Hanadi Hamadi

Does value-based purchasing affect US hospital utilization pattern: A comparative study

ABSTRACT We evaluated the effect US hospital performance as measured by the Medicare hospital value-based purchasing (HVBP) program has on the volume of hospitals inpatient and outpatient services. We analyzed data from the 2013 to 2014 American Hospital Association database, HVBP total performance scores database through Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the area health resources files database through CMS. This study utilized a multinomial logistic regression and transaction cost economic theory, adjusting for the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index, number of facility beds, beds per thousand, individuals 65+, teaching status, location, ownership, and system affiliation. The prominent study findings indicate a significant relationship between percent utilization of inpatient, outpatient and HVBP score. Furthermore, environmental factors such as the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index, and system participation were found to significantly impact hospitals ratio of inpatient to outpatient. Relative risk ratios show that hospitals with overall lower HVB are more likely to be in the top 25 percentile for outpatient services. With the decline in inpatient volume of services and the rise in outpatient utilization, inpatient metrics will continue to be relevant as key indicators of quality of care. Inpatient services will never become irrelevant to the overall financial profile of hospital performance.

The Influence of Hospital Market Competition on Patient Mortality and Total Performance Score.

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 launch of Medicare Value-Based Purchasing has become the platform for payment reform. It is a mechanism by which buyers of health care services hold providers accountable for high-quality and cost-effective care. The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between quality of hospital care and hospital competition using the quality-quantity behavioral model of hospital behavior. The quality-quantity behavioral model of hospital behavior was used as the conceptual framework for this study. Data from the American Hospital Association database, the Hospital Compare database, and the Area Health Resources Files database were used. Multivariate regression analysis was used to examine the effect of hospital competition on patient mortality. Hospital market competition was significantly and negatively related to the 3 mortality rates. Consistent with the literature, hospitals located in more competitive markets had lower mortality rates for patients with acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia. The results suggest that hospitals may be more readily to compete on quality of care and patient outcomes. The findings are important because policies that seek to control and negatively influence a competitive hospital environment, such as Certificate of Need legislation, may negatively affect patient mortality rates. Therefore, policymakers should encourage the development of policies that facilitate a more competitive and transparent health care marketplace to potentially and significantly improve patient mortality.

Home-Based Direct Care Workers Their Reported Injuries and Perceived Training Knowledge

The objectives of the study were to profile occupational injury patterns across home health and hospice care (HHC), organization characteristics, and home health aides’ (HHAs) individual characteristics, and examine how worker training affects HHAs’ risk of reporting an injury using the model of human factors of health care in the home. The authors measured training knowledge using an 11-item scale and conducted univariate and bivariate analyses to describe injury patterns across individual, occupational, and organizational factors using STATA 12.0. The researchers found that work-related injuries and type of injury were associated with increased likelihood of reporting one or more injuries, full-time employment, high hourly pay, and working in an inpatient or mixed setting. Overall, HHAs perceived that they received “excellent” and “good” training on key topics that promoted safety and job knowledge. Furthermore, the results suggested linkages between worker’s complex personal, occupational, and organizational characteristics.

Does level of minority presence and hospital reimbursement policy influence hospital referral region health rankings in the United States

The shift from a fee-for-service payment to a value-based payment scheme, sparked by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, introduced pay-for-performance programs such Hospital Value Based Purchasing. Previous inquiry has not considered how local community factors may affect hospital system performance. This study investigated the association between local health performance and minority population in a hospital referral region (HRR). The primary objective was to ascertain whether community diversity levels are significantly associated to local health performance guided by the ecological model. Secondary data analysis collected from the 2016 American Hospital Association, Area Health Resource File, Commonwealth Fund Scorecard on Local Health System Performance, and the Dartmouth Atlas HRR dataset was used. Our primary findings show that the more diverse a HRR is, the more likely it is to be associated with lower ranking for access and affordability prevention and treatment avoidable hospital use and cost as well as healthy lives. Total performance score was significantly related to a better health ranking on prevention and treatment, hospital use, and cost, as well as healthy lives. This research supports the assertion that communities, particularly minorities in those communities, affect local health care performance in a variety of ways.

Determinants of occupational injury for US home health aides reporting one or more work-related injuries

Objectives Home health aides (HHAs) work in a high-risk industry and experience high rates of work-related injury that have been significantly associated with reduction in workers and organisational productivity, quality and performance. The main objective of the study was to examine how worker environment and ergonomic factors affect HHA risk for reporting occupational injuries. Method We used cross-sectional analysis of data from the 2007 National Home Health and Hospice Aide Survey (NHHAS). The study sample consisted of a nationally represented sample of home health aides (n=3.377) with a 76.6% response rate. We used two scales 1 : a Work Environment Scale and 2 an Ergonomic Scale. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to describe HHA work-related injury across individual, job and organisational factors. To measure scale reliability, Cronbach’s alphas were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine predictors of reported occupational injury. Results In terms of Work Environment Scale, the injury risk was decreased in HHAs who did not consistently care for the same patients (OR=0.96, 95% CI: 0.53 to 1.73). In terms of Ergonomic Scale, the injury risk was decreased only in HHAs who reported not needing any other devices for job safety (OR=0.30, 95% (CI): 0.15 to 0.61). No other Work Environment or Ergonomic Scale factors were associated with HHAs’ risk of injury. Conclusion This study has great implications on a subcategory of the workforce that has a limited amount of published work and studies, as of today, as well as an anticipated large demand for them.

Insight Into Health Care Services: A Characterization of Emergency Room Visits and Economic Hazards in the United States

OBJECTIVE This study explores the impact of economic hazard areas on hospital-based emergency departments to determine whether economically hazardous environments, characterized by the change of population, income per capita, and unemployment rate, experience a higher number of emergency room visits than areas of lower rated economic hazard risk in the United States. METHOD A cross-sectional design was used of a nationally constructed data set of hospital-based emergency departments of over 6,000 hospitals in the United States. We identified our quality outcome measure as the emergency room visits rate within a hospital service area. We created the variable by dividing the number of emergency room visits by the population of the hospital services area in which the emergency room was located. RESULTS Results indicate that there is a difference in the incident rate ratio of emergency room visits between environments considered to be experiencing greater amounts of hazard, compared to lower amounts of hazard. CONCLUSION Hospital administrators and health policy-makers need to work in conjunction to focus efforts on public safety as a key objective in the delivery of emergency medical care. One crucial effort that hospital administrators need to focus on is improving emergency room capacity and efficiency as part of the disaster preparedness plan (Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2018; page 1 of 6).

Hospital Value-based Purchasing: The Association Between Patient Experience and Clinical Outcome

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 introduced a Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Total Performance Score for payment purposes and to evaluate hospital quality of care. In fiscal year 2016, Total Performance Score was composed of (1) Clinical Processes of Care, (2) Patient Experience of Care, (3) Outcome, and (4) Efficiency domains. The objective of this study was to examine the association between the Patient Experience of Care and Outcome domains. The Donabedian model of structure, process, and outcome was used as a conceptual framework for this study. Data from the 2015-2016 Area Health Resource File, the 2016 American Hospital Association database, and the 2016 Hospital Value-Based Purchasing were used. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the impact of patient experience on outcome of care and hospitals. From a sample of 1866 hospitals across the United States, patient experience was significantly and positively associated with patient outcome. In addition, for-profit hospitals, hospitals with more beds, nonteaching hospitals, and hospitals located in less competitive markets were found to have a significant association with better outcomes. The study’s findings are important as policy makers consider additional or alternative indicators that may better represent and encourage higher quality of care within acute care hospitals.

Impact of Simulation on Nursing Students’ Competence: A Perspective Qualitative Study in Saudi Arabia

The goal of transformation in nursing education is to improve the quality of nursing training, which will impact the quality of holistic nursing care. This paper presents results from a rich active discussion of faculty perspective about the impact of simulation on student competence. The study used inductive, interpretive and constructive types of qualitative research design. The author conducted three focus group discussions, and 22 faculty members from the College of Nursing at King Saud University participated. Each focus group was interviewed and audio recorded for 60 minutes. The study yielded three main themes: students ’readiness for simulated reality, required processes for successful simulation, and challenges of simulation implementation. Understanding the faculty perspectives will help appropriately support and facilitate nursing simulation education.