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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 7 of 7 Research Studies DisplayedDecker SL, Zuvekas SH
AHRQ Author: Decker SL, Zuvekas SH
A nationally representative summary of 2020 changes in the use of health care in the United States.
The authors used Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data to summarize changes in all types of health care from 2018 to 2020. The results showed that outpatient and emergency department visits, as well as inpatient admissions each fell ~35% in April 2020; dental visits fell by over 80%, and mammograms 82%. By the end of 2020, specialist physician visits recovered, though primary care and dental visits remained 12% lower than in 2019. Psychiatric visits, however, rose slightly.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Decker SL, Zuvekas SH .
A nationally representative summary of 2020 changes in the use of health care in the United States.
J Ambul Care Manage 2024 Apr-Jun; 47(2):64-83. doi: 10.1097/jac.0000000000000488.
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), COVID-19, Healthcare Delivery, Public Health
Zuvekas SH
AHRQ Author: Zuvekas SH
COVID-19, mental health, and mental health treatment among adults.
This AHRQ-authored paper seeks to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health status and mental health treatment among adults residing in the U.S. civilian, non-institutionalized population. Data from the 2019-2020 MEPS was used. The author examined unadjusted and regression-adjusted differences between 2019 and 2020 in perceived mental health status (excellent, very good, good, fair, poor) and in the K6 general psychological distress, the PHQ-2 depression screener, and the VR-12 mental component summary score. Similarly, using the detailed MEPS data on health care encounters and prescription drug fills, he examined differences in mental health use treatment between 2019 and 2020. He focused specifically on changes in continuity of treatment among those already in treatment in January and February, before the pandemic fully struck, as well differences in the initiation of new episodes of treatment after the pandemic began. Results were that all four mental health scales included in the MEPS showed statistically significant declines in mental health between 2019 and 2020, particularly among younger adults. However, the percentage of US adults receiving mental health treatment did not change significantly. Continuity of treatment increased slightly in 2020, with 87.1% of adults in treatment January or February still receiving care in the second quarter, an increase of 2.5 percentage points. However, there were significant declines in the initiation of new treatment, especially in the second quarter of 2020.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Zuvekas SH .
COVID-19, mental health, and mental health treatment among adults.
J Ment Health Policy Econ 2023 Dec 1; 26(4):159-83..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), COVID-19, Behavioral Health
Jacobs PD, Moriya AS
AHRQ Author: Jacobs PD, Moriya AS
Changes in health coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This AHRQ-authored paper used data from MEPS to examine patterns of health insurance coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors compared the proportion of people whose source of coverage changed from 2019 to 2020 with the proportion of people whose source changed from 2018 to 2019. The sample was limited to those who were interviewed in both 2018 and 2019 or in both 2019 and 2020. The analysis looked at people aged 63 or younger in the first year of the sample. The authors found increased stability for children and nonelderly adults during the first year of the pandemic. Fewer people who had Medicaid in 2019 became uninsured in 2020 (4.3%) than in 2018-19 (7.8%). Residents of Medicaid expansion states who were enrolled in 2019 were less likely to become uninsured in 2020 (3.6%) than was the case in the 2018-2019 period (6.0%). This was also true in non-Medicaid expansion states (6.6% vs 12.4%). However, residents of expansion states were more likely to become enrolled in Medicaid in 2020 if they were previously uninsured in 2019 (21.5%) compared with 2018-2019 (15.3%). For nonexpansion states, there was no detectable change in the percentage transitioning from uninsured to Medicaid over the two time periods (8.5% compared with 6.9%).
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Jacobs PD, Moriya AS .
Changes in health coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health Affairs 2023 May; 42(5):721-26. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2022.01469..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), COVID-19, Health Insurance, Medicaid, Access to Care
Zuvekas SH, Kashihara D
AHRQ Author: Zuvekas SH
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused substantial disruptions in the field operations of all 3 major components of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). In this study, the investigators described how the MEPS program successfully responded to these challenges by reengineering field operations, including survey modes, to complete data collection and maintain data release schedules.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Zuvekas SH, Kashihara D .
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
Am J Public Health 2021 Dec;111(12):2157-66. doi: 10.2105/ajph.2021.306534..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), COVID-19, Healthcare Costs, Data
Selden TM, Berdahl TA
AHRQ Author: Selden TM, Berdahl TA
Risk of severe COVID-19 among workers and their household members.
Using prepandemic MEPS data, the investigators examined the prevalence of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) risk factors for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). They then estimated how many adults at increased risk of severe COVID-19 held essential jobs and could not work at home (WAH) or who lived in households with such workers.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Selden TM, Berdahl TA .
Risk of severe COVID-19 among workers and their household members.
JAMA Intern Med 2021 Jan;181(1):120-22. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.6249..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), COVID-19, Risk, Public Health, Infectious Diseases
Selden TM, Berdahl TA, Fang Z
AHRQ Author: Selden TM, Berdahl TA, Fang Z
The risk of severe COVID-19 within households of school employees and school-age children.
Across the United States, school districts are grappling with questions of whether and how to reopen elementary and secondary schools in the 2020-21 academic year. Using pre-pandemic household data, the authors examined how often persons at risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were connected to schools, either as employees or by living in the same households as school employees or school-age children.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Selden TM, Berdahl TA, Fang Z .
The risk of severe COVID-19 within households of school employees and school-age children.
Health Aff 2020 Nov;39(11):2002-09. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01536..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Children/Adolescents, COVID-19, Public Health, Risk, Infectious Diseases
Selden TM, Berdahl TA
AHRQ Author: Selden TM, Berdahl TA
COVID-19 and racial/ethnic disparities in health risk, employment, and household composition.
In this study, the investigators used data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to explore potential explanations for racial-ethnic disparities in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalizations and mortality. The authors found that black adults in every age group were more likely than whites to have health risks associated with severe COVID-19 illness. However, whites were older on average than blacks.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Selden TM, Berdahl TA .
COVID-19 and racial/ethnic disparities in health risk, employment, and household composition.
Health Aff 2020 Sep;39(9):1624-32. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00897..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), COVID-19, Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Risk