Randomized Experiments to Reduce Overuse of Health Care: A Scoping Review.

OBJECTIVE: Health care overuse is pervasive in countries with advanced health care delivery systems. We hypothesize that effective interventions to reduce low-value care that targets patients or clinicians are mediated by psychological and cognitive processes that change behaviors and that interventions targeting these processes are varied. Thus, we performed a scoping review of experimental studies of interventions, including the interventions' objectives and characteristics, to reduce low-value care that targeted psychological and cognitive processes. METHODS: We systematically searched databases for experimental studies of interventions to change cognitive orientations and affective states in the setting of health care overuse. Outcomes included observed overuse or a stated intention to use services. We used existing frameworks for behavior change and mechanisms of change to categorize the interventions and the mediating processes. RESULTS: Twenty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria. Sixteen studied the provision of information to patients or clinicians, with most providing cost information. Six studies used educational interventions, including the provision of feedback about individual practice. Studies rarely used counseling, behavioral nudges, persuasion, and rewards. Mechanisms for behavior change included gain in knowledge or confidence and motivation by social norms. CONCLUSIONS: In this scoping review, we found few experiments testing interventions that directly target the psychological and cognitive processes of patients or clinicians to reduce low-value care. Most studies provided information to patients or clinicians without measuring or considering mediating factors toward behavior change. These findings highlight the need for process-driven experimental designs, including trials of behavioral nudges and persuasive language involving a trusting patient-clinician relationship, to identify effective interventions to reduce low-value care.

Reducing Overuse by Healthcare Systems: A Positive Deviance Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare in the USA is increasingly delivered by large healthcare systems that include one or more hospitals and associated outpatient practices. It is unclear what role healthcare systems play in driving or preventing overutilization of healthcare services in the USA. OBJECTIVE: To learn how high-value healthcare systems avoid overuse of services DESIGN: We identified "positive deviant" health systems using a previously constructed Overuse Index. These systems have much lower-than-average overuse of healthcare services. We confirmed that these health systems also delivered high-quality care. We conducted semi-structured interviews with executive leaders of these systems to validate a published framework for understanding drivers of overuse. PARTICIPANTS: Leaders at select healthcare systems in the USA. INTERVENTIONS: None APPROACH: We developed an interview guide and conducted semi-structured interviews. We iteratively developed a code book. Paired reviewers coded and reconciled each interview. We analyzed the interviews by applying constant comparative techniques. We mapped the emergent themes to provide the first empirical data to support a previously developed theoretical framework. KEY RESULTS: We interviewed 15 leaders from 10 diverse healthcare systems. Consistent with important domains from the overuse framework, themes from our study support the role of clinicians and patients in avoiding overuse. The leaders described how they create a culture of professional practice and how they modify clinicians' attitudes to facilitate high-value practices. They also described how their patients view healthcare consumption and the characteristics of their patient populations allowed them to practice high-value medicine. They described the role of quality metrics, insurance plan ownership, and alternative payment model participation as encouraging avoidance of overuse. CONCLUSIONS: Our qualitative analysis of positive deviant health systems supports the framework that is in the published literature, although health system leaders also described their financial structures as another important factor for reducing overuse and encouraging high-value care delivery.

Differences in Opioid Prescribing Among Generalist Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Assistants.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if there are differences in opioid prescribing among generalist physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs), and physician assistants (PAs) to Medicare Part D beneficiaries. DESIGN: Serial cross-sectional analysis of prescription claims from 2013 to 2016 using publicly available data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. SUBJECTS: All generalist physicians, NPs, and PAs who provided more than 10 total prescription claims between 2013 and 2016 were included. These prescribers were subsetted as practicing in a primary care, urgent care, or hospital-based setting. METHODS: The main outcomes were total opioid claims and opioid claims as a proportion of all claims in patients treated by these prescribers in each of the three settings of interest. Binomial regression was used to generate marginal estimates to allow comparison of the volume of claims by these prescribers with adjustment for practice setting, gender, years of practice, median income of the ZIP code, state fixed effects, and relevant interaction terms. RESULTS: There were 36,999 generalist clinicians (physicians, NPs, and PAs) with at least one year of Part D prescription drug claims data between 2013 and 2016. The number of adjusted total opioid claims across these four years for physicians was 660 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 660-661), for NPs was 755 (95% CI = 753-757), and for PAs was 812 (95% CI = 811-814). CONCLUSIONS: We find relatively high rates of opioid prescribing among NPs and PAs, especially at the upper margins. This suggests that well-designed interventions to improve the safety of NP and PA opioid prescribing, along with that of their physician colleagues, could be especially beneficial.

Comparative Effectiveness of Preoperative Paravertebral Block for Post-Mastectomy Reconstruction: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

INTRODUCTION: Paravertebral block (PVB) has emerged as a viable strategy for improving postoperative outcomes in breast surgery; however, it is unclear whether these benefits extend to recipients of post-mastectomy reconstruction (PMR). METHODS: A systematic search of the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Library electronic databases was conducted for all studies matching the a priori inclusion criteria (inception to 1 March 2017). Independent assessment by two reviewers, in stages, of the title/abstract and full text was performed. Data relating to study design, patient characteristics, PVB medications and technique, and outcomes, including pain, opioid consumption, length of stay (LOS), postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and PVB-related complications was abstracted. RESULTS: Of the 1243 identified articles, nine met the inclusion criteria, accounting for 936 patients (PVB, n = 518; non-PVB, n = 418) in two randomized controlled trials (RCT) and seven retrospective cohort studies. Of these studies, six described PVB for prosthetic PMR, and three described PVB for autologous PMR. Overall, there is a subtle trend towards improved pain control, less opioid requirement and shorter LOS, while PONV was largely unchanged in patients receiving PVB for PMR. In two studies, technical failure was reported at 7.4 and 10%, although no study reported a PVB-related complication. Study quality varied, and risk of bias in the included studies was high. Heterogeneity precluded a meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Although recent reports and RCTs advocate for PVB use in PMR, our review highlights significant heterogeneity and knowledge gaps that must be addressed in order for PVB to become part of the optimal anesthetic protocol in PMR.

Regional Supply of Medical Resources and Systemic Overuse of Health Care Among Medicare Beneficiaries.

BACKGROUND: Overuse of health care resources has been identified as the leading contributor to waste in the US health care system. OBJECTIVE: To explore health care system factors associated with regional variation in systemic overuse of health care resources as measured by the Johns Hopkins Overuse Index (JHOI) which aggregates systemic overuse of 20 health care services. DESIGN: Using Medicare fee-for-service claims data from beneficiaries age 65 or over in 2008, we calculated the JHOI for the 306 hospital referral regions in the United States. We used ordinary least squares regression and multilevel models to estimate the association of JHOI scores and characteristics of regional health care delivery systems listed in the Area Health Resource File and Dartmouth Atlas. KEY RESULTS: Regions with a higher density of primary care physicians had lower JHOI scores, indicating less systemic overuse (P < 0.001). Regional characteristics associated with higher JHOI scores, indicating more systemic overuse, included number per 1000 residents of acute care hospital beds (P = 0.002) and of hospital-based anesthesiologists, pathologists, and radiologists (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Regional variations in health care resources including the clinician workforce are associated with the intensity of systemic overuse of health care. The role of primary care doctors in reducing health care overuse deserves further attention.

Effect of childhood obesity prevention programs on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Childhood overweight and obesity are associated with elevated blood pressure (BP). However, little is known about how childhood obesity lifestyle prevention programs affect BP. We assessed the effects of childhood obesity prevention programs on BP in children in developed countries. METHODS AND RESULTS: We searched databases up to April 22, 2013, for relevant randomized, controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and natural experiments. Studies were included if they applied a diet or physical activity intervention(s) and were followed for ≥ 1 year (or ≥ 6 months for school-based intervention studies); they were excluded if they targeted only overweight/obese subjects or those with a medical condition. In our meta-analysis, intervention effects were calculated for systolic BP and diastolic BP with the use of weighted random-effects models. Of the 23 included intervention studies (involving 18 925 participants), 21 involved a school setting. Our meta-analysis included 19 studies reporting on systolic BP and 18 on diastolic BP. The pooled intervention effect was -1.64 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, -2.56 to -0.71; P=0.001) for systolic BP and -1.44 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, -2.28 to -0.60; P=0.001) for diastolic BP. The combined diet and physical activity interventions led to a significantly greater reduction in both systolic BP and diastolic BP than the diet-only or physical activity-only intervention. Thirteen interventions (46%) had a similar effect on both adiposity-related outcomes and BP, whereas 11 interventions (39%) showed a significant desirable effect on BP but not on adiposity-related outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity prevention programs have a moderate effect on reducing BP, and those targeting both diet and physical activity seem to be more effective.

Patient, provider, and system-level factors associated with preoperative cardiac testing: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Overuse of preoperative cardiac testing contributes to high healthcare costs and delayed surgeries. A large body of research has evaluated factors associated with variation in preoperative cardiac testing. However, patient, provider, and system-level factors associated with variation in testing have not been systematically studied. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review to better delineate the patient, provider, and system-level factors associated with variation in preoperative cardiac testing. METHODS: We included studies of an adult US population evaluating a patient, provider, or system-level factor associated with variation in preoperative cardiac testing for noncardiac surgery since 2012. Our search strategy used terms related to preoperative testing, diagnostic cardiac tests, and care variation with Ovid MEDLINE and Embase from inception through January 2023. We extracted study characteristics and factors associated with variation and qualitatively analyzed them. We assessed risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and Evidence Project Risk of Bias tool. RESULTS: Twenty-eight articles met inclusion criteria. Older age and higher comorbidity were strongly associated with higher-intensity testing. The evidence for provider and system-level covariates was weaker. However, there was strong evidence that a focus on primary care and away from preoperative clinic and cardiac consultations was associated with less testing and that interventions to reduce low-value testing can be successful. CONCLUSIONS: There is significant interprovider and interhospital variation in preoperative cardiac testing, the correlates of which are not well-defined. Further work should aim to better understand these factors.

Setting an agenda for comparative effectiveness systematic reviews in CKD care.

Systematic reviews comparing the effectiveness of strategies to prevent, detect, and treat chronic kidney disease are needed to inform patient care. We engaged stakeholders in the chronic kidney disease community to prioritize topics for future comparative effectiveness research systematic reviews. We developed a preliminary list of suggested topics and stakeholders refined and ranked topics based on their importance. Among 46 topics identified, stakeholders nominated 18 as 'high' priority. Most pertained to strategies to slow disease progression, including: (a) treat proteinuria, (b) improve access to care, (c) treat hypertension, (d) use health information technology, and (e) implement dietary strategies. Most (15 of 18) topics had been previously studied with two or more randomized controlled trials, indicating feasibility of rigorous systematic reviews. Chronic kidney disease topics rated by stakeholders as 'high priority' are varied in scope and may lead to quality systematic reviews impacting practice and policy.

Telemedicine in Primary Care: Qualitative Work Towards a Framework for Appropriate Use.

INTRODUCTION: Telemedicine has been implemented in many health systems by necessity, yet evidence is sparse about its appropriate use for the delivery of primary care. We sought to understand what clinicians and patients consider to be appropriate use of telemedicine in primary care to inform future development of a framework that should be valuable to diverse stakeholders. METHODS: We conducted in-depth, structured interviews of patients, clinicians who deliver primary care, and other select informants. They were asked to discuss optimal, acceptable, and suboptimal uses of telemedicine for delivering care relative to in-person care delivery. Audio was transcribed and paired reviewers analyzed the content to identify the key concepts that motivated the informants. The reviewers did thematic analysis to organize the concepts into unifying themes. RESULTS: Our 18 key informants generated 103 unique concepts. The unique concepts aggregated into themes suggesting the clinical situations in which telemedicine is appropriately used in primary care and clinical situations in which it should be avoided. We also learned of motivators toward expanded, or at least continued, use of telemedicine and motivators away from telemedicine's continued use. The informants expressed their expectations regarding decision making about telemedicine use and who should make these decisions. DISCUSSION: These key concepts and themes are expected to be a valuable starting point for the development of a framework to inform appropriate use of telemedicine in primary care.

Working Framework for Appropriate Use of Virtual Care in Primary Care.

BACKGROUND: Given the absence of guidelines for use of virtual visits for primary care delivery, a framework is needed to inform the most appropriate use of virtual visits. METHODS: We conducted in-depth, structured interviews of 18 patients, primary care clinicians, and other select informants. They were asked to discuss optimal, acceptable, and suboptimal uses of telemedicine for delivering care relative to in-person care delivery. The concepts expressed informed our development of a framework about appropriate use of virtual visits. RESULTS: The 103 concepts supported 5 main themes that emerged as a framework: clinical situations which are optimal for in-person care; situations optimal for virtual visits; situations that might be exchangeable between sites; contextual factors favoring in-person care; and contextual factors favoring virtual visits. CONCLUSIONS: After further validation, we expect that this framework may guide future research and practice: it may be valuable for clinical practice redesign, for designing evaluations of the outcomes of virtual visits, for outcomes research, for patient education, for triage, and possibly for reimbursement considerations.

Factors associated with potentially inappropriate medication use in community-dwelling older adults in the United States: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use in older adults is a prevalent problem associated with poor health outcomes. Understanding drivers of PIM use is essential for targeting interventions. This study systematically reviews the literature about the patient, clinician and environmental/system factors associated with PIM use in community-dwelling older adults in the United States. METHODS: PRISMA guidelines were followed when completing this review. PubMed and EMBASE were queried from January 2006 to September 2017. Our search was limited to English-language studies conducted in the United States that assessed factors associated with PIM use in adults ≥65 years who were community-dwelling. Two independent reviewers screened titles and abstracts. Reviewers abstracted data sequentially and assessed risk of bias independently. KEY FINDINGS: Twenty-two studies were included. Nineteen examined patient factors associated with PIM use. The most common statistically significant factors associated with PIM use were taking more medications, female sex, and higher outpatient and emergency department utilization. Only three studies examined clinician factors, and few were statistically significant. Fifteen studies examined system-level factors such as geographic region and health insurance. The most common statistically significant association was the south and west geographic region relative to the northeast United States. CONCLUSIONS: Amongst older adults, women and persons on more medications are at higher risk of PIM use. There is evidence that increased healthcare use is also associated with PIM use. Future studies are needed exploring clinician factors, such as specialty, and their association with PIM prescribing.

Current diagnosis of venous thromboembolism in primary care: a clinical practice guideline from the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians.

This guideline summarizes the current approaches for the diagnosis of venous thromboembolism. The importance of early diagnosis to prevent mortality and morbidity associated with venous thromboembolism cannot be overstressed. This field is highly dynamic, however, and new evidence is emerging periodically that may change the recommendations. The purpose of this guideline is to present recommendations based on current evidence to clinicians to aid in the diagnosis of lower extremity deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Determinants of the overuse of imaging in low-risk prostate cancer: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The overuse of radiologic services, where imaging tests are provided in circumstances where the propensity for harm exceeds the propensity for benefit, comprises a risk to patient safety and a burden on health care systems. Advanced imaging in the staging of low-risk prostate cancer is considered an overused procedure by many professional societies, yet the determinants that drive this phenomenon are not fully appreciated. METHODS: We systematically searched published literature within MEDLINE and Embase from January 1998 to March 2017. We searched for studies conducted in the United States that contain original data and describe determinants associated with the overuse of imaging in low-risk prostate cancer. Paired reviewers independently screened abstracts, assessed quality, and extracted data. We synthesized the identified determinants as patient-level, clinician-level, or system-level factors of overuse. RESULTS: A total of 14 articles were included; the 13 empirical studies defined overuse as being the use of imaging that was discordant with clinical guidelines. Patient- and system-related factors were most commonly described as being associated with overuse; clinician-level determinants were examined infrequently. Older patient age (n = 5), more patient comorbidities (n = 7), and characteristics related to geography (n = 6), higher regional income (n = 6), and less education (n = 5) were the most consistently identified statistically significant determinants of overuse. Meaningful differences were detected between health care settings; large integrated health care systems provided less variable care and had lower rates of overuse. Clinical indicators related to prostate cancer were inconsistently associated with overuse. CONCLUSION: Many patient- and system-related determinants were identified as contributing to the overuse of advanced imaging to stage low-risk prostate cancer. Overuse may be the consequence of systematized clinician behavior and be relatively invariant of patient characteristics. The identified system-level determinants suggest that payment models that are not tied to volume or that reward, enhanced care co-ordination may curb overuse. We propose further examination of physician-level determinants and implore researchers to rank the relative importance of the identified factors and to test their influence through experimental and quasi-experimental methods.

Building blocks for measuring care coordination with claims data.

Tools to measure care coordination are needed to evaluate federal, state, and private sector efforts encouraging coordination to improve health outcomes and contain costs. Administrative data are a rich source of data for studying the use of medical services, thus allowing for measurement of patient level, provider level, and system measures of care coordination. Based on a review the literature and input from an expert panel, this article describes 4 key components-building blocks-of care coordination and corresponding measures. These building blocks should have utility across clinical conditions. They may be used to test hypotheses about the impact of coordinated care on medication utilization, adherence to medications, and clinical outcomes.

The effectiveness of prophylactic inferior vena cava filters in trauma patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

IMPORTANCE: Trauma is known to be one of the strongest risk factors for pulmonary embolism (PE). Current guidelines recommend low-molecular-weight heparin therapy for prevention of PE, but trauma places some patients at risk of excess bleeding. Experts are divided on the role of prophylactic inferior vena cava (IVC) filters to prevent PE. OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the comparative effectiveness of prophylactic IVC filters in trauma patients, particularly in preventing PE, fatal PE, and mortality. DATA SOURCES: We searched the following databases for primary studies: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, clinicaltrial.gov, and the Cochrane Library (all through July 31, 2012). We developed a search strategy using medical subject headings terms and text words of key articles that we identified a priori. We reviewed the references of all included articles, relevant review articles, and related systematic reviews to identify articles the database searches might have missed. STUDY SELECTION: We reviewed titles followed by abstracts to identify randomized clinical trials or observational studies with comparison groups reporting on the effectiveness and/or safety of IVC filters for prevention of venous thromboembolism in trauma patients. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two investigators independently reviewed abstracts and abstracted data. For studies amenable to pooling with meta-analysis, we pooled using the random-effects model to analyze the relative risks. We graded the quantity, quality, and consistency of the evidence by adapting an evidence-grading scheme recommended by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. RESULTS: Eight controlled studies compared the effectiveness of no IVC filter vs IVC filter on PE, fatal PE, deep vein thrombosis, and/or mortality in trauma patients. Evidence showed a consistent reduction of PE (relative risk, 0.20 [95% CI, 0.06-0.70]; I(2)=0%) and fatal PE (0.09 [0.01-0.81]; I(2)=0%) with IVC filter placement, without any statistical heterogeneity. We found no significant difference in the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (relative risk, 1.76 [95% CI, 0.50-6.19]; P=.38; I(2)=56.8%) or mortality (0.70 [0.40-1.23]; I(2)=6.7%). The number needed to treat to prevent 1 additional PE with IVC filters is estimated to range from 109 (95% CI, 93-190) to 962 (819-2565), depending on the baseline PE risk. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The strength of evidence is low but supports the association of IVC filter placement with a lower incidence of PE and fatal PE in trauma patients. Which patients experience benefit enough to outweigh the harms associated with IVC filter placement remains unclear. Additional well-designed observational or prospective cohort studies may be informative.

Pharmacologic and mechanical strategies for preventing venous thromboembolism after bariatric surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

We sought to assess the comparative effectiveness and safety of pharmacologic and mechanical strategies to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. We searched (through August 2012) for primary studies that had at least 2 different interventions. Of 30,902 citations, we identified 8 studies of pharmacologic strategies and 5 studies of filter placement. No studies randomized patients to receive different interventions. One study suggested that low-molecular-weight heparin is more efficacious than unfractionated heparin in preventing VTE (0.25% vs 0.68%, P < .001), with no significant difference in bleeding. One study suggested that prolonged therapy (after discharge) with enoxaparin sodium may prevent VTE better than inpatient treatment only. There was insufficient evidence supporting the hypothesis that filters reduce the risk of pulmonary embolism, with a point estimate suggesting increased rates with filters (pooled relative risk [RR], 1.21 95% CI, 0.57-2.56). There was low-grade evidence that filters are associated with higher mortality (pooled RR, 4.30 95% CI, 1.60-11.54) and higher deep vein thrombosis rates (2.94 1.35-6.38). There was insufficient evidence to support that augmented subcutaneous enoxaparin doses (>40 mg daily or 30 mg twice daily) are more efficacious than standard dosing, with a trend toward increased bleeding. Of note, for both filters and augmented pharmacologic dosing strategies, patients at highest risk for VTE were more likely to receive more intensive interventions, limiting our ability to attribute outcomes to prophylactic strategies used.

Preoperative acute normovolemic hemodilution: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) involves withdrawal of whole blood with concurrent infusion of fluids to maintain normovolemia. The aim of this study was to quantify the efficacy and safety of preoperative ANH with a systematic review and meta-analysis. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Randomized controlled trials were identified through MEDLINE (1966-2002) and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Database and with hand searching of journals. All trials of preoperative ANH reporting on allogeneic transfusion, bleeding, or adverse outcomes were included. Paired reviewers independently abstracted data. Outcomes were pooled using random-effects models. RESULTS: A total of 42 trials compared hemodilution to usual care or to another blood conservation method. The risk of allogeneic transfusion was similar among patients receiving ANH and those receiving usual care (relative risk [RR], 0.96; 95% CI, 0.90-1.01), or another blood conservation method (RR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.96-1.28). Hemodiluted patients, however, were transfused from 1 to 2 fewer units of allogeneic blood. They had less total bleeding than patients receiving usual care (91 mL; 95% CI, 25-158 mL), although more intraoperative bleeding. Only one-third of studies reported on adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: The literature supports only modest benefits from preoperative ANH. The safety of the procedure is unproven. Widespread adoption of ANH cannot be encouraged.