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OBJECTIVE: In 2012, updated ASCCP management guidelines for abnormal cervical cytology recommended observation rather than immediate referral to colposcopy for low-grade abnormalities in women ages 21-24. We evaluated the impact of these guidelines on changes in colposcopy procedure rates among young women. METHODS: We analyzed administrative and claims data from the largest statewide family planning program between July 2011 and June 2015. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we estimated changes in colposcopy procedure rates among women ages 21-24 years before and after the 2012 ASCCP management guidelines, relative to a comparison group of women ages 25-44. RESULTS: Our analysis included 333,977 women from 216 primary care provider sites. After publication of the 2012 ASCCP management guidelines, colposcopy rates significantly declined from 6.70% (95% CI 6.21-7.19) to 3.94% (95% CI 3.60-4.29) among women ages 21-24 and from 4.35% (95% CI 4.03-4.67) to 3.53% (3.25-3.80) among women over 24 years. These declines correspond to a 1.93 percentage point reduction (95% CI 1.62-2.25; p < 0.001) in colposcopy rate among women 21-24 vs. over 24 years, or a two-fold relative reduction. Among women ages 21-24, colposcopy receipt was associated with speaking primarily English vs. non-English (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.35-1.57), having a cervical cytology test within the past year vs. not (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.44-1.66), and receiving care from a public vs. private provider (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.06-1.62). CONCLUSIONS: Colposcopy procedure rates among young women significantly declined following publication of the 2012 management guidelines, which has implications for reducing potential harms of overtreatment.
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BACKGROUND: Recently-updated global guidelines for cervical cancer screening incorporated new technologies-most significantly, the inclusion of HPV DNA detection as a primary screening test-but leave many implementation decisions at countries' discretion. We sought to develop recommendations for Malawi as a test case since it has the second-highest cervical cancer burden globally and high HIV prevalence. We incorporated updated epidemiologic data, the full range of ablation methods recommended, and a more nuanced representation of how HIV status intersects with cervical cancer risk and exposure to screening to model outcomes of different approaches to screening. METHODS: Using a Markov model, we estimate the relative health outcomes and costs of different approaches to cervical cancer screening among Malawian women. The model was parameterized using published data, and focused on comparing "triage" approaches-i.e., lesion treatment (cryotherapy or thermocoagulation) at differing frequencies and varying by HIV status. Health outcomes were quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and deaths averted. The model was built using TreeAge Pro software. RESULTS: Thermocoagulation was more cost-effective than cryotherapy at all screening frequencies. Screening women once per decade would avert substantially more deaths than screening only once per lifetime, at relatively little additional cost. Moreover, at this frequency, it would be advisable to ensure that all women who screen positive receive treatment (rather than investing in further increases in screening frequency): for a similar gain in QALYs, it would cost more than four times as much to implement once-per-5 years screening with only 50% of women treated versus once-per-decade screening with 100% of women treated. Stratified screening schedules by HIV status was found to be an optimal approach. CONCLUSIONS: These results add new evidence about cost-effective approaches to cervical cancer screening in low-income countries. At relatively infrequent screening intervals, if resources are limited, it would be more cost-effective to invest in scaling up thermocoagulation for treatment before increasing the recommended screening frequency. In Malawi or countries in a similar stage of the HIV epidemic, a stratified approach that prioritizes more frequent screening for women living with HIV may be more cost-effective than population-wide recommendations that are HIV status neutral.
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Análise Custo-Benefício , Detecção Precoce de Câncer , Cadeias de Markov , Anos de Vida Ajustados por Qualidade de Vida , Neoplasias do Colo do Útero , Humanos , Feminino , Malaui/epidemiologia , Neoplasias do Colo do Útero/diagnóstico , Neoplasias do Colo do Útero/terapia , Neoplasias do Colo do Útero/economia , Detecção Precoce de Câncer/economia , Detecção Precoce de Câncer/métodos , Adulto , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Infecções por HIV/diagnóstico , Infecções por HIV/epidemiologia , Crioterapia/economia , Programas de Rastreamento/economia , Programas de Rastreamento/métodosRESUMO
Background: Black Americans experience the highest prevalence of heart failure (HF) and the worst clinical outcomes of any racial or ethnic group, but little is known about end-of-life care for this population. Objective: Compare treatment intensity between Black and White older adults with HF near the end of life. Design: Negative binomial and logistic regression analyses of pooled, cross-sectional data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Setting/Subjects: A total of 1607 U.S. adults aged 65 years and older with HF who identify as Black or White, and whose proxy informant participated in an HRS exit interview between 2002 and 2016. Measurements: We compared four common measures of treatment intensity at the end of life (number of hospital admissions, receipt of care in an intensive care unit (ICU), utilization of life support, and whether the decedent died in a hospital) between Black and White HF patients, controlling for demographic, social, and health characteristics. Results: Racial identity was not significantly associated with the number of hospital admissions or admission to an ICU in the last 24 months of life. However, Black HF patients were more likely to spend time on life support (odds ratio [OR] = 2.16, confidence interval [CI] = 1.35-3.44, p = 0.00) and more likely to die in a hospital (OR = 1.53, CI = 1.03-2.28, p = 0.04) than White HF patients. Conclusion: Black HF patients were more likely to die in a hospital and to spend time on life support than White HF patients. Thoughtful and consistent engagement with HF patients regarding treatment preferences is an important step in addressing inequities.
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Negro ou Afro-Americano , Insuficiência Cardíaca , Assistência Terminal , População Branca , Humanos , Insuficiência Cardíaca/etnologia , Insuficiência Cardíaca/terapia , Idoso , Feminino , Masculino , Estudos Transversais , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Negro ou Afro-Americano/estatística & dados numéricos , Estados Unidos , População Branca/estatística & dados numéricos , Disparidades em Assistência à SaúdeRESUMO
Importance: Missed opportunities for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination during pediatric health care visits are common. Objectives: To evaluate the effect of online communication training for clinicians on missed opportunities for HPV vaccination rates overall and at well-child care (WCC) visits and visits for acute or chronic illness (hereafter referred to as acute or chronic visits) and on adolescent HPV vaccination rates. Design, Setting, and Participants: From December 26, 2018, to July 30, 2019, a longitudinal cluster randomized clinical trial allocated practices to communication training vs standard of care in staggered 6-month periods. A total of 48 primary care pediatric practices in 19 states were recruited from the American Academy of Pediatrics Pediatric Research in Office Settings network. Participants were clinicians in intervention practices. Outcomes were evaluated for all 11- to 17-year-old adolescents attending 24 intervention practices (188 clinicians) and 24 control practices (177 clinicians). Analyses were as randomized and performed on an intent-to-treat basis, accounting for clustering by practice. Interventions: Three sequential online educational modules were developed to help participating clinicians communicate with parents about the HPV vaccine. Weekly text messages were sent to participating clinicians to reinforce learning. Statisticians were blinded to group assignment. Main Outcomes and Measures: Main outcomes were missed opportunities for HPV vaccination overall and for HPV vaccine initiation and subsequent doses at WCC and acute or chronic visits (visit-level outcome). Secondary outcomes were HPV vaccination rates (person-level outcome). Outcomes were compared during the intervention vs baseline. Results: Altogether, 122 of 188 clinicians in intervention practices participated; of these, 120, 119, and 116 clinicians completed training modules 1, 2, and 3, respectively. During the intervention period, 29â¯206 adolescents (14â¯664 girls [50.2%]; mean [SD] age, 14.2 [2.0] years) made 15â¯888 WCC and 28â¯123 acute or chronic visits to intervention practices; 33â¯914 adolescents (17â¯069 girls [50.3%]; mean [SD] age, 14.2 [2.0] years) made 17â¯910 WCC and 35â¯281 acute or chronic visits to control practices. Intervention practices reduced missed opportunities overall by 2.4 percentage points (-2.4%; 95% CI, -3.5% to -1.2%) more than controls. Intervention practices reduced missed opportunities for vaccine initiation during WCC visits by 6.8 percentage points (-6.8%; 95% CI, -9.7% to -3.9%) more than controls. The intervention had no effect on missed opportunities for subsequent doses of the HPV vaccine or at acute or chronic visits. Adolescents in intervention practices had a 3.4-percentage point (95% CI, 0.6%-6.2%) greater improvement in HPV vaccine initiation compared with adolescents in control practices. Conclusions and Relevance: This scalable, online communication training increased HPV vaccination, particularly HPV vaccine initiation at WCC visits. Results support dissemination of this intervention. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03599557.
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Infecções por Papillomavirus/etiologia , Vacinas contra Papillomavirus/farmacologia , Pediatras/educação , Adolescente , California , Criança , Análise por Conglomerados , Educação Médica Continuada/métodos , Feminino , Humanos , Estudos Longitudinais , Masculino , Infecções por Papillomavirus/tratamento farmacológico , Infecções por Papillomavirus/fisiopatologia , Vacinas contra Papillomavirus/administração & dosagem , Pediatras/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
Importance: Women and families constitute the fastest-growing segments of the homeless population. However, there is limited evidence on whether women experiencing homelessness have poorer childbirth delivery outcomes and higher costs of care compared with women not experiencing homelessness. Objective: To compare childbirth delivery outcomes and costs of care between pregnant women experiencing homelessness vs those not experiencing homelessness. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study included 15â¯029 pregnant women experiencing homelessness and 308â¯242 pregnant women not experiencing homelessness who had a delivery hospitalization in 2014. The study used statewide databases that included all hospital admissions in 3 states (ie, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York). Delivery outcomes and delivery-associated costs were compared between pregnant women experiencing homelessness and those not experiencing homelessness cared for at the same hospital (analyzed using the overlap propensity-score weighting method and multivariable regression models with hospital fixed effects). The Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate procedure was used to account for multiple comparisons. Data were analyzed from January 2020 through May 2020. Exposure: Housing status at delivery hospitalization. Main Outcomes and Measures: Outcome variables included obstetric complications (ie, antepartum hemorrhage, placental abnormalities, premature rupture of the membranes, preterm labor, and postpartum hemorrhage), neonatal complications (ie, fetal distress, fetal growth restriction, and stillbirth), delivery method (ie, cesarean delivery), and delivery-associated costs. Results: Among 15â¯029 pregnant women experiencing homelessness (mean [SD] age, 28.5 [5.9] years) compared with 308â¯242 pregnant women not experiencing homelessness (mean [SD] age, 29.4 [5.8] years) within the same hospital, those experiencing homelessness were more likely to experience preterm labor (adjusted probability, 10.5% vs 6.7%; adjusted risk difference [aRD], 3.8%; 95% CI, 1.2%-6.5%; adjusted P = .03) and had higher delivery-associated costs (adjusted costs, $6306 vs $5888; aRD, $417; 95% CI, $156-$680; adjusted P = .02) compared with women not experiencing homelessness. Those experiencing homelessness also had a higher probability of placental abnormalities (adjusted probability, 4.0% vs 2.0%; aRD, 1.9%; 95% CI, 0.4%-3.5%; adjusted P = .053), although this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that women experiencing homelessness, compared with those not experiencing homelessness, who had a delivery and were admitted to the same hospital were more likely to experience preterm labor and incurred higher delivery-associated costs. These findings suggest wide disparities in delivery-associated outcomes between women experiencing homelessness and those not experiencing homelessness in the US. The findings highlight the importance for health care professionals to actively screen pregnant women for homelessness during prenatal care visits and coordinate their care with community health programs and social housing programs to make sure their health care needs are met.
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Cesárea/estatística & dados numéricos , Custos de Cuidados de Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Pessoas Mal Alojadas/estatística & dados numéricos , Trabalho de Parto Prematuro/epidemiologia , Adulto , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Cesárea/economia , Parto Obstétrico/economia , Feminino , Sofrimento Fetal/economia , Sofrimento Fetal/epidemiologia , Retardo do Crescimento Fetal/economia , Retardo do Crescimento Fetal/epidemiologia , Ruptura Prematura de Membranas Fetais/economia , Ruptura Prematura de Membranas Fetais/epidemiologia , Humanos , Recém-Nascido , Complicações do Trabalho de Parto/economia , Complicações do Trabalho de Parto/epidemiologia , Trabalho de Parto Prematuro/economia , Parto , Doenças Placentárias/economia , Doenças Placentárias/epidemiologia , Hemorragia Pós-Parto/economia , Hemorragia Pós-Parto/epidemiologia , Gravidez , Complicações Cardiovasculares na Gravidez/economia , Complicações Cardiovasculares na Gravidez/epidemiologia , Natimorto/economia , Natimorto/epidemiologia , Hemorragia Uterina/economia , Hemorragia Uterina/epidemiologia , Adulto JovemRESUMO
During the period 2014-16 the Affordable Care Act (ACA) dramatically reduced rates of uninsurance and underinsurance in the United States. In this study we estimated the effects of these coverage increases on cancer detection among the near-elderly population (ages 60-64). Using 2010-16 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program data, we estimated that the ACA increased cancer detection among this population. We found that 45 percent of the jump in cancer detection that occurs when people reach Medicare eligibility age was eliminated by the ACA coverage expansions. The ACA coverage expansions had large effects on cancers with and without routine screening tests, and 68 percent of newly detected cancers were early- and middle-stage cancers. In addition, the empirical strategy used to identify the effects of the ACA on cancer detection confirmed the role of health insurance as the key mechanism to explain Medicare's effects on health care use and health outcomes as described in the prior literature. Our results highlight the importance of the ACA, Medicare, and health insurance coverage generally for disease detection.
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Neoplasias , Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , Idoso , Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde , Humanos , Cobertura do Seguro , Seguro Saúde , Medicaid , Medicare , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Neoplasias/diagnóstico , Neoplasias/epidemiologia , Estados UnidosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Evidence is limited as to whether the introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)'s Medicaid expansions was associated with improvements in cardiovascular risk factors at the population level. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between the ACA Medicaid expansions and changes in cardiovascular risk factors among low-income individuals during the first 3 years of the implementation of the ACA Medicaid expansions at the national level. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental difference-in-differences (DID) analysis to compare outcomes before (2005-2012) and after (2015-2016) the implementation of the ACA Medicaid expansions between individuals in states that expanded Medicaid and individuals in non-expansion states. PARTICIPANTS: A nationally representative sample of individuals aged 19-64 years with family incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level from the 2005-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). INTERVENTION: ACA Medicaid expansions. MAIN MEASURES: Cardiovascular risk factors included (1) systolic and diastolic blood pressure, (2) hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level, and (3) cholesterol levels (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol). KEY RESULTS: A total of 9177 low-income individuals were included in our analysis. We found that the ACA Medicaid expansions were associated with a lower systolic blood pressure (DID estimate, - 3.03 mmHg; 95% CI, - 5.33 mmHg to - 0.73 mmHg; P = 0.01; P = 0.03 after adjustment for multiple comparisons) and lower HbA1c level (DID estimate, - 0.14 percentage points [pp]; 95% CI, - 0.24 pp to - 0.03 pp; P = 0.01; P = 0.03 after adjustment for multiple comparisons). We found no evidence that diastolic blood pressure and cholesterol levels changed following the ACA Medicaid expansions. CONCLUSION: Using the nationally representative data of individuals who were affected by the ACA, we found that the ACA Medicaid expansions were associated with a modest improvement in cardiovascular risk factors related to hypertension and diabetes during the first 3 years of implementation.
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Doenças Cardiovasculares , Medicaid , Doenças Cardiovasculares/epidemiologia , Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde , Fatores de Risco de Doenças Cardíacas , Humanos , Cobertura do Seguro , Inquéritos Nutricionais , Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , Fatores de Risco , Estados Unidos/epidemiologiaRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to understand variation in intraoperative and postoperative utilization for common general surgery procedures. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Reducing surgical costs is paramount to the viability of hospitals. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of electronic health record data for 7762 operations from 2 health systems. Adult patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, appendectomy, and inguinal/femoral hernia repair between November 1, 2013 and November 30, 2017 were reviewed for 3 utilization measures: intraoperative disposable supply costs, procedure time, and postoperative length of stay (LOS). Crossed hierarchical regression models were fit to understand case-mixed adjusted variation in utilization across surgeons and locations and to rank surgeons. RESULTS: The number of surgeons performing each type of operation ranged from 20 to 63. The variation explained by surgeons ranged from 8.9% to 38.2% for supply costs, from 15.1% to 54.6% for procedure time, and from 1.3% to 7.0% for postoperative LOS. The variation explained by location ranged from 12.1% to 26.3% for supply costs, from 0.2% to 2.5% for procedure time, and from 0.0% to 31.8% for postoperative LOS. There was a positive correlation (ρ = 0.49, P = 0.03) between surgeons' higher supply costs and longer procedure times for hernia repair, but there was no correlation between other utilization measures for hernia repair and no correlation between any of the utilization measures for laparoscopic appendectomy or cholecystectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Surgeons are significant drivers of variation in surgical supply costs and procedure time, but much less so for postoperative LOS. Intraoperative and postoperative utilization profiles can be generated for individual surgeons and may be an important tool for reducing surgical costs.
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Custos Hospitalares , Cuidados Intraoperatórios/economia , Cuidados Pós-Operatórios/economia , Procedimentos Cirúrgicos Operatórios/economia , Adulto , Idoso , Apendicectomia/economia , California , Colecistectomia Laparoscópica/economia , Controle de Custos , Equipamentos e Provisões Hospitalares/economia , Feminino , Herniorrafia/economia , Humanos , Laparoscopia/economia , Tempo de Internação/economia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Duração da Cirurgia , Estudos RetrospectivosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Hospital readmission rates decreased for myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure (CHF), and pneumonia with implementation of the first phase of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP). It is not established whether readmissions fell for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an HRRP condition added in 2014. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether HRRP penalties influenced COPD readmissions among Medicare, Medicaid, or privately insured patients. DESIGN: We analyzed a retrospective cohort, evaluating readmissions across implementation periods for HRRP penalties ("pre-HRRP" January 2010-April 2011, "implementation" May 2011-September 2012, "partial penalty" October 2012-September 2014, and "full penalty" October 2014-December 2016). PATIENTS: We assessed discharged patients ≥ 40 years old with COPD versus those with HRRP Phase 1 conditions (AMI, CHF, and pneumonia) or non-HRRP residual diagnoses in the Nationwide Readmissions Database. INTERVENTIONS: HRRP was announced and implemented during this period, forming a natural experiment. MEASUREMENTS: We calculated differences-in-differences (DID) for 30-day COPD versus HRRP Phase 1 and non-HRRP readmissions. KEY RESULTS: COPD discharges for 1.2 million Medicare enrollees were compared with 22 million non-HRRP and 3.4 million HRRP Phase 1 discharges. COPD readmissions decreased from 19 to 17% over the study. This reduction was significantly greater than non-HRRP conditions (DID - 0.41%), but not HRRP Phase 1 (DID + 0.02%). A parallel trend was observed in the privately insured, with significant reduction compared with non-HRRP (DID - 0.83%), but not HRRP Phase 1 conditions (DID - 0.45%). Non-significant reductions occurred in Medicaid (DID - 0.52% vs. non-HRRP and - 0.21% vs. Phase 1 conditions). CONCLUSIONS: In Medicare, HRRP implementation was associated with reductions in COPD readmissions compared with non-HRRP controls but not versus other HRRP conditions. Parallel findings were observed in commercial insurance, but not in Medicaid. Condition-specific penalties may not reduce readmissions further than existing HRRP trends.
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Readmissão do Paciente , Doença Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crônica , Adulto , Idoso , Humanos , Análise de Séries Temporais Interrompida , Medicare , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Doença Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crônica/epidemiologia , Doença Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crônica/terapia , Estudos Retrospectivos , Estados Unidos/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Universal health coverage (UHC) is driving the global health agenda. Many countries have embarked on national policy reforms towards this goal, including China. In 2009, the Chinese government launched a new round of healthcare reform towards UHC, aiming to provide universal coverage of basic healthcare by the end of 2020. The year of 2019 marks the 10th anniversary of China's most recent healthcare reform. Sharing China's experience is especially timely for other countries pursuing reforms to achieve UHC. This study describes the social, economic and health context in China, and then reviews the overall progress of healthcare reform (1949 to present), with a focus on the most recent (2009) round of healthcare reform. The study comprehensively analyses key reform initiatives and major achievements according to four aspects: health insurance system, drug supply and security system, medical service system and public health service system. Lessons learnt from China may have important implications for other nations, including continued political support, increased health financing and a strong primary healthcare system as basis.
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Reforma dos Serviços de Saúde , Cobertura Universal do Seguro de Saúde , Humanos , China , Atenção à Saúde , Programas GovernamentaisRESUMO
Universal health coverage (UHC) has been identified as a priority for the global health agenda. In 2009, the Chinese government launched a new round of healthcare reform towards UHC, aiming to provide universal coverage of basic healthcare by the end of 2020. We conducted a secondary data analysis and combined it with a literature review, analysing the overview of UHC in China with regard to financial protection, coverage of health services and the reported coverage of the WHO and the World Bank UHC indicators. The results include the following: out-of-pocket expenditures as a percentage of current health expenditures in China have dropped dramatically from 60.13% in 2000 to 35.91% in 2016; the health insurance coverage of the total population jumped from 22.1% in 2003 to 95.1% in 2013; the average life expectancy increased from 72.0 to 76.4, maternal mortality dropped from 59 to 29 per 100 000 live births, the under-5 mortality rate dropped from 36.8 to 9.3 per 1000 live births, and neonatal mortality dropped from 21.4 to 4.7 per 1000 live births between 2000 and 2017; and so on. Our findings show that while China appears to be well on the path to UHC, there are identifiable gaps in service quality and a requirement for ongoing strengthening of financial protections. Some of the key challenges remain to be faced, such as the fragmented and inequitable health delivery system, and the increasing demand for high-quality and value-based service delivery. Given that China has committed to achieving UHC and 'Healthy China 2030', the evidence from this study can be suggestive of furthering on in the UHC journey and taking the policy steps necessary to secure change.
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Reforma dos Serviços de Saúde , Cobertura Universal do Seguro de Saúde , China/epidemiologia , Gastos em Saúde , Serviços de Saúde , Humanos , Recém-NascidoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Readmissions after exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are penalized under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP). Understanding attributable diagnoses at readmission would improve readmission reduction strategies. OBJECTIVES: Determine factors that portend 30-day readmissions attributable to COPD versus non-COPD diagnoses among patients discharged following COPD exacerbations. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We analyzed COPD discharges in the Nationwide Readmissions Database from 2010 to 2016 using inclusion and readmission definitions in HRRP. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: We evaluated readmission odds for COPD versus non-COPD returns using a multilevel, multinomial logistic regression model. Patient-level covariates included age, sex, community characteristics, payer, discharge disposition, and Elixhauser Comorbidity Index. Hospital-level covariates included hospital ownership, teaching status, volume of annual discharges, and proportion of Medicaid patients. RESULTS: Of 1,622,983 (a weighted effective sample of 3,743,164) eligible COPD hospitalizations, 17.25% were readmitted within 30 days (7.69% for COPD and 9.56% for other diagnoses). Sepsis, heart failure, and respiratory infections were the most common non-COPD return diagnoses. Patients readmitted for COPD were younger with fewer comorbidities than patients readmitted for non-COPD. COPD returns were more prevalent the first two days after discharge than non-COPD returns. Comorbidity was a stronger driver for non-COPD (odds ratio [OR] 1.19) than COPD (OR 1.04) readmissions. CONCLUSION: Thirty-day readmissions following COPD exacerbations are common, and 55% of them are attributable to non-COPD diagnoses at the time of return. Higher burden of comorbidity is observed among non-COPD than COPD rehospitalizations. Readmission reduction efforts should focus intensively on factors beyond COPD disease management to reduce readmissions considerably by aggressively attempting to mitigate comorbid conditions.
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Comorbidade , Hospitalização , Readmissão do Paciente/estatística & dados numéricos , Doença Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crônica/complicações , Fatores Etários , Idoso , Bases de Dados Factuais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Medicaid/estatística & dados numéricos , Alta do Paciente/estatística & dados numéricos , Estudos Retrospectivos , Estados UnidosRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between expansion of the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act and changes in healthcare spending among low income adults during the first four years of the policy implementation (2014-17). DESIGN: Quasi-experimental difference-in-difference analysis to examine out-of-pocket spending and financial burden among low income adults after Medicaid expansions. SETTING: United States. PARTICIPANTS: A nationally representative sample of individuals aged 19-64 years, with family incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level, from the 2010-17 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Four annual healthcare spending outcomes: out-of-pocket spending; premium contributions; out-of-pocket plus premium spending; and catastrophic financial burden (defined as out-of-pocket plus premium spending exceeding 40% of post-subsistence income). P values were adjusted for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: 37 819 adults were included in the study. Healthcare spending did not change in the first two years, but Medicaid expansions were associated with lower out-of-pocket spending (adjusted percentage change -28.0% (95% confidence interval -38.4% to -15.8%); adjusted absolute change -$122 (£93; 110); adjusted P<0.001), lower out-of-pocket plus premium spending (-29.0% (-40.5% to -15.3%); -$442; adjusted P<0.001), and lower probability of experiencing a catastrophic financial burden (adjusted percentage point change -4.7 (-7.9 to -1.4); adjusted P=0.01) in years three to four. No evidence was found to indicate that premium contributions changed after the Medicaid expansions. CONCLUSION: Medicaid expansions under the Affordable Care Act were associated with lower out-of-pocket spending and a lower likelihood of catastrophic financial burden for low income adults in the third and fourth years of the act's implementation. These findings suggest that the act has been successful nationally in improving financial risk protection against medical bills among low income adults.
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Financiamento Pessoal/estatística & dados numéricos , Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Renda/estatística & dados numéricos , Cobertura do Seguro/estatística & dados numéricos , Medicaid/legislação & jurisprudência , Pobreza/economia , Pobreza/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto , Efeitos Psicossociais da Doença , Feminino , Financiamento Pessoal/economia , Gastos em Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde/economia , Inquéritos Epidemiológicos , Humanos , Cobertura do Seguro/economia , Masculino , Medicaid/economia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estados Unidos/epidemiologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Evidence is limited and mixed as to how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansions affected the utilization of primary care physicians (PCPs) and emergency departments (EDs) at the national level. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between the ACA Medicaid expansions and changes in the utilization of PCP and ED visits at the national level during the first 3 years (2014-2016) of the implementation. DESIGN: A difference-in-differences analysis to compare outcomes between individuals in 32 states that expanded Medicaid versus individuals in 19 non-expansion states. PARTICIPANTS: A nationally representative sample of US-born individuals 26-64 years old with family incomes lower than 138% of the federal poverty level from the 2010-2016 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. INTERVENTION: ACA Medicaid expansions MAIN MEASURES: We examined PCP-related outcomes ((i) whether a participant had any PCP visit during a year and (ii) the annual number of PCP visits per person) and ED-related outcomes ((i) whether a participant had any ED visit during a year and (ii) the annual number of ED visits per person). KEY RESULTS: A total of 17,803 participants were included in our analysis. We found that the proportion of individuals with any PCP visit during a year marginally increased (difference-in-differences estimate, + 3.6 percentage points [pp]; 95% CI, - 0.4 pp to + 7.6 pp; P = 0.08) following the Medicaid expansions, without any change in the annual number of PCP visits per person. We found no evidence that ED utilization (both the proportion of individuals with any ED visit during a year and the annual number of ED visits per person) changed meaningfully after the Medicaid expansions. CONCLUSION: Using the nationally representative data of individuals who were affected by the ACA, we found that the ACA Medicaid expansions were associated with a modest improvement in access to PCPs without an increase in ED use.
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Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência , Medicaid , Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , Adulto , Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde , Humanos , Cobertura do Seguro , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Pobreza , Atenção Primária à Saúde , Estados UnidosRESUMO
California was the first state to implement the Delivery System Payment Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program, which focused on improving health care delivery for Medicaid beneficiaries in specific public hospitals. With an overall $6.7 billion investment, California provided financial incentives toward transforming infrastructure and care delivery, and toward achieving better outcomes. The authors sought to describe the California DSRIP program's level of investment in transforming infrastructure and care delivery, and self-reported outcomes of care. Data on the level of investment per hospital, project, and specific metrics per project were used to calculate investment per metrics and self-reported reduced mortality and morbidity for specific measures. Most financial incentives were allocated to development of infrastructure and process of care redesign. Among outcomes, allocations per reduction were lowest for prevention of central line-associated bloodstream infection prevention, hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, and sepsis mortality and highest for stroke deaths and surgical site infections. DSRIP is an important example of the mechanism used by California with the goal of promoting system change, improved outcomes, and increased accountability under the Medicaid program. The results highlight the potential level of investment that may be needed to achieve these goals in similar under-resourced safety net providers.
Assuntos
Reforma dos Serviços de Saúde , Reembolso de Incentivo/organização & administração , California , Bases de Dados Factuais , Humanos , Avaliação de Programas e Projetos de SaúdeRESUMO
The individual health insurance market has grown significantly since the 2014 implementation of the Affordable Care Act's state-based and federally facilitated Marketplaces. During annual open enrollment periods, Marketplace enrollees can switch plans for the upcoming year. The percentage of reenrollees in California's state-based Marketplace, Covered California, who made changes to their coverage steadily increased between the 2014-15 and 2017-18 open enrollment periods. Following the implementation of "silver loading"-in which insurers raised 2018 silver-tier plan premiums to compensate for their loss of federal payments for cost-sharing reductions-the proportion of consumers who moved into gold plans during the 2017-18 open enrollment period dramatically increased, compared to previous years. Among bronze or silver plan enrollees who switched metal tiers during open enrollment, those who could enroll in gold plans that were no more than $49 per month more expensive than their initial bronze or silver plan had a significantly higher probability of switching to gold coverage than those who faced larger premium differences.
Assuntos
Comércio/economia , Cobertura do Seguro/economia , Seguro Saúde , California , Bases de Dados Factuais , Humanos , Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , Análise de Regressão , Estados UnidosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Readmissions following exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are prevalent and costly. Multimorbidity is common in COPD and understanding how comorbidity influences readmission risk will enable health systems to manage these complex patients. OBJECTIVES: We compared two commonly used comorbidity indices published by Charlson and Elixhauser regarding their ability to estimate readmission odds in COPD and determine which one provided a superior model. METHODS: We analyzed discharge records for COPD from the Nationwide Readmissions Database spanning 2010 to 2016. Inclusion and readmission criteria from the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program were utilized. Elixhauser and Charlson Comorbidity Index scores were calculated from published methodology. A mixed-effects logistic regression model with random intercepts for hospital clusters was fit for each comorbidity index, including year, patient-level, and hospital-level covariates to estimate odds of thirty-day readmissions. Sensitivity analyses included testing age inclusion thresholds and model stability across time. RESULTS: In analysis of 1.6 million COPD discharges, readmission odds increased by 9% for each half standard deviation increase of Charlson Index scores and 13% per half standard deviation increase of Elixhauser Index scores. Model fit was slightly better for the Elixhauser Index using information criteria. Model parameters were stable in our sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Both comorbidity indices provide meaningful information in prediction readmission odds in COPD with slightly better model fit in the Elixhauser model. Incorporation of comorbidity information into risk prediction models and hospital discharge planning may be informative to mitigate readmissions.
Assuntos
Readmissão do Paciente/estatística & dados numéricos , Doença Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crônica/terapia , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Idoso , Comorbidade , Feminino , Hospitais/estatística & dados numéricos , Humanos , Modelos Logísticos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Alta do Paciente , Prevalência , Estudos RetrospectivosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Although homelessness and opioid overdose are major public health issues in the U.S., evidence is limited as to whether homelessness is associated with an increased risk of opioid overdose. OBJECTIVE: To compare opioid-related outcomes between homeless versus housed individuals in low-income communities. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional analysis of individuals who had at least one ED visit or hospitalization in four states (Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York) in 2014. MEASUREMENTS: Risk of opioid overdose and opioid-related ED visits/hospital admissions were compared between homeless versus low-income housed individuals, adjusting for patient characteristics and hospital-specific fixed effects (effectively comparing homeless versus low-income housed individuals treated at the same hospital). We also examined whether risk of opioid-related outcomes varied by patients' sex and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: A total of 96,099 homeless and 2,869,230 low-income housed individuals were analyzed. Homeless individuals had significantly higher risk of opioid overdose (adjusted risk, 1.8% for homeless vs. 0.3% for low-income housed individuals; adjusted risk difference [aRD], +1.5%; 95%CI, +1.0% to +2.0%; p < 0.001) and opioid-related ED visit/hospital admission (10.4% vs. 1.5%; aRD, +8.9%; 95%CI, +7.2% to +10.6%; p < 0.001) compared to low-income housed individuals. Non-Hispanic White females had the highest risk among the homeless population, whereas non-Hispanic White males had the highest risk among the low-income housed population. LIMITATIONS: Individuals with no ED visit or hospitalization in 2014 were not included. CONCLUSION: Homeless individuals had disproportionately higher adjusted risk of opioid-related outcomes compared to low-income housed individuals treated at the same hospital. Among homeless individuals, non-Hispanic White females incurred the highest risk. These findings highlight the importance of recognizing the homeless population-especially the non-Hispanic White female homeless population-as a high-risk population for opioid overdose.
Assuntos
Overdose de Drogas/psicologia , Pessoas Mal Alojadas/estatística & dados numéricos , Admissão do Paciente/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto , Idoso , Correlação de Dados , Estudos Transversais , Overdose de Drogas/epidemiologia , Feminino , Florida/epidemiologia , Humanos , Masculino , Maryland/epidemiologia , Massachusetts/epidemiologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , New York/epidemiologia , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Opioides/complicações , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Opioides/epidemiologia , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Opioides/psicologiaRESUMO
When passed in 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became the greatest piece of health care reform in the United States since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid. In the 9 years since its passage, the law has ushered in a drastic decrease in the number of uninsured Americans and has encouraged delivery system innovation. However, the ACA has not been uniformly embraced, and states differ in their implementation of the law and in their individual health insurance marketplace's successfulness. Furthermore, under the Trump administration the law's future and the stability of the individual market have been uncertain. Throughout, however, California has been a leader. Today, the state's marketplace, known as Covered California, offers comprehensive, standardized health plans to over 1.3 million consumers. California's success with the ACA is largely attributable to its historical receptiveness to health reform; its early adoption of the law; its decision to have Covered California operate as an active purchaser, help shape the plans sold through the marketplace, and design a consumer-friendly enrollment experience; its engagement with stakeholders and community partners to encourage enrollment; and Covered California's commitment to continually innovate, improve, and anticipate the needs of the individual market as the law moves forward.