The new AHRQ Toolkit for MRSA Prevention in ICU & Non-ICU Settings was developed to assist healthcare staff and leadership with improving infection prevention practices and ultimately reducing MRSA rates. MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a highly invasive and deadly multidrug-resistant organism that cannot be effectively treated by many available antimicrobial agents. Preventing MRSA infection and transmission among hospitalized patients is a crucial patient safety priority. The toolkit highlights four key strategies that can have the greatest impact on MRSA prevention: decolonizing patients, decontaminating the clinical environment, preventing person-based transmission and preventing device- and procedure-related infections. Access presentations and training materials for staff, tools and other resources to help healthcare workers prevent transmission of and infection with MRSA.

A new AHRQ issue brief addresses urgent challenges encountered in U.S. rural healthcare to achieve diagnostic excellence, with a focus on enhancing surgical and specialty care, bolstering care coordination and screening patients for social determinants of health. The brief highlights the substantial impact of diagnostic errors in rural healthcare settings, emphasizes disparities in access to high-quality diagnostic care and underscores the importance of community engagement, regionalization and collaboration among interested parties. Access the new issue brief and others in AHRQ’s series exploring diagnostic safety topics.

A webinar on Nov. 12 from noon to 1 p.m. ET will explore factors that contribute to burnout in healthcare organizations and highlight evidence-based interventions to address these challenges. Colin P. West, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine in the Department of Biostatistics and Medical Education at the Mayo Clinic, will share real-life stories that highlight worker experiences and the positive impact of strategies to reduce burnout. The webinar will be sponsored by the National Action Alliance for Patient and Workforce Safety, a public-private collaboration established by AHRQ on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services. Register now for the webinar. To learn more about the National Action Alliance, subscribe to the initiative’s newsletter, review information from previous webinars, and access tools and resources to improve care.

Medical diagnoses reported by Medicare Advantage insurance plans led to a significant increase in enrollee risk scores between 2016 and 2021, according to an analysis by AHRQ staff in Health Affairs. Medicare Advantage plans have an incentive to find as many diagnoses as possible since their reimbursement is based on the number of enrollee diagnoses submitted in the previous year. In contrast with traditional Medicare, these plans make use of chart reviews and in-home health risk assessments to seek additional diagnoses. By isolating diagnoses identified through these strategies, the author determined that enrollee risk scoring was 6.6 percent higher in 2016 than it would have been using only traditional Medicare strategies. That increase rose to 7.4 percent increase by 2021. Access the abstract.

Prevention TaskForce, an app from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, is available to help healthcare professionals identify which screenings, counseling interventions and preventive medications are right for their patients. The app includes all current Task Force recommendations and can be searched by patient characteristics, such as age, sex/gender and selected behavioral risk factors. The Task Force, supported by AHRQ, is an independent, volunteer panel of national disease prevention experts who work to improve the health of people by making evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services. Task Force information is also included in MyHealthfinder, an app for patients. Developed by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, MyHealthfinder includes plain language, actionable, evidence-based health information in English and Spanish.