Assessment of the characteristics of COVID-19 infection among healthcare personnel working in long-term care facilities.

Between May and June 2021, healthcare personnel at two long-term care facilities underwent SARS-CoV-2 anti-nucleocapsid immunoglobulin G testing and completed a survey on COVID-19 exposures and symptoms. Antibody positivity rate was 8.9%. Similar rates of COVID-19 exposure occurred in non-occupational and occupational settings, with high self-reported adherence to workplace infection prevention practices.

Postdischarge antibiotic use for prophylaxis following spinal fusion.

OBJECTIVE: Despite recommendations to discontinue prophylactic antibiotics after incision closure or <24 hours after surgery, prophylactic antibiotics are continued after discharge by some clinicians. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with postdischarge prophylactic antibiotic use after spinal fusion. DESIGN: Multicenter retrospective cohort study. PATIENTS: This study included patients aged ≥18 years undergoing spinal fusion or refusion between July 2011 and June 2015 at 3 sites. Patients with an infection during the surgical admission were excluded. METHODS: Prophylactic antibiotics were identified at discharge. Factors associated with postdischarge prophylactic antibiotic use were identified using hierarchical generalized linear models. RESULTS: In total, 8,652 spinal fusion admissions were included. Antibiotics were prescribed at discharge in 289 admissions (3.3%). The most commonly prescribed antibiotics were trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (22.1%), cephalexin (18.8%), and ciprofloxacin (17.1%). Adjusted for study site, significant factors associated with prophylactic discharge antibiotics included American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class ≥3 (odds ratio [OR], 1.31; 95% CI, 1.00-1.70), lymphoma (OR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.11-5.98), solid tumor (OR, 3.63; 95% CI, 1.62-8.14), morbid obesity (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.09-2.47), paralysis (OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.30-4.37), hematoma/seroma (OR, 2.93; 95% CI, 1.17-7.33), thoracic surgery (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.01-1.93), longer length of stay, and intraoperative antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: Postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics were uncommon after spinal fusion. Patient and perioperative factors were associated with continuation of prophylactic antibiotics after hospital discharge.

From Stigma to Validation: A Qualitative Assessment of a Novel National Program to Improve Retention of Physician-Scientists with Caregiving Responsibilities.

Background: Research is needed to improve understanding of work-life integration issues in academic medicine and to guide the implementation of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists (FRCS), a national initiative offering financial support to physician-scientists facing caregiving challenges. Materials and Methods: In 2018, as part of a prospective program evaluation, the authors conducted a qualitative study to examine FRCS program participants' initial impressions, solicit descriptions of their career and caregiving experiences, and inquire how such factors might influence their professional advancement. The authors invited all 33 awardees who had been granted FRCS funding in the first year of the program to participate in the study, of whom 28 agreed to complete an interview. Analysts evaluated de-identified transcripts and explicated the data using a thematic analysis approach. Results: While participants described aspects of a culture that harbor stigma against caregivers and impede satisfactory work-life integration, they also perceived an optimistic cultural shift taking place as a result of programs like the FRCS. Their comments indicated that the FRCS has the potential to influence culture if institutional leadership simultaneously fosters a community that validates individuals both as caregivers and as scientists. Conclusions: Insights garnered from this qualitative study suggest that there is a pressing need for institutional leaders to implement programs that can foster awareness and normalization of caregiving challenges. In addition to providing funding and other tangible resources, interventions should strive to reinforce a broader culture that affirms the presence of work-life integration challenges and openly embraces solutions.

Assessment of antibiotic-resistant organism transmission among rooms of hospitalized patients, healthcare personnel, and the hospital environment utilizing surrogate markers and selective bacterial cultures.

OBJECTIVE: To assess potential transmission of antibiotic-resistant organisms (AROs) using surrogate markers and bacterial cultures. DESIGN: Pilot study. SETTING: A 1,260-bed tertiary-care academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 25 patients (17 of whom were on contact precautions for AROs) and 77 healthcare personnel (HCP). METHODS: Fluorescent powder (FP) and MS2 bacteriophage were applied in patient rooms. HCP visits to each room were observed for 2-4 hours; hand hygiene (HH) compliance was recorded. Surfaces inside and outside the room and HCP skin and clothing were assessed for fluorescence, and swabs were collected for MS2 detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and selective bacterial cultures. RESULTS: Transfer of FP was observed for 20 rooms (80%) and 26 HCP (34%). Transfer of MS2 was detected for 10 rooms (40%) and 15 HCP (19%). Bacterial cultures were positive for 1 room and 8 HCP (10%). Interactions with patients on contact precautions resulted in fewer FP detections than interactions with patients not on precautions (P < .001); MS2 detections did not differ by patient isolation status. Fluorescent powder detections did not differ by HCP type, but MS2 was recovered more frequently from physicians than from nurses (P = .03). Overall, HH compliance was better among HCP caring for patients on contact precautions than among HCP caring for patients not on precautions (P = .003), among nurses than among other nonphysician HCP at room entry (P = .002), and among nurses than among physicians at room exit (P = .03). Moreover, HCP who performed HH prior to assessment had fewer fluorescence detections (P = .008). CONCLUSIONS: Contact precautions were associated with greater HCP HH compliance and reduced detection of FP and MS2.

The Most Valuable Resource Is Time: Insights From a Novel National Program to Improve Retention of Physician-Scientists With Caregiving Responsibilities.

PURPOSE: To enhance understanding of challenges related to work-life integration in academic medicine and to inform the ongoing implementation of an existing program and the development of other interventions to promote success of physician-scientists. METHOD: This study is part of a prospective analysis of the effects of the Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists (FRCS), a national program launched by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation at 10 U.S. institutions, which provides financial support to physician-scientists facing caregiving challenges. In early 2018, 28 of 33 program awardees participated in semistructured interviews. Questions were about challenges faced by physician-scientists as caregivers and their early perceptions of the FRCS. Multiple analysts reviewed deidentified transcripts, iteratively revised the coding scheme, and interpreted the data using qualitative thematic analysis. RESULTS: Participants' rich descriptions illuminated 5 interconnected themes: (1) Time is a critical and limited resource, (2) timing is key, (3) limited time resources and timing conflicts may have a particularly adverse effect on women's careers, (4) flexible funds enable reclamation and repurposing of time resources, and (5) FRCS leaders should be cognizant of time and timing conflicts when developing program-related offerings. CONCLUSIONS: Programs such as the FRCS are instrumental in supporting individuals to delegate time-consuming tasks and to control how they spend their valuable time. Qualitative analysis suggests that access to and command of valuable time resources are crucial to career advancement, research productivity, and work-life flexibility, especially during critical time points along the physician-scientist trajectory.

Assessment of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing among a large cohort of general dentists in the United States.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess dental antibiotic prescribing trends over time, to quantify the number and types of antibiotics dentists prescribe inappropriately, and to estimate the excess health care costs of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing with the use of a large cohort of general dentists in the United States. METHODS: We used a quasi-Poisson regression model to analyze antibiotic prescriptions trends by general dentists between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015, with the use of data from Express Scripts Holding Company, a large pharmacy benefits manager. We evaluated antibiotic duration and appropriateness for general dentists. Appropriateness was evaluated by reviewing the antibiotic prescribed and the duration of the prescription. RESULTS: Overall, the number and rate of antibiotic prescriptions prescribed by general dentists remained stable in our cohort. During the 3-year study period, approximately 14% of antibiotic prescriptions were deemed inappropriate, based on the antibiotic prescribed, antibiotic treatment duration, or both indicators. The quasi-Poisson regression model, which adjusted for number of beneficiaries covered, revealed a small but statistically significant decrease in the monthly rate of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions by 0.32% (95% confidence interval, 0.14% to 0.50%; P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Overall antibiotic prescribing practices among general dentists in this cohort remained stable over time. The rate of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions by general dentists decreased slightly over time. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: From these authors' definition of appropriate antibiotic prescription choice and duration, inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions are common (14% of all antibiotic prescriptions) among general dentists. Further analyses with the use of chart review, administrative data sets, or other approaches are needed to better evaluate antibiotic prescribing practices among dentists.

Outpatient Antibiotic Prescription Trends in the United States: A National Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVETo characterize trends in outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in the United StatesDESIGNRetrospective ecological and temporal trend study evaluating outpatient antibiotic prescriptions from 2013 to 2015SETTINGNational administrative claims data from a pharmacy benefits manager PARTICIPANTS. Prescription pharmacy beneficiaries from Express Scripts Holding CompanyMEASUREMENTSAnnual and seasonal percent change in antibiotic prescriptionsRESULTSApproximately 98 million outpatient antibiotic prescriptions were filled by 39 million insurance beneficiaries during the 3-year study period. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics were azithromycin, amoxicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, ciprofloxacin, and cephalexin. No significant changes in individual or overall annual antibiotic prescribing rates were found during the study period. Significant seasonal variation was observed, with antibiotics being 42% more likely to be prescribed during February than September (peak-to-trough ratio [PTTR], 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39-1.61). Similar seasonal trends were found for azithromycin (PTTR, 2.46; 95% CI, 2.44-3.47), amoxicillin (PTTR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.42-1.89), and amoxicillin/clavulanate (PTTR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.68-2.29).CONCLUSIONSThis study demonstrates that annual national outpatient antibiotic prescribing practices remained unchanged during our study period. Furthermore, seasonal peaks in antibiotics generally used to treat viral upper respiratory tract infections remained unchanged during cold and influenza season. These results suggest that inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics remains widespread, despite the concurrent release of several guideline-based best practices intended to reduce inappropriate antibiotic consumption; however, further research linking national outpatient antibiotic prescriptions to associated medical conditions is needed to confirm these findings.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:584-589.

Prevalence and Predictors of Postdischarge Antibiotic Use Following Mastectomy.

OBJECTIVE Survey results suggest that prolonged administration of prophylactic antibiotics is common after mastectomy with reconstruction. We determined utilization, predictors, and outcomes of postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics after mastectomy with or without immediate breast reconstruction. DESIGN Retrospective cohort. PATIENTS Commercially insured women aged 18-64 years coded for mastectomy from January 2004 to December 2011 were included in the study. Women with a preexisting wound complication or septicemia were excluded. METHODS Predictors of prophylactic antibiotics within 5 days after discharge were identified in women with 1 year of prior insurance enrollment; relative risks (RR) were calculated using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS Overall, 12,501 mastectomy procedures were identified; immediate reconstruction was performed in 7,912 of these procedures (63.3%). Postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics were used in 4,439 procedures (56.1%) with immediate reconstruction and 1,053 procedures (22.9%) without immediate reconstruction (P.05). CONCLUSIONS Prophylactic postdischarge antibiotics are commonly prescribed after mastectomy; immediate reconstruction is the strongest predictor. Stewardship efforts in this population to limit continuation of prophylactic antibiotics after discharge are needed to limit antimicrobial resistance. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1048-1054.

Assessment of Healthcare Worker Protocol Deviations and Self-Contamination During Personal Protective Equipment Donning and Doffing.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate healthcare worker (HCW) risk of self-contamination when donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE) using fluorescence and MS2 bacteriophage. DESIGN Prospective pilot study. SETTING Tertiary-care hospital. PARTICIPANTS A total of 36 HCWs were included in this study: 18 donned/doffed contact precaution (CP) PPE and 18 donned/doffed Ebola virus disease (EVD) PPE. INTERVENTIONS HCWs donned PPE according to standard protocols. Fluorescent liquid and MS2 bacteriophage were applied to HCWs. HCWs then doffed their PPE. After doffing, HCWs were scanned for fluorescence and swabbed for MS2. MS2 detection was performed using reverse transcriptase PCR. The donning and doffing processes were videotaped, and protocol deviations were recorded. RESULTS Overall, 27% of EVD PPE HCWs and 50% of CP PPE HCWs made ≥1 protocol deviation while donning, and 100% of EVD PPE HCWs and 67% of CP PPE HCWs made ≥1 protocol deviation while doffing (P=.02). The median number of doffing protocol deviations among EVD PPE HCWs was 4, versus 1 among CP PPE HCWs. Also, 15 EVD PPE protocol deviations were committed by doffing assistants and/or trained observers. Fluorescence was detected on 8 EVD PPE HCWs (44%) and 5 CP PPE HCWs (28%), most commonly on hands. MS2 was recovered from 2 EVD PPE HCWs (11%) and 3 CP PPE HCWs (17%). CONCLUSIONS Protocol deviations were common during both EVD and CP PPE doffing, and some deviations during EVD PPE doffing were committed by the HCW doffing assistant and/or the trained observer. Self-contamination was common. PPE donning/doffing are complex and deserve additional study. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1077-1083.

Use of Quantile Regression to Determine the Impact on Total Health Care Costs of Surgical Site Infections Following Common Ambulatory Procedures.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of surgical site infections (SSIs) on health care costs following common ambulatory surgical procedures throughout the cost distribution. BACKGROUND: Data on costs of SSIs following ambulatory surgery are sparse, particularly variation beyond just mean costs. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of persons undergoing cholecystectomy, breast-conserving surgery, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, and hernia repair from December 31, 2004 to December 31, 2010 using commercial insurer claims data. SSIs within 90 days post-procedure were identified; infections during a hospitalization or requiring surgery were considered serious. We used quantile regression, controlling for patient, operative, and postoperative factors to examine the impact of SSIs on 180-day health care costs throughout the cost distribution. RESULTS: The incidence of serious and nonserious SSIs was 0.8% and 0.2%, respectively, after 21,062 anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, 0.5% and 0.3% after 57,750 cholecystectomy, 0.6% and 0.5% after 60,681 hernia, and 0.8% and 0.8% after 42,489 breast-conserving surgery procedures. Serious SSIs were associated with significantly higher costs than nonserious SSIs for all 4 procedures throughout the cost distribution. The attributable cost of serious SSIs increased for both cholecystectomy and hernia repair as the quantile of total costs increased ($38,410 for cholecystectomy with serious SSI vs no SSI at the 70th percentile of costs, up to $89,371 at the 90th percentile). CONCLUSIONS: SSIs, particularly serious infections resulting in hospitalization or surgical treatment, were associated with significantly increased health care costs after 4 common surgical procedures. Quantile regression illustrated the differential effect of serious SSIs on health care costs at the upper end of the cost distribution.

Modification of claims-based measures improves identification of comorbidities in non-elderly women undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Accurate identification of underlying health conditions is important to fully adjust for confounders in studies using insurer claims data. Our objective was to evaluate the ability of four modifications to a standard claims-based measure to estimate the prevalence of select comorbid conditions compared with national prevalence estimates. METHODS: In a cohort of 11,973 privately insured women aged 18-64 years with mastectomy from 1/04-12/11 in the HealthCore Integrated Research Database, we identified diabetes, hypertension, deficiency anemia, smoking, and obesity from inpatient and outpatient claims for the year prior to surgery using four different algorithms. The standard comorbidity measure was compared to revised algorithms which included outpatient medications for diabetes, hypertension and smoking; an expanded timeframe encompassing the mastectomy admission; and an adjusted time interval and number of required outpatient claims. A χ2 test of proportions was used to compare prevalence estimates for 5 conditions in the mastectomy population to national health survey datasets (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey). Medical record review was conducted for a sample of women to validate the identification of smoking and obesity. RESULTS: Compared to the standard claims algorithm, use of the modified algorithms increased prevalence from 4.79 to 6.79 % for diabetes, 14.75 to 24.87 % for hypertension, 4.23 to 6.65 % for deficiency anemia, 1.78 to 12.87 % for smoking, and 1.14 to 6.31 % for obesity. The revised estimates were more similar, but not statistically equivalent, to nationally reported prevalence estimates. Medical record review revealed low sensitivity (17.86 %) to capture obesity in the claims, moderate negative predictive value (NPV, 71.78 %) and high specificity (99.15 %) and positive predictive value (PPV, 90.91 %); the claims algorithm for current smoking had relatively low sensitivity (62.50 %) and PPV (50.00 %), but high specificity (92.19 %) and NPV (95.16 %). CONCLUSIONS: Modifications to a standard comorbidity measure resulted in prevalence estimates that were closer to expected estimates for non-elderly women than the standard measure. Adjustment of the standard claims algorithm to identify underlying comorbid conditions should be considered depending on the specific conditions and the patient population studied.

Pharmacoepidemiology of cytomegalovirus prophylaxis in a large retrospective cohort of kidney transplant recipients with Medicare Part D coverage.

We assembled a cohort of 21 117 kidney transplant patients from July 2006 to June 2011 with Medicare Part D coverage using US Renal Database System data to determine real-world use of cytomegalovirus (CMV) prophylaxis. CMV prophylaxis was defined as filled prescriptions for daily oral valganciclovir (≤900 mg), ganciclovir (≤3 g), or valacyclovir (6-8 g) within 28 d of transplant. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were performed to determine factors associated with CMV prophylaxis. CMV prophylaxis (97% valganciclovir) was identified in 61% of kidney transplant recipients (median duration, 64 d); 71% of seronegative recipients of kidneys from seropositive donors (D+/R-); 63% of R+ patients; 60% of patients with unknown serostatus; and 34% of D-/R- patients. Variability in usage of prophylaxis among transplant centers was greater than variability within transplant centers. One in four transplant centers prescribed CMV prophylaxis to >60% of their D-/R- patients. CMV donor/recipient serostatus, lymphocyte-depleting agents for induction and mycophenolate for maintenance were associated with CMV prophylaxis. CMV prophylaxis was commonly used among kidney transplant recipients. Routine prescription of CMV prophylaxis to D-/R- patients may have occurred in some transplant centers. Limiting unnecessary use of CMV prophylaxis may decrease healthcare costs and drug-related harms.

Bayesian estimation of the accuracy of ICD-9-CM- and CPT-4-based algorithms to identify cholecystectomy procedures in administrative data without a reference standard.

PURPOSE: To estimate the accuracy of two algorithms to identify cholecystectomy procedures using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT-4) codes in administrative data. METHODS: Private insurer medical claims for 30 853 patients 18-64 years with an inpatient hospitalization between 2006 and 2010, as indicated by providers/facilities place of service in addition to room and board charges, were cross-classified according to the presence of codes for cholecystectomy. The accuracy of ICD-9-CM- and CPT-4-based algorithms was estimated using a Bayesian latent class model. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity were 0.92 [probability interval (PI): 0.92, 0.92] and 0.99 (PI: 0.97, 0.99) for ICD-9-CM-, and 0.93 (PI: 0.92, 0.93) and 0.99 (PI: 0.97, 0.99) for CPT-4-based algorithms, respectively. The parallel-joint scheme, where positivity of either algorithm was considered a positive outcome, yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 0.99 (PI: 0.99, 0.99) and 0.97 (PI: 0.95, 0.99), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Both ICD-9-CM- and CPT-4-based algorithms had high sensitivity to identify cholecystectomy procedures in administrative data when used individually and especially in a parallel-joint approach.

Incidence of Surgical Site Infection Following Mastectomy With and Without Immediate Reconstruction Using Private Insurer Claims Data.

OBJECTIVE: The National Healthcare Safety Network classifies breast operations as clean procedures with an expected 1%-2% surgical site infection (SSI) incidence. We assessed differences in SSI incidence following mastectomy with and without immediate reconstruction in a large, geographically diverse population. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. PATIENTS: Commercially insured women aged 18-64 years with ICD-9-CM procedure or CPT-4 codes for mastectomy from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2011 METHODS: Incident SSIs within 180 days after surgery were identified by ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes. The incidences of SSI after mastectomy with and without immediate reconstruction were compared using the χ2 test. RESULTS: From 2004 to 2011, 18,696 mastectomy procedures among 18,085 women were identified, with immediate reconstruction in 10,836 procedures (58%). The incidence of SSI within 180 days following mastectomy with or without reconstruction was 8.1% (1,520 of 18,696). In total, 49% of SSIs were identified within 30 days post-mastectomy, 24.5% were identified 31-60 days post-mastectomy, 10.5% were identified 61-90 days post-mastectomy, and 15.7% were identified 91-180 days post-mastectomy. The incidences of SSI were 5.0% (395 of 7,860) after mastectomy only, 10.3% (848 of 8,217) after mastectomy plus implant, 10.7% (207 of 1,942) after mastectomy plus flap, and 10.3% (70 of 677) after mastectomy plus flap and implant (P<.001). The SSI risk was higher after bilateral compared with unilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction (11.4% vs 9.4%, P=.001) than without (6.1% vs 4.7%, P=.021) immediate reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS: SSI incidence was twice that after mastectomy with immediate reconstruction than after mastectomy alone. Only 49% of SSIs were coded within 30 days after operation. Our results suggest that stratification by procedure type facilitates comparison of SSI rates after breast operations between facilities.

Can additional information be obtained from claims data to support surgical site infection diagnosis codes?

OBJECTIVE: International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnosis codes are increasingly used to identify healthcare-associated infections, often with insufficient evidence demonstrating validity of the codes used. Absent medical record verification, we sought to confirm a claims algorithm to identify surgical site infections (SSIs) by examining the presence of clinically expected SSI treatment. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study, using private insurer claims data from persons less than 65 years old with ICD-9-CM procedure or Current Procedure Terminology (CPT-4) codes for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction from January 2004 through December 2010. SSIs occurring within 90 days after ACL reconstruction were identified by ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes. Antibiotic utilization, surgical treatment, and microbiology culture claims within 14 days of SSI codes were used as evidence to support the SSI diagnosis. RESULTS: Of 40,702 procedures, 401 (1.0%) were complicated by SSI, 172 (0.4%) of which were specifically identified as septic arthritis. Most SSIs were associated with an inpatient admission (232/401 [58%]), and/or surgical procedure(s) for treatment (250/401 [62%]). Temporally associated antibiotics, surgical treatment procedures, and cultures were present for 84% (338/401), 61% (246/401), and 59% (238/401), respectively. Only 5.7% (23/401) of procedures coded for SSI after the procedure had no antibiotics, surgical treatments, or cultures within 14 days of the SSI claims. CONCLUSIONS: More than 94% of patients identified by our claims algorithm as having an SSI received clinically expected treatment for infection, including antibiotics, surgical treatment, and culture, suggesting that this algorithm has very good positive predictive value. This method may facilitate retrospective SSI surveillance and comparison of SSI rates across facilities and providers.

Use of Medicare diagnosis and procedure codes to improve detection of surgical site infections following hip arthroplasty, knee arthroplasty, and vascular surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of routinely collected electronic health data in Medicare claims to identify surgical site infections (SSIs) following hip arthroplasty, knee arthroplasty, and vascular surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Four academic hospitals that perform prospective SSI surveillance. METHODS: We developed lists of International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, and Current Procedural Terminology diagnosis and procedure codes to identify potential SSIs. We then screened for these codes in Medicare claims submitted by each hospital on patients older than 65 years of age who had undergone 1 of the study procedures during 2007. Each site reviewed medical records of patients identified by either claims codes or traditional infection control surveillance to confirm SSI using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Healthcare Safety Network criteria. We assessed the performance of both methods against all chart-confirmed SSIs identified by either method. RESULTS: Claims-based surveillance detected 1.8-4.7-fold more SSIs than traditional surveillance, including detection of all previously identified cases. For hip and vascular surgery, there was a 5-fold and 1.6-fold increase in detection of deep and organ/space infections, respectively, with no increased detection of deep and organ/space infections following knee surgery. Use of claims to trigger chart review led to confirmation of SSI in 1 out of 3 charts for hip arthroplasty, 1 out of 5 charts for knee arthroplasty, and 1 out of 2 charts for vascular surgery. CONCLUSION: Claims-based SSI surveillance markedly increased the number of SSIs detected following hip arthroplasty, knee arthroplasty, and vascular surgery. It deserves consideration as a more effective approach to target chart reviews for identifying SSIs.

Use of Medicare claims to rank hospitals by surgical site infection risk following coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether longitudinal insurer claims data allow reliable identification of elevated hospital surgical site infection (SSI) rates. DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in US hospitals performing at least 80 procedures in 2005. Hospitals were assigned to deciles by using case mix-adjusted probabilities of having an SSI-related inpatient or outpatient claim code within 60 days of surgery. We then reviewed medical records of randomly selected patients to assess whether chart-confirmed SSI risk was higher in hospitals in the worst deciles compared with the best deciles. PARTICIPANTS: Fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries who underwent CABG in these hospitals in 2005. RESULTS: We evaluated 114,673 patients who underwent CABG in 671 hospitals. In the best decile, 7.8% (958/12,307) of patients had an SSI-related code, compared with 24.8% (2,747/11,068) in the worst decile ([Formula: see text]). Medical record review confirmed SSI in 40% (388/980) of those with SSI-related codes. In the best decile, the chart-confirmed annual SSI rate was 3.2%, compared with 9.4% in the worst decile, with an adjusted odds ratio of SSI of 2.7 (confidence interval, 2.2-3.3; [Formula: see text]) for CABG performed in a worst-decile hospital compared with a best-decile hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Claims data can identify groups of hospitals with unusually high or low post-CABG SSI rates. Assessment of claims is more reproducible and efficient than current surveillance methods. This example of secondary use of routinely recorded electronic health information to assess quality of care can identify hospitals that may benefit from prevention programs.

Comparison of costs of surgical site infection and endometritis after cesarean delivery using claims and medical record data.

We used administrative and clinical data from a case-control study to calculate the costs of surgical site infection and endometritis after cesarean delivery. Attributable costs determined by multivariate generalized least-squares regression models with the 2 data sets were similar, suggesting that administrative data can be used to calculate infection costs.

Risk managers, physicians, and disclosure of harmful medical errors.

BACKGROUND: Physicians are encouraged to disclose medical errors to patients, which often requires close collaboration between physicians and risk managers. METHODS: An anonymous national survey of 2,988 healthcare facility-based risk managers was conducted between November 2004 and March 2005, and results were compared with those of a previous survey (conducted between July 2003 and March 2004) of 1,311 medical physicians in Washington and Missouri. Both surveys included an error-disclosure scenario for an obvious and a less obvious error with scripted response options. RESULTS: More risk managers than physicians were aware that an error-reporting system was present at their hospital (81% versus 39%, p < .001) and believed that mechanisms to inform physicians about errors in their hospital were adequate (51% versus 17%, p < .001). More risk managers than physicians strongly agreed that serious errors should be disclosed to patients (70% versus 49%, p < .001). Across both error scenario, risk managers were more likely than physicians to definitely recommend that the error be disclosed (76% versus 50%, p < .001) and to provide full details about how the error would be prevented in the future (62% versus 51%, p < .001). However, physicians were more likely than risk managers to provide a full apology recognizing the harm caused by the error (39% versus 21%, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Risk managers have more favorable attitudes about disclosing errors to patients compared with physicians but are less supportive of providing a full apology. These differences may create conflicts between risk managers and physicians regarding disclosure. Health care institutions should promote greater collaboration between these two key participants in disclosure conversations.