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������ƵStats: Most and Least Likely Groups To Have Health Insurance

In 2020, non-Hispanic Asians were the most likely to be insured with 92.4 percent having health insurance. American Indians or Alaska Natives were the least likely, with 72.9 percent insured. (Source: ������Ƶ2022 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report [PDF, 3.8 MB].)

Today's Headlines:

• Large-Scale Program To Reduce Heart Disease Risk Could Have Meaningful Health Benefits.
• COVID-19 Drug Does Not Impact Effectiveness of Anticoagulants.
• Highlights From ������’s Patient Safety Network.
• Poorly Coordinated Healthcare Increases Infection Risk Following Ventricular Device Implantation, Study Finds.
• Register Now for April 5 Webinar on Blueprint for Trustworthy Artificial Technology.
• Comments Sought by May 5 on Potential CAHPS® Survey To Assess Patients’ Prenatal and Childbirth Care Experiences.
• New Research and Evidence From AHRQ.
• ������Ƶin the Professional Literature.

Large-Scale Program To Reduce Heart Disease Risk Could Have Meaningful Health Benefits

A new AHRQ-funded study estimates that widespread use of a large-scale intervention to support primary care practices in heart disease prevention, like ������’s EvidenceNOW, could have meaningful life-saving benefits. The study, published in Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, combined data from practices currently using EvidenceNOW with data from patients ages 40 to 79 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk predictions to estimate the impact of EvidenceNOW for an estimated 4 million patients who might benefit from interventions around ABCS (aspirin, blood pressure control, cholesterol and smoking cessation). Researchers found that the intervention could prevent over 3,100 ASCVD events over 10 years and avoid $150 million in 90-day direct medical costs. They concluded that even small preventive care improvements can have meaningful lifesaving benefits at the population level. Access the .

COVID-19 Drug Does Not Impact Effectiveness of Anticoagulants

Dexamethasone, a drug used to treat COVID-19, did not reduce the effectiveness of two anticoagulants that prevent blood clots, according to an AHRQ-funded study published in BMJ Open. The authors analyzed data from a COVID-19 data repository for 172 patients who were taking dexamethasone and either apixaban or rivaroxaban for five or more days. Although there was concern that dexamethasone may reduce the effectiveness of the anti-clotting drugs, no connection was found. The authors suggested that study of this interaction is important as use of both drugs may be necessary for certain patients, particularly for those who have medium to severe COVID-19. Access the .

Highlights From ������’s Patient Safety Network

������’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 ������’s WebM&M (Morbidity and Mortality Rounds on the Web).

Poorly Coordinated Healthcare Increases Infection Risk Following Ventricular Device Implantation, Study Finds

Among heart failure patients who have durable ventricular assist devices (VADs) implanted, healthcare-associated infections occur more frequently in those with poorly coordinated healthcare, a recently published AHRQ-funded study has found. The study, published in The American Journal of Managed Care, reviewed data from Medicare claims and from a VAD clinical registry on 5,159 patients who underwent VAD implantation nationwide from July 2009 through April 2017. About 28 percent contracted infections within 90 days after VAD implantation. The authors concluded that more healthcare delivery network fragmentation (where individual providers in relevant clinical areas may have few patients in common) is associated with higher in-hospital and 90-day infection rates following VAD implantation. Thus, care delivery networks may serve as novel targets for improving outcomes for patients undergoing VAD implantation. Access the .

Register Now for April 5 Webinar on Blueprint for Trustworthy Artificial Technology

is open for a webinar on April 5 at noon ET to highlight the Blueprint for Trustworthy AI (artificial intelligence) developed by the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI). is a community of academic health systems, organizations and expert practitioners who seek to harmonize standards and reporting for health AI and educate end-users on how to evaluate these technologies to drive their adoption. Its mission is to provide guidelines regarding health AI tools to ensure high-quality care, increase credibility among users and meet healthcare needs. ������Ƶis one of several Federal Observers that have attended CHAI meetings and commented on coalition outputs.

Comments Sought by May 5 on Potential CAHPS® Survey To Assess Patients’ Prenatal and Childbirth Care Experiences

������Ƶinvites public comment in response to a about a potential Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) survey to assess patients’ prenatal and childbirth care experiences. In particular, the agency seeks input about survey characteristics and data collection approaches regarding prenatal and childbirth care during labor and delivery, and during their stay in the hospital or birthing center. Please submit comments by May 5 to CAHPS1@westat.com with the subject line “Prenatal and Childbirth Care Experience Survey RFI.” 

New Research and Evidence From AHRQ

• Technical Brief (draft open for comment): .
• Technical Brief (draft open for comment): .

Systematic Review (draft open for comment):

������Ƶin the Professional Literature

Mediators, moderators, and covariates: matching analysis approach for improved precision in cognitive-communication rehabilitation research. Morrow EL, Duff MC, Mayberry LS. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2022 Nov 17;65(11):4159-71. Epub 2022 Oct 28. Access the on PubMed®.

End-of-life care transitions in assisted living: associations with state staffing and training regulations. Guo W, Cai S, Caprio T, et al. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2023 Mar 10. [Epub ahead of print.] Access the on PubMed®.

First Responder Virtual Reality Simulator to train and assess emergency personnel for mass casualty response. Kman NE, Price A, Berezina-Blackburn V, et al. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open 2023 Feb 16;4(1):e12903. Access the on PubMed®.

Impact of state Medicaid expansion on cross-sector health and social service networks: evidence from a longitudinal cohort study. Hogg-Graham R, Mamaril CB, Benitez JA, et al. Health Serv Res 2023 Feb 23. [Epub ahead of print.] Access the on PubMed®.

Postacute care utilization and episode of care payments following common elective operations. Ehlers AP, Howard R, Lai YL, et al. Ann Surg 2023 Feb;277(2):e266-e272. Epub 2023 Jan 10. Access the on PubMed®.

Patient and provider perceptions of COVID-19-driven telehealth use from nurse-led care models in rural, frontier, and urban Colorado communities. Barton AJ, Amura CR, Willems EL, et al. J Patient Exp 2023 Jan 25;10:23743735231151546. Access the on PubMed®.

Postdischarge racial and ethnic disparities in pediatric appendicitis: a mediation analysis. Iantorno SE, Ulugia JG, Kastenberg ZJ, et al. J Surg Res 2023 Feb;282:174-82. Epub 2022 Oct 26. Access the on PubMed®.

Changes in health care access by race, income, and Medicaid expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic. Auty SG, Aswani MS, Wahbi RN, et al. Med Care 2023 Jan;61(1):45-9. Epub 2022 Nov 1. Access the on PubMed®.