David A. Asch

Variation in US Hospital Mortality Rates for Patients Admitted With COVID-19 During the First 6 Months of the Pandemic

JAMA Internal Medicine · 2020 · 268 citations

Importance: It is unknown how much the mortality of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) depends on the hospital that cares for them, and whether COVID-19 hospital mortality rates are improving. Objective: To identify variation in COVID-19 mortality rates and how those rates have changed over the first months of the pandemic. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study assessed 38 517 adults who were admitted with COVID-19 to 955 US hospitals from January 1, 2020, to June 3…

Evidence-Based Community Health Worker Program Addresses Unmet Social Needs And Generates Positive Return On Investment

Health Affairs · 2020 · 240 citations

Interventions that address socioeconomic determinants of health are receiving considerable attention from policy makers and health care executives. The interest is fueled in part by expected returns on investment. However, many current estimates of returns on investment are likely overestimated, because they are based on pre-post study designs that are susceptible to regression to the mean. We present a return-on-investment analysis that is based on a randomized controlled trial of Individualize…

Patient and Hospital Factors Associated With Differences in Mortality Rates Among Black and White US Medicare Beneficiaries Hospitalized With COVID-19 Infection

JAMA Network Open · 2021 · 109 citations

Importance: Black patients hospitalized with COVID-19 may have worse outcomes than White patients because of excess individual risk or because Black patients are disproportionately cared for in hospitals with worse outcomes for all. Objectives: To examine differences in COVID-19 hospital mortality rates between Black and White patients and to assess whether the mortality rates reflect differences in patient characteristics by race or by the hospitals to which Black and White patients are admitte…

Health Policy and Privacy Challenges Associated With Digital Technology

JAMA Network Open · 2020 · 105 citations

Importance: Digital technology is part of everyday life. Digital interactions generate large amounts of data that can reveal information about the health of individual consumers (the digital health footprint). Objective: Τo describe health privacy challenges associated with digital technology. Design, Setting, and Participants: For this qualitative study, In-depth, semistructured, qualitative interviews were conducted with 26 key experts from diverse fields in the US between January 1 and July 3…

Effects of a standardized community health worker intervention on hospitalization among disadvantaged patients with multiple chronic conditions: A pooled analysis of three clinical trials

Health Services Research · 2020 · 58 citations

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effects of a standardized community health worker (CHW) intervention on hospitalization. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Pooled data from three randomized clinical trials (n = 1340) conducted between 2011 and 2016. STUDY DESIGN: The trials in this pooled analysis were conducted across diseases and settings, with a common study design, intervention, and outcome measures. Participants were patients living in high-poverty regions of Philadelphia and were predominantly Medicaid…