Form 1 Form 1 AHRQ Inventory Survey

Form Approved
OMB No: 0935-xxx
Exp. Date: xx/xx/20xx

AHRQ Inventory Survey

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is interested in determining the availability of regularly collected administrative data and other data collection initiatives that would provide information to key stakeholders about outpatient health service utilization and episodes of care. Major objectives are to better understand the issues in developing data collection initiatives; redundancies in those initiatives; uses of available data; gaps in available information; similarities across data projects; and areas for collaboration and coordination. AHRQ would like to identify potential strategies to improve synergy across these efforts to better inform health policymakers, clinicians, and consumers.

Econometrica, Inc., a research and policy consulting firm, has been retained by AHRQ to assist the Agency in developing a Data Inventory of existing data collection initiatives and conducting additional data collection, through interviews and surveys of health care organizations that collect, report, or use data on outpatient health service utilization or episodes of care.

You have been identified as a knowledgeable contact person for the data set named below. We hope that you will complete the survey that follows to assist the AHRQ in better understanding the current environment and framework for outpatient health care data collection and identifying potential strategies for improving the potential of this data to inform policymakers and other users. Also, please review the information we have enclosed about the data set and let us know if the information is accurate.

The information you provide will be aggregated with information from other respondents and kept private to the extent permitted by law. However, your specific responses will not be identified separately in any reports nor will any information about your responses be shared with AHRQ or otherwise identified as provided by you. If you have any questions or concerns about the survey, please contact Richard Hilton at [email protected].

This survey may be completed by you (or a designee) and returned via e-mail in the next two weeks to [email protected]. Alternatively, we will be happy to conduct the survey with you by telephone. If you prefer to be contacted by telephone, please e-mail us at either of the addresses above, with your telephone number and the best time for us to reach you to complete the survey. The survey begins on the next page.

Data set: ________________

AHRQ Inventory Survey

Background Information

1. Please indicate which of the following type of organization is your principal employer:

Federal agency: _______

State agency: _______

Provider association: _______

Nonprofit association (other than hospital association): ______

Other (please specify): _______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2. What is your primary responsibility at this organization?

Director/Senior Manager: _______

Data Collection Manager:_______

Database Manager:______

Data user:_______

Other (please specify):________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Issues Related to the AHRQ Inventory

First, we would like to ask you questions related to information from your system that will be included in the AHRQ Data Inventory we are developing. We want to confirm that the information is complete and accurate.

3. Have you had a chance to review the information drawn from your database that has been included in the new AHRQ Outpatient Data Inventory?

Yes _____ No _____ (If “No,” please review the enclosed information before moving on to 3a.)

3a. Is the enclosed information accurate and up to date?

Yes _____ No _____

3b. If the answer to 3a is “No,” please tell us in what way that information needs to be corrected or updated:

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

4. How often should AHRQ staff review the information in your database to make sure that your agency’s data collection and reporting information presented in its Inventory is accurate, complete, and up to date?

Monthly: _____

Every 3 months: ______

Every 6 Months: ______

Annually: _______

Other (please specify): _____________________________________________________

5. Are there any plans to significantly expand your health care database(s) in the near term (1 to 3 years)? We are particularly interested regarding any plans to increase the amount and types of data you collect related to outpatient care.

Yes _____ No _____

5a. If “Yes,” could you tell us about the plans and when you expect the data element and/or database expansions to be implemented?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

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6. What health care databases or reporting systems on outpatient treatment services and episodes of care are currently maintained by your agency? (Please do not limit your response to what we have already reviewed.)

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

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6a. What other data sets are in your data warehouse?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

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7. Do you collect ICD-9 diagnosis/procedure codes?

Yes _____ No _____

8. Does your data system collect any clinical data beyond ICD-9 diagnosis and procedure codes? For example, do you include clinical non-billing elements/measures such as lab results, Present-On-Admission, Do-Not-Resuscitate, birth weight, vital signs, or some other types of clinical outcome descriptors/data elements with your administrative data elements?

Yes _____ No _____

8a. If yes, what other clinical measures (for example, lab results, Present-On-Admission, Do-Not-Resuscitate, birth weight, vital signs, etc.) are collected by your data system? Please be very specific.

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

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8b. Please describe plans for future data collection. Please be very specific.

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

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9. Does your data system regularly collect data on costs incurred for specific outpatient services, third-party reimbursements for those services, and/or revenues associated with those services?

Costs Yes _____ No _____

Third-party reimbursement Yes _____ No ____

Revenues Yes ____ No _____

9a. If yes, could you tell us if these data cover all services in your system, or only a subset of the services?

All services ______

Subset of services ______

9b. Please tell us the types of outpatient services for which you have data on costs borne by service providers? Please be very specific.

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

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9c. If you do not currently include costs, reimbursements, and/or revenues for outpatient services in your data system, is it possible to link your data system with other databases to obtain this information?

Yes _____ No ______

10. Do you have any plans in the near term (1-3 years) to expand the range of data sources that provide input to your database?

Yes _____ No _____

10a. If “Yes,” could you tell us what are these new data sources:

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

10b. Will they provide data on outpatient services?

Yes _____ No _____

10c. If the answer to 10b is “Yes,” could you tell us of any types of outpatient services these sources will provide that will be different in type from those already available in your current database?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

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11. Is it possible to track individuals by linking a patient’s record with other databases using a unique identifier?

Yes _____ No _____

11a. What unique patient identifiers do you currently collect? (Check all that apply.)

Social Security No.: _____

Medicare ID: _____

Medicaid ID: _____

SCHIP ID: _____

Private Insurance ID: _____

Other (please specify): __________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

11b. Do you have plans to collect additional unique patient identifiers in the future?

Yes _____ No _____

11c. If “Yes,” which ones are likely?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

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12. Do you permit authorized users to access unique patient identifiers through either a Data Use Agreement and/or Institutional Review Board approval in order to link your database with other databases?

Yes _____ No _____

12a. If “No,” do you have any plans to institute such a procedure in the near future?

Yes _____ No _____

General Issues Relating to Collection of Outpatient Services

and Episodes of Care Data

Thank you very much for completing the first portion of this survey. Now we would like to ask you some more general questions related to the collection and dissemination of outpatient services and episodes of care data.

13. Do you think that current data collection and reporting on outpatient services and episodes of care is sufficient to meet the needs of:

Policymakers? Yes _____ No _____

Clinicians? Yes _____ No _____

Consumers? Yes _____ No _____

If you answered “No” to any of the options above, please indicate why you think current data collection and/or reporting is insufficient:

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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14. What are the major areas of outpatient health services and episodes of care data collection in which there are currently significant gaps? Please select and describe all the areas in which you consider there to be significant gaps in data collection.

Data for all geographic areas or populations (for example, does claims data reporting exclude the uninsured or small carriers?) (please be specific): ____

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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Not collected _____ Collected but not available ______

Data for specific types of providers/facilities (for example, excludes Federal hospitals or rural providers) (please be specific): ____

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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Not collected _____ Collected but not available ______

Data for some types of outpatient services (for example, home health services, physical or occupational therapy, in-home or facility-based dialysis, laboratory services) (please be specific): ____

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Not collected _____ Collected but not available ______

Data for some diagnoses or conditions (for example, encounters for mental health or abortions may be excluded from reporting requirements or suppressed from public releases) (please be specific): ____

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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Not collected _____ Collected but not available ______

Data for racial/ethnic subgroups (please be specific): ____

______________________________________________________________________

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Not collected _____ Collected but not available ______

Data available but difficult to access and use (please be specific): ____

______________________________________________________________________

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Other (please be very specific): ____

______________________________________________________________________

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15. Of the current data collection and/or availability gaps, which is the one that deserves the most immediate attention on the part of senior managers and policymakers? (Check only one.)

Data not collected for all geographic areas: _____

Data not collected for specific types of providers/facilities: ______

Data not collected for some types of outpatient services: ______

Data not collected for some diagnoses or conditions: ______

Data not collected for racial/ethnic groups: ______

Data available but difficult to access and use by providers: ______

Data available but difficult to access and use by consumers: ______

Other (please specify): ___________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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16. In your opinion, what is the greatest problem or issue that is a barrier to the collection and/or reporting on outpatient services and/or episodes of care? (Check only one.)

Funding for the data system: ______

Compliance with reporting requirements: ______

Variation in data coding and quality across providers and/or payers: ______

Analysis of data: ______

Preparation of useful reports: ______

Consistency of data definitions and coding protocols: ______

Other (please specify): ___________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

17. Are you aware of duplication of data collection efforts among organizations that collect outpatient use and/or episode of care data (if State organization, in your State)?

Yes _____ No _____

Can you give us an example of duplication of data collection efforts (specify)?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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18. What would be the most important change in data collection you would recommend in order to reduce the burden on providers and health facilities?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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19. Are there other organizations that you work with or coordinate with to develop or disseminate data on outpatient utilization or episodes of care?

Yes _____ No _____

20. How do you coordinate with these other organizations? (Check all that apply.)

Share data: ______

Coordinate data collection: ______

Prepare joint reports: ______

Provide support to users: ______

Other (please specify): ____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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21. In your opinion, what is the most important step AHRQ or other Federal agencies could take to improve the amount and quality of outpatient services and episodes of care data?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire. If you find a need to correct or update any information you provided today, please feel free to e-mail the Econometrica project team at [email protected].

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 45 minutes per response, the estimated time required to complete the survey. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: AHRQ Reports Clearance Officer Attention: PRA, Paperwork Reduction Project (0935-XXXX) AHRQ, 540 Gaither Road, Room # 5036, Rockville, MD 20850.