| November 8, 2022, Issue #838 Despite there being just 3.8 million emergency department visits in April 2020 across 29 states compared with 7 million in April of the previous year, the percentage of visits that resulted in admissions rose from 13.4 in April 2019 to 18.1 in April 2020. (Source: AHRQ Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Statistical Brief #298, Changes in Emergency Department Visits in the Initial Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic (April – December 2020), 29 States.)  The encouraging results of AHRQ-sponsored quality improvement support at small- and medium-sized primary care practices is the subject of a new blog post by Tess Miller, Dr.P.H., acting director of AHRQ's Center for Evidence and Practice Improvement. AHRQ's EvidenceNOW: Advancing Heart Health initiative tested whether a practice facilitation model and other quality improvement services can help practices implement the latest evidence to improve patients' heart health. An independent evaluation, whose findings were recently published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, revealed that participating practices improved the delivery of heart healthcare in four important areas: counseling on aspirin use among high-risk patients; blood pressure control; cholesterol management; and screening, counseling and medication for smoking cessation. Improvements were modest but given the scope of the initiative—AHRQ enlisted 1,500 primary care practices reaching approximately 5,000 providers and 8 million patients—the impact was significant. Access the blog post. To receive all blog posts, submit your email address and select "AHRQ Views Blog." |  Join the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including leaders from AHRQ, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Food and Drug Administration, as they recommit to the advancement of patient and healthcare worker safety. On Nov. 14, from 1 to 2:40 p.m. ET, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra will convene a livestreamed listening session including chief executive officers of the country's largest healthcare systems, board members, organizational patient safety leaders, and patient and family safety advocates. HHS plans to co-create a National Healthcare System Action Alliance to Advance Patient Safety. Healthcare systems, federal partners, patients and families, and other stakeholders are invited to join The Action Alliance and work together to ensure the safety of patients and healthcare workers. Register now for the livestreamed event and access more information about The Action Alliance. |  Out-of-pocket costs may affect patients' willingness to take a medication even when their physicians recommend it, an AHRQ-funded study found. Researchers presented more than 1,000 heart disease patients with theoretical cases in which they would have to spend $10, $50 or $100 per month for sacubitril/valsartan (brand name Entresto®), a combination medication to treat heart failure that improves outcomes compared with traditional medication. They found that 85 percent of the patients surveyed were willing to take sacubitril/valsartan at a cost of $10 per month, 62 percent were willing at $50 per month, and 33 percent were willing at $100 per month. Researchers also found that "cost-priming"—encouraging patients to consider and discuss their financial situation before learning about the benefits of the medication—increased willingness to take sacubitril/valsartan. Access the abstract. |  The AHRQ Academy has released a new guide on health equity and behavioral health integration that is designed to help practices reduce health disparities and advance health equity by promoting belonging, dignity and justice for providers and patients from marginalized groups.The AHRQ Academy aims to support the integration of behavioral health into primary and ambulatory care settings with a focus on providing care for patients using substances, particularly opioids, and for those with mental health conditions. The new guide provides tools and resources for addressing economic and social inequities, bias, discrimination and racism. Access the guide. | AHRQ's Patient Safety Network (PSNet) highlights journal articles, books and tools related to patient safety. Articles featured this week include: 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). Join the team that strives to improve healthcare for all Americans by investing in health systems research, creating tools and strategies for practice improvement, and providing data and analytics to help decision-makers understand the healthcare system and identify opportunities for improvement. Current vacancies include: - Survey Statistician, Division of Healthcare Data and Analytics/Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends. Application deadline: Nov. 18.
- Supervisory Health Scientist Administrator, Director, Division of Priority Populations, Office of Extramural Research, Education, and Priority Populations. Application deadline: Nov. 23.
| AHRQ in the Professional Literature Rapid progress in our understanding of COVID-19 vaccine allergy: a cause for optimism, not hesitancy. Banerji A, Norton AE, Blumenthal KG, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2022 Jul;150(1):12-16. Epub 2022 Apr 7. Access the abstract on PubMed®. Effect of a novel mindfulness curriculum on burnout during pediatric internship: a cluster randomized clinical trial. Fraiman YS, Cheston CC, Cabral HJ, et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2022 Apr;176(1):365-72. Access the abstract on PubMed®. Protocol for a type 2 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study expanding, implementing and evaluating electronic health record-integrated patient-reported symptom monitoring in a multisite cancer centre. Garcia SF, Smith JD, Kallen M, et al. BMJ Open. 2022 May 3;12(5):e059563. Access the abstract on PubMed®. New persistent opioid use after inguinal hernia repair. Howard R, Gunaseelan V, Brummett C, et al. Ann Surg. 2022 Nov 1;276(5):e577-e83. Epub 2020 Oct 15. Access the abstract on PubMed®. Comprehensive evaluation of the trends in length of stay and post-discharge complications after colon surgery in the USA. Li RD, Joung RH, Brajcich BC, et al. J Gastrointest Surg. 2022 Oct;26(10):2184-92. Epub 2022 Jul 11. Access the abstract on PubMed®. Breastfeeding is associated with lower likelihood of Helicobacter pylori colonization in babies, based on a prospective USA maternal-infant cohort. Shah SC, Tarassishin L, Eisele C, et al. Dig Dis Sci. 2022 Nov;67(11):5149-57. Epub 2022 Feb 4. Access the abstract on PubMed®. Screening for anxiety in children and adolescents: evidence report and systematic review for the US Preventive Services Task Force. Viswanathan M, Wallace IF, Cook Middleton J, et al. JAMA. 2022 Oct 11;328(14):1445-55. Access the abstract on PubMed®. Targeting versus tailoring educational videos for encouraging deceased organ donor registration in Black-owned barbershops. Wall SP, Castillo P, Shuchat-Shaw F, et al. J Health Commun 2022 Jan 2;27(1):37-48. Epub 2022 Feb 16. Access the abstract on PubMed®. Contact Information For comments or questions about AHRQ News Now, contact Bruce Seeman, (301) 427-1998 or Bruce.Seeman@ahrq.hhs.gov. |
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