Insurance Denials and Patient Treatment in a Large Academic Radiation Oncology Center.

Importance: Insurance barriers to cancer care can cause significant patient and clinician burden. Objective: To investigate the association of insurance denial with changes in technique, dose, and time to delivery of radiation oncology treatment. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this single-institution cohort analysis, data were collected from patients with payer-denied authorization for radiation therapy (RT) from November 1, 2021, to December 8, 2022. Data were analyzed from December 15, 2022, to December 31, 2023. Exposure: Insurance denial for RT. Main Outcomes and Measures: Association of these denials with changes in RT technique, dose, and time to treatment delivery was assessed using χ2 tests. Results: A total of 206 cases (118 women [57.3%]; median age, 58 [range, 26-91] years) were identified. Most insurers (199 [96.6%]) were commercial payers, while 7 (3.4%) were Medicare or Medicare Advantage. One hundred sixty-one patients (78.2%) were younger than 65 years. Of 206 cases, 127 (61.7%) were ultimately authorized without any change to the requested RT technique or prescription dose; 56 (27.2%) were authorized after modification to RT technique and/or prescription dose required by the payer. Of 21 cases with required prescription dose change, the median decrease in dose was 24.0 (range, 2.3-51.0) Gy. Of 202 cases (98.1%) with RT delivered, 72 (34.9%) were delayed for a mean (SD) of 7.8 (9.1) days and median of 5 (range, 1-49) days. Four cases (1.9%) ultimately did not receive any authorization, with 3 (1.5%) not undergoing RT, and 1 (0.5%) seeking treatment at another institution. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of patients with payer-denied cases, most insurance denials in radiation oncology were ultimately approved on appeal; however, RT technique and/or effectiveness may be compromised by payer-mandated changes. Further investigation and action to recognize the time and financial burdens on clinicians and clinical effects on patients caused by insurance denials of RT is needed.

African-specific alleles modify risk for asthma at the 17q12-q21 locus in African Americans.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, occurring at higher frequencies and with more severe disease in children with African ancestry. METHODS: We tested for association with haplotypes at the most replicated and significant childhood-onset asthma locus at 17q12-q21 and asthma in European American and African American children. Following this, we used whole-genome sequencing data from 1060 African American and 100 European American individuals to identify novel variants on a high-risk African American-specific haplotype. We characterized these variants in silico using gene expression and ATAC-seq data from airway epithelial cells, functional annotations from ENCODE, and promoter capture (pc)Hi-C maps in airway epithelial cells. Candidate causal variants were then assessed for correlation with asthma-associated phenotypes in African American children and adults. RESULTS: Our studies revealed nine novel African-specific common variants, enriched on a high-risk asthma haplotype, which regulated the expression of GSDMA in airway epithelial cells and were associated with features of severe asthma. Using ENCODE annotations, ATAC-seq, and pcHi-C, we narrowed the associations to two candidate causal variants that are associated with features of T2 low severe asthma. CONCLUSIONS: Previously unknown genetic variation at the 17q12-21 childhood-onset asthma locus contributes to asthma severity in individuals with African ancestries. We suggest that many other population-specific variants that have not been discovered in GWAS contribute to the genetic risk for asthma and other common diseases.

Prospective Clinical Evaluation of Integrating a Radiation Anatomist for Contouring in Routine Radiation Treatment Planning.

Purpose: A radiation anatomist was trained and integrated into clinical practice at a multi-site academic center. The primary objective of this quality improvement study was to determine whether a radiation anatomist improves the quality of organ-at-risk (OAR) contours, and secondarily to determine the impact on efficiency in the treatment planning process. Methods and Materials: From March to August 2020, all patients undergoing computed tomography-based radiation planning at 2 clinics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center were assigned using an "every other" process to either (1) OAR contouring by a radiation anatomist (intervention) or (2) contouring by the treating physician (standard of care). Blinded dosimetrists reported OAR contour quality using a 3-point scoring system based on a common clinical trial protocol deviation scale (1, acceptable; 2, minor deviation; and 3, major deviation). Physicians reported time spent contouring for all cases. Analyses included the Fisher exact test and multivariable ordinal logistic regression. Results: There were 249 cases with data available for the primary endpoint (66% response rate). The mean OAR quality rating was 1.1 ± 0.4 for the intervention group and 1.4 ± 0.7 for the standard of care group (P < .001), with subset analysis showing a significant difference for gastrointestinal cases (n = 49; P <.001). Time from simulation to contour approval was reduced from 3 days (interquartile range [IQR], 1-6 days) in the control group to 2 days (IQR, 1-5 days) in the intervention group (P = .007). Both physicians and dosimetrists self-reported decreased time spent contouring in the intervention group compared with the control group, with a decreases of 8 minutes (17%; P < .001) and 5 minutes (50%; P = .002), respectively. Qualitative comments most often indicated edits required to bowel contours (n = 14). Conclusions: These findings support improvements in both OAR contour quality and workflow efficiency with implementation of a radiation anatomist in routine practice. Findings could also inform development of autosegmentation by identifying disease sites and specific OARs contributing to low clinical efficiency. Future research is needed to determine the potential effect of reduced physician time spent contouring OARs on burnout.

Impact of Telemedicine on Patient Satisfaction and Perceptions of Care Quality in Radiation Oncology.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed cancer care with the rapid expansion of telemedicine, but given the limited use of telemedicine in oncology, concerns have been raised about the quality of care being delivered. We assessed the patient experience with telemedicine in routine radiation oncology practice to determine satisfaction, quality of care, and opportunities for optimization. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients seen within a multistate comprehensive cancer center for prepandemic office visits and intrapandemic telemedicine visits in December 2019 through June 2020 who completed patient experience questionnaires were evaluated. Patient satisfaction between office and telemedicine consultations were compared, patient visit-type preferences were assessed, and factors associated with an office visit preference were determined. RESULTS: In total, 1,077 patients were assessed (office visit, n=726; telemedicine, n=351). The telemedicine-consult survey response rate was 40%. No significant differences were seen in satisfaction scores between office and telemedicine consultations, including the appointment experience versus expectation, quality of physician's explanation, and level of physician concern and friendliness. Among telemedicine survey respondents, 45% and 34% preferred telemedicine and office visits, respectively, and 21% had no preference for their visit type. Most respondents found their confidence in their physician (90%), understanding of the treatment plan (88%), and confidence in their treatment (87%) to be better or no different than with an office visit. Patients with better performance status and who were married/partnered were more likely to prefer in-person office visit consultations (odds ratio [OR], 1.04 [95% CI, 1.00-1.08]; P=.047, and 2.41 [95% CI, 1.14-5.47]; P=.009, respectively). Patients with telephone-only encounters were more likely to report better treatment plan understanding with an office visit (OR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.00-4.77; P=.04). CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to assess telemedicine in routine radiation oncology practice, and found high patient satisfaction and confidence in their care. Optimization of telemedicine in oncology should be a priority, specifically access to audiovisual capabilities that can improve patient-oncologist communication.

Expression quantitative trait locus fine mapping of the 17q12-21 asthma locus in African American children: a genetic association and gene expression study.

BACKGROUND: African ancestry is associated with a higher prevalence and greater severity of asthma than European ancestries, yet genetic studies of the most common locus associated with childhood-onset asthma, 17q12-21, in African Americans have been inconclusive. The aim of this study was to leverage both the phenotyping of the Children's Respiratory and Environmental Workgroup (CREW) birth cohort consortium, and the reduced linkage disequilibrium in African Americans, to fine map the 17q12-21 locus. METHODS: We first did a genetic association study and meta-analysis using 17q12-21 tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for childhood-onset asthma in 1613 European American and 870 African American children from the CREW consortium. Nine tag SNPs were selected based on linkage disequilibrium patterns at 17q12-21 and their association with asthma, considering the effect allele under an additive model (0, 1, or 2 effect alleles). Results were meta-analysed with publicly available summary data from the EVE consortium (on 4303 European American and 3034 African American individuals) for seven of the nine SNPs of interest. Subsequently, we tested for expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) among the SNPs associated with childhood-onset asthma and the expression of 17q12-21 genes in resting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 85 African American CREW children and in upper airway epithelial cells from 246 African American CREW children; and in lower airway epithelial cells from 44 European American and 72 African American adults from a case-control study of asthma genetic risk in Chicago (IL, USA). FINDINGS: 17q12-21 SNPs were broadly associated with asthma in European Americans. Only two SNPs (rs2305480 in gasdermin-B [GSDMB] and rs8076131 in ORMDL sphingolipid biosynthesis regulator 3 [ORMDL3]) were associated with asthma in African Americans, at a Bonferroni-corrected threshold of p<0·0055 (for rs2305480_G, odds ratio [OR] 1·36 [95% CI 1·12-1·65], p=0·0014; and for rs8076131_A, OR 1·37 [1·13-1·67], p=0·0010). In upper airway epithelial cells from African American children, genotype at rs2305480 was the most significant eQTL for GSDMB (eQTL effect size [ß] 1·35 [95% CI 1·25-1·46], p<0·0001), and to a lesser extent showed an eQTL effect for post-GPI attachment to proteins phospholipase 3 (ß 1·15 [1·08-1·22], p<0·0001). No SNPs were eQTLs for ORMDL3. By contrast, in PBMCs, the five core SNPs were associated only with expression of GSDMB and ORMDL3. Genotype at rs12936231 (in zona pellucida binding protein 2) showed the strongest associations across both genes (for GSDMB, eQTLß 1·24 [1·15-1·32], p<0·0001; and for ORMDL3 (ß 1·19 [1·12-1·24], p<0·0001). The eQTL effects of rs2305480 on GSDMB expression were replicated in lower airway cells from African American adults (ß 1·29 [1·15-1·44], p<0·0001). INTERPRETATION: Our study suggests that SNPs regulating GSDMB expression in airway epithelial cells have a major role in childhood-onset asthma, whereas SNPs regulating the expression levels of 17q12-21 genes in resting blood cells are not central to asthma risk. Our genetic and gene expression data in African Americans and European Americans indicated GSDMB to be the leading candidate gene at this important asthma locus. FUNDING: National Institutes of Health, Office of the Director.

Addressing Service Recovery Practice With Radiation Oncology Frontline Managers: A Project Brief.

The relationship between patient satisfaction, care compliance, and treatment outcomes suggests patients who report dissatisfaction perceive receipt of suboptimal care. Patient satisfaction plays a role in defining quality of care, affecting institutional reimbursement and reputation capital. Using an explanatory sequential mixed methodology approach, this study explored frontline management's role in effective service recovery, actively addressing instances of patient dissatisfaction to improve the overall patient experience. A survey of frontline managers, document and artifact reviews, and probing interviews identify the importance of consistent performance measurement, feedback, and frequent leadership training on the relevance and importance of service recovery.

Nosocomial Infections among Pediatric Patients with Neoplastic Diseases.

Background. Pediatric patients with neoplastic diseases are more likely to develop nosocomial infections (NIs). NIs may prolong their hospital stay, and increase morbidity and mortality. Objectives. The objectives of this study were to determine: (1) the incidence of NIs, (2) sites of NIs, (3) causal organisms, and (4) outcomes of NIs among pediatric patients with neoplastic diseases. Methods. This study was a prospective cohort study of pediatric patients with neoplastic diseases who were admitted to the Chiang Mai University Hospital, Thailand. Results. A total of 707 pediatric patients with neoplastic diseases were admitted. Forty-six episodes of NIs in 30 patients were reported (6.5 NIs/100 admission episodes and 7 NIs/1000 days of hospitalization). Patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia had the highest number of NIs (41.3%). The most common causal organisms were gram-negative bacteria (47.1%). Patients who had undergone invasive procedures were more likely to develop NIs than those who had not (P < .05). The mortality rate of patients with NIs was 19.6%. Conclusion. Pediatric patients with neoplastic diseases are more likely to develop NIs after having undergone invasive procedures. Pediatricians should be aware of this and strictly follow infection control guidelines in order to reduce morbidity and mortality rates related to NIs.

The influence of educational preparation on evaluations of applicants for radiation therapy positions: a policy-capturing experiment.

PURPOSE: To determine whether radiation therapy department administrators prefer to hire graduates with certain types of educational preparation. The study was undertaken by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists as part of a larger project to determine educational requirements for radiation therapists. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Forty-one department administrators evaluated applications from a pool of 984 hypothetical applicants for the position of radiation therapist. Applications were created by systematically varying eight characteristics such as years of experience, quality of educational program, and ratings from prior references. Type of educational program (baccalaureate degree, associate's degree, or hospital certificate) was of particular interest in this study. Each administrator evaluated 24 applications and assigned a rating ranging from 1 to 5 to indicate the extent to which he or she desired to interview each applicant. All ratings and applicant characteristics were coded and subjected to regression-type analyses to determine the relative importance of each applicant characteristic to administrators' decision-making policies. RESULTS: Information obtained from applicant references had the greatest impact on administrators' evaluations of applicant quality. Specifically, reference ratings of cooperation and technical skills were the two most important characteristics, followed closely by reference ratings of interpersonal skills and dependability. Quality of educational program had some influence, as did years of experience. Type of educational program had virtually no impact on interview decisions for a vast majority of the administrators. CONCLUSIONS: When making hiring decisions about hypothetical applicants, department administrators place most emphasis on evidence relating to past performance and give almost no weight to type of educational preparation. The extent to which these results generalize to actual applicants is addressed in the article.

The relationship between educational preparation and performance on the ARRT examination in radiation therapy.

PURPOSE: To determine if graduates of different types of educational programs obtain similar scores on the Examination in Radiation Therapy administered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. The results will help inform discussions regarding educational requirements for radiation therapists. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Test scores were obtained for 531 candidates who had taken the examination for the first time in 1997, 1998, or 1999. Candidates were divided into the following three categories, based on the type of educational program attended: hospital-based certificate, associate's degree, or bachelor's degree. To determine if test scores were related to the type of educational preparation, analyses of variance were conducted separately to test for differences in total scores and section scores, and scores on test questions intended to measure critical thinking skills. RESULTS: Candidates with an associate's degree scored slightly lower than candidates with a bachelor's degree on the total test (p < 0.10) and lower than candidates with either a certificate or bachelor's degree on Section B of the examination (Treatment Planning and Delivery, p < 0.10). Baccalaureate candidates did not obtain higher scores than those prepared in certificate programs. On critical thinking questions, candidates with certificates scored higher than those with associate's degrees (p < 0.10). Some evidence suggested that candidates with a certificate scored higher on critical thinking than those with a bachelor's degree (p < 0.10), and that candidates with a bachelor's degree scored higher than candidates with an associate's degree (p < 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: Although some of the differences in the mean test scores among the three educational groups were statistically significant, all differences were small and do not support one type of educational preparation over another.