Workforce Engagement for Compassionate Advocacy, Resilience, and Empowerment (WE CARE): An Evidence-Based Wellness Program.

Poor well-being and burnout among the nursing workforce were heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to deliver, spread, and sustain an evidence-based wellness program, Workforce Engagement for Compassionate Advocacy, Resilience, and Empowerment (WE CARE), for nurse leaders, staff registered nurses (RNs), and patient care technicians (PCTs) to ameliorate or prevent burnout, promote resilience, and improve the work environment. The program included Community Resiliency Model (CRM) training provided by a certified 6-member wellness team. A baseline and 6-month follow-up survey included measures of well-being, moral distress, burnout, resilience, perceived organizational support (POS), job satisfaction, intent to leave (ITL), and work environment. A total of 4900 inpatient RNs, PCTs, and leaders of a 1207-bed academic medical center in the southeastern United States were analyzed. From baseline (n = 1533) to 6-month follow-up (n = 1457), well-being, moral distress, burnout, job satisfaction, and work environment improved; however, resilience, POS, and ITL did not. Although we have seen some improvements in well-being and mental health indicators, it is still early in the intervention period to have reached a critical mass with the training and other interventions. The mental health and work environment issues among nurses are so complex, no one-size-fits-all intervention can resolve.

Competency analysis and educational strategies to meet the demand for a learning health system workforce.

Learning Health Systems (LHS) require a workforce with specific knowledge and skills to identify and address healthcare quality issues, develop solutions to address those issues, and sustain and spread improvements within and outside the organization. Educational programs are tasked with designing learning opportunities that can meet these organizational needs. This manuscript explores different mechanisms for addressing challenges to creating educational programs to prepare individuals who can work in and lead LHS. Strategies and recommendations for educational programs to support the LHS include the creation of a new program, collaborating across existing programs, and producing a set of instructional materials.

Multiple Electronic Health Record-Based Measures of Social Determinants of Health to Predict Return to the Emergency Department Following Discharge.

Health care systems continue to struggle with preventing 30-day readmissions to their institutions. Social determinants of health (SDOH) are important predictors of repeat visits to the hospital. In many health systems, SDOH data are limited to those variables that are most relevant to care delivery or payment (eg, race, gender, insurance status). Despite calls for integrating a more robust set of measures (eg, measures of health behaviors and living conditions) into the electronic health record (EHR), these data often have missing values necessitating the use of imputation to build a comprehensive picture of patients who are likely to return to the health system. Using logistic regression analyses and imputation of missing data from 2017 to 2018, this study uses measures found in the EHR (eg, tobacco use, living situation, problems at home, education) to assess those SDOH that might predict a return to the emergency department within 30 days of discharge from a health system. In both imputed and raw data, the total number of recorded health conditions was the most important predictor and collectively SDOH variables made a relatively small contributions in determining the likelihood of a return to the hospital. Although SDOH variables might be important in the design of programs aimed at preventing readmissions, they may not be useful in readmission predictive models.

Mapping 2 Decades of Research in Health Services Research, Health Policy, and Health Economics Journals.

OBJECTIVE: To identify major research topics and exhibit trends in these topics in 15 health services research, health policy, and health economics journals over 2 decades. DATA SOURCES: The study sample of 35,159 abstracts (1999-2020) were collected from PubMed for 15 journals. STUDY DESIGN: The study used a 3-phase approach for text analyses: (1) developing the corpus of 40,618 references from PubMed (excluding 5459 of those without abstract or author information); (2) preprocessing and generating the term list using natural language processing to eliminate irrelevant textual data and identify important terms and phrases; (3) analyzing the preprocessed text data using latent semantic analysis, topic analyses, and multiple correspondence analysis. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Application of analyses generated 16 major research topics: (1) implementation/intervention science; (2) HIV and women's health; (3) outcomes research and quality; (4) veterans/military studies; (5) provider/primary-care interventions; (6) geriatrics and formal/informal care; (7) policies and health outcomes; (8) medication treatment/therapy; (9) patient interventions; (10) health insurance legislation and policies; (11) public health policies; (12) literature reviews; (13) cost-effectiveness and economic evaluation; (14) cancer care; (15) workforce issues; and (16) socioeconomic status and disparities. The 2-dimensional map revealed that some journals have stronger associations with specific topics. Findings were not consistent with previous studies based on user perceptions. CONCLUSION: Findings of this study can be used by the stakeholders of health services research, policy, and economics to develop future research agendas, target journal submissions, and generate interdisciplinary solutions by examining overlapping journals for particular topics.

Impact of an Emergency Department-to-Home Transitional Care Intervention on Health Service Use in Medicare Beneficiaries: A Mixed Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: Hospital-based acute care [emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations] that is preventable with high-quality outpatient care contributes to health care system waste and patient harm. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that an ED-to-home transitional care intervention reduces hospital-based acute care in chronically ill, older ED visitors. RESEARCH DESIGN: Convergent, parallel, mixed-methods design including a randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Two diverse Florida EDs. SUBJECTS: Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with chronic illness presenting to the ED. INTERVENTION: The Coleman Care Transition Intervention adapted for ED visitors. MEASURES: The main outcome was hospital-based acute care within 60 days of index ED visit. We also assessed office-based outpatient visits during the same period. RESULTS: The Intervention did not significantly reduce return ED visits or hospitalizations or increase outpatient visits. In those with return ED visits, the Intervention Group was less likely to be hospitalized than the Usual Care Group. Interview themes describe a cycle of hospital-based acute care largely outside patients' control that may be difficult to interrupt with a coaching intervention. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Structural features of the health care system, including lack of access to timely outpatient care, funnel patients into the ED and hospital admission. Reducing hospital-based acute care requires increased focus on the health care system rather than patients' care-seeking decisions.

Toward Understanding the Value of Missing Social Determinants of Health Data in Care Transition Planning.

BACKGROUND: Social determinants of health play an important role in the likelihood of readmission and therefore should be considered in care transition planning. Unfortunately, some social determinants that can be of value to care transition planners are missing in the electronic health record. Rather than trying to understand the value of data that are missing, decision makers often exclude these data. This exclusion can lead to failure to design appropriate care transition programs, leading to readmissions. OBJECTIVES: This article examines the value of missing social determinants data to emergency department (ED) revisits, and subsequent readmissions. METHODS: A deidentified data set of 123,697 people (18+ years), with at least one ED visit in 2017 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center was used. The dependent variable was all-cause 30-day revisits (yes/no), while the independent variables were missing/nonmissing status of the social determinants of health measures. Logistic regression was used to test the relationship between likelihood of revisits and social determinants of health variables. Moreover, relative weight analysis was used to identify relative importance of the independent variables. RESULTS: Twelve social determinants were found to be most often missing. Of those 12, only "lives with" (alone or with family/friends) had higher odds of ED revisits. However, relative logistic weight analysis suggested that "pain score" and "activities of daily living" (ADL) accounted for almost 50% of the relevance for ED revisits when compared among all 12 variables. CONCLUSION: In the process of care transition planning, data that are documented are factored into the care transition plan. One of the most common challenges in health services practice is to understand the value of missing data in effective program planning. This study suggests that the data that are not documented (i.e., missing) could play an important role in care transition planning as a mechanism to reduce ED revisits and eventual readmission rates.

Enhancing Transitions From Rehabilitation Patient to Wellness Participant for People With Disabilities: An Opportunity for Hospital Community Benefit.

Pressure is increasing on not-for-profit hospitals to demonstrate that they provide sufficient benefit to the community to justify their tax-exempt status. Many industry observers have suggested that this community benefit should address unmet medical needs within the community, deficits in the social determinants of health, or health disparities within communities. We argue that one area of clear unmet need is assistance in helping bridge the transition that people with disabilities (PWD) must make from rehabilitation patient to wellness participant. Programs to bridge this transition are necessary because many PWD struggle to identify strategies to maintain and maximize their own well-being after discharge from the healthcare system. As a result, PWD have worse health outcomes than non-disabled individuals. To address these needs, we propose hospitals take a leading role in establishing new, community-based efforts to provide PWD with benefits that will support their effort to self-manage health. Hospitals are well-suited to lead the creation of these programs because of the important role they play in providing services to PWD and because of their ability to bring together multiple stakeholders required to make supportive programs sustainable.

Impacts of Initial Transformation to a Patient-Centered Medical Home on Diabetes Outcomes in Federally Qualified Health Centers in Florida.

OBJECTIVE: Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in Florida see large numbers of vulnerable patients with diabetes. Patient-centered medical home (PCMH) models can lead to improvements in health for patients with chronic conditions and cost savings for providers. Therefore, FQHCs are increasingly moving to PCMH models of care. The study objective was to examine the effects of initial transformation to a level 3 National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) certified PCMH in 2011, on clinical diabetes outcomes among 27 clinic sites from a network of FQHCs in Florida. METHODS: We used de-identified, longitudinal electronic health record (EHR) data from 2010-2012 and multivariate logistic regression to analyze the effects of initial transformation on the odds of having well-controlled HbA1c, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure (BP) among vulnerable patients with diabetes. Models controlled for clustering by year, patient, and organizational characteristics. RESULTS: Overall, transformation to a PCMH was associated with 19% greater odds of having well-controlled HbA1c values with no statistically significant impact on BMI or BP. Subanalyses showed transformation had less of an effect on BP for African American patients and HbA1c control for Medicare enrollees but a greater effect on weight control for patients older than 35 years. CONCLUSION: Transformation to a PCMH in FQHCs appears to improve the health of vulnerable patients with diabetes, with less improvement for subsets of patients. Future research should seek to understand the heterogeneous effects of patient-centered transformation on various subgroups.

A Public Health Nursing Model Assists Women Receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Benefits to Identify a Usual Source of Primary Care.

Women enrolled in Florida's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program experience high rates of chronic health problems and often lack a usual source of care. Thus, in this study, we aimed to identify variables related to being in a usual source of care at time of study enrollment and determine whether a public health nursing case management intervention affected the obtainment of a usual source of care. To achieve these aims, we conducted a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial of a public health nursing case management intervention, which included women with chronic health conditions enrolled in TANF (n = 432). Results indicated 35% of the women did not identify a usual source of care at time of study enrollment, and the public health nursing intervention was effective in helping women obtain a usual source of care (OR = 2.5, 95% CI 1.004-6.491). Thus, a public health nursing case management intervention is an effective way to connect TANF participants to a usual source of care, which may lead to improved health outcomes in this vulnerable population of women.

Visitability surveillance, prevalence, and correlates in Florida.

BACKGROUND: A primary means of social connection is visiting friends and families in their homes. Visitability is designing houses in a way that enables people to visit others' homes regardless of physical limitations or use of mobility assistive devices. OBJECTIVE: The goals of this study were to develop a set of questions about visitability that could be used for surveillance and to assess the prevalence and correlates of visitability features in Florida. METHODS: We added five questions to the 2011 Florida Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n = 12,399 respondents) and used complementary log-log regression models to estimate the prevalence ratio of each visitability feature. RESULTS: The prevalence of visitability features in Florida homes was high for respondents with and without disabilities, though there was variation by visitability feature. A level entrance to the home and wide doorways were present in most respondents' homes (84.9% and 86.2%, respectively), while a main floor bathroom (59.6%) and a zero-step entrance (45.4%) were reported less commonly. People with a disability were less likely to report that their own home had doorways wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair compared to people without a disability (PR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.80-0.95). Visitability features were less common in households with lower income and also in trailers or mobile homes than in detached single-family homes. CONCLUSIONS: The survey questions used in this study could be implemented in other states to measure and track visitability and monitor progress toward the Healthy People 2020 goal. Building or retro-fitting homes to include visitability features could increase the participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in community life.

Differences in patient ratings of medical home domains among adults with diabetes: comparisons across primary care sites.

BACKGROUND: There is growing and sustained recognition that Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMHs) represent a viable approach to dealing with the fragmentation of care faced by many individuals, including those living with diabetes. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has spearheaded a program that recognizes medical practices that adopt key elements of the PCMH. Even though practices can achieve the same level of recognition, it is unclear whether all PCMHs deliver care in the same manner and how these differences can be associated with patient ratings of their experience with care. METHODS: This study uses a mixed-methods approach to explore differences in care delivery across 4 NCQA level 3 recognized PCMHs located in a southern state. Furthermore, the study examines the association between each clinic and patient ratings of key PCMH domains. The qualitative component of the study included in-depth interviews with medical directors at each site in order to determine how the PCMH at each clinic was operationalized. In addition, 1300 adult patients with diabetes were surveyed about their experiences with their PCMH. Bivariate and ordinal logistical analyses were conducted to determine how PCMH experiences varied across the 4 clinics. RESULTS: The in-depth interviews revealed that one clinic (clinic 1) had a stronger primary care orientation relative to the other locations. Furthermore, patients at these clinics were more likely to provide higher ratings of care across all PCMH domains. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that not all PCMH clinics are alike and that these differences can possibly affect patient perceptions of their care.

Determinants of hospital fall rate trajectory groups: a longitudinal assessment of nurse staffing and organizational characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Patient falls in acute care hospitals represent a significant patient safety concern. Although cross-sectional studies have shown that fall rates vary widely between acute care hospitals, it is not clear whether hospital fall rates remain consistent over time. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine whether hospitals can be categorized into fall rate trajectory groups over time and to identify nurse staffing and hospital characteristics associated with hospital fall rate trajectory groups. METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: We conducted a 54-month (July 2006-December 2010) longitudinal study of U.S. acute care general hospitals participating in the National Database for Nursing Quality Indicators (2007). We used latent class growth modeling to categorize hospitals into groups based on their long-term fall rates. Nurse staffing and hospital characteristics associated with membership in the highest hospital fall rate group were identified using logistic regression. FINDINGS: A sample of 1,529 hospitals (mean fall rate of 3.65 per 1,000 patient days) contributed data to the analysis. Latent class growth modeling findings classified hospital into three groups based on fall rate trajectories: consistently high (mean fall rate of 4.96 per 1,000 patient days), consistently medium (mean fall rate of 3.63 per 1,000 patient days), and consistently low (mean fall rate of 2.50 per 1,000 patient days). Hospitals with higher total nurse staffing (odds ratio [OR] = 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.85, 0.99]), Magnet status (OR = 0.49, 95% CI [0.35, 0.70]), and bed size greater than 300 beds (OR = 0.70, 95% CI [0.51, 0.94]) were significantly less likely to be categorized in the "consistently high" fall rate group. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Over this 54-month period, hospitals were categorized into three groups based on long-term fall rates. Hospital-level factors differed among these three groups. This suggests that there may be hospitals in which "best practices" for fall prevention might be identified. In addition, administrators may be able to reduce fall rates by maintaining greater nurse staffing ratios as well as fostering an environment consistent with that of Magnet hospitals.

Do provider service networks result in lower expenditures compared with HMOs or primary care case management in Florida's Medicaid program?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of Florida's Medicaid Demonstration 4 years post-implementation on per member per month (PMPM) Medicaid expenditures and whether receiving care through HMOs versus provider service networks (PSNs) in the Demonstration was associated with PMPM expenditures. DATA: Florida Medicaid claims from two fiscal years prior to implementation of the Demonstration (FY0405, FY0506) and the first four fiscal years after implementation (FY0607-FY0910) from two urban Demonstration counties and two urban non-Demonstration counties. STUDY DESIGN: A difference-in-difference approach was used to compare changes in enrollee expenditures before and after implementation of the Demonstration overall and specifically for HMOs and PSNs. DATA EXTRACTION: Claims data were extracted for enrollees in the Demonstration and non-Demonstration counties and collapsed into monthly amounts (N = 26,819,987 person-months). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Among SSI enrollees, the Demonstration resulted in lower increases in PMPM expenditures over time ($40) compared with the non-Demonstration counties ($186), with Demonstration PSNs lowering PMPM expenditures by $7 more than HMOs. Savings were also seen among TANF enrollees but to a lesser extent. CONCLUSIONS: The Medicaid Demonstration in Florida appears to result in lower PMPM expenditures. Demonstration PSNs generated slightly greater reductions in expenditures compared to Demonstration HMOs. PSNs appear to be a promising model for delivering care to Medicaid enrollees.

Reported experiences with Medicaid managed care models among parents of children.

The proportion of children enrolled in Medicaid managed care arrangements has grown significantly over the past decade. Yet, few studies have attempted to assess differences in parental reports and ratings of care for children enrolled in different types of Medicaid managed care. We examine parental reports and ratings of care to explore whether and how patient and parent experiences vary by child health status and managed care plan type, including provider-sponsored specialized plans serving only children. Parents of children in a Florida Medicaid demonstration project in two counties over 3 years were surveyed using Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems surveys (n = 2,741-11,067). Ordered logistic regression models with interaction terms were used to assess relationships between plan type, presence of chronic condition, and measures of patient experience. Parents of children enrolled in provider-sponsored plans that focus on pediatrics were more likely to provide a positive rating for their doctor, health plan, and specialty care compared to parents of children in an health maintenance organization (HMO). Parents of children with a chronic condition were less likely than parents of children without a chronic condition to provide a favorable rating of overall health care, their doctor, or health plan. The interaction term that assessed whether patient experience by plan type was impacted by the child's health status was not statistically significant. Parents of Medicaid children may prefer provider-sponsored arrangements over HMOs. Findings can inform the future development of other integrated models of care involving provider-sponsored arrangements, such as pediatric Accountable Care Organizations and Patient-Centered Medical Homes.

Incentives for healthy behaviors: experience from Florida Medicaid's Enhanced Benefit Rewards program.

OBJECTIVE: Engaging individuals in their own health care proves challenging for policy makers, health plans, and providers. Florida Medicaid introduced the Enhanced Benefits Rewards (EBR) program in 2006, providing financial incentives as rewards to beneficiaries who engage in health care seeking and healthy behaviors. METHODS: This study analyzed beneficiary survey data from 2009 to determine predictors associated with awareness of and participation in the EBR program. RESULTS: Non-English speakers, those in a racial and ethnic minority group, those with less than a high school education, and those with limited or no connection to a health care provider were associated with lower awareness of the program. Among those aware of the program, these factors were also associated with reduced likelihood of engaging in the program. Individuals in fair or poor health were also less likely to engage in an approved behavior. Individuals who speak Spanish at home and those without a high school diploma were more likely than other groups to spend their earned program credits. CONCLUSIONS: Findings underscore the fact that initial engagement in such a program can prove challenging as different groups are not equally likely to be aware of or participate in an approved activity or redeem a credit. Physicians may play important roles in encouraging participation in programs to incentivize healthy behaviors.

Public health nursing case management for women receiving temporary assistance for needy families: a randomized controlled trial using community-based participatory research.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the effectiveness of a community-based participatory research-grounded intervention among women receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) with chronic health conditions in increasing (1) health care visits, (2) Medicaid knowledge and skills, and (3) health and functional status. METHODS: We used a randomized controlled trial design to assign 432 women to a public health nurse case management plus Medicaid intervention or a wait-control group. We assessed Medicaid outcomes pre- and posttraining; other outcomes were assessed at 3, 6, and 9 months. RESULTS: Medicaid knowledge and skills improved (P < .001 for both). Intervention group participants were more likely to have a new mental health visit (odds ratio [OR] = 1.92; P = .007), and this likelihood increased in higher-risk subgroups (OR = 2.03 and 2.83; P = .04 and .006, respectively). Depression and functional status improved in the intervention group over time (P = .016 for both). No differences were found in routine or preventive care, or general health. CONCLUSIONS: Health outcomes among women receiving TANF can be improved with public health interventions. Additional strategies are needed to further reduce health disparities in this population.

Barriers to evaluation and wait listing for kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Many factors have been shown to be associated with ESRD patient placement on the waiting list and receipt of kidney transplantation. Our study aim was to evaluate factors and assess the interplay of patient characteristics associated with progression to transplantation in a large cohort of referred patients from a single institution. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: We examined 3029 consecutive adult patients referred for transplantation from 2003 to 2008. Uni- and multivariable logistic models were used to assess factors associated with progress to transplantation including receipt of evaluations, waiting list placement, and receipt of a transplant. RESULTS: A total of 56%, 27%, and 17% of referred patients were evaluated, were placed on the waiting list, and received a transplant over the study period, respectively. Older age, lower median income, and noncommercial insurance were associated with decreased likelihood to ascend steps to receive a transplant. There was no difference in the proportion of evaluations between African Americans (57%) and Caucasians (56%). Age-adjusted differences in waiting list placement by race were attenuated with further adjustment for income and insurance. There was no difference in the likelihood of waiting list placement between African Americans and Caucasians with commercial insurance. CONCLUSIONS: Race/ethnicity, age, insurance status, and income are predominant factors associated with patient progress to transplantation. Disparities by race/ethnicity may be largely explained by insurance status and income, potentially suggesting that variable insurance coverage exacerbates disparities in access to transplantation in the ESRD population, despite Medicare entitlement.

Changes in per member per month expenditures after implementation of Florida's Medicaid reform demonstration.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of Florida's Medicaid Reform Demonstration on per member per month (PMPM) Medicaid expenditures. DATA: Florida Medicaid claims data from the two fiscal years before implementation of the Demonstration (FY0405, FY0506) and the first two fiscal years after implementation (FY0607, FY0708) from two reform counties and two nonreform counties. STUDY DESIGN: A difference-in-difference approach was used to compare changes in expenditures before and after implementation of reforms between the reform counties and the nonreform counties. DATA EXTRACTION: Medicaid claims and eligibility files were extracted for enrollees in the reform and nonreform counties and collapsed into monthly amounts (N=16,875,467). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: When examining the entire population, the reforms had little impact on PMPM expenditures, particularly among SSI enrollees. PMPM expenditures for SSI enrollees increased by an additional U.S.$0.35 in the reform counties compared with the nonreform counties and increased by an additional U.S.$2.38 for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) enrollees. An analysis that limited the sample to individuals with at least 3 or 6 months of observations pre- and postimplementation, however, showed reduced PMPM expenditures of U.S.$11.15-U.S.$19.44 PMPM for both the SSI and TANF populations. CONCLUSIONS: Although Medicaid reforms in Florida did not result in significant reductions in PMPM expenditures when examining the full population, it does appear that expenditure reductions may be achieved among Medicaid enrollees with more stable enrollment, who have more exposure to managed care activities and may have more health care needs than the overall Medicaid population.

Impact of Medicaid/ SCHIP disenrollment on health care utilization and expenditures among children: a longitudinal analysis.

This study examines the impact of disenrolling from Medicaid/State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP) on health care utilization and expenditures among children using the 1996-2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data. Changes in expenditures and utilization upon Medicaid/SCHIP disenrollment were examined for two disenrollment groups, children who became uninsured and those who transitioned to private insurance; relative to a control group, those continuously enrolled in Medicaid/SCHIP during the study period. In multivariate analysis, a modified two-part model and difference-in-difference analytic approach were used. The dependent variables were changes in total expenditures and changes in utilization (i.e., well-child visits, physician visits, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and prescription drug use) from pre- to post-disenrollment round. This study found that losing Medicaid/SCHIP coverage is associated with decreased preventive care utilization among children, regardless of the insurance status post-disenrollment. In addition, children who become uninsured following Medicaid/SCHIP disenrollment may also experience reductions in physician visits and prescription drug use.