AHRQ Electronic Newsletter, June 21, 2016

June 21, 2016, Issue #523 AHRQ Stats: Uninsured Rates by Health Status in Medicaid Expansion States In Medicaid expansion states, the uninsured rate in 2013 for adults ages 18-64 in poor or fair health was higher than the rate for those in good to excellent health. In 2014, however, the uninsured rate in those states for adults in poor or fair health was about the same as the rate for those in better health. (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #490:Uninsurance and Insurance Transitions Before and After 2014: Estimates for U.S., Non-Elderly Adults by Health Status, Presence of Chronic Conditions and State Medicaid Expansion Status.) Today's Headlines: AHRQ Report Finds Some Disparities Eliminated in Measures of Healthy Living New Information Tools From AHRQ Summarize Treatment Options for Infantile Hemangioma Spots Available for Summer TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer Online Course Preliminary Agenda Available for AcademyHealth's Concordium 2016 AHRQ Report Finds Some Disparities Eliminated in Measures of Healthy Living When it comes to measures of healthy living, such as getting advice from a doctor about exercise or healthy eating, many disparities between racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups have narrowed or have been eliminated, according to an AHRQ analysis. The 2015 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report's Chartbook on Healthy Living showed, for example, that there is no longer a disparity between obese black and white adults age 20 and over being told by a doctor that they are overweight. In addition, living in a low-income household is no longer a barrier among obese adults from receiving advice from a health professional to exercise more. Researchers found that more than 60 percent of healthy living measures showed improvement from 2002 through 2013. However, challenges remain; Hispanics, blacks, American Indians and Alaska Natives received worse care than whites for about one-third of healthy living measures. The chartbook provides a detailed data analysis that complements the National Quality Strategy’s Priorities in Focus – Healthy Living brief. Meanwhile, AHRQ offers numerous resources for living a healthy lifestyle, including tips for staying healthy at any age, getting to a healthy weight, and advice for quitting smoking. New Information Tools From AHRQ Summarize Treatment Options for Infantile Hemangioma New evidence-based information tools from AHRQ are available to help clinicians, policymakers, parents and caregivers make informed treatment decisions about infantile hemangioma (IH), a birthmark caused by abnormal growth of blood vessels. IH is more commonly found in white babies, girls and babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. A research summary and a free continuing education module are available for clinicians who treat children with IH. A brochure for parents and caregivers of children with IH supports discussions about the benefits and harms of various treatment options, including the use of prescription drugs (such as beta blockers and steroids) and surgery. A research summary for policymakers features considerations for possible health care programs and policy initiatives. The new tools from AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program are based on a systematic review that evaluated the effectiveness, comparative effectiveness and harms of treatment options for patients with infantile hemangioma. Spots Available for Summer TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer Online Course AHRQ’s TeamSTEPPS® training curriculum is available online as an accredited course, allowing health care providers to become certified as TeamSTEPPS Master Trainers through a Web-based course. TeamSTEPPS (Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety) is an evidence-based patient safety training program that emphasizes the importance of communication and teamwork among health care professionals. TeamSTEPPS Master Trainers are prepared to guide TeamSTEPPS training and implementation in a variety of settings. Enrollment is open for the next course as well as subsequent courses throughout the year. Potential participants are encouraged to complete the TeamSTEPPS readiness assessment. The course is offered at no cost, but participants must create a change team, submit a draft change plan and upload a letter of commitment before receiving an enrollment code. Learn more. Preliminary Agenda Available for AcademyHealth's Concordium 2016 A preliminary agenda is available for Concordium 2016, the annual meeting of researchers, policymakers and data experts seeking to advance the strategic development and use of evidence to transform health systems. The September 12–13 meeting in Alexandria, Virginia, held by AcademyHealth, will showcase individuals and organizations working with data from electronic health records and other sources to integrate evidence, practice and policy in health care delivery systems. Concordium is the annual meeting of the Electronic Data Methods (EDM) Forum, which advocates collaboration among researchers and data stakeholders. The EDM Forum was established in 2010 by AHRQ to advance the national dialogue on the use of electronic health data for research and quality improvement. AHRQ in the Professional Literature Evaluation of smoking-specific and generic quality of life measures in current and former smokers in Germany and the United States. Ware JE Jr, Gandek B, Kulasekaran A, et al. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2015 Aug 16;13:128. Access the abstract in PubMed®. Nursing home 5-star rating system exacerbates disparities in quality, by payer source. Konetzka RT, Grabowski DC, Perraillon MC, et al. Health Aff (Millwood). 2015 May;34(5):819–27. Access the abstract in PubMed®. Beyond the physical: a qualitative assessment of the burden of symptomatic uterine fibroids on women's emotional and psychosocial health. Ghant MS, Sengoba KS, Recht H, et al. J Psychosom Res. 2015 May;78(5):499–503. Access the abstract in PubMed®. Half of 30-day hospital readmissions among HIV-infected patients are potentially preventable. Nijhawan AE, Kitchell E, Etherton SS, et al. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2015 Sep;29(9):465-73. Access the abstract in PubMed®. Multimorbidity redefined: prospective health outcomes and the cumulative effect of co-occurring conditions. Koroukian SM, Warner DF, Owusu C, et al. Prev Chronic Dis.2015 Apr 23;12:E55. Access the abstract in PubMed®. Prevalence of chronic kidney disease among individuals with diabetes in the SUPREME-DM Project, 2005–2011. Schroeder EB, Powers JD, O’Connor PJ, et al. J Diabetes Complications. 2015 Jul;29(5):637–43. Epub 2015 Apr 16. Access the abstract in PubMed®. Comparison of socio-demographic characteristics of a computer based breastfeeding educational intervention among rural Hispanic women. Joshi A, Amadi C, Menza J, et al. J Community Health. 2015 Oct;40(5):993–1001. Access the abstract in PubMed®. A patient-centered symptom monitoring and reporting system for children and young adults with cancer (SyMon-SAYS). Lai JS, Yount S, Beaumont JL, et al. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2015 Oct;62(10):1813–8. Epub 2015 Apr 9. Access the abstract in PubMed®. Contact Information Please address comments and questions about the AHRQ Electronic Newsletter to Bruce Seeman at: (301) 427-1998 or Bruce.Seeman@ahrq.hhs.gov.