Katherine A Ahrens
Biographic Data
| ID | 5541991 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Katherine A Ahrens |
| GIVEN NAMES | Katherine A |
| FAMILY NAME | Ahrens |
| SIGNATURE | AHRENS K A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Southern Maine |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5139-9208 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 6 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Ambulatory care utilization in the first 24 months’ postpartum by rurality and pregnancy‐related conditions
PURPOSE: To estimate the rate of ambulatory care use among postpartum persons by rurality of residence and pregnancy-related conditions. METHODS: We used Maine Health Data Organization's All Payer Claims Data for persons who delivered between 2007 and 2019 (N = 121,905). We estimated rates of ambulatory care (nonemergency department outpatient health care) utilization during the first 24 months' postpartum by level of rurality (urban, large rural…
Community buprenorphine continuation post-release following extended release vs. sublingual buprenorphine during incarceration
Excess deaths associated with Covid‐19 by rurality and demographic factors in the United States
PURPOSE: To estimate percent excess deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic by rural-urban residence in the United States and to describe rural-urban disparities by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. METHODS: Using US mortality data, we used overdispersed Poisson regression models to estimate monthly expected death counts by rurality of residence, age group, sex, and race/ethnicity, and compared expected death counts with observed deaths. We then summariz…
Barriers to Buprenorphine Dispensing by Medicaid-Participating Community Retail Pharmacies
In this serial cross-sectional study of Medicaid-participating pharmacies, buprenorphine was not accessible in up to 20% of community retail pharmacies, presenting pharmacy-level barriers to patients with Medicaid seeking buprenorphine treatment. That some pharmacies dispensed opioid analgesics but not buprenorphine suggests that factors other than compliance with the Controlled Substance Act influence pharmacy dispensing decisions
Trends in Use of Medication to Treat Opioid Use Disorder During the Covid-19 Pandemic in 10 State Medicaid Programs
In this cross-sectional study of Medicaid enrollees, the likelihood of receipt of any MOUD was stable from May 2019 through December 2020 despite concerns about potential COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions in care. However, immediately after the PHE was declared, there was a reduction in overall MOUD initiations, including a reduction in in-person MOUD initiations that was only partially offset by increased use of telehealth
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Bronchiolitis Hospitalizations in Young Infants After the Introduction of Paid Family Leave in New York State, 2015‒2019
Objectives. To determine if the introduction of New York State’s 8-week paid family leave policy on January 1, 2018, reduced rates of hospitalizations with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis or any acute lower respiratory tract infection among young infants. Methods. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis using New York State population-based, all-payer hospital discharge records, October 2015 to December 2019. We estimated…
Design, Implementation, and Evolution of the Medicaid Outcomes Distributed Research Network (MODRN)
BACKGROUND: In the US, Medicaid covers over 80 million Americans. Comparing access, quality, and costs across Medicaid programs can provide policymakers with much-needed information. As each Medicaid agency collects its member data, multiple barriers prevent sharing Medicaid data between states. To address this gap, the Medicaid Outcomes Distributed Research Network (MODRN) developed a research network of states to conduct rapid multi-state analy…
Contraceptive Method Use by Rural–Urban Residence among Women and Men in the United States, 2006 to 2017
Predictors of Plasma Fluoride Concentrations in Children and Adolescents
Despite increasing concerns about neurotoxicity of fluoride in children, sources of fluoride exposure apart from municipal water fluoridation are poorly understood. We aimed to describe the associations of demographics, drinking water characteristics, diet, and oral health behaviors with plasma fluoride concentrations in U.S. children. We used data from 3928 6-19-year-olds from the 2013-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We us…
Female Age at First Sexual Intercourse by Rural–Urban Residence and Birth Cohort
Availability of Services Related to Achieving Pregnancy in U.S. Publicly Funded Family Planning Clinics
Reducing Unintended Pregnancies as a Strategy to Avert Zika-Related Microcephaly Births in the United States
Does Contraceptive Use in the United States Meet Global Goals
There is a need to continue efforts to expand access to contraceptive care in the United States, and to monitor the SDG indicators so that improvement can be tracked over time
Trends in Timing of Pregnancy Awareness Among US Women
Housing Assistance and Blood Lead Levels
Objectives. To compare blood lead levels (BLLs) among US children aged 1 to 5 years according to receipt of federal housing assistance. Methods. In our analyses, we used 2005 to 2012 data for National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) respondents that were linked to 1999 to 2014 administrative records from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After we restricted the analysis to children with family income-to-po…
Using surveillance data to monitor entry into care of newly diagnosed HIV-infected persons
The time from HIV diagnosis to initial CD4 T cell count, CD4 T cell value and HIV viral load testing may be appropriate surveillance measures for evaluating entry into care, as well as performance outcomes for local public health departments' HIV testing programs. Case investigation performed by the public health department or case management by clinic staff was associated with increased and shorter time to entry into HIV medical care
The Acceptability and Feasibility of the Positive Reinforcement Opportunity Project, a Community-Based Contingency Management Methamphetamine Treatment Program for Gay and Bisexual Men in San Francisc…
The Positive Reinforcement Opportunity Project (PROP) was a pilot program developed to build on the efficacy of contingency management (CM) using positive reinforcement to address the treatment needs of gay and bisexual men currently using crystal methamphetamines (meth). It was hypothesized that a version of CM could be implemented in San Francisco that was less costly than traditional treatment methods and reached gay and other MSM using meth w…
Housing Assistance and Blood Lead Levels
Objectives. To compare blood lead levels (BLLs) among US children aged 1 to 5 years according to receipt of federal housing assistance. Methods. In our analyses, we used 2005 to 2012 data for National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) respondents that were linked to 1999 to 2014 administrative records from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After we restricted the analysis to children with family income-to-po…
Does Contraceptive Use in the United States Meet Global Goals
There is a need to continue efforts to expand access to contraceptive care in the United States, and to monitor the SDG indicators so that improvement can be tracked over time
The Acceptability and Feasibility of the Positive Reinforcement Opportunity Project, a Community-Based Contingency Management Methamphetamine Treatment Program for Gay and Bisexual Men in San Francisc…
The Positive Reinforcement Opportunity Project (PROP) was a pilot program developed to build on the efficacy of contingency management (CM) using positive reinforcement to address the treatment needs of gay and bisexual men currently using crystal methamphetamines (meth). It was hypothesized that a version of CM could be implemented in San Francisco that was less costly than traditional treatment methods and reached gay and other MSM using meth w…
Using surveillance data to monitor entry into care of newly diagnosed HIV-infected persons
The time from HIV diagnosis to initial CD4 T cell count, CD4 T cell value and HIV viral load testing may be appropriate surveillance measures for evaluating entry into care, as well as performance outcomes for local public health departments' HIV testing programs. Case investigation performed by the public health department or case management by clinic staff was associated with increased and shorter time to entry into HIV medical care
Trends in Timing of Pregnancy Awareness Among US Women
Housing Assistance and Blood Lead Levels
Objectives. To compare blood lead levels (BLLs) among US children aged 1 to 5 years according to receipt of federal housing assistance. Methods. In our analyses, we used 2005 to 2012 data for National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) respondents that were linked to 1999 to 2014 administrative records from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After we restricted the analysis to children with family income-to-po…
Reducing Unintended Pregnancies as a Strategy to Avert Zika-Related Microcephaly Births in the United States
Does Contraceptive Use in the United States Meet Global Goals
There is a need to continue efforts to expand access to contraceptive care in the United States, and to monitor the SDG indicators so that improvement can be tracked over time
Female Age at First Sexual Intercourse by Rural–Urban Residence and Birth Cohort
Availability of Services Related to Achieving Pregnancy in U.S. Publicly Funded Family Planning Clinics
Predictors of Plasma Fluoride Concentrations in Children and Adolescents
Despite increasing concerns about neurotoxicity of fluoride in children, sources of fluoride exposure apart from municipal water fluoridation are poorly understood. We aimed to describe the associations of demographics, drinking water characteristics, diet, and oral health behaviors with plasma fluoride concentrations in U.S. children. We used data from 3928 6-19-year-olds from the 2013-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We us…
Contraceptive Method Use by Rural–Urban Residence among Women and Men in the United States, 2006 to 2017
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Bronchiolitis Hospitalizations in Young Infants After the Introduction of Paid Family Leave in New York State, 2015‒2019
Objectives. To determine if the introduction of New York State’s 8-week paid family leave policy on January 1, 2018, reduced rates of hospitalizations with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis or any acute lower respiratory tract infection among young infants. Methods. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis using New York State population-based, all-payer hospital discharge records, October 2015 to December 2019. We estimated…
Design, Implementation, and Evolution of the Medicaid Outcomes Distributed Research Network (MODRN)
BACKGROUND: In the US, Medicaid covers over 80 million Americans. Comparing access, quality, and costs across Medicaid programs can provide policymakers with much-needed information. As each Medicaid agency collects its member data, multiple barriers prevent sharing Medicaid data between states. To address this gap, the Medicaid Outcomes Distributed Research Network (MODRN) developed a research network of states to conduct rapid multi-state analy…
Trends in Use of Medication to Treat Opioid Use Disorder During the Covid-19 Pandemic in 10 State Medicaid Programs
In this cross-sectional study of Medicaid enrollees, the likelihood of receipt of any MOUD was stable from May 2019 through December 2020 despite concerns about potential COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions in care. However, immediately after the PHE was declared, there was a reduction in overall MOUD initiations, including a reduction in in-person MOUD initiations that was only partially offset by increased use of telehealth
Community buprenorphine continuation post-release following extended release vs. sublingual buprenorphine during incarceration
Excess deaths associated with Covid‐19 by rurality and demographic factors in the United States
PURPOSE: To estimate percent excess deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic by rural-urban residence in the United States and to describe rural-urban disparities by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. METHODS: Using US mortality data, we used overdispersed Poisson regression models to estimate monthly expected death counts by rurality of residence, age group, sex, and race/ethnicity, and compared expected death counts with observed deaths. We then summariz…
Barriers to Buprenorphine Dispensing by Medicaid-Participating Community Retail Pharmacies
In this serial cross-sectional study of Medicaid-participating pharmacies, buprenorphine was not accessible in up to 20% of community retail pharmacies, presenting pharmacy-level barriers to patients with Medicaid seeking buprenorphine treatment. That some pharmacies dispensed opioid analgesics but not buprenorphine suggests that factors other than compliance with the Controlled Substance Act influence pharmacy dispensing decisions
Ambulatory care utilization in the first 24 months’ postpartum by rurality and pregnancy‐related conditions
PURPOSE: To estimate the rate of ambulatory care use among postpartum persons by rurality of residence and pregnancy-related conditions. METHODS: We used Maine Health Data Organization's All Payer Claims Data for persons who delivered between 2007 and 2019 (N = 121,905). We estimated rates of ambulatory care (nonemergency department outpatient health care) utilization during the first 24 months' postpartum by level of rurality (urban, large rural…
Medicine (15 works) · Environmental health (10 works) · Demography (9 works) · Population (9 works) · Demography (6 works) · Internal Medicine (6 works) · Confidence interval (5 works) · Family medicine (5 works) · Family planning (5 works) · Health care (5 works)