Featured Publications
Disparities in Excess Mortality Associated with COVID-19 — United States, 2020
Rossen LM, Ahmad FB, Anderson RN, Branum AM, Du C, Krumholz HM, Li SX, Lin Z, Marshall A, Sutton PD, Faust JS. Disparities in Excess Mortality Associated with COVID-19 — United States, 2020. MMWR Morbidity And Mortality Weekly Report 2021, 70: 1114-1119. PMID: 34411075, PMCID: PMC8375709, DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7033a2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMortality incidence ratesIncidence rateExcess mortalityAge groupsHighest excess mortality ratesExcess Mortality AssociatedGreater excess mortalityExcess mortality ratesAI/AN populationsNon-Hispanic American IndianNon-Hispanic blacksNational Vital Statistics SystemCOVID-19 pandemicPublic health messagingNon-Hispanic white populationRace/ethnicityVital Statistics SystemMortality AssociatedLack of adjustmentMortality rateExcess deathsAN populationsEthnic groupsHealth messagingHispanic personsHospital-Readmission Risk — Isolating Hospital Effects from Patient Effects
Krumholz HM, Wang K, Lin Z, Dharmarajan K, Horwitz LI, Ross JS, Drye EE, Bernheim SM, Normand ST. Hospital-Readmission Risk — Isolating Hospital Effects from Patient Effects. New England Journal Of Medicine 2017, 377: 1055-1064. PMID: 28902587, PMCID: PMC5671772, DOI: 10.1056/nejmsa1702321.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRisk-standardized readmission ratesReadmission ratesObserved readmission ratesSimilar diagnosesHospital effectsDifferent hospitalsHospital readmission performanceRate of readmissionHospital readmission ratesLower readmission ratesStudy sampleYears of ageSignificant differencesMultiple admissionsReadmission outcomesOnly significant differencePatient effectsSame patientMedicare recipientsPatientsReadmission performanceRisk-standardized hospital readmission ratesHospitalHospital qualityQuartileAssociation of Changing Hospital Readmission Rates With Mortality Rates After Hospital Discharge
Dharmarajan K, Wang Y, Lin Z, Normand ST, Ross JS, Horwitz LI, Desai NR, Suter LG, Drye EE, Bernheim SM, Krumholz HM. Association of Changing Hospital Readmission Rates With Mortality Rates After Hospital Discharge. JAMA 2017, 318: 270-278. PMID: 28719692, PMCID: PMC5817448, DOI: 10.1001/jama.2017.8444.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRisk-adjusted readmission ratesRisk-adjusted mortality ratesAcute myocardial infarctionHeart failureReadmission ratesMortality rateMyocardial infarctionMedicare feeService beneficiariesHospital readmission ratesMean hospitalHospital mortalityPostdischarge mortalityHospital dischargeHospital readmissionRetrospective studyAffordable Care ActReadmission reductionMAIN OUTCOMEPneumoniaHospitalSecondary analysisWeighted Pearson correlation coefficientMortalityCare ActAccounting For Patients’ Socioeconomic Status Does Not Change Hospital Readmission Rates
Bernheim SM, Parzynski CS, Horwitz L, Lin Z, Araas MJ, Ross JS, Drye EE, Suter LG, Normand SL, Krumholz HM. Accounting For Patients’ Socioeconomic Status Does Not Change Hospital Readmission Rates. Health Affairs 2016, 35: 1461-1470. PMID: 27503972, PMCID: PMC7664840, DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0394.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHospital Readmissions Reduction ProgramPatients' socioeconomic statusMedicare's Hospital Readmissions Reduction ProgramLow socioeconomic statusReadmission ratesSocioeconomic statusRisk-standardized readmission ratesHospital readmission ratesReadmissions Reduction ProgramMedicaid Services methodologyReadmission measuresHospital resultsPatientsHospitalSuch hospitalsPayment penaltiesReduction programsStatusCurrent CentersLower proportionLarge proportionPercentAdjustmentProportionRelationship Between Hospital Readmission and Mortality Rates for Patients Hospitalized With Acute Myocardial Infarction, Heart Failure, or Pneumonia
Krumholz HM, Lin Z, Keenan PS, Chen J, Ross JS, Drye EE, Bernheim SM, Wang Y, Bradley EH, Han LF, Normand SL. Relationship Between Hospital Readmission and Mortality Rates for Patients Hospitalized With Acute Myocardial Infarction, Heart Failure, or Pneumonia. JAMA 2013, 309: 587-593. PMID: 23403683, PMCID: PMC3621028, DOI: 10.1001/jama.2013.333.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRisk-standardized mortality ratesAcute myocardial infarctionRisk-standardized readmission ratesHospital risk-standardized mortality ratesHeart failureMyocardial infarctionHospital characteristicsMortality rateReadmission ratesProportion of hospitalsHospital readmissionMedicare feePneumoniaInfarctionService beneficiariesHospitalPatientsMedicaid ServicesHospital performanceSubgroupsFailureCauseReadmissionSignificant negative linear relationship
2024
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Age-Specific All-Cause Mortality During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Faust J, Renton B, Bongiovanni T, Chen A, Sheares K, Du C, Essien U, Fuentes-Afflick E, Haywood T, Khera R, King T, Li S, Lin Z, Lu Y, Marshall A, Ndumele C, Opara I, Loarte-Rodriguez T, Sawano M, Taparra K, Taylor H, Watson K, Yancy C, Krumholz H. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Age-Specific All-Cause Mortality During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Network Open 2024, 7: e2438918. PMID: 39392630, PMCID: PMC11581672, DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.38918.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCOVID-19 public health emergencyNon-HispanicPublic health emergencyOther Pacific IslanderExcess mortalityAlaska NativesUS populationExcess deathsRates of excess mortalityCross-sectional study analyzed dataYears of potential lifeMortality relative riskNon-Hispanic whitesCross-sectional studyPacific IslandersStudy analyzed dataAll-cause mortalityEthnic groupsMortality disparitiesMortality ratioTotal populationDeath certificatesEthnic disparitiesMain OutcomesDecedent ageProcedure Volume and Outcomes With WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion
Friedman D, Du C, Zimmerman S, Tan Z, Lin Z, Vemulapalli S, Kosinski A, Piccini J, Pereira L, Minges K, Faridi K, Masoudi F, Curtis J, Freeman J. Procedure Volume and Outcomes With WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion. Circulation Cardiovascular Interventions 2024, 17: e013466. PMID: 38889251, PMCID: PMC11189610, DOI: 10.1161/circinterventions.123.013466.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsVolume-outcome relationshipLikelihood of procedural successLeft atrial appendage occlusionProcedural successProcedure volumeAppendage occlusionNational Cardiovascular Data Registry LAAO RegistryVolume quartilesLeft atrial appendage occlusion devicesThree-level hierarchical generalized linear modelsMinimum volume thresholdsWatchman FLX deviceProcedural success rateHierarchical generalized linear modelsAssociated with outcomePhysician volumeWATCHMAN procedureFLX deviceOcclusion deviceVolume thresholdCardiovascular proceduresPhysiciansHospitalNational analysisSuccess ratePre-COVID-19 hospital quality and hospital response to COVID-19: examining associations between risk-adjusted mortality for patients hospitalised with COVID-19 and pre-COVID-19 hospital quality
Peter D, Li S, Wang Y, Zhang J, Grady J, McDowell K, Norton E, Lin Z, Bernheim S, Venkatesh A, Fleisher L, Schreiber M, Suter L, Triche E. Pre-COVID-19 hospital quality and hospital response to COVID-19: examining associations between risk-adjusted mortality for patients hospitalised with COVID-19 and pre-COVID-19 hospital quality. BMJ Open 2024, 14: e077394. PMID: 38553067, PMCID: PMC10982775, DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-077394.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHospital qualityPatient experiencePre-COVID-19Medicare patientsShort-term acute care hospitalsCritical access hospitalsAcute care hospitalsFuture public health emergenciesHigher odds of mortalityIn-hospitalRisk-adjusted mortalityOdds of mortalityCare deliveryAccess hospitalsEffective careCOVID-19-related deathsAssociated with mortalityCare structuresHospital characteristicsPublic health emergencySummary scoreMedicare beneficiariesHigher oddsHospital responseRSMRsMeasuring Equity in Readmission as a Distinct Assessment of Hospital Performance
Nash K, Weerahandi H, Yu H, Venkatesh A, Holaday L, Herrin J, Lin Z, Horwitz L, Ross J, Bernheim S. Measuring Equity in Readmission as a Distinct Assessment of Hospital Performance. JAMA 2024, 331: 111-123. PMID: 38193960, PMCID: PMC10777266, DOI: 10.1001/jama.2023.24874.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBlack patientsPatient populationHospital characteristicsHospital-wide readmission measureDual-eligible patientsHospital patient populationCross-sectional studyMeasures of hospitalHealth care qualityPatient demographicsReadmission ratesClinical outcomesPatient raceEligible hospitalsReadmissionMAIN OUTCOMEReadmission measuresMedicare dataUS hospitalsHospitalCare qualityPatientsMedicaid ServicesOutcomesLower percentage
2023
Persistence on Novel Cardioprotective Antihyperglycemic Therapies in the United States
Nargesi A, Clark C, Aminorroaya A, Chen L, Liu M, Reddy A, Amodeo S, Oikonomou E, Suchard M, McGuire D, Lin Z, Inzucchi S, Khera R. Persistence on Novel Cardioprotective Antihyperglycemic Therapies in the United States. The American Journal Of Cardiology 2023, 196: 89-98. PMID: 37012183, PMCID: PMC11007258, DOI: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2023.03.002.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSGLT-2iGLP-1RAsGlucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonistsUnited States administrative claims databasesSodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitorsCommercial insurancePeptide-1 receptor agonistsType 2 diabetes mellitusSodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitorsConsistent medication useHealth outcome benefitsCotransporter 2 inhibitorsElevated cardiovascular riskInitiation of therapyAdministrative claims databaseProportion of daysCotransporter-2 inhibitorsRate of prescriptionAntihyperglycemic therapyCardiovascular riskDiabetes mellitusMedication useCardioprotective effectsPrescription practicesClaims databaseAdjustment for Social Risk Factors in a Measure of Clinician Quality Assessing Acute Admissions for Patients With Multiple Chronic Conditions
Lipska K, Altaf F, Barthel A, Spatz E, Lin Z, Herrin J, Bernheim S, Drye E. Adjustment for Social Risk Factors in a Measure of Clinician Quality Assessing Acute Admissions for Patients With Multiple Chronic Conditions. JAMA Health Forum 2023, 4: e230081. PMID: 36897581, DOI: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.0081.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMultiple chronic conditionsSocial risk factorsMedicare-Medicaid dual eligibilityRisk factorsChronic conditionsSocioeconomic status indexMeasure scoresAcute admissionsCohort studyDual eligibilityHealthcare ResearchDual-eligible patientsRetrospective cohort studyUnplanned hospital admissionsRisk of hospitalizationArea Health Resource FileService beneficiaries 65 yearsBeneficiaries 65 yearsRisk factor adjustmentStatus indexMedicare administrative claimsHospital admissionOutcome measuresAdministrative claimsMAIN OUTCOME
2020
Post-discharge acute care and outcomes following readmission reduction initiatives: national retrospective cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries in the United States
Khera R, Wang Y, Bernheim SM, Lin Z, Krumholz HM. Post-discharge acute care and outcomes following readmission reduction initiatives: national retrospective cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries in the United States. The BMJ 2020, 368: l6831. PMID: 31941686, PMCID: PMC7190056, DOI: 10.1136/bmj.l6831.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAcute care utilizationAcute myocardial infarctionRetrospective cohort studyHeart failureCare utilizationPost-discharge periodEmergency departmentMyocardial infarctionDay mortalityCohort studyHospital admissionObservation unitAcute careNational retrospective cohort studyPost-acute care utilizationHospital Readmissions Reduction ProgramObservation unit carePost-discharge mortalityDay readmission rateRisk of deathReadmissions Reduction ProgramReadmission reduction initiativesReadmission ratesUnit careInpatient unit
2019
Comparative Effectiveness of New Approaches to Improve Mortality Risk Models From Medicare Claims Data
Krumholz HM, Coppi AC, Warner F, Triche EW, Li SX, Mahajan S, Li Y, Bernheim SM, Grady J, Dorsey K, Lin Z, Normand ST. Comparative Effectiveness of New Approaches to Improve Mortality Risk Models From Medicare Claims Data. JAMA Network Open 2019, 2: e197314. PMID: 31314120, PMCID: PMC6647547, DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.7314.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAcute myocardial infarctionICD-9-CM codesMortality risk modelHeart failureHospital admissionC-statisticMAIN OUTCOMEMortality rateRisk-standardized mortality ratesHospital risk-standardized mortality ratesIndex admission diagnosisPatients 65 yearsDays of hospitalizationComparative effectiveness studiesClaims-based dataHospital-level performance measuresMedicare claims dataPatient-level modelsCMS modelRisk-adjustment modelsRisk modelHospital performance measuresAdmission diagnosisNinth RevisionMyocardial infarction
2018
The influence of sociodemographic factors on operative decision-making in small bowel obstruction
Jean RA, Chiu AS, O'Neill KM, Lin Z, Pei KY. The influence of sociodemographic factors on operative decision-making in small bowel obstruction. Journal Of Surgical Research 2018, 227: 137-144. PMID: 29804845, DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2018.02.029.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAdultAgedAged, 80 and overClinical Decision-MakingDigestive System Surgical ProceduresFemaleHealth Care CostsHealthcare DisparitiesHospitalizationHumansInpatientsInsurance CoverageIntestinal ObstructionIntestine, SmallLength of StayMaleMiddle AgedPractice Guidelines as TopicRacial GroupsRetrospective StudiesSocioeconomic FactorsTime-to-TreatmentUnited StatesYoung AdultConceptsSmall bowel obstructionOperative managementOperative delaySociodemographic factorsBowel obstructionHospital factorsInsurance statusMedicare patientsUtilization Project National Inpatient SampleMedicare insurance coverageOverall study populationNational Inpatient SampleHospital mortalityNonoperative therapyNonoperative managementHospital clusteringPrimary outcomeHispanic patientsBlack patientsPrimary diagnosisInpatient SampleCurrent guidelinesSociodemographic disparitiesStudy populationHealthcare costsDefining Multiple Chronic Conditions for Quality Measurement
Drye EE, Altaf FK, Lipska KJ, Spatz ES, Montague JA, Bao H, Parzynski CS, Ross JS, Bernheim SM, Krumholz HM, Lin Z. Defining Multiple Chronic Conditions for Quality Measurement. Medical Care 2018, 56: 193-201. PMID: 29271820, DOI: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000853.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMultiple chronic conditionsChronic conditionsMedicare feeService beneficiariesMedicare Chronic Conditions WarehouseMCC cohortBroad cohortChronic Conditions WarehouseRisk-standardized ratesNational quality measuresUnplanned admissionsFinal cohortTotal admissionsAdmission riskAccountable care organizationsAdmission ratesOutcome measuresAdmissionCohortCohort conditionCare organizationsPatientsStakeholder inputNarrow cohortBeneficiaries
2017
Hospital Characteristics Associated With Risk-standardized Readmission Rates
Horwitz LI, Bernheim SM, Ross JS, Herrin J, Grady JN, Krumholz HM, Drye EE, Lin Z. Hospital Characteristics Associated With Risk-standardized Readmission Rates. Medical Care 2017, 55: 528-534. PMID: 28319580, PMCID: PMC5426655, DOI: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000713.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchIdentification of Emergency Department Visits in Medicare Administrative Claims: Approaches and Implications
Venkatesh AK, Mei H, Kocher KE, Granovsky M, Obermeyer Z, Spatz E, Rothenberg C, Krumholz H, Lin Z. Identification of Emergency Department Visits in Medicare Administrative Claims: Approaches and Implications. Academic Emergency Medicine 2017, 24: 422-431. PMID: 27864915, PMCID: PMC5905698, DOI: 10.1111/acem.13140.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsED visitsEmergency department visitsClaims-based definitionED visitationAdministrative claimsDepartment visitsClaims dataAdministrative claims data setsHealthcare resource utilizationMore ED visitsAcute care practiceAdministrative claims dataQuality improvement interventionsEmergency care researchMedicare administrative claimsClaims data setsED useCritical careED servicesMedicare feeMedicare dataCare practicesService beneficiariesImprovement interventionsProvider definitions
2016
Declining Admission Rates And Thirty-Day Readmission Rates Positively Associated Even Though Patients Grew Sicker Over Time
Dharmarajan K, Qin L, Lin Z, Horwitz LI, Ross JS, Drye EE, Keshawarz A, Altaf F, Normand SL, Krumholz HM, Bernheim SM. Declining Admission Rates And Thirty-Day Readmission Rates Positively Associated Even Though Patients Grew Sicker Over Time. Health Affairs 2016, 35: 1294-1302. PMID: 27385247, DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1614.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAgedAged, 80 and overCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.Chronic DiseaseDatabases, FactualDisease ProgressionFemaleGeriatric AssessmentHospital MortalityHumansIncidenceLength of StayMaleOutcome Assessment, Health CarePatient AdmissionPatient ReadmissionRetrospective StudiesRisk AssessmentSeverity of Illness IndexTime FactorsUnited States
2015
Association of hospital volume with readmission rates: a retrospective cross-sectional study
Horwitz LI, Lin Z, Herrin J, Bernheim S, Drye EE, Krumholz HM, Hines HJ, Ross JS. Association of hospital volume with readmission rates: a retrospective cross-sectional study. The BMJ 2015, 350: h447. PMID: 25665806, PMCID: PMC4353286, DOI: 10.1136/bmj.h447.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsReadmission ratesHospital volumeRetrospective cross-sectional studyUS acute care hospitalsHospital readmission ratesAcute care hospitalsCross-sectional studyMedical cancer treatmentCare hospitalAdult dischargesHospital characteristicsMedicare feeCancer treatmentHospitalAssociationDaysService dataPatientsCardiovascularGynecologyQuintileNeurologyNational trends in hospital length of stay for acute myocardial infarction in China
Li Q, Lin Z, Masoudi FA, Li J, Li X, Hernández-Díaz S, Nuti SV, Li L, Wang Q, Spertus JA, Hu FB, Krumholz HM, Jiang L. National trends in hospital length of stay for acute myocardial infarction in China. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders 2015, 15: 9. PMID: 25603877, PMCID: PMC4360951, DOI: 10.1186/1471-2261-15-9.Peer-Reviewed Original Research