All FSI Projects

Improving the quality of quality metrics for decision making: Understanding the role of social factors on hospital rates

Researchers

Kathryn McDonald
Investigator

This study will examine the relationship between social factors and hospital utilization using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). This study will provide pilot data about this relationship, especially more details about how social risk factors affect actual measures in use by decision makers. The researchers will examine this relationship using a regression approach. They anticipate that the findings of this study will provide important knowledge regarding the impact of often unmeasured social factors on hospital utilization that can inform the use of quality metrics as decision tools. These findings may also allow development of public reporting tools that help families and patients deciding on alternative sites of care in ways that incorporate information on different social situations.