Purpose: This paper presents a secondary in-depth analysis of five persons with heart failure randomized to receive an education and behavioral intervention on fluid restriction as part of a larger study. Methods: Using a single subject analysis design, time series analyses models were constructed for each of the five patients for a period of 180. days to determine correlations between daily measures of patient reported fluid intake, thoracic impedance, and weights, and relationships between patient reported outcomes of symptom burden and health related quality of life over time. Results: Negative relationships were observed between fluid intake and thoracic impedance, and between impedance and weight, while positive correlations were observed between daily fluid intake and weight. Conclusions: By constructing time series analyses of daily measures of fluid congestion, trends and patterns of fluid congestion emerged which could be used to guide individualized patient care or future research endeavors. Employment of such a specialized analysis technique allows for the elucidation of clinically relevant findings potentially disguised when only evaluating aggregate outcomes of larger studies.
Studies show 30% to 47% of people with heart failure (HF) have concomitant diabetes mellitus (DM). Self -care for persons with both of these chronic conditions is conflicting, complex, and often inadequate. This pilot study tested an integrated self-care program for its effects on HF and DM knowledge, self-care efficacy, self-care behaviors, and quality of life (QOL). Hospitalized HF-DM participants (N = 71) were randomized to usual care or intervention using a 1:2 allocation and followed at 30 and 90days after intervention. Intervention was an integrated education and counseling program focused on HF-DM self-care. Variables included demographic and clinical data, knowledge about HF and DM, HF- and DM-specific self-efficacy, standard HF and DM QOL scales, and HF and DM self-care behaviors. Analysis included descriptive statistics, multilevel longitudinal models for group and time effects, post hoc testing, and effect size calculations. Sidak adjustments were used to control for type 1 error inflation. The integrated HF-DM self-care intervention conferred effects on improved HF knowledge (30days, p = .05), HF self-care maintenance (30 and 90days, p < .001), HF self-care management (90days, p = .05), DM self-efficacy (30days, p = .03; 90days, p = .004), general diet (30days, p = .05), HF physical QOL (p = .04), and emotional QOL scores (p = .05) at 90days within the intervention group. The participants in the usual care group also reported increased total and physical QOL. Greater percentages of participants in the intervention group improved self reported exercise between 0 and 30days (p = .005 and moderate effect size ES = .47) and foot care between 0 and 90days (p = .03, small ES = .36). No group differences or improvements in DM-specific QOL were observed. An integrated HF-DM self-care intervention was effective in improving essential components of self-care and had sustained (90day) effects on selected self-care behaviors. Future studies testing HF-DM integrated self-care interventions in larger samples with longer follow-up and on other outcomes such as hospitalization and clinical markers are warranted.
Background: Fluid restriction (FR) in persons with heart failure (HF) is often prescribed, yet self-regulation and the troublesome symptom of thirst are difficult for patients to manage. Aims: The purpose of this pilot study was to test an educational and behavioral intervention (EBI) on adherence with prescribed FR and outcome measures of fluid congestion, symptom distress, and health related quality of life (HRQL). Secondary aims were to describe the relationships between self-reported and objectively measured determinants of fluid status and symptoms, and assess the psychometric properties of piloted instruments, and intervention effect sizes. Methods: NYHA Class II-IV (n=25, 44-83 years, 56% male, 20% minority, mean EF 23.0+11.7%) participants were randomized to the EBI or attention control (AC) and evaluated at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Results: EBI patients trended toward decreasing fluid ingestion (p=0.08), experienced less HF symptom frequency (p=0.13) and severity (p=0.06), and increased symptoms of thirst (p < 0.01) across time. Whereas HRQL remained stable in the EBI group, it improved in the AC group over time (p=0.01). There were no significant differences in clinical measures of fluid congestion between groups. Conclusions: These outcomes suggest that patients receiving the EBI drank slightly less fluid, experienced less typical HF symptoms, greater thirst distress and stable HRQOL. Moderate to large effect sizes for the measures used were observed, and outcomes suggest that a randomized trial of various levels of FR would not potentiate fluid congestion but should specifically address preservation of HRQOL and thirst symptoms.
Background This study compares selected hospital outcomes between patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) using either a customized individually made (CIM) implant or a standard off-the-shelf (OTS) implant. Methods A retrospective review was conducted on 248 consecutive TKA patients treated in a single institution, by the same surgeon. Patients received either CIM (126) or OTS (122) implants. Study data were collected from patients' medical record or the hospital's administrative billing record. Standard statistical methods tested for differences in selected outcome measures between the 2 study arms. Results Compared with the OTS implant study arm, the CIM implant study arm showed significantly lower transfusion rates (2.4% vs 11.6%; P =.005); a lower adverse event rate at both discharge (CIM 3.3% vs OTS 14.1%; P =.003) and 90 days after discharge (CIM 8.1% vs OTS 18.2%; P =.023); and a smaller percentage of patients were discharged to a rehabilitation or other acute care facility (4.8% vs 16.4%; P =.003). Total average real hospital cost for the TKA hospitalization between the 2 groups were nearly identical (CIM $16,192 vs OTS $16,240; P =.913). Finally, the risk-adjusted per patient total cost of care showed a net savings of $913.87 (P =.240) per patient for the CIM-TKA group, for bundle of care including the preoperative computed tomography scan, TKA hospitalization, and discharge disposition. Conclusions Patients treated with a CIM implant had significantly lower transfusion rates, fewer adverse event rates, and were less likely to be discharged to a rehabilitation facility or another acute care facility. These outcomes were achieved without increasing costs.
Background: Medicare has a voluntary episodic payment model for Medicare beneficiaries that bundles payment for the index acute myocardial infarction (AMI) hospitalization and all post-discharge services for a 90-day follow-up period. The purpose of this study is to report on the types and frequency of readmissions and identify demographic and clinical factors associated with readmission of Medicare beneficiaries that survived their AMI hospitalization. Methods and Results: This retrospective study used the Inpatient Standard Analytical File for 2014. There were 143 286 Medicare beneficiaries with AMI who were discharged alive from 3619 hospitals. All readmissions occurring in any hospital within 90 days of the index AMI discharge date were identified. Of 143 286 Medicare beneficiaries discharged alive from their index AMI hospitalization, 28% (40 145) experienced at least 1 readmission within 90 days and 8% (11 477) had >1 readmission. Readmission rates were higher among Medicare beneficiaries who did not undergo a percutaneous coronary intervention in their index AMI admission (34%) compared with those that underwent a percutaneous coronary intervention (20.2%). Using all Medicare beneficiary's index AMI, 27 comorbid conditions were significantly associated with the likelihood of a Medicare beneficiary having a readmission during the follow-up period. The strongest clinical characteristics associated with readmissions were dialysis dependence, type 1 diabetes mellitus, and heart failure. Conclusions: This study provides benchmark information on the types of hospital readmissions Medicare beneficiaries experience during a 90-day AMI bundle. This paper also suggests that interventions are needed to alleviate the need for readmissions in high-risk populations, such as, those managed medically and those at risk of heart failure.
Backgound: Economic evaluations of interventions to prevent healthcare-associated infections in the United States rarely take the societal perspective and thus ignore the potential benefits of morbidity and mortality risk reductions. Using new Department of Health and Human Services guidelines for regulatory impact analysis, we developed a cost-benefit analyses of a national multifaceted, in-hospital Clostridioides difficile infection prevention program (including staffing an antibiotic stewardship program) that incorporated value of statistical life estimates to obtain economic values associated with morbidity and mortality risk reductions. Methods: We used a net present value model to assess costs and benefits associated with antibiotic stewardship programs. Model inputs included treatment costs, intervention costs, healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile infection cases, attributable deaths, and the value of statistical life which was used to estimate the economic value of morbidity and mortality risk reductions. Results: From 2015 to 2020, total net benefits of the intervention to the healthcare system range from $300 million to $7.6 billion when values for morbidity and mortality risk reductions are ignored. Including these values, the net social benefits of the intervention range from $21 billion to $624 billion with the annualized net benefit of $25.5 billion under our most likely outcome scenario. Conclusions: Incorporating the economic value of morbidity and mortality risk reductions in economic evaluations of healthcare-associated infections will significantly increase the benefits resulting from prevention.
Dialysis patients have a high risk of cardiovascular disease. In the general population, cardiac rehabilitation is recommended as a standard component of care and is covered by Medicare for patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Previous investigation demonstrated survival benefit of cardiac rehabilitation in dialysis patients. This study investigated its impact on Medicare expenditure and its cost effectiveness. A cohort of 4,324 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients who initiated chronic hemodialysis and underwent CABG between 1998 and 2004 was selected from the United States Renal Data System. Cardiac rehabilitation was defined by Current Procedural Terminology codes for monitored and nonmonitored exercise in Medicare claims data. Medicare expenditure included inpatient and outpatient claims with cost adjusted to 1998 dollars. At 42 months of follow-up after a 6-month entry period following CABG hospitalization discharge, cardiac rehabilitation at baseline was associated with higher cumulative Medicare expenditure, incurring a statistically nonsignificant increment of $2,904 (95% CI: −7,028, 11,940). During the same period, cardiac rehabilitation was significantly associated with longer cumulative lifetime, having an incremental benefit of 76 days (95% CI: 22, 129). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $13,887 per year of life saved, suggesting that cardiac rehabilitation is highly cost-effective in ESRD patients following CABG.
Importance: When an older adult is hospitalized, where they are discharged is of utmost importance. Fragmented readmissions, defined as readmissions to a different hospital than a patient was previously discharged from, may increase the risk of a nonhome discharge for older adults. However, this risk may be mitigated via electronic information exchange between the admission and readmission hospitals. Objective: To determine the association of fragmented hospital readmissions and electronic information sharing with discharge destination among Medicare beneficiaries. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study retrospectively examined data from Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, syncope, urinary tract infection, dehydration, or behavioral issues in 2018 and their 30-day readmission for any reason. The data analysis was completed between November 1, 2021, and October 31, 2022. Exposures: Same hospital vs fragmented readmissions and presence of the same health information exchange (HIE) at the admission and readmission hospitals vs no information shared between the admission and readmission hospitals. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was discharge destination following the readmission, including home, home with home health, skilled nursing facility (SNF), hospice, leaving against medical advice, or dying. Outcomes were examined for beneficiaries with and without Alzheimer disease using logistic regressions. Results: The cohort included 275 189 admission-readmission pairs, representing 268 768 unique patients (mean [SD] age, 78.9 [9.0] years; 54.1% female and 45.9% male; 12.2% Black, 82.1% White, and 5.7% other race and ethnicity). Of the 31.6% fragmented readmissions in the cohort, 14.3% occurred at hospitals that shared an HIE with the admission hospital. Beneficiaries with same hospital/nonfragmented readmissions tended to be older (mean [SD] age, 78.9 [9.0] vs 77.9 [8.8] for fragmented with same HIE and 78.3 [8.7] years for fragmented without HIE; P < .001). Fragmented readmissions were associated with 10% higher odds of discharge to an SNF (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.10; 95% CI, 1.07-1.12) and 22% lower odds of discharge home with home health (AOR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.76-0.80) compared with same hospital/nonfragmented readmissions. When the admission and readmission hospital shared an HIE, beneficiaries had 9% to 15% higher odds of discharge home with home health (patients without Alzheimer disease: AOR, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.04-1.16]; patients with Alzheimer disease: AOR, 1.15 [95% CI, 1.01-1.32]) compared with fragmented readmissions where information sharing was not available. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries with 30-day readmissions, whether a readmission is fragmented was associated with discharge destination. Among fragmented readmissions, shared HIE across admission and readmission hospitals was associated with higher odds of discharge home with home health. Efforts to study the utility of HIE for care coordination for older adults should be pursued.
Background: Although electronic health information sharing is expanding nationally, it is unclear whether electronic health information sharing improves patient outcomes, particularly for patients who are at the highest risk of communication challenges, such as older adults with Alzheimer disease. Objective: To determine the association between hospital-level health information exchange (HIE) participation and in-hospital or postdischarge mortality among Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer disease or 30-day readmissions to a different hospital following an admission for one of several common conditions. Methods: This was a cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer disease who had one or more 30-day readmissions in 2018 following an initial admission for select Hospital Readmission Reduction Program conditions (acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pneumonia) or common reasons for hospitalization among older adults with Alzheimer disease (dehydration, syncope, urinary tract infection, or behavioral issues). Using unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression, we examined the association between electronic information sharing and in-hospital mortality during the readmission or mortality in the 30 days following the readmission. Results: A total of 28,946 admission-readmission pairs were included. Beneficiaries with same-hospital readmissions were older (aged 81.1, SD 8.6 years) than beneficiaries with readmissions to different hospitals (age range 79.8-80.3 years, P<.001). Compared to admissions and readmissions to the same hospital, beneficiaries who had a readmission to a different hospital that shared an HIE with the admission hospital had 39% lower odds of dying during the readmission (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.61, 95% CI 0.39-0.95). There were no differences in in-hospital mortality observed for admission-readmission pairs to different hospitals that participated in different HIEs (AOR 1.02, 95% CI 0.82-1.28) or to different hospitals where one or both hospitals did not participate in HIE (AOR 1.25, 95% CI 0.93-1.68), and there was no association between information sharing and postdischarge mortality. Conclusions: These results indicate that information sharing between unrelated hospitals via a shared HIE may be associated with lower in-hospital, but not postdischarge, mortality for older adults with Alzheimer disease. In-hospital mortality during a readmission to a different hospital was higher if the admission and readmission hospitals participated in different HIEs or if one or both hospitals did not participate in an HIE. Limitations of this analysis include that HIE participation was measured at the hospital level, rather than at the provider level. This study provides some evidence that HIEs can improve care for vulnerable populations receiving acute care from different hospitals.
PURPOSE
Practice facilitation is widely recognized as a promising method for achieving large-scale practice redesign. Little is known, however, about the cost of providing practice facilitation to small primary practices from the prospective of an organization providing facilitation activities.
METHODS
We report practice facilitation costs on 19 practices in South Texas that were randomized to receive facilitation activities. The study design assured that each practice received at least 6 practice facilitation visits during the intervention year. We examined only the variable cost associated with practice facilitation activities. Fixed or administrative costs of providing facilitation actives were not captured. All facilitator activities (time, mileage, and materials) were self-reported by the practice facilitators and recorded in spreadsheets.
RESULTS
The median total variable cost of all practice facilitation activities from start-up through monitoring, including travel and food, was $9,670 per practice (ranging from $8,050 to $15,682). Median travel and food costs were an additional $2,054 but varied by clinic. Approximately 50% of the total cost is attributable to practice assessment and start-up activities, with another 31% attributable to practice facilitation visits. Sensitivity analysis suggests that a 24-visit practice facilitation protocol increased estimated median total variable costs of all practice facilitation activities only by $5,428, for a total of $15,098.
CONCLUSIONS
We found that, depending on the facilitators wages and the intensity of the intervention, the cost of practice facilitation ranges between $9,670 and $15,098 per practice per year and have the potential to be cost-neutral from a societal prospective if practice facilitation results in 2 fewer hospitalizations per practice per year.