Virtual urgent care is here to stay: driving toward safe, equitable, and sustainable integration within emergency medicine.

BACKGROUND: Virtual care in Canada rapidly expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic in a low-rules environment in response to pressing needs for ongoing access to care amid public health restrictions. Emergency medicine specialists now face the challenge of advising on which virtual urgent care services ought to remain as part of comprehensive emergency care. Consideration must be given to safe, quality, and appropriate care as well as issues of equitable access, public demand, and sustainability (financial and otherwise). The aim of this project was to summarize current literature and expert opinion and formulate recommendations on the path forward for virtual care in emergency medicine. METHODS: We formed a working group of emergency medicine physicians from across Canada working in a variety of practice settings. The virtual care working group conducted a scoping review of the literature and met monthly to discuss themes and develop recommendations. The final recommendations were circulated to stakeholders for input and subsequently presented at the 2023 Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) Academic Symposium for discussion, feedback, and refinement. RESULTS: The working group developed and reached unanimity on nine recommendations addressing the themes of system design, equity and accessibility, quality and patient safety, education and curriculum, financial models, and sustainability of virtual urgent care services in Canada. CONCLUSION: Virtual urgent care has become an established service in the Canadian health care system. Emergency medicine specialists are uniquely suited to provide leadership and guidance on the optimal delivery of these services to enhance and complement emergency care in Canada.

RéSUMé: CONTEXTE: Les soins virtuels au Canada ont rapidement pris de l'ampleur pendant la pandémie de COVID-19 dans un environnement où les règles sont peu strictes, en réponse aux besoins urgents d'accès continu aux soins dans un contexte de restrictions en santé publique. Les spécialistes de la médecine d'urgence sont maintenant confrontés au défi de conseiller sur les services de soins d'urgence virtuels qui devraient rester dans le cadre des soins d'urgence complets. Il faut tenir compte des soins sécuritaires, de qualité et appropriés, ainsi que des questions d'accès équitable, de la demande publique et de la durabilité (financière et autre). L'objectif de ce projet était de résumer la littérature actuelle et l'opinion d'experts et de formuler des recommandations sur la voie à suivre pour les soins virtuels en médecine d'urgence. MéTHODES: Nous avons formé un groupe de travail composé de médecins urgentistes de partout au Canada qui travaillent dans divers milieux de pratique. Le groupe de travail sur les soins virtuels a effectué un examen de la portée de la documentation et s'est réuni chaque mois pour discuter des thèmes et formuler des recommandations. Les recommandations finales ont été distribuées aux intervenants pour obtenir leurs commentaires, puis présentées au symposium universitaire 2023 de l'Association canadienne des médecins d'urgence (ACMU) pour discussion, rétroaction et perfectionnement. RéSULTATS: Le groupe de travail a élaboré et atteint l'unanimité sur neuf recommandations portant sur les thèmes de la conception du système, de l'équité et de l'accessibilité, de la qualité et de la sécurité des patients, de l'éducation et des programmes, des modèles financiers et de la viabilité des services virtuels de soins d'urgence au Canada. CONCLUSION : Les soins d'urgence virtuels sont devenus un service établi dans le système de santé canadien. Les spécialistes en médecine d'urgence sont particulièrement bien placés pour fournir un leadership et des conseils sur la prestation optimale de ces services afin d'améliorer et de compléter les soins d'urgence au Canada.

Atendimento odontológico de pacientes com necessidades especiais na atenção secundária em um estado do nordeste do Brasil / Dental care of special needs patients in secondary care in a northeastern state of Brazil / Atención odontológica a pacientes con necesidades especiales en la atención secundaria en un estado del nordeste de Brasil

O objetivo desse estudo foi descrever a produção dos atendimentos oferecidos aos pacientes com necessidades especiais nos Centros de Especialidades Odontológicas (CEO) da Paraíba (Brasil) e sua relação com o cumprimento das metas de produtividade, entre o período de 2019 e 2022. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo e ecológico em que foram coletados dados secundários do Sistema de Informações Ambulatoriais do SUS (SIA/SUS), através da captação da produção ambulatorial individualizada (BPA-I), por meio da ferramenta TabWin, dos 98 CEO operantes na Paraíba. Realizou-se análise descritiva e analítica, por meio dos testes Qui-Quadrado de Pearson e Exato de Fisher entre a variável dependente "alcance da meta" e a variável independente "adesão à Rede de Cuidados à Pessoa com Deficiência (RCPD)". Em todos os anos, a porcentagem de CEO cumpridores da meta (15,3% em 2019; 1% em 2020; 12,2% em 2021; e 11,2% em 2022) foi substancialmente menor que os números expressados por aqueles que não alcançaram a produção mínima. Os resultados também apontaram maior realização de procedimentos restauradores (29,6% em 2019; 28,6% em 2020; 32,7% em 2021; e 37,8% em 2022) em detrimento aos periodontais, cirúrgicos e preventivos. No que concerne a estar aderido à RCPD, no ano de 2022, 90,9% dos CEO que alcançaram a meta estavam aderidos à Rede (p<0,05). Concluiu-se que uma baixa frequência de CEO alcançou o cumprimento da meta de produtividade da especialidade de Odontologia para Pacientes com Necessidades Especiais nos CEO. No entanto, a adesão à RCPD manifestou-se como elemento influenciador para aqueles que cumpriram suas metas mensais e anuais.

The objective of this study was to describe the production of care provided to special needs patients in the Dental Specialties Centers (CEO) of Paraíba (Brazil) and its relationship with the achievement of productivity goals, between the period 2019 and 2022. This is a descriptive and ecological study in which secondary data were collected from the SUS Outpatient Information System (SIA/SUS), by capturing the individualized outpatient production (BPA-I), through the TabWin tool, of the 98 operating CEOs in Paraíba. We carried out descriptive and analytical analysis, using Pearson's Chi-square and Fisher's Exact tests between the dependent variable "goal attainment" and the independent variable "adherence to the Care Network for People with Disabilities (RCPD)". In all years, the percentage of CEOs meeting the goal (15.3% in 2019; 1% in 2020; 12.2% in 2021; and 11.2% in 2022) was substantially lower than the numbers expressed by those who did not meet the minimum output. The results also indicated greater performance of restorative procedures (29.6% in 2019; 28.6% in 2020; 32.7% in 2021; and 37.8% in 2022) to the detriment of periodontal, surgical, and preventive procedures. Regarding being adhered to the RCPD, in the year 2022, 90.9% of the CEOs who reached the goal were adhered to the Network (p<0.05). It was concluded that a low frequency of CEOs achieved compliance with the productivity target of the specialty of Dentistry for Special Needs Patients in CEOs. However, adherence to the RCPD manifested itself as an influential element for those who met their monthly and annual goals.

El objetivo de este estudio fue describir la producción de la atención prestada a pacientes con necesidades especiales en los Centros de Especialidades Odontológicas (CEO) de Paraíba (Brasil) y su relación con el alcance de las metas de productividad, entre el período de 2019 y 2022. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo y ecológico en el que se recogieron datos secundarios del Sistema de Información Ambulatoria del SUS (SIA/SUS), mediante la captura de la producción ambulatoria individualizada (BPA-I), a través de la herramienta TabWin, de los 98 CEOs en funcionamiento en Paraíba. Se realizaron análisis descriptivos y analíticos, utilizando las pruebas Chi-cuadrado de Pearson y Exacta de Fisher entre la variable dependiente "cumplimiento de metas" y la variable independiente "adhesión a la Red de Atención a Personas con Discapacidad (RCPD)". En todos los años, el porcentaje de directores generales que cumplieron el objetivo (15,3% en 2019; 1% en 2020; 12,2% en 2021; y 11,2% en 2022) fue sustancialmente inferior a las cifras expresadas por los que no alcanzaron el rendimiento mínimo. Los resultados también indicaron una mayor realización de procedimientos restauradores (29,6% en 2019; 28,6% en 2020; 32,7% en 2021; y 37,8% en 2022) en detrimento de los procedimientos periodontales, quirúrgicos y preventivos. Respecto a estar adherido a la RCPD, en el año 2022, el 90,9% de los CEOs que alcanzaron el objetivo estaban adheridos a la Red (p<0,05). Se concluyó que una baja frecuencia de CEOs alcanzó el cumplimiento de la meta de productividad de la especialidad de Odontología para Pacientes con Necesidades Especiales en CEOs. Sin embargo, la adhesión al RCPD se manifestó como un elemento influyente para aquellos que cumplieron sus objetivos mensuales y anuales.

Complex Billing for Nonemergency Outpatient Imaging: An Obstacle to the Success of Health Care Price Transparency Initiatives.

PURPOSE: Recent price transparency initiatives have considerable limitations, notably due to the complexity of health care products. A single care encounter often consists of several services that may be performed by numerous clinicians and health care facilities that bill independently. The objective of this study was to describe the complexity in billing for nonemergency, noninvasive outpatient imaging and its variation across care delivery settings and imaging modalities. METHODS: Using billing records from the 2019 IBM MarketScan Commercial Database, the authors examined the number of billing entities involved in outpatient imaging encounters and the sets of relevant items and services for which patients were billed. RESULTS: In total, 5,210,129 imaging encounters were analyzed. Patients received bills from multiple billing entities for 70.9% of hospital-based encounters, 4.5% of office-based encounters, and 7.6% of encounters at imaging centers. Contrast agent was billed separately from the imaging procedures in 55.9%, 71.5%, and 55.3% of encounters for contrast imaging at hospitals, offices, and imaging centers, respectively. Billing for other ancillary items and services (facility fees, 3-D reconstruction, anesthesia and sedation) was relatively rare. CONCLUSIONS: Two key aspects of billing complexity may make obtaining complete and reliable price estimates before receiving outpatient imaging difficult for patients: the number of billing entities involved in care delivery and billing for fees and ancillary services beyond the primary imaging procedure. Given that price transparency initiatives are aimed primarily at helping patients anticipate the total cost of their care, policymakers, payers, and providers should take additional steps to provide patients with reliable information on the prices of entire care experiences.

Development and Evaluation of an Integrated Outpatient Infusion Care Model for the Treatment of Pediatric Headache.

BACKGROUND: Care for pediatric patients with headache often occurs in high-cost settings such as emergency departments (EDs) and inpatient settings. Outpatient infusion centers have the potential to reduce care costs for pediatric headache management. METHODS: In this quality improvement study, we describe our experience in creating the capacity to support an integrated outpatient pediatric headache infusion care model through an infusion center. We compare costs of receiving headache treatment in this model with those in the emergency and inpatient settings. Because dihydroergotamine (DHE) is a costly infusion, encounters at which DHE was administered were analyzed separately. We track the number of ED visits and inpatient admissions for headache using run charts. As a balancing measure, we compare treatment efficacy between the infusion care model and the inpatient setting. RESULTS: The mean percentage increase in cost of receiving headache treatment in the inpatient setting with DHE was 61% (confidence interval [CI]: 30-99%), and that without DHE was 582% (CI: 299-1068%) compared with receiving equivalent treatments in the infusion center. The mean percentage increase in cost of receiving headache treatment in the ED was 30% (CI: -15 to 100%) compared with equivalent treatment in the infusion center. After the intervention, ED visits and inpatient admissions for headache decreased. The mean change in head pain was similar across care settings. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that developing an integrated ambulatory care model with infusion capacity for refractory pediatric headache is feasible, and our early outcomes suggest this may have a favorable impact on the overall value of care for this population.

NHS 111 Clinical Assessment Services: paediatric consultations.

Around the UK, commissioners have different models for delivering NHS 111, General Practice (GP) out-of-hours and urgent care services, focusing on telephony to help deliver urgent and emergency care. During the (early phases of the) COVID-19 pandemic, NHS 111 experienced an unprecedented volume of calls. At any time, 25%-30% of calls relate to children and young people (CYP). In response, the CYP's Transformation and Integrated Urgent Care teams at NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE/I) assisted in redeploying volunteer paediatricians into the integrated urgent care NHS 111 Clinical Assessment Services (CAS), taking calls about CYP. From this work, key stakeholders developed a paediatric 111 consultation framework, as well as learning outcomes, key capabilities and illustrations mapped against the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) Progress curriculum domains, to aid paediatricians in training to undertake NHS 111 activities. These learning outcomes and key capabilities have been endorsed by the RCPCH Curriculum Review Group and are recommended to form part of the integrated urgent care service specification and workforce blueprint to improve outcomes for CYP.

Alcohol use disorder in the COVID-19 era: Position paper of the Italian Society on Alcohol (SIA).

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first emerged in China in November 2019. Most governments have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by imposing a lockdown. Some evidence suggests that a period of isolation might have led to a spike in alcohol misuse, and in the case of patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD), social isolation can favour lapse and relapse. The aim of our position paper is to provide specialists in the alcohol addiction field, in psychopharmacology, gastroenterology and in internal medicine, with appropriate tools to better manage patients with AUD and COVID-19,considering some important topics: (a) the susceptibility of AUD patients to infection; (b) the pharmacological interaction between medications used to treat AUD and to treat COVID-19; (c) the reorganization of the Centre for Alcohol Addiction Treatment for the management of AUD patients in the COVID-19 era (group activities, telemedicine, outpatients treatment, alcohol-related liver disease and liver transplantation, collecting samples); (d) AUD and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Telemedicine/telehealth will undoubtedly be useful/practical tools even though it remains at an elementary level; the contribution of the family and of caregivers in the management of AUD patients will play a significant role; the multidisciplinary intervention involving experts in the treatment of AUD with specialists in the treatment of COVID-19 disease will need implementation. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly leading addiction specialists towards a new governance scenario of AUD, which necessarily needs an in-depth reconsideration, focusing attention on a safe approach in combination with the efficacy of treatment.

Reorganização do serviço ambulatorial de referência para condições crônicas durante a pandemia da COVID-19 / Reorganización del servicio de referencia ambulatoria para condiciones crónicas durante la pandemia de COVID-19 / Reorganization of the outpatient reference service for chronic conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic

Resumo Objetivo Relatar a experiência da equipe de saúde da atenção especializada na reorganização do processo de trabalho para a continuidade do cuidado às pessoas com condições crônicas complexas durante a pandemia da covid-19. Métodos Relato de experiência vivenciada em ambulatório do Estado do Paraná entre março e julho de 2020. O serviço ambulatorial em questão adota o Modelo de Atenção às Condições Crônicas para o atendimento de gestantes, crianças, idosos, pessoas com hipertensão arterial, diabetes mellitus e transtornos mentais, estratificadas como condições complexas. Resultados O avanço da pandemia no Brasil implicou a necessidade de planejar a reorganização da atenção ambulatorial especializada, definindo atividades assistenciais presenciais no serviço, atividades itinerantes nos municípios e uso de tecnologias remotas para assistência e matriciamento. Conclusão e Implicações para a prática O rigor no cumprimento das recomendações sanitárias possibilitou a reorganização dos processos de trabalho no serviço, com modificações que permitiram a continuidade do cuidado de pessoas com condições crônicas complexas. O planejamento e o desenvolvimento das modificações no serviço foram fundamentais para manter o acompanhamento e o monitoramento da saúde das pessoas com condições crônicas complexas em meio a pandemia, minimizando as descompensações e, consequentemente, diminuindo a necessidade de essas pessoas utilizarem os serviços de saúde.

Resumen Objetivo Exponer la experiencia del equipo de atención a la salud especializada, en la reorganización del proceso de trabajo para la continuidad de la atención a personas con enfermedades crónicas complejas durante la pandemia de COVID-19. Métodos Informe de experiencia en un centro ambulatorio del estado brasileño de Paraná entre marzo y julio de 2020. El servicio adopta el Modelo de Atención a Condiciones Crónicas para el atendimiento de: gestantes, niños, ancianos, personas con hipertensión arterial, diabetes mellitus y trastornos mentales, estratificado como condiciones complejas. Resultados El avance de la pandemia en Brasil implicó en la necesidad de planificar la reorganización de la atención ambulatoria especializada, al definir acciones de actividades asistenciales presenciales en el servicio, actividades itinerantes en los municipios y el uso de tecnologías remotas para la asistencia y apoyo matricial. Conclusión e implicaciones para la práctica El rigor en el cumplimiento de las recomendaciones sanitarias permitió la reorganización de los procesos de trabajo en el servicio, con cambios que permitieron la continuidad del cuidado de las personas con condiciones crónicas complejas. La planificación y el desarrollo de los cambios en el servicio fueron fundamentales para mantener el acompañamiento y la vigilancia de la salud de personas con condiciones crónicas complejas en medio a la pandemia, minimizando las descompensaciones y, consecuentemente, disminuyendo la necesidad de que estas personas utilicen los servicios de salud.

Abstract Objective To report the experience of the specialized care health team in reorganizing the work process for the continuity of care for people with complex chronic conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Experience report lived in an outpatient clinic in Paraná State between March and July 2020. The outpatient service in question adopts the Chronic Conditions Care Model for pregnant women, children, elderly people, people with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and mental disorders, stratified as complex conditions. Results The advance of the pandemic in Brazil implied the need to plan the reorganization of specialized ambulatory care, defining face-to-face care activities in the service, itinerant activities in municipalities, and the use of remote care technologies and matrix support. Conclusion and Implications for practice Rigorous compliance with health recommendations allowed the reorganization of work processes in the service with modifications that allowed continuity of care for people with complex chronic conditions. The planning and development of the modifications in the service were fundamental to maintain the follow-up and monitoring of the health of people with complex chronic conditions amid the pandemic, minimizing decompensations and, consequently, reducing the need for these people to use health services.

Changes in the ambulatory care of prostate cancer patients during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Literature review and contribution of our group in telematic care.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about changes in the management of urology patients, especially those with prostate cancer. The aim of this work is to show the changes in the ambulatory care practices by individualized telematic care for each patient profile. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Articles published from March 2020 to January 2021 were reviewed. We selected those that provided the highest levels of evidence regarding risk in different aspects: screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of prostate cancer. RESULTS: We developed a classification system based on priorities, at different stages of the disease (screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up) to which the type of care given, in-person or telephone visits, was adapted. We established 4 options, as follows: in priority A or low, care will be given by telephone in all cases; in priority B or intermediate, if patients are considered subsidiary of an in-person visit after telephone consultation, they will be scheduled within 3 months; in priority C or high, patients will be seen in person within a margin from 1 to 3 months and in priority D or very high, patients must always be seen in person within a margin of up to 48 h and considered very preferential. CONCLUSIONS: Telematic care in prostate cancer offers an opportunity to develop new performance and follow-up protocols, which should be thoroughly analyzed in future studies, in order to create a safe environment and guarantee oncologic outcomes for patients.

Analysing the administration of an intermediate level of outpatient palliative care in Germany and developing recommendations for improvement (Polite): A study protocol for a mixed-methods study.

BACKGROUND: To date, there has been no systematic research on the intermediate level service (level 2) in outpatient palliative care that was introduced in Germany in 2017. Accordingly, the Polite research project aims at: (1) investigating the current state of level 2 palliative care and (2) developing recommendations for its optimisation. METHODS: The multi-perspective, observational study will follow a mixed-methods approach across two study phases. In phase 1a, quantitative routinely collected data from a statutory general local health insurance provider will be used to identify patients who received level 2 or other outpatient palliative care in the years 2017-2019. In phase 1b, a questionnaire will be sent to all registered general practitioners (GPs) in Lower Saxony to collect information on the number and characteristics of physicians offering level 2 palliative care. In phase 1c, a quantitative, standardised online questionnaire for teams providing specialised outpatient palliative care will be administered to assess the interfaces of level 2 palliative care. In phase 2a, the results from phases 1a-c will be discussed in an expert workshop with the aim of developing ideas to adapt and optimise level 2 outpatient palliative care. Finally, in phase 2b, the empirically derived recommendations from phases 1 and 2a will be agreed upon via a multi-round Delphi survey involving experts with sufficient influence to promote the project results and recommendations nationally. DISCUSSION: The results of the project will facilitate the optimisation of outpatient palliative care, as well as its administration, nationwide. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien) (Registration N° DRKS00024785); date of registration: 06th May 2021) and is searchable under the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform Search Portal of the World Health Organization, under the German Clinical Trials Register number.

Thematic Analysis of Challenges of Care Coordination for Underinsured and Uninsured Cancer Survivors With Chronic Conditions.

Importance: Although a majority of underinsured and uninsured patients with cancer have multiple comorbidities, many lack consistent connections with a primary care team to manage chronic conditions during and after cancer treatment. This presents a major challenge to delivering high-quality comprehensive and coordinated care. Objective: To describe challenges and opportunities for coordinating care in an integrated safety-net system for patients with both cancer and other chronic conditions. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multimodal qualitative study was conducted from May 2016 to July 2019 at a county-funded, vertically integrated safety-net health system including ambulatory oncology, urgent care, primary care, and specialty care. Participants were 93 health system stakeholders (clinicians, leaders, clinical, and administrative staff) strategically and snowball sampled for semistructured interviews and observation during meetings and daily processes of care. Data collection and analysis were conducted iteratively using a grounded theory approach, followed by systematic thematic analysis to organize data, review, and interpret comprehensive findings. Data were analyzed from March 2019 to March 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures: Multilevel factors associated with experiences of coordinating care for patients with cancer and chronic conditions among oncology and primary care stakeholders. Results: Among interviews and observation of 93 health system stakeholders, system-level factors identified as being associated with care coordination included challenges to accessing primary care, lack of communication between oncology and primary care clinicians, and leadership awareness of care coordination challenges. Clinician-level factors included unclear role delineation and lack of clinician knowledge and preparedness to manage the effects of cancer and chronic conditions. Conclusions and Relevance: Primary care may play a critical role in delivering coordinated care for patients with cancer and chronic diseases. This study's findings suggest a need for care delivery strategies that bridge oncology and primary care by enhancing communication, better delineating roles and responsibilities across care teams, and improving clinician knowledge and preparedness to care for patients with cancer and chronic conditions. Expanding timely access to primary care is also key, albeit challenging in resource-limited safety-net settings.

Targeting zero preventable trauma readmissions.

BACKGROUND: Nearly 1-in-10 trauma patients in the United States are readmitted within 30 days of discharge, with a median hospital cost of more than $8,000 per readmission. There are national efforts to reduce readmissions in trauma care, but we do not yet understand which are potentially preventable. Our study aims to quantify the potentially preventable readmissions (PPRs) in trauma care to serve as the anchor point for ongoing efforts to curb hospital readmissions and ultimately, bring preventable readmissions to zero. METHODS: We identified inpatient hospitalizations after trauma and readmissions within 90 days in the 2017 National Readmissions Database (NRD). Potentially preventable readmissions were defined as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-defined Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions, in addition to superficial surgical site infection, acute kidney injury/acute renal failure, and aspiration pneumonitis. Mean costs for these admissions were calculated using the NRD. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to characterize the relationship between patient characteristics and PPR. RESULTS: A total of 1,320,083 patients were admitted for trauma care in the 2017 NRD, and 137,854 (10.4%) were readmitted within 90 days of discharge. Of these readmissions, 22.7% were potentially preventable. The mean cost was $10,001/PPR, resulting in $313,802,278 in cost to the US health care system. Of readmitted trauma patients younger than 65 years, Medicaid or Medicare patients had 2.7-fold increased odds of PPRs compared with privately insured patients. Patients of any age with congestive heart failure had 2.9 times increased odds of PPR, those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or complicated diabetes mellitus had 1.8 times increased odds, and those with chronic kidney disease had 1.7 times increased odds. Furthermore, as the days from discharge increased, the proportion of readmissions due to PPRs increased. CONCLUSION: One-in-five trauma readmissions are potentially preventable, which account for more than $300 million annually in health care costs. Improved access to postdischarge ambulatory care may be key to minimizing PPRs, especially for those with certain comorbidities. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Economic and value-based evaluations, level II.

The Influence of Intervening on the Pharmaceutical Consultation Targeting Outpatients with Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Receiving Erlotinib Treatment.

Erlotinib is used to treat advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the common serious adverse events are skin disorders. The dose intensity of erlotinib should be maintained as much as possible by an appropriate control of adverse events in order to maintain its efficacy. Therefore, the management of these adverse events related to skin disorders would enable a continuous erlotinib treatment without interruption and dose reduction. This study assessed the effect of pharmaceutical consultation in outpatients who received erlotinib. Participants included patients with NSCLC who received erlotinib therapy for more than 6 months between December 2007 and March 2019. The participants were divided into two groups: the intervention group that included patients who received pharmaceutical consultation targeting outpatients by a pharmacist and the nonintervention group that included patients who did not. We retrospectively investigated patient characteristics, treatment regimens, and treatment efficacy. We included a total of 33 patients (18 and 15 patients in the nonintervention and intervention groups, respectively) in this study. The intervention group had a significantly higher median relative dose intensity (RDI) of erlotinib than the nonintervention group (p = 0.0437). In addition, the pharmaceutical consultation targeting outpatients was identified as a factor contributing to the maintenance of RDI ≥90% (p = 0.0269). The present study indicated that there was improvement in RDI with pharmaceutical consultation targeting outpatients with advanced NSCLC.

Musculoskeletal Urgent Care Centers Restrict Access for Patients with Medicaid Insurance Based on Policy and Location.

BACKGROUND: As the urgent care landscape evolves, specialized musculoskeletal urgent care centers (MUCCs) are becoming more prevalent. MUCCs have been offered as a convenient, cost-effective option for timely acute orthopaedic care. However, a recent "secret-shopper" study on patient access to MUCCs in Connecticut demonstrated that patients with Medicaid had limited access to these orthopaedic-specific urgent care centers. To investigate how generalizable these regional findings are to the United States, we conducted a nationwide secret-shopper study of MUCCs to identify determinants of patient access. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: (1) What proportion of MUCCs in the United States provide access for patients with Medicaid insurance? (2) What factors are associated with MUCCs providing access for patients with Medicaid insurance? (3) What barriers exist for patients seeking care at MUCCs? METHODS: An online search of all MUCCs across the United States was conducted in this cross-sectional study. Three separate search modalities were used to gather a complete list. Of the 565 identified, 558 were contacted by phone with investigators posing over the telephone as simulated patients seeking treatment for a sprained ankle. Thirty-nine percent (216 of 558) of centers were located in the South, 13% (71 of 558) in the West, 25% (138 of 558) in the Midwest, and 24% (133 of 558) in New England. This study was given an exemption waiver by our institution's IRB. MUCCs were contacted using a standardized script to assess acceptance of Medicaid insurance and identify barriers to care. Question 1 was answered through determining the percentage of MUCCs that accepted Medicaid insurance. Question 2 considered whether there was an association between Medicaid acceptance and factors such as Medicaid physician reimbursements or MUCC center type. Question 3 sought to characterize the prevalence of any other means of limiting access for Medicaid patients, including requiring a referral for a visit and disallowing continuity of care at that MUCC. RESULTS: Of the MUCCs contacted, 58% (323 of 558) accepted Medicaid insurance. In 16 states, the proportion of MUCCs that accepted Medicaid was equal to or less than 50%. In 22 states, all MUCCs surveyed accepted Medicaid insurance. Academic-affiliated MUCCs accepted Medicaid patients at a higher proportion than centers owned by private practices (odds ratio 14 [95% CI 4.2 to 44]; p < 0.001). States with higher Medicaid physician reimbursements saw proportional increases in the percentage of MUCCs that accepted Medicaid insurance under multivariable analysis (OR 36 [95% CI 14 to 99]; p < 0.001). Barriers to care for Medicaid patients characterized included location restriction and primary care physician referral requirements. CONCLUSION: It is clear that musculoskeletal urgent care at these centers is inaccessible to a large segment of the Medicaid-insured population. This inaccessibility seems to be related to state Medicaid physician fee schedules and a center's affiliation with a private orthopaedic practice, indicating how underlying financial pressures influence private practice policies. Ultimately, the refusal of Medicaid by MUCCs may lead to disparities in which patients with private insurance are cared for at MUCCs, while those with Medicaid may experience delays in care. Going forward, there are three main options to tackle this issue: increasing Medicaid physician reimbursement to provide a financial incentive, establishing stricter standards for MUCCs to operate at the state level, or streamlining administration to reduce costs overall. Further research will be necessary to evaluate which policy intervention will be most effective. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II, prognostic study.

Home-based versus outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although home-based pulmonary rehabilitation programs have been shown in some studies to be an alternative and effective model, there is a lack of consensus in the medical literature due to different study designs and lack of standardization among procedures. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of a home-based versus outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Five electronic databases including Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Cochrane Library will be searched in May 2021 by 2 independent reviewers. The reference lists of the included studies will be also checked for additional studies that are not identified with the database search. There is no restriction on the dates of publication or language in the search. The randomized controlled trials focusing on comparing home-based and outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD patients will be included in our meta-analysis. The following outcomes should have been measured: functional exercise capacity, disease-specific health-related quality of life, and cost-effectiveness measures. Risk ratio with a 95% confidence interval or standardized mean difference with 95% CI is assessed for dichotomous outcomes or continuous outcomes, respectively. RESULTS: It was hypothesized that these 2 methods would provide similar therapeutic benefits. REGISTRATION NUMBER: 10.17605/OSF.IO/5CV48.

Characterizing the Epidemiology and Provider Landscape of Male Infertility Care in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the epidemiology of male factor infertility and identify which types of providers are treating infertile men in the United States. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey was queried between 2006 and 2016 for all ambulatory care visits. Men with a diagnosis of infertility were identified by international classification of disease coding. Comorbidities, demographic and visit information were abstracted from the patients' medical record by a combination of trained surveyors and physicians. The survey data was weighted to create nationally representative estimates, and a combination of Chi-squared and Student's t-tests were utilized to determine significance. RESULT(S): Among the 8.7 billion patient visits between 2006 and 2016, there were 3,422,000 male encounters with a diagnosis of male factor infertility. The most common provider type for male factor infertility encounters was urology (42.12%) followed by primary care (39.79%), gynecology (7.05%) and all other provider types (11.01%). A significant number of men seen for infertility had comorbidities such as cancer (115,000 men, 3.36%) diabetes (267,000 men, 7.81%), depression (301,000 men, 8.8%), and active tobacco use (857,000 men, 30.3%). CONCLUSION: In a nationally representative sample, more than 50% of ambulatory care visits for male factor infertility were not seen by urologists. These men also had a significant number of comorbidities for a relatively young cohort, emphasizing the importance of multidisciplinary care for men with a diagnosis of infertility.