[ANMCO Position paper: From acute to chronic disease: the needs of complex cardiac patients]. / Position paper ANMCO: Bisogni assistenziali del malato cardiopatico complesso: dalla fase acuta alla fase cronica.

Managing a patient suffering from a chronic disease requires a multidisciplinary team that can take care of them beyond the simple coordination of various specialties. In this context, a central role in the treatment of chronic heart disease is the continuity of care that should promote organic integration among different hospital departments, hospital and community. This position paper of the Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists (ANMCO) aims at defining the general principles to inspire care for complex cardiac patients at different phases of the disease. A multidisciplinary integrated holistic approach uses analytical tools able to understand the elements that characterize complexity and therefore suggest appropriate management strategies: (i) care pathways aimed at optimizing treatments; (ii) care pathways in intensive care and ward in a multidisciplinary perspective; (iii) integration of social and health needs; (iv) nursing role in the context of continuity of outpatient, community and home care; (v) promotion of educational interventions.

Ultrasound Billing for Intensivists.

Point-of-care ultrasonography is a key skill for the critical care clinician and is gaining widespread acceptance by clinicians in all areas of medicine. In addition to mastery of image acquisition, image interpretation, and clinical application, intensivists need to be adept with billing for their scanning activity. This article summarizes the requirements for documentation and image storage that must be met to obtain reimbursement for point-of-care ultrasonography services.

Assessment of the investigation of deaths from ill-defined causes in the state of Bahia in 2010. / Avaliação da investigação de óbitos por causas mal definidas no estado da Bahia, Brasil, em 2010.

The investigation of deaths from ill-defined causes (DIDC) has been a strategy of health services to reduce the proportion of these events. This study aimed to estimate the adherence of municipalities to the use of recommended forms in the investigation of DIDC and the impact of these investigations on the reduction of these deaths in the Mortality Information System. The use of the Investigation of Death from Ill-defined Cause (IOCMD) and Verbal Autopsy (VA)forms and the proportion of reclassified underlying cause of death following investigations were analyzed in a probabilistic sample of 27 municipalities of Bahia state, and its capital Salvador, in 2010. Of the 27 municipalities, approximately 50% used the recommended forms to investigate DIDCs. Of the 1,092DIDCs in the sample, 53.1% were investigated: in 40.5% of the cases, only the IOCMD form was used; in 15.3%, only the VA form was used; and both forms were used in 14.3% of the cases. The investigation of DIDCs reduced the percentages of these deaths from 16.5% to 9.9% and proved to be more effective when performed using the recommended forms.

A investigação de óbitos por causas mal definidas (CMD) tem sido uma estratégia utilizada pelos serviços de saúde para redução do percentual destes óbitos. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a adesão dos municípios na utilização de formulários preconizados na investigação de óbitos por CMD e o impacto destas investigações na redução percentual desses óbitos no Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade. Analisou-se a utilização dos formulários Investigação do Óbito com Causa Mal Definida (IOCMD) e autópsia verbal (AV), e o percentual de reclassificação da causa básica (CB) de morte após as investigações, em uma amostra probabilística de 27 municípios no Estado da Bahia e a capital Salvador, no ano de 2010. Dos 27 municípios da amostra, aproximadamente 50% investigaram os óbitos por CMD utilizando-se os formulários preconizados. Foram identificados 1092 óbitos por CMD, dos quais 53,1% foram investigados: em 40,5% dos casos utilizou-se apenas o formulário IOCMD, apenas o formulário AV em 15,3%, e ambos os formulários em 14,3% dos casos. A investigação dos óbitos por CMD possibilitou a redução do percentual desses óbitos de 16,5% para 9,9%, e mostrou-se mais efetiva quando realizada utilizando-se os formulários preconizados.

Avaliação da investigação de óbitos por causas mal definidas no estado da Bahia, Brasil, em 2010 / Assessment of the investigation of deaths from ill-defined causes in the state of Bahia in 2010

Resumo A investigação de óbitos por causas mal definidas (CMD) tem sido uma estratégia utilizada pelos serviços de saúde para redução do percentual destes óbitos. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a adesão dos municípios na utilização de formulários preconizados na investigação de óbitos por CMD e o impacto destas investigações na redução percentual desses óbitos no Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade. Analisou-se a utilização dos formulários Investigação do Óbito com Causa Mal Definida (IOCMD) e autópsia verbal (AV), e o percentual de reclassificação da causa básica (CB) de morte após as investigações, em uma amostra probabilística de 27 municípios no Estado da Bahia e a capital Salvador, no ano de 2010. Dos 27 municípios da amostra, aproximadamente 50% investigaram os óbitos por CMD utilizando-se os formulários preconizados. Foram identificados 1092 óbitos por CMD, dos quais 53,1% foram investigados: em 40,5% dos casos utilizou-se apenas o formulário IOCMD, apenas o formulário AV em 15,3%, e ambos os formulários em 14,3% dos casos. A investigação dos óbitos por CMD possibilitou a redução do percentual desses óbitos de 16,5% para 9,9%, e mostrou-se mais efetiva quando realizada utilizando-se os formulários preconizados.

Abstract The investigation of deaths from ill-defined causes (DIDC) has been a strategy of health services to reduce the proportion of these events. This study aimed to estimate the adherence of municipalities to the use of recommended forms in the investigation of DIDC and the impact of these investigations on the reduction of these deaths in the Mortality Information System. The use of the Investigation of Death from Ill-defined Cause (IOCMD) and Verbal Autopsy (VA)forms and the proportion of reclassified underlying cause of death following investigations were analyzed in a probabilistic sample of 27 municipalities of Bahia state, and its capital Salvador, in 2010. Of the 27 municipalities, approximately 50% used the recommended forms to investigate DIDCs. Of the 1,092DIDCs in the sample, 53.1% were investigated: in 40.5% of the cases, only the IOCMD form was used; in 15.3%, only the VA form was used; and both forms were used in 14.3% of the cases. The investigation of DIDCs reduced the percentages of these deaths from 16.5% to 9.9% and proved to be more effective when performed using the recommended forms.

Changes in resuscitation and end-of-life documentation in older patients' clinical case notes: A comparison of 2011 and 2017 practice.

OBJECTIVE: To compare 2011 and 2017 documentation of resuscitation decisions in older patients, including the frequency and clarity of documentation. METHODS: The clinical case notes of 130 patients aged 70 years and over were examined to identify how resuscitation decisions are discussed and documented at a major teaching hospital. Results were compared to 2011 data. RESULTS: The proportion of patients with a documented order significantly increased, from 34 to 63%, with a concurrent increased number of patients identified as Not For Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (Not for CPR). The standardised documentation has also improved rates of documented discussion, legibility and identification of the involved doctor. CONCLUSION: The Resuscitation Plan 7-Step Pathway has markedly improved the frequency of documented discussion, the rate of recorded Not For CPR status and clarity of documentation. There is scope for improvement as this policy is embraced across South Australia.

Interactions Between Physicians and Skilled Home Health Care Agencies in the Certification of Medicare Beneficiaries' Plans of Care: Results of a Nationally Representative Survey.

Background: Physicians are required to certify a plan of care for patients who receive Medicare skilled home health care (SHHC) services. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services form 485 (CMS-485) is typically used for certification of SHHC plans of care and for interactions between SHHC agencies and physicians. Little is known about how physicians use the CMS-485 or their perceptions of its usefulness with respect to coordinating care with SHHC agencies. Objective: To determine how physicians interact with SHHC agencies and use the CMS-485 in care coordination for patients receiving SHHC services. Design: Mailed survey. Setting: Nationally representative random sample. Participants: Physicians from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile specializing in family or general medicine (excluding adolescent and sports medicine), geriatrics, geriatric psychiatry, internal medicine, or hospice and palliative medicine. Measurements: Time spent reviewing the plan of care and experiences with making changes and communicating with SHHC clinicians. Results: The response rate after 3 mailings was 53% (1044 of 1968). Of 1005 respondents who provided patient care, 72% had certified at least 1 plan of care in the past year. Nearly half (47%) reported spending less than 1 minute reviewing the CMS-485 before certification, whereas 21% reported spending at least 2 minutes. Physicians typically interacted with multiple SHHC agencies by fax or mail. Approximately 80% rarely or never changed an order on the CMS-485, and 78.3% rarely or never contacted SHHC clinicians with questions about information. The mean reported ease of contacting the SHHC agency was 4.7 (SD, 2.3) on a scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (difficult). Limitation: Self-reported data and 53% response rate. Conclusion: The CMS-485 does not meaningfully engage physicians. Physicians spend little time reviewing or acting on the SHHC plan of care. Strategies to enhance meaningful communication between SHHC agencies and physicians are needed. Primary Funding Source: National Institute on Aging and National Institute of Mental Health.

Insurers' Influences on Attending Physicians of Workers Sick-listed for Common Mental Disorders: What Are the Impacts on Physicians' Practices?

Purpose In many jurisdictions, general practitioners (GPs) play an important role in the sick-leave and return-to-work (RTW) process of individuals with common mental disorders (CMD). Since it is insurers that decide on workers' eligibility for disability benefits, they can influence physicians' ability to act. The nature of these influences remains little documented to date. The aim of this study was therefore to describe these influences and their impacts from the GPs' perspective. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with GPs having a diversified clientele (n = 13). The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed according to thematic analysis principles. Results The results indicated that the GPs recognized insurers as influencing their practices with patients on sick leave for CMDs. The documented influences were generally seen as constraints, but sometimes as enablers. The impacts of these influences on the GPs' practices depended on the organizational characteristics of their work context (such as limited consultation time) and other characteristics of their practice setting (such as lack of timely access to consultations with specialists). Conclusion The results brought three major issues to light: the quality of the information sent to insurers by GPs, the respect shown (or not) for workers' care preferences, and the relevance of the specialized services offered to support workers' RTW. These issues in turn reveal potential risks for workers, risks that need to be identified and recognized by all parties concerned if we are to come up with possible solutions.