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´óÏóÊÓƵStats: Substance Use Disorder Inpatient Stay Hot Spots

During 2016 through 2018, inpatient stays for alcohol-related disorders were concentrated in the Midwest, parts of Appalachia, Nevada and Rhode Island, while stays for opioid-related disorders were concentrated in Appalachia and New Jersey. (Source: AHRQ, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Statistical Brief #289, .)

Today's Headlines:

• ´óÏóÊÓƵResearchers Find Link Between Job Flexibility and Healthcare Access and Use.
• Study Finds Relationship Between Readmission Rates, Adverse Events in Hospitals.
• ´óÏóÊÓƵSeeking Nominations to National Advisory Council.
• Highlights From ´¡±á¸é²Ï’s Patient Safety Network.
• Register Now for ´óÏóÊÓƵWebinars.
• ´óÏóÊÓƵin the Professional Literature.

´óÏóÊÓƵResearchers Find Link Between Job Flexibility and Healthcare Access and Use

Employees who receive paid sick leave as a benefit and have a job that is flexible about time off are likely to have more healthcare access and use more services, according to a new ´óÏóÊÓƵstudy published in Health Affairs. Researchers analyzed ´óÏóÊÓƵ data, combined with data from the Occupational Information Network, and found that workers with more flexible jobs—even comparing just among workers with paid sick leave—were more likely to have an office-based provider visit. Black and Hispanic workers and workers with low-wage jobs had less job flexibility and less access to paid sick leave, researchers found. According to the authors, the results suggest that difficulty navigating the work environment to access time off as needed to seek medical care is a significant source of health inequity in the United States and a likely contributor to racial/ethnic and income disparities in healthcare access and use. Access the .

Study Finds Relationship Between Readmission Rates, Adverse Events in Hospitals

Patients with pneumonia admitted to hospitals with high readmission rates were more likely to experience adverse events, a new ´óÏóÊÓƵstudy has found. The authors of the study, published in JAMA Network Open, cross-referenced Medicare patient-level adverse event data with hospital-level pneumonia all-cause readmissions data. Reviewing more than 46,000 patient records between 2010 and 2019, they found that patients were 13 percent more likely to suffer from an adverse event after admission to a hospital with a high readmission rate. The study finding strengthens the evidence that readmission rates reflect the quality of hospital care for pneumonia patients. Access the .

´óÏóÊÓƵSeeking Nominations to National Advisory Council

´óÏóÊÓƵis seeking nominations for new members to join its National Advisory Council (NAC). The NAC advises ´¡±á¸é²Ï’s director and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on activities proposed or undertaken to carry out AHRQ's statutory mission. The agency seeks diverse representation geographically and across priority and underrepresented populations. NAC members meet three times a year. Applicants should submit a resume and statement of service before the July 5 deadline. Nominations (including self-nominations) should be forwarded to Jaime Zimmerman, M.P.H., P.M.P., at NationAdvisoryCouncil@ahrq.hhs.gov. Access the notice for more information. 

Highlights From ´¡±á¸é²Ï’s Patient Safety Network

´¡±á¸é²Ï’s highlights journal articles, books and tools related to patient safety. Articles featured this week include:

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Review additional new publications in PSNet’s or access recent in ´¡±á¸é²Ï’s WebM&M (Morbidity and Mortality Rounds on the Web).

Register Now for ´óÏóÊÓƵWebinars

• : On June 15 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. ET, expert panelists will discuss efforts to improve adult depression diagnosis and treatment using digital healthcare interventions. The speakers will showcase the impact of patient engagement in providing accurate information to providers to aid in diagnosis, with a focus on data collection, collaborative decision-making and self-management techniques.
• : On June 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET, presenters will discuss challenges researchers face while analyzing Medical Expenditure Panel Survey-Household Component (MEPS-HC) data, especially when doing longitudinal research, pooling data, and linking MEPS data with National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data. The webinar will also include a general overview of MEPS and a Q&A session for participants to ask questions about specific research.

´óÏóÊÓƵin the Professional Literature

Development of reference charts for monitoring quadriceps strength with handheld dynamometry after total knee arthroplasty. Graber J, Juarez-Colunga E, Thigpen C, et al. Disabil Rehabil 2021 Nov 9:1-8. [Epub ahead of print.] Access the on PubMed®.

Generating and reporting electronic clinical quality measures from electronic health records: strategies from EvidenceNOW cooperatives. Richardson JE, Rasmussen LV, Dorr DA, et al. Appl Clin Inform 2022 Mar;13(2):485-94. Epub 2022 May 4. Access the on PubMed®.

Geographic access to federally qualified health centers before and after the Affordable Care Act. Behr CL, Hull P, Hsu J, et al. BMC Health Serv Res 2022 Mar 23;22(1):385. Access the on PubMed®.

Antibiotic overuse and stewardship at hospital discharge: the reducing overuse of antibiotics at discharge home framework. Vaughn VM, Hersh AL, Spivak ES. Clin Infect Dis 2022 May 3;74(9):1696-1702. Access the on PubMed®.

Financial impacts of the Medicaid expansion on community health centers. Luo Q, Moghtaderi A, Markus A, et al. Health Serv Res 2022 Jun;57(3):634-43. Epub 2021 Oct 27. Access the on PubMed®.

Predicting healthcare-associated infections, length of stay, and mortality with the nursing intensity of care index. Cohen B, Sanabria E, Liu J, et al. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2022 Mar;43(3):298-305. Epub 2021 Apr 16. Access the on PubMed®.

Responding to COVID-19 through interhospital resource coordination: a mixed-methods evaluation. Usher MG, Tignanelli CJ, Hilliard B, et al. J Patient Saf 2022 Jun 1;18(4):287-94. Epub 2021 Sep 27. Access the on PubMed®.

Neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and health care utilization of medically complex children. Thomson J, Butts B, Camara S, et al. Pediatrics 2022 Apr;149(4). Access the on PubMed®.