Cancer Incidence After Diagnosis of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological and mechanistic data support a potential causal link between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) represent a common form of CVD with at least partially distinct genetic and biologic etiology from other forms of CVD. The risk of cancer and how this risk differs compared with other forms of CVD, is unknown among AAA patients. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the IBM MarketScan Research Database to test whether individuals with AAA have a higher cancer risk independent of traditional shared risk factors. METHODS: All individuals ≥18 years of age with ≥36 months of continuous coverage between 2008 and 2020 were enrolled. Those with potential Mendelian etiologies of AAA, aortic aneurysm with nonspecific anatomic location, or a cancer diagnosis before the start of follow-up were excluded. A subgroup analysis was performed of individuals having the Health Risk Assessment records including tobacco use and body mass index. The following groups of individuals were compared: (1) with AAA, (2) with non-AAA CVD, and (3) without any CVD. RESULTS: The propensity score-matched cohort included 58 993 individuals with AAA, 117 986 with non-AAA CVD, and 58 993 without CVD. The 5-year cumulative incidence of cancer was 13.1% (12.8%-13.5%) in participants with AAA, 10.1% (9.9%-10.3%) in participants with non-AAA CVD, and 9.6% (9.3%-9.9%) in participants without CVD. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models found that patients with AAA exhibited a higher cancer risk than either those with non-AAA CVD (hazard ratio, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.23-1.32]; P<0.001) or those without CVD (hazard ratio, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.26-1.38]; P<0.001). Results remained consistent after excluding common smoking-related cancers and when adjusting for tobacco use and body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AAA may have a unique risk of cancer requiring further mechanistic study and investigation of the role of enhanced cancer screening.

Risk Factors for Post-Discharge Adverse Outcomes Following Hospitalization Among Older Adults Diagnosed With Elder Mistreatment.

Using 100% Medicare data files, this study explored whether primary elder mistreatment (EM) diagnosis, EM type, and facility type were associated with 3-year mortality and 1-year unplanned hospital readmission among older patients diagnosed with EM with hospital discharge from 10/01/2015 through 12/31/2018 (n = 11,023). We also examined outcome differences between older patients diagnosed with EM and matched non-EM patient controls. Neglect by others was the most common EM diagnosis. Three-year mortality was 56.7% and one-year readmission rate was 53.8%. Compared to matched non-EM patient controls, older EM patients were at an increased risk of mortality and readmission. Among patients diagnosed with EM, patients with a secondary (vs. primary) diagnosis and those discharged from a skilled nursing facility (vs. acute hospital) were at an increased risk for both mortality and readmission. Compared to other EM types, patients diagnosed with neglect by others had a greater risk for mortality following discharge.

Successful Discharge to Community From Home Health Less Likely for People in Late Stages of Dementia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Several studies have established the efficacy of home health in meeting the health care needs of people with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) and helping them to remain at home. However, transitioning to the community after discharge from home health presents challenges to patient safety and quality of life. The severity of an individual's functional impairments, cognitive limitations, and behavioral and psychological symptoms may compound these challenges. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between dementia severity and successful discharge to community (DTC) from home health. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 142 376 Medicare beneficiaries with ADRD. Successful DTC was defined as having no unplanned hospitalization or death within 30 days of DTC from home health. Successful DTC rates were calculated, and multilevel logistic regression was used to estimate the relative risk (RR) of successful DTC, by dementia severity category, adjusted for patient and clinical characteristics. Six dementia severity categories were identified using a crosswalk between items on the Outcome and Assessment Information Set and the Functional Assessment Staging Tool. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Successful DTC occurred in 71.2% of beneficiaries. Beneficiaries in the 2 most severe dementia categories had significantly lower risk of successful DTC (category 6: RR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.889-0.910; category 7: RR = 0.737, 95% CI = 0.704-0.770) than those in the least severe dementia category. The RR of successful DTC for people with ADRD decreased as the level of independence with oral medication management decreased and when there was an overall greater need for caregiver assistance. CONCLUSIONS: Patient status at the time of admission to home health is associated with outcomes after discharge from home health. Early identification of people in advanced stages of ADRD provides an opportunity to implement strategies to facilitate successful DTC while people are still receiving home care services. The severity of ADRD and availability of caregiver assistance should be key considerations in planning for successful DTC for people with ADRD.

Risk of Cancer After Diagnosis of Cardiovascular Disease.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer share several risk factors. Although preclinical models show that various types of CVD can accelerate cancer progression, clinical studies have not determined the impact of atherosclerosis on cancer risk. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine whether CVD, especially atherosclerotic CVD, is independently associated with incident cancer. Methods: Using IBM MarketScan claims data from over 130 million individuals, 27 million cancer-free subjects with a minimum of 36 months of follow-up data were identified. Individuals were stratified by presence or absence of CVD, time-varying analysis with multivariable adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors was performed, and cumulative risk of cancer was calculated. Additional analyses were performed according to CVD type (atherosclerotic vs nonatherosclerotic) and cancer subtype. Results: Among 27,195,088 individuals, those with CVD were 13% more likely to develop cancer than those without CVD (HR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.12-1.13). Results were more pronounced for individuals with atherosclerotic CVD (aCVD), who had a higher risk of cancer than those without CVD (HR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.19-1.21). aCVD also conferred a higher risk of cancer compared with those with nonatherosclerotic CVD (HR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.11-1.12). Cancer subtype analyses showed specific associations of aCVD with several malignancies, including lung, bladder, liver, colon, and other hematologic cancers. Conclusions: Individuals with CVD have an increased risk of developing cancer compared with those without CVD. This association may be driven in part by the relationship of atherosclerosis with specific cancer subtypes, which persists after controlling for conventional risk factors.

Development and Evaluation of Rehabilitation Service Areas for the United States.

BACKGROUND: Geographic areas have been developed for many healthcare sectors including acute and primary care. These areas aid in understanding health care supply, use, and outcomes. However, little attention has been given to developing similar geographic tools for understanding rehabilitation in post-acute care. The purpose of this study was to develop and characterize post-acute care Rehabilitation Service Areas (RSAs) in the United States (US) that reflect rehabilitation use by Medicare beneficiaries. METHODS: A patient origin study was conducted to cluster beneficiary ZIP (Zone Improvement Plan) code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) with providers who service those areas using Ward's clustering method. We used US national Medicare claims data for 2013 to 2015 for beneficiaries discharged from an acute care hospital to an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF), skilled nursing facility (SNF), long-term care hospital (LTCH), or home health agency (HHA). Medicare is a US health insurance program primarily for older adults. The study population included patient records across all diagnostic groups. We used IRF, SNF, LTCH and HHA services to create the RSAs. We used 2013 and 2014 data (n = 2,730,366) to develop the RSAs and 2015 data (n = 1,118,936) to evaluate stability. We described the RSAs by provider type availability, population, and traveling patterns among beneficiaries. RESULTS: The method resulted in 1,711 discrete RSAs. 38.7% of these RSAs had IRFs, 16.1% had LTCHs, and 99.7% had SNFs. The number of RSAs varied across states; some had fewer than 10 while others had greater than 70. Overall, 21.9% of beneficiaries traveled from the RSA where they resided to another RSA for care. CONCLUSIONS: Rehabilitation Service Areas are a new tool for the measurement and understanding of post-acute care utilization, resources, quality, and outcomes. These areas provide policy makers, researchers, and administrators with small-area boundaries to assess access, supply, demand, and understanding of financing to improve practice and policy for post-acute care in the US.

Association Between Cognitive Impairment and Repeat Fractures in Medicare Beneficiaries Recently Hospitalized for Hip Fracture.

BACKGROUND: Repeat fractures contribute substantially to fracture incidents in older adults. We examined the association between cognitive impairment and re-fractures during the first 90 days after older adults with hip fractures were discharged home from a skilled nursing facility rehabilitation short stay. METHODS: Multilevel binary logistic regression was used to analyze 100% of U.S. national postacute-care fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries who had a hospital admission for hip fracture from January 1, 2018, to July 31, 2018; were admitted for a skilled nursing facility stay within 30 days of hospital discharge; and were discharged to the community after a short stay. Our primary outcome was rehospitalization for any re-fractures within 90 days of skilled nursing facility discharge. Cognitive status assessed at skilled nursing facility admission or before discharge was classified as either intact or having mild or moderate/severe impairment. RESULTS: In 29 558 beneficiaries with hip fracture, odds of any re-fracture were higher in those with minor (odds ratio: 1.48; 95% confidence interval: 1.19-1.85; p < .01) and moderate/major cognitive impairment (odds ratio: 1.42; 95% confidence interval: 1.07-1.89; p = .0149) than in those classified as intact. CONCLUSIONS: Beneficiaries with cognitive impairment were more likely than their counterparts with no cognitive impairment to experience re-fractures. Community-dwelling older adults with minor cognitive impairment may experience a higher likelihood of experiencing a repeat fracture leading to rehospitalization.

Association of Dementia Severity and Caregiver Support With Early Discharge From Home Health.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between dementia severity and early discharge from home health. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 100% national Medicare home health da ta files (2016-2017). Multilevel logistic regression was used to study the relationship of dementia severity, caregiver support, and medication assistance with early discharge from home health. RESULTS: The final cohort consisted of 91 302 Medicare beneficiaries with an ADRD diagnosis. A pattern of early discharge rates across dementia severity levels was not demonstrated. The relative risk for early discharge was lower for individuals who needed assistance with medication and for those with unmet caregiver needs. DISCUSSION: The findings of this study do not support the hypothesis that dementia severity contributes to early discharge from home health. Further research is needed to fully understand key factors contributing to early discharge from home health.

Home health utilization association with discharge to community for people with dementia.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to identify home health utilization factors associated with successful discharge to community after home health care for patients with and without Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Methods: This was a retrospective study of 100% national Medicare home health data files (2016 to 2017). Multilevel logistic regression was used to study the relationship of home health utilization with a modified definition of successful discharge to community (M-SDC) after home health (no readmission or discharge within 30 days). Significant interactions were identified using backward selection. The associations between domains were examined in a model stratified by ADRD, with and without controlling for mobility, self-care, and caregiver assistance. Results: The cohort consisted of 535,691 patients, 18.0% with ADRD. The overall M-SDC rate was 92.1%. The likelihood of M-SDC was increased when physical therapy services were provided, episodes of care were longer than 15 days, and the total number of therapy visits was greater than 10. The likelihood of M-SDC decreased when speech therapy, nursing, and home health aide services were provided and when patients were discharged early. When controlling for mobility, self-care, and caregiver support, length of home health episode was the only characteristic that showed a significant interaction with ADRD. Discussion: The results of this study indicate that the provision of physical therapy services and moderate lengths of care and volume of visits are associated with increased likelihood of M-SDC. A decreased likelihood of M-SDC when speech therapy, nursing, and home health aide services are delivered may be a proxy indicator of patient acuity and disease severity and needs to be further investigated. An important next step in understanding home health access and outcomes for people with ADRD is to examine the impact of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model on home health utilization characteristics, especially length of episodes. Highlights: Most people remain in the community after discharge from home health.Likelihood of modified successful discharge to community (M-SDC) increased with physical therapy, longer episodes, and more than 10 visits.Likelihood of M-SDC decreased with speech therapy, skilled nursing, home health aide visits, and early discharge.Longer home health episodes increased likelihood of M-SDC for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Association Between Cognitive Status and Falls With and Without Injury During a Skilled Nursing Facility Short Stay.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between cognitive status and falls with and without injury among older adults during the first 18 days of a skilled nursing facility (SNF) and determine if this association is mediated by limitations in activities of daily living (ADL) and impaired balance. DESIGN: Cohort study of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries admitted to an SNF between October 1, 2016, and September 31, 2017. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: 815,927 short-stay nursing home residents admitted to an SNF within 3 days of hospital discharge. METHODS: Cognitive status at SNF admission was classified as intact, mild, moderate, or severe impairment. Residents were classified as having no falls, a fall without injury, and a fall with a minor or major injury. We used ordinal logistic regression to model the association between cognitive status and falls adjusting for resident and facility characteristics. A causal mediation analysis was used to test for the mediating effects of ADL limitations and impaired balance on the association between cognitive status and falls with an injury. RESULTS: Mild, moderate, and severe cognitive impairment were associated with 1.72 (95% CI: 1.68-1.75), 2.72 (95% CI: 2.66-2.78), and 2.61 (95% CI: 2.48-2.75) higher odds of being in a higher fall severity category, respectively, compared to being cognitively unimpaired. Greater ADL limitations and impaired balance were significantly associated with falls, but each mediated the association between cognitive status and falls by less than 2%. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Older adults with cognitive impairment are more likely to experience a fall during an SNF stay. ADL limitations and impaired balance are risk factors for falls but may not contribute to the increased fall risk for SNF residents with cognitive impairment. Continued research is needed to better understand the risk factors for falls among SNF residents with cognitive impairment.

Functional Status Across Post-Acute Settings is Associated With 30-Day and 90-Day Hospital Readmissions.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between cocalibrated functional scores across post-acute care settings and the subsequent risk of hospital readmission. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We analyzed 781,021 fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries discharged to either inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), or home health agencies (HHA) after an acute hospital stay for stroke (N = 143,277), lower extremity joint replacements (512,577), and hip/femur fracture (125,167) between January 1, 2013, and August 31, 2014. MEASURES: Functional items from IRF-PAI, MDS, and OASIS were categorized into self-care and mobility domains. We cocalibrated admission functional scores across post-acute settings and divided scores into 4 functional levels using quartiles (Q1-Q4, with Q4 representing the most independent function). The primary outcomes were 30-day and 90-day hospital readmissions (yes/no) after an initial post-acute stay. RESULTS: Patients who were more dependent in self-care and mobility at the initial post-acute setting were significantly more likely to experience hospital readmission [eg, hazard ratios of 30-day readmission in stroke: 1.54 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.47-1.61), 1.18 (95% CI 1.14-1.23), and 1.12 (95% CI 1.08-1.16) for Q1, Q2 and Q3, compared to Q4]. We found similar results for risk of 90-day hospital readmission across impairment conditions. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Patients who were more functionally dependent at the initial post-acute setting had a higher risk to readmit to the hospitals after discharging from the post-acute setting for 30 and 90 days, compared with patients who were more functionally independent. This finding is consistent across impairment conditions and post-acute settings. Future research should determine effective strategies of maintaining and facilitating functional performance across post-acute settings to optimize long-term patient outcomes.

Mobility and Self-Care are Associated With Discharge to Community After Home Health for People With Dementia.

OBJECTIVES: A priority health outcome for patients, families, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a patient's ability to return home and remain in the community without adverse events following discharge from post-acute care services. Successful discharge to community (DTC) is defined as being discharged to the community and not experiencing a readmission or death within 30 days of discharge. The objective of this study was to determine the association between patient factors and successful DTC after home health for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). DESIGN: This retrospective study derived data from 100% national CMS data files from October 1, 2016, through September 30, 2017. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: Criteria from the Home Health Quality Reporting program were used to identify a cohort of 790,439 Medicare home health beneficiaries, 143,164 (18.0%) with ADRD. MEASURES: Successful DTC rates with associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for each patient characteristic. Multilevel logistic regression was used to estimate the relative risk (RR) of successful DTC after home health, by ADRD diagnosis, mobility, self-care, caregiver support, and medication management, adjusted for patient demographics and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Overall, 79.4% of beneficiaries had a successful DTC. Beneficiaries with ADRD had a significantly lower odds of successful DTC than those without ADRD (RR=0.947, 95% CI=0.944-0.950). This association remained significant after adjustment for caregiver support, assistance with medications, independence in mobility, and level of self-care. Greater need for caregiver support, greater need for assistance with medications, greater dependence in mobility, and greater self-care dependence were all associated with decreased risk of successful DTC. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Older adults with ADRD receiving home health had decreased RR of successful DTC. To have a successful DTC, older adults with ADRD need sufficient support from caregivers and independence in functioning.

Hospitalizations for Acute on Chronic Liver Failure at Academic Compared to Non-academic Centers Have Higher Mortality.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) in patients with cirrhosis has high short-term mortality. Data comparing ACLF admissions to academic centers (AC) and non-academic centers (NAC) are scanty. METHODS: National Inpatient Sample (2006-2014) was queried for admissions with cirrhosis and ACLF using the ICD-09 codes, and was stratified to AC or NAC. RESULTS: Of 1,928,764 admissions with cirrhosis (2006-2014), 112,174 (5. 9%) had ACLF. 6.7% of 1,018,568 cirrhosis admissions to AC had ACLF versus 5% of 910,196 admissions to NAC, P < 0.0001. Proportion of ACLF admissions to AC increased from 49% during 2006-2008 to 59% during 2012-2014. In a cohort of 73,630 ACLF admissions (36,615 each to AC and NAC) matched for patient demographics, cirrhosis etiology, number of comorbidities, elective versus emergent admission, ACLF grade, and type of organ failure. In-hospital mortality declined by 7% over the study period, but remained higher in AC (46% vs. 42%, P < 0.001), with 11% increased odds for in-hospital mortality compared to admission to NAC. Further admissions to AC versus NAC had higher median (IQR) length of stay at 13 (6-25) versus 11 (5-20) days, with higher median (IQR) hospital charges: 138,239 (66,772-275,603) versus 116,209 (55,767-232,699) USD, P < 0.001 for both. CONCLUSION: Patients with ACLF have high in-hospital mortality. Further, this is higher among admissions to AC. Although the in-hospital mortality is improving, strategies are needed on early identification of patients with futility of care for early discussion on goals of care, and optimal utilization of hospital resources among admissions with ACLF.

Understanding Variation in Postacute Care: Developing Rehabilitation Service Areas Through Geographic Mapping.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were to demonstrate a method for developing rehabilitation service areas and to compare service areas based on postacute care rehabilitation admissions to service areas based on acute care hospital admissions. DESIGN: We conducted a secondary analysis of 2013-2014 Medicare records for older patients in Texas (N = 469,172). Our analysis included admission records for inpatient rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing facilities, long-term care hospitals, and home health agencies. We used Ward's algorithm to cluster patient ZIP Code Tabulation Areas based on which facilities patients were admitted to for rehabilitation. For comparison, we set the number of rehabilitation clusters to 22 to allow for comparison to the 22 hospital referral regions in Texas. Two methods were used to evaluate rehabilitation service areas: intraclass correlation coefficient and variance in the number of rehabilitation beds across areas. RESULTS: Rehabilitation service areas had a higher intraclass correlation coefficient (0.081 vs. 0.076) and variance in beds (27.8 vs. 21.4). Our findings suggest that service areas based on rehabilitation admissions capture has more variation than those based on acute hospital admissions. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the use of rehabilitation service areas would lead to more accurate assessments of rehabilitation geographic variations and their use in understanding rehabilitation outcomes.

Impact of Diabetes on 90-Day Episodes of Care After Elective Total Joint Arthroplasty Among Medicare Beneficiaries.

BACKGROUND: In an effort to improve quality and reduce costs, reimbursement for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) in the United States is being based on the value of care provided, with adjustments for some qualifying comorbidities, including diabetes in its most severe form and excluding many diabetes codes. The aims of this study were to examine the effects of diabetes on elective TKA or THA complications and readmission risks among Medicare beneficiaries. METHODS: Complication (n = 521,230) and readmission (n = 515,691) data were extracted from Medicare files in 2013 and 2014. Diabetes status (no diabetes, controlled-uncomplicated diabetes, controlled-complicated diabetes, and uncontrolled diabetes) was identified with ICD-9 (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision) codes. TKA or THA complications and readmission odds based on diabetes status were estimated using logistic regression and adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, including comorbidities. RESULTS: Compared with no diabetes, the odds ratio (OR) of TKA complications was significantly higher for uncontrolled diabetes (1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06 to 1.57). The OR of THA complications was significantly higher for controlled-complicated diabetes (1.45, 95% CI = 1.17 to 1.80). The OR of readmission was significantly higher for all diabetes groups (1.21 to 1.48 for TKA, 1.20 to 1.70 for THA). CONCLUSIONS: Readmission odds were higher in all diabetes categories. The uncontrolled-diabetes group had the greatest TKA readmission and complication odds. The controlled-complicated diabetes group had the greatest THA readmission and complication odds. The findings suggest that including diabetes and associated systemic complications in cost adjustments in alternative payment models for arthroplasty should be considered. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Use of the ICD-10 vision codes to study ocular conditions in Medicare beneficiaries with stroke.

BACKGROUND: Ocular conditions are common following stroke and frequently occur in combination with pre-existing ophthalmologic disease. The Medicare International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) coding system for identifying vision related health conditions provides a much higher level of detail for coding these complex scenarios than the previous ICD-9 system. While this new coding system has advantages for clinical care and billing, the degree to which providers and researchers are utilizing the expanded code structure is unknown. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of ICD-10 vision codes in a large cohort of stroke survivors. METHODS: Retrospective cohort design to study national 100% Medicare claims files from 2015 through 2017. Descriptive data analyses were conducted using all available ICD-10 vision codes for beneficiaries who had an acute care stay because of a new stroke. The outcome of interest was ≥1 ICD-10 visual code recorded in the claims chart. RESULTS: The cohort (n = 269,314) was mostly female (57.1%) with ischemic stroke (87.8%). Approximately 15% were coded as having one or more ocular condition. Unspecified glaucoma was the most frequently used code among men (2.83%), those over 85+ (4.80%) and black beneficiaries (4.12%). Multiple vision codes were used in few patients (0.6%). Less than 3% of those in the oldest group (85+ years) had two or more vision codes in their claims. CONCLUSIONS: Ocular comorbidity was present in a portion of this cohort of stroke survivors, however the vision codes used to describe impairments in this population were few and lacked specificity. Future studies should compare ophthalmic examination results with billing codes to characterize the type and frequency of ocular comorbidity. It important to understand how the use of ICD-10 vision codes impacts clinical decision making, recovery, and outcomes.

Impact of Self-Care and Mobility on One or More Post-Acute Care Transitions.

Objective: To investigate the association between functional status and post-acute care (PAC) transition(s). Methods: Secondary analysis of 2013-2014 Medicare data for individuals aged ≥66 years with stroke, lower extremity joint replacements, and hip/femur fracture discharged to one of three PAC settings (inpatient rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies). Functional scores were co-calibrated into a 0-100 scale across settings. Multilevel logistic regression was used to test the partition of variance (%) and the probability of PAC transition attributed to the functional score in the initial PAC setting. Results: Patients discharged to inpatient rehabilitation facilities with higher function were less likely to use additional PAC. Function level in an inpatient rehabilitation facility explained more of the variance in PAC transitions than function level while in a skilled nursing facility. Discussion: The function level affected PAC transitions more for those discharged to an inpatient rehabilitation facility than to a skilled nursing facility.

A comparison of three methods in categorizing functional status to predict hospital readmission across post-acute care.

BACKGROUND: Methods used to categorize functional status to predict health outcomes across post-acute care settings vary significantly. OBJECTIVES: We compared three methods that categorize functional status to predict 30-day and 90-day hospital readmission across inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF), skilled nursing facilities (SNF) and home health agencies (HHA). RESEARCH DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of 2013-2014 Medicare claims data (N = 740,530). Data were randomly split into two subsets using a 1:1 ratio. We used half of the cohort (development subset) to develop functional status categories for three methods, and then used the rest (testing subset) to compare outcome prediction. Three methods to generate functional categories were labeled as: Method I, percentile based on proportional distribution; Method II, percentile based on change score distribution; and Method III, functional staging categories based on Rasch person strata. We used six differentiation and classification statistics to determine the optimal method of generating functional categories. SETTING: IRF, SNF and HHA. SUBJECTS: We included 130,670 (17.7%) Medicare beneficiaries with stroke, 498,576 (67.3%) with lower extremity joint replacement and 111,284 (15.0%) with hip and femur fracture. MEASURES: Unplanned 30-day and 90-day hospital readmission. RESULTS: For all impairment conditions, Method III best predicted 30-day and 90-day hospital readmission. However, we observed overlapping confidence intervals among some comparisons of three methods. The bootstrapping of 30-day and 90-day hospital readmission predictive models showed the area under curve for Method III was statistically significantly higher than both Method I and Method II (all paired-comparisons, p<.001), using the testing sample. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, functional staging was the optimal method to generate functional status categories to predict 30-day and 90-day hospital readmission. To facilitate clinical and scientific use, we suggest the most appropriate method to categorize functional status should be based on the strengths and weaknesses of each method.

Function and Caregiver Support Associated With Readmissions During Home Health for Individuals With Dementia.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the association between mobility, self-care, cognition, and caregiver support and 30-day potentially preventable readmissions (PPR) for individuals with dementia. DESIGN: This retrospective study derived data from 100% national Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data files from July 1, 2013, through June 1, 2015. PARTICIPANTS: Criteria from the Home Health Claims-Based Rehospitalization Measure and the Potentially Preventable 30-Day Post Discharge Readmission Measure for the Home Health Quality Reporting Program were used to identify a cohort of 118,171 Medicare beneficiaries. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The 30-day PPR rates with associated 95% CIs were calculated for each patient characteristic. Multilevel logistic regression was used to study the relationship between mobility, self-care, caregiver support, and cognition domains and 30-day PPR during home health, adjusting for patient demographics and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: The overall rate of 30-day PPR was 7.6%. In the fully adjusted models, patients who were most dependent in mobility (odds ratio [OR], 1.59; 95% CI, 1.47-1.71) and self-care (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.61-1.87) had higher odds for 30-day PPR. Patients with unmet caregiving needs had 1.11 (95% CI, 1.05-1.17) higher odds for 30-day PPR than patients whose caregiving needs were met. Patients with cognitive impairment had 1.23 (95% CI, 1.16-1.30) higher odds of readmission than those with minimal to no cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased independence in mobility and self-care tasks, unmet caregiver needs, and impaired cognitive processing at admission to home health are associated with risk of 30-day PPR during home health for individuals with dementia. Our findings indicate that deficits in mobility and self-care tasks have the greatest effect on the risk for PPR.

Dementia Severity Associated With Increased Risk of Potentially Preventable Readmissions During Home Health Care.

OBJECTIVES: Approximately 14% of Medicare beneficiaries are readmitted to a hospital within 30 days of home health care admission. Individuals with dementia account for 30% of all home health care admissions and are at high risk for readmission. Our primary objective was to determine the association between dementia severity at admission to home health care and 30-day potentially preventable readmissions (PPR) during home health care. A secondary objective was to develop a dementia severity scale from Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) items based on the Functional Assessment Staging Tool (FAST). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Home health care; 126,292 Medicare beneficiaries receiving home health care (July 1, 2013-June 1, 2015) diagnosed with dementia (ICD-9 codes). MEASURES: 30-day PPR during home health care. Dementia severity categorized into 6 levels (nonaffected to severe). RESULTS: The overall rate of 30-day PPR was 7.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 7.4, 7.7] but varied by patient and health care utilization characteristics. After adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, the odds ratio (OR) for dementia severity category 6 was 1.37 (95% CI 1.29, 1.46) and the OR for category 7 was 1.94 (95% CI 1.64, 2.31) as compared to dementia severity category 1/2. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Dementia severity in the later stages is associated with increased risk for potentially preventable readmissions. Our findings suggest that individuals admitted to home health during the later stages of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias may require greater supports and specialized care to minimize negative outcomes such as readmissions. Development of a dementia severity scale based on OASIS items and the FAST is feasible. Future research is needed to determine effective strategies for decreasing potentially preventable readmissions of individuals with severe dementia who receive home health care. Future research is also needed to validate the proposed dementia severity categories used in this study.