospitals to implement
RED and provided training for participating hospital leaders and staff using the
RED Toolkit. They identified common challenges and found that implementation of
RED varied widely and that engaged leadership and multidisciplinary teams were
keys to success. The article and abstract, “How Hospitals Reengineer Their Discharge Processes
To Reduce Readmissions,” appeared in the May 13 issue of the Journal for
Healthcare Quality.
AHRQ has released version 3.0 of the Consumer Assessment of
Healthcare Providers and Systems Clinician & Group (CG-CAHPS) Survey.
Changes include a shortened survey reference period of six rather than 12 months
and a new care coordination composite measure and revised composite measures for
Access, Communication, and Patient-Centered Medical Home items. The Adult Survey
3.0 now has 31 total items rather than 34 as in version 2.0. Revisions reflect
input from survey users and stakeholders, analyses of survey data and ongoing
efforts to improve the consistency of this survey’s implementation across
multiple stakeholders, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services. For free technical assistance, contact the CAHPS team via email or call 1-888-324-9749.
AHRQ is hosting a webinar August 5 from 4 to
5 p.m. ET to provide an overview of updated MONAHRQ software that allows
organizations to create Web pages for consumers to access comparative health
care quality information about hospitals and nursing homes, and profile pages
for doctors. The software, available from AHRQ at no cost, is designed for use
by hospitals, hospital systems, hospital associations, nursing homes, public
health departments, business and community alliances, and other organizations
involved in health care quality improvement. MONAHRQ 6.0-Build 2, which will be
available for download from the AHRQ website August 3, allows users to create new consumer
websites with fresh layouts and improved navigation. Users looking for hospital
information, for example, may search by hospital location, health condition
(such as childbirth of heart failure) or health topic (such as nursing care or
patient survey results). One notable new feature is a side-by-side comparison of
cost and quality information for hip replacements. Registration is open.
Health care quality and community health
initiatives can both be used to achieve the National Quality Strategy’s aims to
provide better, more affordable care to individuals and the community. A webinar
is scheduled for August 6 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. ET featuring presenters from
the Office of the Surgeon General of the United States and the Boston Children’s
Hospital Community Asthma Initiative, who will address best practices from their
work in this important intersection of quality and community health. Presenters
include Nazleen Bharmal, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.P., director of Science and Policy,
Office of the Surgeon General; Ayesha Cammaerts, M.B.A., manager, Programs and
Population Health, Office of Community Health, Boston Children's Hospital; and
Nancy J. Wilson, M.D., M.P.H., B.S.N., executive lead for the National Quality
Strategy. Registration is open.
The latest issue of AHRQ’s Health Care Innovations Exchange highlights
hospitals that implemented new policies to promote partnerships with patients
and families while advancing patient- and family-centered care. One profile
describes how a medical center in California replaced its
traditional visitation policy with a “Partners in Care Welcome Policy” that
supports and welcomes the round-the-clock presence and participation of
patients’ family members and friends, including minors. Flipping the traditional
hospital approach that treats these individuals as “visitors,” the policy
acknowledges that hospital-based clinicians and staff are the real “visitors” in
the patient’s lives and recognizes the critically important role that family and
friends play in the healing process by providing support and comfort. The policy
has significantly increased the amount of time patients spend with their loved
ones and has generated positive feedback from all stakeholders. No safety or
infection-control issues have arisen since its implementation. |
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