Social determinants and distance from certified treatment centers are associated with initiation of esketamine nasal spray among patients with challenging-to-treat major depressive disorder.

Indicated for treatment-resistant depression or major depression with suicidal ideation, esketamine (ESK) is self-administered under supervision at certified treatment centers. Our study was to determine if social determinants of health and distance were associated with ESK utilization. We conducted a retrospective cohort study among 308 US adults initiating ESK between October 11, 2019 and December 31, 2020 and 1540 propensity-score matched controls with treatment-resistant depression or major depression with suicidal ideation. Adjusting for demographics, prior health care utilization and comorbidities, social determinant variables and distance were regressed separately on each outcome: ESK initiation, failure to complete induction (8 treatments in 45 days), and discontinuation within 6 months. ESK initiation was associated with higher population density (odds ratio [OR]: 2.12), American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Other Pacific Islander (OR: 3.19), and mental health (OR: 1.55) and primary care providers (OR: 1.55) per capita. Lower likelihood of ESK initiation was associated with living > 7.2 miles from a treatment center (OR: 0.75), living in rural areas (OR: 0.64), and percent non-Hispanic African American (OR: 0.58) and Hispanic (OR: 0.40). Health care providers should tailor patient engagement strategies to mitigate potential barriers to initiating and continuing appropriate treatment. Failing to complete induction was associated with substance use disorder and longer distance to treatment center was associated with discontinuation (hazard ratio: 1.48), as was percent Asian population (hazard ratio: 1.37). Prior psychiatric care and residence in counties with high rates of primary care providers per capita, unemployment, and high school graduation were associated with both higher likelihood of completing induction and lower likelihood of discontinuation.

Association between Surgical Technical Skills and Clinical Outcomes: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess the association between intraoperative surgical skill and clinical outcomes. Methods: Peer-reviewed, original research articles published through August 31, 2021 were identified from PubMed and Embase. From the 1,513 potential articles, seven met eligibility requirements, reporting on 151 surgeons and 17,932 procedures. All included retrospective assessment of operative videos. Associations between surgical skill and outcomes were assessed by pooling odds ratios (OR) using random-effects models with the inverse variance method. Eligible studies included pancreaticoduodenectomy, gastric bypass, laparoscopic gastrectomy, prostatectomy, colorectal, and hemicolectomy procedures. Results: Meta-analytic pooling identified significant associations between the highest vs. lowest quartile of surgical skill and reoperation (OR: 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.23, 0.83), hemorrhage (OR: 0.66; 95% CI, 0.65, 0.68), obstruction (OR: 0.33; 95% CI, 0.30, 0.35), and any medical complication (OR: 0.23, 95% CI, 0.19, 0.27). Nonsignificant inverse associations were noted between skill and readmission, emergency department visit, mortality, leak, infection, venous thromboembolism, and cardiac and pulmonary complications. Conclusions: Overall, surgeon technical skill appears to predict clinical outcomes. However, there are surprisingly few articles that evaluate this association. The authors recommend a thoughtful approach for the development of a comprehensive surgical quality infrastructure that could significantly reduce the challenges identified by this study.

Adherence to augmentation therapy for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Inadequate response to antidepressant medication is common. Often, adjunctive pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy is recommended. OBJECTIVE: To measure adherence to adjunctive pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy among individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of individuals with MDD on antidepressant monotherapy who added adjunctive pharmacotherapy and/or psychotherapy. Medication adherence was measured by proportion of days covered (PDC) with optimal adherence defined as PDC≥0.80 and psychotherapy adherence defined by count of visits (optimal 8+ visits). Factors associated with optimal adherence were assessed by logistic regression. RESULTS: Among 218,192 individuals with adjunctive therapy, 185,349 added pharmacotherapy and 32,843 added psychotherapy. In the subsequent 12 months, 36.2% and 54.9% achieved optimal adherence to adjunctive pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, respectively. Adherence to adjunctive pharmacotherapy was associated with adding psychotherapy, index antidepressant adherence, medical comorbidities, and MDD severity codes. Adherence to adjunctive psychotherapy was associated with adding another medication, previous psychiatry visit and psychiatric comorbidities. CONCLUSION: Adjunctive psychotherapy appears under-utilized and adherence to adjunctive therapy was low. Low adherence to adjunctive therapy reinforces challenges in managing MDD. That a second adjunctive therapy enhanced adherence to the initial adjunctive therapy indicates an opportunity to explore alternative adjunctive therapies.

Predicting Poor Outcomes Among Individuals Seeking Care for Major Depressive Disorder.

Objective: To develop and validate algorithms to identify individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) at elevated risk for suicidality or for an acute care event. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis among adults with MDD diagnosed between January 1, 2018 and February 28, 2019. Generalized estimating equation models were developed to predict emergency department (ED) visit, inpatient hospitalization, acute care visit (ED or inpatient), partial-day hospitalization, and suicidality in the year following diagnosis. Outcomes (per 1000 patients per month, PkPPM) were categorized as all-cause, psychiatric, or MDD-specific and combined into composite measures. Predictors included demographics, medical and pharmacy utilization, social determinants of health, and comorbid diagnoses as well as features indicative of clinically relevant changes in psychiatric health. Models were trained on data from 1.7M individuals, with sensitivity, positive predictive value, and area-under-the-curve (AUC) derived from a validation dataset of 0.7M. Results: Event rates were 124.0 PkPPM (any outcome), 21.2 PkPPM (psychiatric utilization), and 7.6 PkPPM (suicidality). Among the composite models, the model predicting suicidality had the highest AUC (0.916) followed by any psychiatric acute care visit (0.891) and all-cause ED visit (0.790). Event-specific models all achieved an AUC >0.87, with the highest AUC noted for partial-day hospitalization (AUC = 0.938). Select predictors of all three outcomes included younger age, Medicaid insurance, past psychiatric ED visits, past suicidal ideation, and alcohol use disorder diagnoses, among others. Conclusions: Analytical models derived from clinically-relevant features identify individuals with MDD at risk for poor outcomes and can be a practical tool for health care organizations to divert high-risk populations into comprehensive care models.

Measuring Response to Adjunctive Therapy Among Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder.

Background: Incomplete or inadequate response to first-line antidepressant therapy (ADT) for major depressive disorder (MDD) is common. Response to adjunctive therapy is less understood. Objective: To estimate response to adjunctive pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy among individuals with MDD on an antidepressant using the PHQ-9 questionnaire. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort analysis using medical and pharmacy insurance claims among individuals with MDD or ADT who initiated adjunctive pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, or both (dual). Eligible individuals initiated adjunctive therapy between 7/1/2014-12/31/2018. Symptom severity was measured by PHQ-9 score in the 6-month baseline and 12-month follow up. Multivariate logistic regression identified factors associated with improved symptom severity. Results: Most (81.8%) of the 2389 participants initiated adjunctive pharmacotherapy, followed by psychotherapy (12.7%) and dual adjunctive (5.5%). Only 30.2% had both a baseline and follow-up PHQ-9 score. Among those with mild or more severe PHQ-9 baseline scores, 36.7% had the same or worse MDD severity during follow-up. Among those with moderate or more severe baseline scores, 28.1% had the same or worse MDD severity during follow-up. Conclusion: Most individuals with moderate-to-severe MDD did not receive a follow-up questionnaire, suggesting incomplete monitoring of treatment response. Among those with a PHQ-9 following initiation of adjunctive therapy, many continued to report impactful symptoms. Future studies should explore alternate treatment approaches and methods to support the utilization of the PHQ-9 for monitoring treatment response.

Guidance for Selecting Model Options in the National Cancer Institute Joinpoint Regression Software.

The purpose of this report is to provide guidance to users of NCHS data in the selection of modeling options when using the NCI Joinpoint regression software to analyze trends. This report complements another report, "National Center for Health Statistics Guidelines for Analysis of Trends." Considerations are presented for selecting the modeling options, with examples illustrating the choices. The tradeoffs and consequences of choosing the various modeling options using data from NCHS data systems are discussed.encounters.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Healthcare Resource Utilization in Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder.

Objective: To estimate the impact COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) among individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD). Method: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to compare HCRU in the twelve months prior to and six months following pandemic onset among 1,318,709 individuals with MDD and propensity-score matched controls. Outcomes were monthly rates of all-cause and MDD-specific outpatient, inpatient, and prescription medication HCRU. Piecewise random effects models were used to adjust for patient-level clustering, trends over time, and pre-pandemic factors. Results: In the first month following onset, outpatient HCRU declined with primary care visits down 25.1%. Following this initial decline, outpatient HCRU increased, exceeding pre-pandemic rates within three months. By April 2020, three quarters of all psychotherapy sessions were delivered by telehealth, followed by psychiatry (62.3%), and primary care visits (30.1%). The use of telehealth remained highest for psychotherapy and psychiatry (representing 67.6% and 54.2% of visits, respectively, in September 2020). All-cause partial-day hospitalizations declined 50.5% and remained depressed through July 2020 (down 18.3%). Beginning in the first month post-onset, prescription medication HCRU increased for all antidepressant and antipsychotic medication classes: serotonin modulators ( + 11.8%), bupropion ( + 10.4%), SSRIs ( + 9.0%), SNRIs ( + 8.6%), and atypical antipsychotics ( + 7.5%). Conclusions: Following pandemic onset, individuals with MDD realized an immediate, but short-lived, reduction in primary care HCRU. Telehealth use remained elevated through the first six months. The most significant and sustained reduction in HCRU was noted for partial-day hospitalizations and all-cause ED visits.

Trends in Opioids Prescribed at Discharge From Emergency Departments Among Adults: United States, 2006-2017.

Objective-This report describes trends in opioid prescribing at emergency department (ED) discharge among adults from 2006-2007 through 2016-2017, by selected patient and hospital characteristics and the type of opioids prescribed. Methods-Data are from the 2006-2017 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. The study population included all ED visits by patients aged 18 and over. The main outcome studied was opioids prescribed at ED discharge, defined using Cerner Multum's third-level therapeutic category codes for narcotic analgesics (Code 60) and narcotic-analgesic combinations (Code 191). Results-The percentage of ED visits by adults with opioids prescribed at discharge increased from 2006-2007 (19.0%) through 2010-2011 (21.5%) and then decreased from 2010-2011 through 2016-2017 (14.6%). The rate of decrease was highest among visits by younger adults aged 18-44 (from 25.5% in 2010-2011 to 15.3% in 2016-2017) and those living in medium or small metropolitan counties (24.3% in 2010-2011 to 14.5% in 2016-2017). The percentage of visits with morphine-equivalent opioids prescribed increased from 2006-2007 (11.3%) through 2010-2011 (12.4%) and decreased from 2010-2011 through 2016-2017 (6.7%). The percentage of visits with stronger than morphine opioids prescribed similarly increased from 2006-2007 (3.8%) through 2010-2011 (5.5%) and decreased to 3.0% in 2016-2017. In contrast, the percentage of visits with weaker than morphine opioids prescribed decreased from 4.0% in 2006-2007 through 3.6% in 2010-2011 and increased to 5.0% in 2016-2017. Among all opioids prescribed at discharge, the percentage with acetaminophen-hydrocodone prescribed decreased from 53.1% in 2012-2013 to 41.5% in 2016-2017, with a corresponding increase for both tramadol and acetaminophen-codeine. Top diagnoses associated with an opioid prescribed at discharge included dental pain, urolithiasis (stones in the kidney, bladder, or urinary tract), fracture injuries, back pain, and extremity pain. For all top diagnoses, the percentage of visits with an opioid prescribed decreased from 2010-2011 through 2016-2017, though the decrease was not statistically significant for urolithiasis.

Physician Office Visits at Which Benzodiazepines Were Prescribed: Findings From 2014-2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

Objective-This report describes characteristics of visits to office-based physicians at which benzodiazepines were prescribed, including visits where opioids were coprescribed. Methods-Data from the 2014-2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were used. Population-based visit rates were examined by select patient characteristics. Visit characteristics are also presented. Results-During 2014-2016, the rate of visits at which benzodiazepines were prescribed was 27 annual visits per 100 adults. Among visits at which benzodiazepines were prescribed, approximately one-third involved an overlapping opioid prescription for a rate of 10 annual visits per 100 adults. Both visit rates were higher for women than men and increased with age. The percentage of visits with a new prescription for a benzodiazepine or a new prescription for both a benzodiazepine and an opioid was lower than the percentage of visits with continued prescriptions. A problem related to a chronic condition was the most common reason for visits at which benzodiazepines were prescribed, as well as for visits at which benzodiazepines were coprescribed with opioids. Mental disorders were the most frequent primary diagnosis category for visits at which benzodiazepines were prescribed, whereas diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue was the most frequent primary diagnosis category for visits at which benzodiazepines were coprescribed with opioids.

Antineoplastic drugs prescription during visits by adult cancer patients with comorbidities: findings from the 2010-2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

PURPOSE: Cancer treatment may be affected by comorbidities; however, studies are limited. The purpose of this study is to examine the frequency of comorbidities at visits by patients with breast, prostate, colorectal, and lung cancer and to estimate frequency of a prescription for antineoplastic drugs being included in the treatment received at visits by patients with cancer and concomitant comorbidities. METHODS: We used nationally representative data on visits to office-based physicians from the 2010-2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and selected visits by adults with breast, prostate, colorectal, or lung cancer (n = 4,672). Nineteen comorbid conditions were examined. Descriptive statistics were calculated for visits by cancer patients with 0, 1, and ≥ 2 comorbidities. RESULTS: From 2010-2016, a total of 10.2 million physician office visits were made annually by adult patients with breast, prostate, colorectal, or lung cancer. Among US visits by adult patients with breast, prostate, colorectal, or lung cancer, 56.3% were by patients with ≥ 1 comorbidity. Hypertension was the most frequently observed comorbidity (37.7%), followed by hyperlipidemia (19.0%) and diabetes (12.3%). Antineoplastic drugs were prescribed in 33.5% of the visits and prescribed at a lower percentage among visits by cancer patients with COPD (21.3% versus 34.3% of visits by cancer patients without COPD) and heart disease (22.7% versus 34.2% of visits by cancer patients without heart disease). CONCLUSION: Our study provides information about comorbidities in cancer patients being treated by office-based physicians in an ambulatory setting.

Opioids Prescribed at Discharge or Given During Emergency Department Visits Among Adults in the United States, 2016.

Opioid analgesics are primarily used to treat chronic and acute pain and, when used appropriately, can be an important part of treatment (1). Pain is a major symptom of patients visiting the emergency department (ED), with up to 42% of ED visits being related to pain (2). Opioids may either be administered in the ED as part of treatment, provided post-treatment in the form of a prescription, or both (3). This report compares rates and percentages of ED visits by adults at which opioids were only given in the ED, only prescribed at discharge, or both, by selected characteristics.

Characteristics of Office-based Physician Visits, 2016.

In 2016, most Americans had a usual place to receive health care (86% of adults and 96% of children) (1,2). The majority of children and adults listed a doctor's office as the usual place they received care (1,2). In 2016, there were an estimated 883.7 million office-based physician visits in the United States (3,4). This report examines visit rates by age and sex. It also examines visit characteristics-including insurance status, reason for visit, and services-by age. Estimates use data from the 2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS).

Emergency Department Visits for Injuries Sustained During Sports and Recreational Activities by Patients Aged 5-24 Years, 2010-2016.

Objectives-This report describes emergency department (ED) visits made by patients aged 5-24 years for injuries sustained during sports and recreational activities, the treatments provided at these visits, and variation by activity, patient age, and patient sex. Methods-Data are from the 2010-2016 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Sports injuries were defined by the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification and 10th Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM) external cause-of-injury codes, supplemented by manual review of narrative text fields from ED medical records. Sample weights were applied to each case to provide national estimates of ED visits for injuries sustained during sports and recreational activities. Results-During 2010-2016, approximately 2.7 million annual ED visits for sports injuries were made by patients aged 5-24 years. The top five most frequent activities that caused ED visits for sports injuries were football (14.1%), basketball (12.5%), pedal cycling (9.9%), soccer (7.1%), and ice or roller skating or skateboarding (6.9%). Visits caused by playing football and basketball accounted for a higher percentage of visits by males than females (20.2% compared with 2.2%, and 14.3% compared with 8.9%, respectively), whereas visits caused by gymnastics and cheerleading accounted for a higher percentage of visits by females (11.8% compared with 2.1%). Visits for injuries to the upper extremities decreased with increasing age (37.1% for those aged 5-9 to 27.4% for those aged 20-24), whereas visits for injuries to the lower extremities increased with increasing age (16.2% for those aged 5-9 to 41.0% for those aged 20-24). Approximately three in four ED visits for sports injuries included an imaging service ordered or provided. Computed tomography scans were ordered or provided at a higher percentage of visits for patients aged 15-19 years compared with all other age groups. Analgesics, including opioids and nonopioids, were given or prescribed at 63.9% of ED visits, and this percentage increased with age (51.2% for those aged 5-9 to 74.4% for those aged 20-24).

Characteristics of Office-based Physician Visits, 2015.

In 2015, most Americans had a usual place to receive health care (85% of adults and 96% of children) (1,2). The majority of children and adults listed a doctor's office as the usual place they received care (1,2). In 2015, there were an estimated 990.8 million office-based physician visits in the United States (3,4). This report examines visit rates by age and sex. It also examines visit characteristics-including insurance status, reason for visit, and services-by age. Estimates use data from the 2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS).

Emergency Department Visits by Patients Aged 45 and Over With Diabetes: United States, 2015.

An estimated 30 million Americans have diabetes, of whom 26 million are aged 45 and over (1). Healthy eating and exercise can prevent diabetes progression (1,2). Around 12 million emergency department (ED) visits in 2015 were by patients aged 45 and over with diabetes, representing 24% of ED visits by patients aged 45 and over and 80% of diabetes ED visits by patients of all ages (3). This report presents data on ED visits by patients aged 45 and over with diabetes, defined as visits for which diabetes is mentioned as either a diagnosis or as one of a set of conditions that the patient is reported to have.

Characteristics of Office-based Physician Visits, 2014.

In 2014, most Americans had a usual place to receive health care (86% of adults and 97% of children) (1,2). A majority of children and adults listed a doctor's office as the usual place they received care (1,2). In 2014, there were an estimated 885 million office-based physician visits in the United States (3,4). This report examines office-based physician visit rates by age and sex. It also examines visit characteristics, including insurance status, reason for visit, and services, by age. Estimates use data from the 2014 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS).

Characteristics of Visits to Primary Care Physicians by Adults Diagnosed With Hypertension.

Objective-This report describes the demographic, state, and regional differences in hypertension control and pharmaceutical treatment among visits to primary care physicians made by hypertensive adults during 2013-2014. Methods-Data are from the 2013-2014 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), a nationally representative survey of visits to nonfederal, office-based physicians. The sample design for the 2013-2014 NAMCS included oversampling in selected states. Estimates are provided for the 18 states oversampled in both years. Estimates are also presented for the nine census divisions. The study population includes all primary care physician visits made by nonpregnant adults who have hypertension, as defined by documentation of hypertension in their medical record. Hypertensive visits indicating hypertension control as well as those with mention of a hypertensive medication were examined by selected demographic characteristics as well as by region and state. Sample weights were applied to each case to provide national estimates of health care utilization. Results-During 2013-2014, in the United States, hypertension control was indicated [a blood pressure (BP) measurement of less than 140/90 mm Hg] at an estimated 66.0% of hypertensive visits. There was mention of at least one hypertensive medication documented in the medical record at 72.0% of hypertensive visits. Hypertension control was indicated at a lower percentage of hypertensive visits made by non-Hispanic black persons (57.4%) than hypertensive visits made by all other racial or ethnic groups. Hypertension was under control or there was mention of a hypertensive medication at a lower percentage of hypertensive visits made by adults aged 18-44 than hypertensive visits by older adults. The percentage of visits with an indication of hypertension control varied widely by state (ranging from 53.7% in Tennessee to 73.2% in Florida) and region (ranging from 60.1% in the East South Central division to 71.1% in the New England division). Among the 18 states, the percentage of hypertensive visits that had mention of a hypertensive medication ranged from 57.1% in Georgia to 85.0% in Washington. Conclusion- The demographic and geographical differences identified in this report may help inform state and local policies aimed at controlling hypertension.

Emergency Department Visits for Injury and Illness Among Adults Aged 65 and Over: United States, 2012-2013.

KEY FINDINGS: Data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey ● During 2012-2013, adults aged 65 and over had an emergency department (ED) visit rate of 12 per 100 persons for injury and 36 per 100 persons for illness. ● Among adults aged 65 and over, women had a higher ED visit rate for injury (14 per 100 women) compared with men (10 per 100 men).There was no difference between women and men in the visit rate for illness. ● The percentage of injury visits resulting in hospital admission (17%) was lower than for illness visits (32%) among adults aged 65 and over. The same pattern held for critical care admissions (2% compared with 5%). ● Imaging was ordered at 75% of injury visits among adults aged 65 and over, which was higher than for illness visits (63%).

Physician Office Visits for Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents Aged 4-17 Years: United States, 2012-2013.

KEY FINDINGS: Data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey •During 2012-2013, an estimated annual average of 6.1 million physician office visits were made by children aged 4-17 years with a primary diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). •The ADHD visit rate among children aged 4-17 years was more than twice as high for boys (147 per 1,000 boys) as for girls (62 per 1,000 girls). •Central nervous system stimulant medications were provided, prescribed, or continued at about 80% of ADHD visits among children aged 4-17 years. •Among ADHD visits by children aged 4-17 years, 29% included a diagnostic code for an additional mental health disorder. •A total of 48% of visits for ADHD by children aged 4-17 years were with pediatricians, 36% were with psychiatrists, and 12% were with general and family practitioners. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed neurobehavioral disorders of childhood (1-3). ADHD is characterized clinically by inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development (4). This report describes the rate and characteristics of physician office visits by children aged 4-17 years with a primary diagnosis of ADHD. Four years of age was chosen as the lower limit because the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD begin at this age (5).