Association of Skilled Nursing Facility Participation in Voluntary Bundled Payments With Postacute Care Outcomes for Joint Replacement.

IMPORTANCE: The Medicare Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) model 3 of 2013 holds participating skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) responsible for all episode costs. There is limited evidence regarding SNF-specific outcomes associated with BPCI. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between SNF BPCI participation and patient outcomes and across-facility differences in these outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing lower extremity joint replacement (LEJR). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Observational difference-in-differences (DID) study of 2013-2017 for 330 unique persistent-participating SNFs, 146 unique dropout SNFs, and 14,028 unique eligible nonparticipating SNFs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rehospitalization within 30 and 90 days after SNF admission, and rate of successful discharge from the SNF to the community. RESULTS: Total 636,355 SNF admissions after LEJR procedures were identified for 582,766 Medicare patients [mean (SD) age, 76.81 (9.26) y; 424,076 (72.77%) women]. The DID analysis showed that for persistent-enrollment SNFs, no BPCI-related changes were found in readmission and successful community discharge rates overall, but were found for their subgroups. Specifically, under BPCI, the 30-day readmission rate decreased by 2.19 percentage-points for White-serving SNFs in the persistent-participating group relative to those in the nonparticipating group, and by 1.75 percentage-points for non-Medicaid-dependent SNFs in the persistent-participating group relative to those in the nonparticipating group; and the rate of successful community discharge increased by 4.44 percentage-points for White-serving SNFs in the persistent-participating group relative to those in the nonparticipating group, whereas such relationship was not detected among non-White-serving SNFs, leading to increased between-facility differences (differential DID=-7.62). BPCI was not associated with readmission or successful community discharge rates for dropout SNFs, overall, or in subgroup analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Among Medicare patients receiving LEJR, BPCI was associated with improved outcomes for White-serving/non-Medicaid-dependent SNFs but not for other SNFs, which did not help reduce or could even worsen the between-facility differences.

Skilled Nursing Facility Participation in a Voluntary Medicare Bundled Payment Program: Association With Facility Financial Performance.

IMPORTANCE: Model 3 of the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) is an alternative payment model in which an entity takes accountability for the episode costs. It is unclear how BPCI affected the overall skilled nursing facility (SNF) financial performance and the differences between facilities with differing racial/ethnic and socioeconomic status (SES) composition of the residents. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine associations between BPCI participation and SNF finances and across-facility differences in SNF financial performance. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A longitudinal study spanning 2010-2017, based on difference-in-differences analyses for 575 persistent-participation SNFs, 496 dropout SNFs, and 13,630 eligible nonparticipating SNFs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Inflation-adjusted operating expenses, revenues, profit, and profit margin. RESULTS: BPCI was associated with reductions of $0.63 million in operating expenses and $0.57 million in operating revenues for the persistent-participation group but had no impact on the dropout group compared with nonparticipating SNFs. Among persistent-participation SNFs, the BPCI-related declines were $0.74 million in operating expenses and $0.52 million in operating revenues for majority-serving SNFs; and $1.33 and $0.82 million in operating expenses and revenues, respectively, for non-Medicaid-dependent SNFs. The between-facility SES gaps in operating expenses were reduced (differential difference-in-differences estimate=$1.09 million). Among dropout SNFs, BPCI showed mixed effects on across-facility SES and racial/ethnic differences in operating expenses and revenues. The BPCI program showed no effect on operating profit measures. CONCLUSIONS: BPCI led to reduced operating expenses and revenues for SNFs that participated and remained in the program but had no effect on operating profit indicators and mixed effects on SES and racial/ethnic differences across SNFs.

Association of Mandatory Bundled Payments for Joint Replacement With Postacute Care Outcomes Among Medicare and Medicaid Dual Eligible Patients.

IMPORTANCE: The Medicare comprehensive care for joint replacement (CJR) model, a mandatory bundled payment program started in April 2016 for hospitals in randomly selected metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), may help reduce postacute care (PAC) use and episode costs, but its impact on disparities between Medicaid and non-Medicaid beneficiaries is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine effects of the CJR program on differences (or disparities) in PAC use and outcomes by Medicare-Medicaid dual eligibility status. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Observational cohort study of 2013-2017, based on difference-in-differences (DID) analyses on Medicare data for 1,239,452 Medicare-only patients, 57,452 dual eligibles with full Medicaid benefits, and 50,189 dual eligibles with partial Medicaid benefits who underwent hip or knee surgery in hospitals of 75 CJR MSAs and 121 control MSAs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Risk-adjusted differences in rates of institutional PAC [skilled nursing facility (SNF), inpatient rehabilitation, or long-term hospital care] use and readmissions; and for the subgroup of patients discharged to SNF, risk-adjusted differences in SNF length of stay, payments, and quality measured by star ratings, rate of successful discharge to community, and rate of transition to long-stay nursing home resident. RESULTS: The CJR program was associated with reduced institutional PAC use and readmissions for patients in all 3 groups. For example, it was associated with reductions in 90-day readmission rate by 1.8 percentage point [DID estimate=-1.8; 95% confidence interval (CI), -2.6 to -0.9; P<0.001] for Medicare-only patients, by 1.6 percentage points (DID estimate=-1.6; 95% CI, -3.1 to -0.1; P=0.04) for full-benefit dual eligibles, and by 2.0 percentage points (DID estimate=-2.0; 95% CI, -3.6 to -0.4; P=0.01) for partial-benefit dual eligibles. These CJR-associated effects did not differ between dual eligibles (differences in above DID estimates=0.2; 95% CI, -1.4 to 1.7; P=0.81 for full-benefit patients; and -0.3; 95% CI, -1.9 to 1.3; P=0.74 for partial-benefit patients) and Medicare-only patients. Among patients discharged to SNF, the CJR program showed no effect on successful community discharge, transition to long-term care, or their persistent disparities. CONCLUSIONS: The CJR program did not help reduce persistent disparities in readmissions or SNF-specific outcomes related to Medicare-Medicaid dual eligibility, likely due to its lack of financial incentives for reduced disparities and improved SNF outcomes.

The association of late-life depression with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among community-dwelling older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Late-life depression has become an important public health problem. Available evidence suggests that late-life depression is associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among older adults living in the community, although the associations have not been comprehensively reviewed and quantified.AimTo estimate the pooled association of late-life depression with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among community-dwelling older adults. METHOD: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies that examine the associations of late-life depression with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in community settings. RESULTS: A total of 61 prospective cohort studies from 53 cohorts with 198 589 participants were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. A total of 49 cohorts reported all-cause mortality and 15 cohorts reported cardiovascular mortality. Late-life depression was associated with increased risk of all-cause (risk ratio 1.34; 95% CI 1.27, 1.42) and cardiovascular mortality (risk ratio 1.31; 95% CI 1.20, 1.43). There was heterogeneity in results across studies and the magnitude of associations differed by age, gender, study location, follow-up duration and methods used to assess depression. The associations existed in different subgroups by age, gender, regions of studies, follow-up periods and assessment methods of late-life depression. CONCLUSION: Late-life depression is associated with higher risk of both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among community-dwelling elderly people. Future studies need to test the effectiveness of preventing depression among older adults as a way of reducing mortality in this population. Optimal treatment of late-life depression and its impact on mortality require further investigation.Declaration of interestNone.

Physical and Cognitive Function Trends in Post-acute Care after Total Joint Arthroplasty in Medicare Beneficiaries: 2013-2018.

OBJECTIVES: Physical and cognitive conditions of patients discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), and home with home health agencies (HHAs) following total joint arthroplasty (TJA) have not been evaluated. The purpose of this study is to examine the physical and cognitive function trends of Medicare beneficiaries discharged to SNFs, HHAs, and IRFs following TJA from 2013 to 2018. DESIGN: Observational study using Medicare enrollment, claims, and assessment data from 2013-2018. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 1,278,939 Medicare beneficiaries discharged to SNFs, HHAs, or IRFs for post-acute care following TJA from 2013 to 2018. METHODS: Medicare data were used to examine the association between the endpoints of interest [discharge destination (SNF, HHA, or IRF) and the physical (measured using activities of daily living) and cognitive (measured using a range of setting-specific metrics) status of patients in each setting] and the year of TJA (2013-2018) by estimating multivariable models that controlled for patient- and hospital-level covariates. RESULTS: Multivariable analysis of 1,278,939 TJAs revealed that SNF discharge decreased [44.15% (2013)-21.57% (2018), P < .001], HHA increased (46.72%-72.47%, P < .001), and IRF decreased (9.13%-5.69%, P < .001). For SNF, the mean physical function scores [14.61 (2013)-14.23 (2018), P < .001] and cognitive impairment (13.25%-12.33%, P = .01) decreased, indicating less dependence. Physical function scores (3.09-3.94, P < .001) and cognitive impairment (13.95%-16.52%, P < .001) increased for HHA patients, indicating greater dependence. For IRF, motor functional independence measure decreased (38.81-37.78, P < .001) and cognitive dependence increased (39.08%-46.36%, P < .001), indicating greater dependence. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: From 2013 to 2018, patients were increasingly discharged to HHA. Although SNF patients were less dependent over time, HHA and IRF patients were physically and cognitively more dependent. Each setting is likely to benefit from policy and fiscal supports that help them manage changes in the volume and clinical intensity of patients requiring their services.

Factors affecting Accountable Care Organizations' decisions to remain in or exit the Medicare Shared Savings Program following Pathways to Success.

The Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) is an alternative payment model launched in 2012, creating Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to improve quality and lower costs for Traditional Medicare patients. Most MSSP participants were expected to shift from bearing no financial risk to a 2-sided risk model (ie, bonus if spending reduced below historical benchmarks, penalty if not), yet fewer than 20% did. Therefore, in 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched the Pathways to Success program, which required shifting to a 2-sided model within 12 months. For the first time, more ACOs exited than entered the MSSP. To understand these participation decisions, we conducted qualitative interviews with ACO leaders. Pathways caused ACOs to reassess their potential shared savings vs losses, particularly in light of benchmarking methodology changes; reconsider perceived nonrevenue benefits; and reassess participation in the MSSP vs other programs. As ACOs, particularly those assuming downside risk, have contained costs and enhanced care quality, policymakers should strive to improve MSSP enrollment rates in downside-risk models through strategies that allow ACOs to achieve shared savings and deliver accountable care.

Skilled Nursing Facility Participation in Bundled Payments Was Related to Small Increases in Nurse Staffing Levels.

Medicare implemented Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) Model 3 in 2013, in which participating skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) were accountable for episode costs. We performed comparative interrupted time series analyses to evaluate associations between SNF BPCI participation and nurse staffing levels, using Medicare claims, resident assessments, and facility-level and market-level files of 2010-2017. For persistent-participating SNFs, BPCI was associated with improved certified nursing assistant (CNA) staffing levels (differential change = .03 hours, p = .025). However, BPCI was not related to changes in registered nurse (RN) and all licensed nurse hours, and nurse skill mix. Among drop-out SNFs, BPCI was associated with increased RN staffing levels (differential change = .02 hours, p = .009), leading to a higher nurse skill ratio (0.51 percentage points, p = .016) than control SNFs. Bundled payments for care improvement had no impact on CNA and all licensed nurse staffing levels. In conclusion, BPCI was associated with statistically significant but small increases in nurse staffing levels.

Home Health Agencies With More Socially Vulnerable Patients Have Poorer Experience of Care Ratings.

OBJECTIVES: Examine the relationships between dual eligibility and race/ethnicity characteristics of Medicare-Certified Home Health Agencies (CHHAs) and experience of care ratings. METHODS: Analysis of 2017 national Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems and matched datasets of 10,906 CHHAs. RESULTS: CHHAs with higher concentrations of dual-eligible patients were less likely to have high experience of care ratings for all three domains (e.g., for care delivery, quartile 4 vs. 1: odds ratio [OR] = 0.622, p < .001); CHHAs with higher concentrations of racial/ethnic minorities generally were less likely to have high experience of care ratings in care delivery (e.g., Black: quartile 4 vs. 1: OR = 0.418, p<0.001), communication (e.g., Black: quartile 4 vs. 1: OR = 0.316, p<0.001), and specific care issues (e.g., Hispanic: quartile 4 vs. 1: OR = 0.397, p < .001). DISCUSSION: CHHAs with greater concentrations of dual-eligible patients and racial/ethnic minorities were more likely to have poor experience of care ratings.

Utilization and Functional Outcomes Among Medicare Home Health Recipients Varied Across Living Situations.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Home health (HH) is a major type of home-based skilled care available to Medicare beneficiaries. We examined the association between living situation (home alone, home with others, and assisted living (AL) residence) and utilization and functional outcomes among Medicare HH recipients. DESIGN: Analysis of national data from the Outcome and Assessment Information Set, HH Compare, Medicare claims, and Area Health Resource Files. SETTING: Medicare-certified HH agencies in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: National population of Medicare beneficiaries ≥65 years old who received HH care in CY 2017 (N = 6,637,496). MEASUREMENTS: Outcomes included time-to-event measures of hospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits, and improvement in activities of daily living (ADL) from the start to the end of the HH admission. RESULTS: AL residents (12%) and patients living alone at home (24%) had longer survival time without hospitalization and ED visits than patients living with others at home (64%). Adjusting for covariates and HH agency-level random effects, and compared with patients living with others, AL residents had lower risk of hospitalization (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.85, P < .001) and ED visit (HR = 0.92, P < .001); however, less ADL improvement (ß = 0.29 (29% less of total independence in one ADL)); and patients living alone had lower risk of hospitalization (HR = 0.94, P < .001) and ED visit (HR = 0.93, P < .001), yet more ADL improvement (ß = -0.15 (15% more of total independence in one ADL)). CONCLUSION: In the national population of Medicare HH recipients, patients living with others at home had the highest risk of hospitalization and ED visits, whereas AL residents had the lowest risk of hospitalization and patients living alone at home had the lowest risk of ED visits, meaning that combined support from HH and AL reduces acute care admissions. Evidence-based interventions are needed for HH patients living with others at home to avoid unnecessary acute care use.

Care-Partner Support and Hospitalization in Assisted Living During Transitional Home Health Care.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Care-partner support affects outcomes among assisted living (AL) residents. Yet, little is known about care-partner support and its effects on hospitalization during post-acute care transitions. This study examined the variation in care-partner support and its impact on hospitalizations among AL residents receiving Medicare home health (HH) services. DESIGN: Analysis of national data from the Outcome and Assessment Information Set, Medicare claims, Area Health Resources File, and the Social Deprivation Index File. SETTING: AL facilities and Medicare HH agencies in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: 741,926 Medicare HH admissions of AL residents in 2017. MEASUREMENTS: Care-partner support during the HH admission was measured based on the type and frequency of assistance from AL staff in seven domains (i.e., activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADLs, medication administration, treatment, medical equipment, home safety, and transportation). Care-partner support in each domain was measured as "assistance not needed" (reference group), "Care-partner currently provides assistance," "care-partner need additional training/support to provide assistance" (i.e., inadequate care-partner support), and "care-partner unavailable/unlikely to provide assistance" (i.e., unavailable care-partner support). Outcome was time-to-hospitalization during the HH admission. RESULTS: Among the 741,926 Medicare HH admissions of AL residents, inadequate care-partner support was identified for all seven domains that ranged from 13.1% (for transportation) to 49.8% (for treatment), and care-partner support was unavailable from 0.9% (for transportation) to 11.0% (for treatment). In Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for patient covariates and geography, compared with "assistance not needed", having inadequate and unavailable care-partner support was related to increased risk of hospitalization by 8.9% (treatment (hazard ratio (HR) =1.089, P < .001)) to 41.3% (medication administration (HR =1.413, P < .001)). CONCLUSION: For AL residents receiving HH services, having less care-partner support was related to increased risk of hospitalization, particularly regarding medication administration, medical equipment, and transportation/advocacy.

Rural-urban differences in health outcomes, healthcare use, and expenditures among older adults under universal health insurance in China.

Rural-urban inequalities in health status and access to care are a significant issue in China, especially among older adults. However, the rural-urban differences in health outcomes, healthcare use, and expenditures among insured elders following China's comprehensive healthcare reforms in 2009 remain unclear. Using the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Surveys data containing a sample of 2,624 urban and 6,297 rural residents aged 65 and older, we performed multivariable regression analyses to determine rural-urban differences in physical and psychological functions, self-reported access to care, and healthcare expenditures, after adjusting for individual socio-demographic characteristics and health conditions. Nonparametric tests were used to evaluate the changes in rural-urban differences between 2011 and 2014. Compared to rural residents, urban residents were more dependent on activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental ADLs. Urban residents reported better adequate access to care, higher adjusted total expenditures for inpatient, outpatient, and total care, and higher adjusted out-of-pocket spending for outpatient and total care. However, rural residents had higher adjusted self-payment ratios for total care. Rural-urban differences in health outcomes, adequate access to care, and self-payment ratio significantly narrowed, but rural-urban differences in healthcare expenditures significantly increased from 2011 to 2014. Our findings revealed that although health and healthcare access improved for both rural and urban older adults in China between 2011 and 2014, rural-urban differences showed mixed trends. These findings provide empirical support for China's implementation of integrated rural and urban public health insurance systems, and further suggest that inequalities in healthcare resource distribution and economic development between rural and urban areas should be addressed to further reduce the rural-urban differences.

Trends in Postacute Care Use and Outcomes After Hip and Knee Replacements in Dual-Eligible Medicare and Medicaid Beneficiaries, 2013-2016.

Importance: Several Medicare alternative payment models were implemented in recent years, but their implications for socioeconomic gaps in postacute care (PAC) are unknown. Objectives: To determine the longitudinal trends in PAC use and outcomes after hip and knee replacements and in gaps among 3 groups: Medicare-only patients, dual-eligible patients with full Medicaid benefits, and dual-eligible patients with partial Medicaid benefits. Design, Setting, and Participants: A cohort study was conducted of PAC use and outcomes among Medicare fee-for-service patients undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2016, in approximately 3000 hospitals, using Medicare claims, assessment, hospital, and skilled nursing facility (SNF) files. Statistical analysis was performed from October 1, 2018, to December 17, 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures: Risk-adjusted differences among dual-eligible groups in institutional PAC use (SNF, inpatient rehabilitation, or long-term hospital care), readmission rate, and payment for readmissions; for patients discharged to a SNF, risk-adjusted differences in SNF quality measured by star ratings, proportion successfully discharged to the community, proportion transitioned to long-stay residence, and SNF length of stay and payments. Results: The sample included 1 302 256 patients (837 256 women [64.3%]; mean [SD] age, 75.4 [7.2] years) who underwent joint replacement. The proportion of patients discharged to institutional PAC and the 30-day and 90-day readmission rates decreased for all 3 groups during the period from 2013 to 2016. In 2013, institutional PAC use was 43.7% (95% CI, 43.5%-43.9%) for Medicare-only patients (n = 1 182 555), 70.1% (95% CI, 69.4%-70.8%; n = 60 461) for dual-eligible patients with full benefits, and 70.3% (95% CI, 69.6%-71.0%; n = 59 240) for dual-eligible patients with partial benefits; in 2016, the rates decreased to 32.5% (95% CI, 32.4%-32.7%) for Medicare-only patients, 62.3% (95% CI, 61.5%-63.0%) for dual-eligible patients with full benefits, and 61.5% (95% CI, 60.7%-62.3%) for dual-eligible patients with partial benefits. Among patients discharged to SNFs, outcomes remained flat over time. For example, the proportion of patients successfully discharged to the community remained at 80.5% (95% CI, 80.4%-80.7%) for Medicare-only patients, 59.8% (95% CI, 59.3%-60.3%) for dual-eligible patients with full benefits, and 50.0% (95% CI, 49.4%-50.5%) for dual-eligible patients with partial benefits. Multivariable analyses with adjustment for patient, hospital (or SNF), and geographical covariates suggested maintained or enlarged gaps in all outcomes. Conclusions and Relevance: This study suggests that, during the period from 2013 to 2016, Medicare patients undergoing hip or knee replacement showed reduced institutional PAC use, reduced readmissions, and, among those discharged to SNFs, roughly unchanged outcomes. However, dual-eligible patients, especially those with partial Medicaid benefits, had persistently worse outcomes than Medicare-only patients.

Impact of Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program Penalties on Hip and Knee Replacement Readmissions: Comparison of Hospitals at Risk of Varying Penalty Amounts.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the impact of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) expansion to include readmissions following elective primary total hip and knee replacements; the expansion was finalized in 2013 and was implemented in 2014. We examined whether hospitals at risk of relatively large penalties from this expansion experienced greater declines in joint replacement readmissions compared with hospitals at risk of smaller penalties. METHODS: We used Medicare's 2009 to 2016 Hospital Compare data sets to examine the impact of the HRRP's expansion in the July 2013 to June 2016 period (post-expansion) compared with the July 2009 to June 2012 period (pre-expansion). The primary outcome was the hospital-level, 30-day, risk-standardized readmission rate (hereafter called the readmission rate) following joint replacement surgical procedures. We used the percentage of a hospital's total inpatient revenue attributed to Medicare (categorized into quartiles) to represent the risk of penalties. We used hierarchical linear regression models to examine the adjusted impact of the HRRP's expansion. RESULTS: Our study cohort included 2,326 acute care hospitals. In the pre-HRRP expansion phase, the mean readmission rate was 5.36% among hospitals with the highest proportion of Medicare revenues (quartile 4) and 5.46% among hospitals with the lowest proportion of Medicare revenues (quartile 1). With the HRRP expansion, the readmission rate declined by 18.92% (1.01 percentage points) among quartile-4 hospitals and by 17.97% (0.98 percentage point) among quartile-1 hospitals (p = 0.45). This nonsignificant difference in readmission rate declines between quartiles persisted in multivariable analysis (a decline of 18.41% [0.98 percentage point] in quartile 4 and a decline of 17.35% [0.94 percentage point] in quartile 1; p = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS: The HRRP's expansion to include joint replacements did not lead to greater reductions in postoperative readmissions among hospitals at risk of larger penalties in comparison with hospitals at risk of smaller penalties. Readmission rates were declining at similar rates among all hospitals, before and after the HRRP's expansion. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Readmissions and complications following joint replacements are measures of the quality of surgical care. These events have important clinical and economic implications for patients and providers. This study is clinically relevant because it examines whether policy interventions, such as the HRRP, have the potential to reduce these unintended consequences of surgical care.

Late-life depression and cognitive function among older adults in the U.S.: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011-2014.

Discrepancies exist on the associations of late-life depression with cognition, and synergistic effect of depression and diabetes on cognition among older adults was suggested in literature. We aimed to examine the associations of late-life depression with cognitive function in a representative sample of older adults in the U.S., and to examine the associations among individuals with diabetes. A total of 3101 adults aged 60 and above of the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who completed measurements of depressive symptoms and diabetes were included in cross-sectional analyses. The 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to measure depressive symptoms (including overall, somatic and cognitive). Clinically relevant depression (CRD) and clinically significant depression (CSD) were defined by cutoffs of PHQ-9. Domain-specific cognitive function was examined using Delayed Word Recall Test, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, and Animal Fluency Test for memory, executive function/processing speed, and language, respectively. Z scores were created for overall cognition and specific domains. Multivariable linear regression models were applied to examine the association of depressive symptoms and scale-defined depression with cognition z scores. The overall, somatic and cognitive depressive symptoms were associated with lower cognitive function among older adults. Both CRD (ß = -0.20, 95% CI: -0.28, -0.12) and CSD (ß = -0.56, 95% CI: -0.75, -0.37) were associated with lower cognition. A synergistic relationship was found between depression and diabetes on lower cognition. These results suggested that cognition among older adults may be modified by late-life depression, and older adults with both depression and diabetes may be particularly impacted on cognition.

Trends in spinal deformity surgery in Marfan syndrome.

STUDY DESIGN: Analysis of a national database. OBJECTIVE: To analyze trends in fusion surgery for spinal deformity in Marfan syndrome (MFS) patients, compare patients with and without Marfan, and evaluate differences in surgical approaches. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: National trends of fusion surgery for spinal deformities in MFS patients are not known. Given the rarity of MFS and the nuanced differences in the spinal deformity it causes, it is important to explore differences in fusion surgery between spinal deformity patients with and without MFS. METHODS: We identified 314 patients (1,410 weighted) with a diagnosis of MFS and spinal deformity who underwent spinal fusion between the years 2003 and 2014. Our primary outcome was national trends in the use of posterior (PSF), anterior-posterior (APSF), and anterior (ASF) spinal fusions. We also compared perioperative complications, mortality rate, length of stay, and hospital charges in a propensity score matched sample of spinal fusion patients with and without a diagnosis of MFS. RESULTS: The proportion of PSF surgeries increased significantly (p<.01) from 66.7% in 2003 to 92.0% in 2014. MFS patients were more likely to have higher neurologic (2.4% vs. 0.79%, p=.01) complications. There was a significant association between age and approach (p<.01). PSF had a mean age of 20.2, whereas APSF and ASF had mean ages of 27.1 and 35.2, respectively. Approximately 62% of cervical fusions used ASF. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides findings from the largest sample analyzed to date and is the only thus far that investigates national trends. Our results are largely consistent with those of other works in that MFS patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery have higher neurologic complications. We also report that surgical treatment has shifted toward a posterior approach. Our findings can give surgeons a better understanding of the postoperative complications and changing national trends in spinal fusion surgery for patients with MFS.