Associate Professor of Public Health and Associate Chair of Health Services Research, Boston University School of Public Health   (BUSPH )
Associate Director of the Center for Health Quality, Outcomes and Economic Research (CHQOER) and Director of the Health Quality Section
Bedford Veterans Affairs Medical Center

CHQOER

Bedford VA Hospital
200 Springs Rd (152)
Bedford, MA   01730
781.687.2962   
dberlow@bu.edu

Dr. Berlowitz is a 1987 graduate of the Boston University School of Public Health and currently serves as the Associate Director of the Center for Health Quality, Outcomes and Economic Research, and as Director of the Health Quality section. His research interests center on assessing and improving the quality of medical care, with particular emphasis on ambulatory and long-term care settings. His work focuses on examining outcome measures in these settings, developing case-mix adjustment models for these outcomes, and evaluating how clinical practice guidelines may be used to improve care. He also maintains an active practice in geriatric medicine and undertakes numerous studies examining medical practices in the nursing homes. dberlo@bu.edu

Book Chapters and Monographs

Berlowitz DR, Wilking SVB.   Pressure ulcers in the nursing home.   In Improving Care in the Nursing Home: Comprehensive Reviews of Clinical Research ; ed. LZ Rubenstein and D Wieland; Sage Publications; 1993: Newbury Park, CA.

Berlowitz DR.   Pressure ulcers.   In UpToDate ;   ed.   BD Rose, MD Aronson, RH Fletcher, SW Fletcher; UpToDate, Inc; 1998:   Wellesley, MA.

Wilking SVB and Berlowitz DR.   A 78 year old woman with a pressure ulcer and knee pain.   In Internal Medicine Pearls , 2 nd edition;   ed. JE Heffner and SA Sahn; Hanley & Belfus; 2001: Philadelphia, PA.

Berlowitz DR.   Understanding differences in pressure ulcer rates.   In Pressure Ulcers in America: Prevalence, Incidence, and Implications for the Future ; ed. J Cuddigan, EA Ayello, and C Sussman; National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel; 2001: Reston, VA.

Berlowitz DR.   Long tem care/Nursing homes/skilled nursing facilities: Incidence and prevalence data.   In Pressure Ulcers in America: Prevalence, Incidence, and Implications for the Future ; ed. J Cuddigan, EA Ayello, and C Sussman; National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel; 2001: Reston, VA.

Berlowitz DR, Cuddigan J, Ayello EA.   Summary and Recommendations.   In Pressure Ulcers in America: Prevalence, Incidence, and Implications for the Future ; ed. J Cuddigan, EA Ayello, and C Sussman; National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel; 2001: Reston, VA.

Berlowitz DR.   Improving VA’s Quality of Care.   In Improvements in the Management of Hypertension in 2000 and Beyond Symposium: Challenges and Opportunities ; ed. H. Mitchell Perry; Department of Veterans Affairs; 2001.

Berlowitz DR, Rosen AK.   Risk adjustment for studying long-term care.   In Risk Adjustment for Measuring healthcare Outcomes; 3 rd edition;   ed. L. Iezzoni; In press.

Published Articles

Berlowitz DR, Ghalili K, Moskowitz MA.   The use of follow-up chest roentgenograms among hospitalized patients.   Arch Int Med 1989; 149:   821-5.

Berlowitz DR, Wilking SVB.   Risk factors for pressure sores:   a comparison of cross-sectional and cohort derived data.   J Am Geriatr Soc 1989; 37:   1043-50.

Berlowitz DR, Wilking SVB.   The short term outcome of pressure sores.   J Am Geriatr Soc 1990; 38:   748-52.

Berlowitz DR, Wilking SVB, Moskowitz MA.   Do-not-resuscitate orders at a chronic care hospital.   J Am Geriatr Soc 1991; 39:   472-6.  

Kim DE, Berlowitz DR.   The limited value of routine laboratory assessments in severely impaired nursing home residents.   JAMA 1994; 272: 1447-52.

Berlowitz DR.   Update on pressure ulcers: implications for prevention and management.   Facts and Research in Gerontology 1995; Springer Publishing Co: New York, NY; 233-46.

Berlowitz DR, Rosen A, Moskowitz MA.   Ambulatory care casemix measures.   J Gen Intern Med 1995; 10: 162-170 .

Berlowitz DR, Du W, Kazis L, Lewis S.   Health-related quality of life of nursing home residents: Differences in patient and provider peceptions.   J Am Geriatr Soc 1995; 43: 799-802.

Brandeis GH, Berlowitz DR, Hossain M, Morris JN.   Pressure ulcers: the Minimum Data Set and the Resident Assessment Protocol.   Adv Wound Care 1995; 8: 18-25.

Berlowitz DR, Brandeis GH, Brand HK, Halpern J, Ash AS, Moskowitz MA.   Evaluating pressure ulcer occurrence in long-term care: pitfalls in interpreting administrative data.   J Clin Epidemiol 1996; 49: 289-92.

Berlowitz DR, Ash AS, Brandeis GH, Brand HK, Halpern J, Moskowitz MA.   Rating long-term care facilities on pressure ulcer development: importance of case-mix adjustment.   Ann Intern Med 1996; 124: 557-563.

Berlowitz DR, Du W, Kazis L, Lewis S, Hickey E.   Pain and its assessment in the nursing home.   Facts and Research in Gerontology (Home Care Supplement); 1996.

Du W, Ash A, Berlowitz DR, Schwartz JS, Moskowitz MA.   Variations in the management of acute myocardial infarction: Importance of clinical measures of disease severity.   J Gen Int Med 1996; 11: 334-41.

Berlowitz DR, Brandeis GH, Anderson J, Brand HK.   Predictors of pressure ulcer healing in long-term care.   J Am Geriatr Soc 1997; 45: 30-34.

Berlowitz DR, Brandeis GH, Anderson J, Du W, Brand HK.   Effect of pressure ulcers on the survival of long-term care residents.   J Gerontol: Med Sci 1997; 52A: M106-110.

Berlowitz DR, Ash AS, Hickey EC, Friedman RH, Kader B, Moskowitz MA.   Outcomes of hypertension care: simple measures are not that simple.   Med Care 1997; 35: 742-6..

Berlowitz DR, Brandeis GH, Moskowitz MA.   Using administrative databases to evaluate long-term care.   J Am Geriatr Soc 1997; 45: 618-23.

Berlowitz DR, Halpern J.   Evaluating and improving pressure ulcer care: the VA experience using administrative data.   Joint Commission Journal on Quality Improvement 1997; 23: 424-433.

Brandeis GH, Berlowitz DR, Coughlin N.   Mortality associated with an influenza outbreak on a dementia care unit.   Alzheimers Disease and Related Disorders 1998; 12: 140-145.

Berlowitz DR, Ash AS, Friedman R, Hickey E, Kader B, Moskowitz MA.   Problems in assessing diabetes control in an ambulatory setting.   Am J Med Quality 1998; 13: 89-93.

Berlowitz DR, Ash AS, Hickey EC, Friedman RH, Kader B, Moskowitz MA.   Profiling outcomes of ambulatory care; case-mix affects perceived performance.   Med Care 1998; 36: 928-33.

Berlowitz DR, Anderson J, Ash AS, Brandeis G, Brand HK, Moskowitz MA.   Reducing random variation in reported rates of pressure ulcer development.   Med Care1998; 36: 818-25.

Berlowitz DR, Ash AS, Hickey EC, Friedman RH, Glickman M, Kader B, Moskowitz MA.   Inadequate management of blood pressure in a hypertensive population.   N Engl J Med 1998; 339: 1957-63.

Rosen AK, Berlowitz DR, Anderson JJ, Brand HK, Ash AS, Moskowitz MA.   Functional status outcomes for assessment of quality in long-term care.   Int J Qual Health Care 1999; 11: 37-64.

Berlowitz DR, Anderson JJ, Brandeis GH, Lehner LA, Brand HK, Ash AS, Moskowitz, MA.   Pressure ulcer development in the VA: characteristics of nursing homes providing best care.   Am J Med Quality 1999; 14: 39-44.

Berlowitz DR, Brand HK, Perkins C.   Geriatric syndromes as outcome measures of hospital care: Can administrative data be used?   J Am Geriatr Soc 1999;47:692-696.

Berlowitz DR, Bezerra HQ, Brandeis GH, Kader B, Anderson JJ.   Are we improving the quality of nursing home care: the case of pressure ulcers.   J Am Geriatr Soc 2000; 48:59-62.

Rosen AK, Wu J, Chang B, Berlowitz DR, Ash AS, Moskowitz MA.   Does diagnostic information contribute to predicting functional decline in long-term care?   Med Care 2000; 38: 647-59.

Wang MS, Rosen AK, Kazis L, Anderson J, Berlowitz D.   Correlation of diagnosis-based and patient-centered risk-adjustment measures.   Health Services & Outcomes Research Methodology 2000; 1: 351-365.

Berlowitz DR, Young GJ, Brandeis GH, Kader B, Anderson JJ.   Health care reorganization and quality of care: unintended effects on pressure ulcer prevention.   Med Care 2001; 39: 138-46.

Rosen A, Wu J, Chang B, Berlowitz D, Rakovski C, Ash A, Moskowitz M.   Risk adjustment for measuring health outcomes: An application in VA long-term care.   Am J Med Quality 2001; 16: 118-127.

Berlowitz DR, Young GJ, Hickey EC, Joseph J, Anderson JJ, Ash AS, Moskowitz MA.   Clinical practice guidelines in the nursing home.   Am J Med Qual 2001; 16; 189-195.

Rosen AK, Loveland S, Anderson JJ, Rothendler JA, Hankin CS, Rakovski CC, Moskowitz MA, Berlowitz DR.   Evaluating diagnosis-based case-mix measures: how well do they apply to the VA population.   Med Care 2001; 39: 692-704.

Berlowitz DR, Brandeis GH, Morris JN, Ash AS, Anderson JJ, Kader B, Moskowitz MA. Deriving a risk-adjustment model for pressure ulcer development using the Minimum Data Set.   J Am Geriatr Soc 2001; 49: 866-871.

Berlowitz DR, Brandeis GH, Anderson JJ, Ash AS, Kader B, Morris JN, Moskowitz MA. Evaluation of a risk-adjustment model for pressure ulcer development using the Minimum Data Set.   J Am Geriatr Soc 2001; 49: 872-876.

Brandeis GH, Berlowitz DR, Katz P.   Are pressure ulcers preventable? A survey of experts.   Adv Skin Wound Care 2001; 14: 244-248.

Cuddigan J, Berlowitz DR, Ayello EA for the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel.   Pressure ulcers in America: prevalence, incidence, and implications for the future.   An executive summary of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel Monograph.   Adv Skin Wound Care 2001; 14: 208-15.

Reker D, Rosen AK, Hoenig H, Berlowitz DR, Laughlin J, Anderson L, Marshall CR, Rittman M. The hazards of stroke case selection using administrative data.   Med Care 2002; 40: 96-104.

Oliveria SA, Lapuerta P, McCarthy B, L’Italien G, Berlowitz DR, Asch S.   Physician barriers to the effective management of uncontrolled hypertension.   Arch Intern Med 2002; 162: 413-420.

Selim AJ, Berlowitz DR, Fincke G, Rosen AK, Ren XS, Christiansen CL, Cong Z, Lee A, Kazis L. Risk-adjusted mortality rates as a potential outcome indicator for outpatient quality assessments.   Med Care 2002; 40: 237-245.

Berlowitz DR, Christiansen CL, Brandeis GH, Ash AS, Kader B, Morris JN, Moskowitz MA.   Profiling nursing homes using Bayesian hierarchical modeling.   J Am Geriatr Soc 2002; 50: 1126-1130.

Rosen AK, Loveland SA, Anderson JJ, Hankin CS, Breckenridge JN, Berlowitz DR.   Diagnostic Cost Groups (DCGs) and concurrent utilization among patients with substance abuse disorders.   Health Serv Res 2002; 37: 1079-1103.

Rakovski CC, Rosen AK, Loveland SA, Anderson JJ, Berlowitz DR, Ash AS. Evaluation of diagnosis-based risk adjustment measures among specific subgroups: can existing measures be improved by simple modifications?   Health Services & Outcomes Research Methodology 2002; 3: 57-73.

Rosen AK, Rakovski CC, Loveland SA, Anderson JJ, Berlowitz DR.   Profiling resource use: Do different outcomes affect perceptions of provider efficiency?   Am J Manag Care 2002; 8: 1105-1115.

Boehmer U, Kressin NR, Berlowitz DR, Christiansen CL, Kazis LE, Jones JA.   Self-reported versus administrative race/ethnicity data and study results.   Am J Pub Health 2002; 92: 1471-1473.

Pugh MJV, Anderson J, Pogach LM, Berlowitz DR.   Differential adoption of pharmacotherapy recommendations for type 2 diabetes by generalists and subspecialists.   Medical Care Research and Review; In press.

Berlowitz DR, Young GJ, Hickey EC, Saliba D, Mittman BS, Czarnowski E, Simon B, Anderson JJ, Ash AS, Rubenstein LV, Moskowitz MA.   Quality improvement implementation in the nursing home.   Health Serv Res 2003; 38: 65-83 .

Saliba D, Rubenstein LV, Simon B, Hickey E, Ferrell B, Czarnowski E, Berlowitz D.   Adherence to pressure ulcer prevention guidelines: Implications for nursing home quality.   J Am Geriatr Soc 2003; 51: 56-62.

Jones JA, Boehmer U, Berlowitz DR, Christiansen CL, Pitman A, Kressin NR.   Tooth retention as an indicator of quality dental care: Development of a risk adjustment model.   Med Care; in press.

Berlowitz DR, Ash AS, Hickey EC, Glickman M, Friedman R, Kader B.   Hypertension management in diabetes: the need for more aggressive therapy.   Diabetes Care 2003; 26: 355-359.

Rosen AK, Loveland SA, Rakovski CC, Christiansen CL. Berlowitz DR.   Do different case-mix measures affect assessments of provider efficiency? Lessons from the VA.   J Amb Care Management; In press.

Berlowitz DR, Ash AS, Glickman M, Friedman RH, Pogach LM, Nelson AL, Wong A.   Improving glycemic control in patients with diabetes: the need for more intensive therapy. Submitted for publication.

Rakovski CC, Rosen AK, Wang F, Berlowitz DR.   Predicting elderly at risk of increased future healthcare use: does diagnostic information add to prior utilization?   Health Services and Outcomes Research Methodology; In press.

Zanca JM, Brienza DM, Bennett RG, Berlowitz D.   Pressure ulcer research funding in America: Creation and analysis of an online database.   Adv Skin Wound Care; In press.

Concato J, Wells CK, Horwitz RI, Penson D, Fincke G, Berlowitz DR, Froehlich G, Blake D, Vickers MA, Gehr GA, Raheb NH, Sullivan G, Peduzzi P.   Is screening for prostate cancer effective?: A case-control study.   Submitted for publication.

Selim AJ, Fincke G, Berlowitz DR, Ren XS, Cong Z, Rosen AK, Lee A, Miller D, Kazis S.   Are there racial differences in mortality among patients receiving outpatient care in the Veterans Health Administration?   Submitted for publication.

Rosen AK, Wang F, Montez ME, Rakovski CC, Lucove JC, Berlowitz DR.   Are diagnosis-based risk adjustment measures useful screening tools for geriatric evaluation and management?   Submitted for publication.

Kressin NR, Boehmer U, Berlowitz DR, Christiansen CL, Pitman A, Jones JA.   Racial variations in dental procedures: the case of root canal therapy versus tooth extraction.   Med Care; In press.

Borzecki AM, Wong AT, Hickey EC, Ash AS, Berlowitz DR.   Hypertension control: How well are we doing?   Arch Int Med, In press.

Charbonneau A, Rosen AK, Ash AS, Owens RR, Kader B, Spiro A, Hankin C, Herz LR, Pugh MV, Kazis L, Miller DR, Berlowitz DR.   Measuring the quality of depression care in a large integrated health system.   Med Care 2003; 41:   669-680.

Borzecki AM, Oliveria SA, Berlowitz DR.   Barriers to hypertension control.   Am Heart J; In press.

Tsilimingras D, Rosen AK, Berlowitz DR.   Patient safety in geriatrics: A call for action.   J Gerontol: Med Sci; In press.

Pugh MJV, Cramer J, Knoefel J, Charbonneau A, Mandell A, Berlowitz DR.   Are elderly patients receiving appropriate antiepileptic drugs?   J Am Geriatr Soc; In press.

Charbonneau A, Rosen AH, Owen RR, Spiro A, Ash AS, Miller DR, Kazis L, Kader B, Cunningham F, Berlowitz DR.   Monitoring depression care: in search of an accurate quality indicator.   Submitted for publication.

Berlowitz DR.   Striving for six sigma in pressure ulcer care [editorial}.   J Am Geriatr Soc;   In press.

Hickey EC, Young GJ, Parker VA, Skinner KM, Czarnowski EJ, Saliba D,

Berlowitz DR.   The effects of changes in nursing home staffing on pressure ulcer rates.   Submitted for publication.

Selim AJ, Berlowitz DR, Fincke G, Cong Z, Rogers W, Haffer SC, Ren XS, Lee A, Miller DR, Spiro A, Kazis LE.   The health status of elderly veteran enrolles in the Veterans Health Administration.   Submitted for publication.

Reports

Berlowitz DR, Brandeis GH, Ash AS, Moskowitz MA, Halpern J, Brand HK, Anderson JJ, Du W.   Predicting Pressure Ulcer Development Using Department of Veterans Affairs Databases.   Final Report, HSR&D IIR# 92-053.   October, 1995.

Berlowitz DR, Hickey EC, Ash AS, Friedman RH, Kader B, Moskowitz MA.   Quality Assessment in Ambulatory Care: A Pilot Study.   Final Report, HSR&D SDR-91-011.   December, 1997.

Hickey EC, Berlowitz DR, Anderson J. Hankin C, Hendricks A, Lehner L.   The Veterans Hospice Care Study: An Evaluation of VA Hospice Programs; February, 1998.

Berlowitz D, Anderson J, Ash A, Brandeis G, Lehner L, Brand H, Moskowitz M.   Pressure Ulcer Incidence Rates as a Quality Measure for Long-Term Care.   Final Report, HSR&D IIR #95-031; April, 1998.

Berlowitz DR.   Pressure Ulcer Rates in Describing Nursing Home Quality.   Final Report, Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research RO1 HS09768-02.   July, 2000.

Holtzman J, Berlowitz DR, Ash AS, Moskowitz MA.   Case-Mix Measures for Diabetes Mellitus: A Review of the Literature.   Prepared for the Health Care Financing Administration by the Research Data Assistance Center.   August, 2000.

Berlowitz DR.   Pressure Ulcer Care in Nursing Homes: Effect of Clinical Guidelines.   Final Report, HSR&D CPG97-012; September, 2000.

Ash AS, Speckman J, Berlowitz DR, Franco S, Chaisson C, Posner M, Anderson K, Yacht AC, Moskowitz MA.   Predictors of Heart failure Outcomes: A Review of the Literature.   Prepared for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services by the Research Data Assistance Center;   December, 2001.

Berlowitz D, Rosen A, Charbonneau A.   Benchmarking Patterns in the Pharmacotherapy of Depression.   Final Report DVA HSR&D Service grant # CPI 99-134.   December, 2002.