Design and Implementation of a COVID-19 Case Investigation Program: An Academic-Public Health Partnership, Arizona, 2020.

From May through July 2020, Arizona was a global hotspot for new COVID-19 cases. In response to the surge of cases, local public health departments looked for innovative ways to form external partnerships to address their staffing needs. In collaboration with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, the Arizona State University Student Outbreak Response Team (SORT) created and implemented a virtual call center to conduct public health case investigations for COVID-19.

Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Emerging Treatments in Mental Health Disorders.

Psychedelics are a class of psychoactive substances that were studied extensively between 1943 and 1970 as potential therapies for treating a host of mental health disorders, including addiction. Despite promising early results, U.S.

Costs and clinical quality among Medicare beneficiaries: associations with health center penetration of low-income residents.

Objective: Determine the association between access to primary care by the underserved and Medicare spending and clinical quality across hospital referral regions (HRRs).

Data Sources: Data on elderly fee-for-service beneficiaries across 306 HRRs came from CMS' Geographic Variation in Medicare Spending and Utilization database (2010). We merged data on number of health center patients (HRSA's Uniform Data System) and number of low-income residents (American Community Survey).

Has access to care changed in minority communities? A study of preventable hospitalizations over time in selected States.

This study assesses the changes in access to care in minority communities by examining the association between preventable hospitalization rates and racial/ethnic composition of the community during 1995-2005. Using hospital discharge data from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 5 states and focusing on the nonelderly adults and elderly age groups, the study includes a multivariate cross-sectional design using preventable hospitalization rates by primary care service area as the outcome and racial/ethnic compositions of total hospital discharges by resident population in the primary care service area as the primary explanatory variables. The study indicates increases in barriers faced by minority adults in accessing primary care over time, with no similar evidence for the elderly subgroup.

A conceptual model of the role of complexity in the care of patients with multiple chronic conditions.

Background: Effective healthcare for people with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) is a US priority, but the inherent complexity makes both research and delivery of care particularly challenging. As part of AHRQ Multiple Chronic Conditions Research Network (MCCRN) efforts, the Network developed a conceptual model to guide research in this area.

Objective: To synthesize methodological and topical issues relevant to MCC patient care into a framework that can improve the delivery of care and advance future research about caring for patients with MCC.

GAPS in implementing health assessments in primary care: a literature review.

Patient-reported health data are critical components of patient-centered health care. However, barriers related to acquisition, implementation, and data use have not been well characterized. We conducted a systematic review of literature about health assessments in ambulatory and primary care covering 2 domains: (1) best practices in health assessments in primary care and (2) integration of health assessments into electronic health records.

Medicare managed care and primary care quality: examining racial/ethnic effects across states.

The study assesses the role of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans in providing quality primary care in comparison to FFS Medicare in three states, New York, California, Florida, across three racial ethnic groups. The performance is measured in terms of providing better quality primary care, as defined by lowering the risks of preventable hospital admissions. Using 2004 hospital discharge data (HCUP-SID) of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for three states, a multivariate cross sectional design is used with individual admission as the unit of analysis.

Vision screening for children 1 to 5 years of age: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation statement.

Objective: The goal was to provide an update of the 2004 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) statement about screening for visual impairment in children <5 years of age.

Methods: The USPSTF examined evidence on the association of screening for visual impairment in children 1 to 5 years of age with improved health outcomes, the accuracy of risk factor assessment and screening tests, the effectiveness of early detection and treatment, and the harms of screening and treatment.

Recommendation: The USPSTF recommends vision screening for all children at least once between the ages of 3 and 5 years, to detect the presence of amblyopia or its risk factors (grade B recommendation).

Impact of local resources on hospitalization patterns of Medicare beneficiaries and propensity to travel outside local markets.

Purpose: To examine how local health care resources impact travel patterns of patients age 65 and older across the rural urban continuum.

Methods: Information on inpatient hospital discharges was drawn from complete 2004 hospital discharge files from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases (SID) for New York, California, and Florida, and the 2003 hospital discharge file for Pennsylvania. The study population was Medicare patients with admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions.

Screening for obesity in children and adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.

Description: Update of the 2005 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) statement about screening for overweight in children and adolescents.

Methods: The USPSTF examined the evidence for the effectiveness of interventions that are primary care feasible or referable. It also examined the evidence for the magnitude of potential harms of treatment in children and adolescents.

Screening for hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant women: evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reaffirmation recommendation statement.

Background: Screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in pregnant women to identify newborns who will require prophylaxis against perinatal infection is a well-established, evidence-based standard of current medical practice. In 2004, the U.S.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: an evidence-based prevention resource for nurse practitioners.

Purpose: To describe the work of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and to encourage nurse practitioners (NPs) to use its evidence-based recommendations for clinical preventive services.

Screening for skin cancer: an update of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Background: Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. The majority of skin cancer is nonmelanoma cancer, either basal cell cancer or squamous cell cancer. The incidence of both melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer has been increasing over the past 3 decades.

Benefits and harms of prostate-specific antigen screening for prostate cancer: an evidence update for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Background: Prostate cancer is the most common nonskin cancer in men in the United States, and prostate cancer screening has increased in recent years. In 2002, the U.S.