The Impact of New Payment Models on Quality of Diabetes Care and Outcomes.

Historic changes in healthcare reimbursement and payment models due to the Affordable Care Act in the United States have the potential to transform how providers care for chronic diseases such as diabetes. Payment experimentation has provided insights into how changing incentives for primary care providers can yield improvements in the triple aim: improving patient experience, improving the health of populations, and reducing costs of healthcare. Much of this has involved leveraging widespread adoption of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) with diabetes often the focus. While evidence is mounting that the PCMH can improve diabetes outcomes, some PCMH demonstrations have displayed mixed results. One of the first large-scale PCMH demonstrations developed around diabetes was conducted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Different payment models were employed across a series of staggered regional rollouts that provided a case study for the influence of innovative payment models. These learning laboratories provide insights into the role of reimbursement models and changes in how practice transformation is implemented. Ultimately, evolving payment systems focused on the total cost of care, such as Accountable Care Organizations, hold promise to transform diabetes care and produce significant cost savings through the prevention of complications.

Organizing Chaos: Iterative Professional Identity Formation Through the Lens of Mask Making.

INTRODUCTION: Professional identity formation (PIF) is a sociocultural process through which medical students adopt the professional role of physician. This process is often unscripted and influenced by informal curricular elements. PIF is as important as the acquisition of knowledge and clinical skill in the continuum of medical education. METHODS: Using the ancient art of mask making, we created a process of reflective expression to explicitly examine and formally promote PIF. Students created individual masks to express elements of self in the context of their medical education experiences. Coupled with a narrative reflection describing the mask and the process of mask making, students were challenged to examine and give shape to their evolving sense of professional identity. Using a retrospective pre/post design, we used the mask-making process to examine identity across 4 years of medical school in a cohort of graduating students. RESULTS: The masks and accompanying narratives showed themes of moving from anxiety and uncertainty at matriculation to a more calm and focused state at the time of graduation. Other themes included the ability to organize complex material and the accumulation of a broad fund of knowledge. Students found the mask-making experience to be introspective and enjoyable. DISCUSSION: Mask making is both a product (mask) and process (creation). As such, mask making is an innovative strategy to examine PIF within individuals and across time. Organization, focus, and self-understanding were common themes of professional growth.

Glycated Hemoglobin Differences Among Blog-Reading Adults With Type 1 Diabetes Compared With Those Who Do Not Read Blogs: Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Of the estimated 23.1 million individuals diagnosed with diabetes, approximately 5% have type 1 diabetes (T1D). It has been proposed that this number will triple by 2050. With increases in technology use and resources available, many individuals are using insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) to help manage their T1D. They are also using online resources such as social media to find more information and advice based on real-life experiences from peers. Blogs are a particular social media modality often used by people with T1D but have not been widely investigated. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) differences between blog readers and blog nonusers in a population of adults with T1D. This study also looked at differences in technology use in these two groups, as well as HbA1c differences in blog use and technology subgroups. METHODS: Participants were recruited both by mail and by online T1D-themed blog postings. Respondents completed a secure online eligibility assessment and were asked questions related to their T1D, blog and internet use, and insulin pump and CGM use. Demographics were also collected. Differences between blog readers and blog nonusers were tested via chi-square and t tests. Mann-Whitney U tests, Fisher exact tests, and analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to test for differences in self-reported HbA1c between groups and subgroups. RESULTS: A total of 282 eligible participants completed the survey (214 blog readers, 68 blog nonusers). Average duration of diabetes was 21.2 years, 77.7% (219/282) were female, 81.2% (229/282) used an insulin pump, 66.3% (187/282) used a CGM, and 95.7% (270/282) were white. HbA1c was lower for blog readers (7.0%) than blog nonusers (7.5%), P=.006; for insulin pump users (7.0%) than multiple daily injections (7.7%), P=.001; and for CGM users (7.0%) than CGM nonusers (7.5%), P=.001. After adjusting for significant covariates, the association between blog use and HbA1c remained significant (P=.04). ANOVA modeling also demonstrated significant differences in HbA1c between blog users and nonusers among subgroups by pump use and CGM use (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that reading blogs is associated with lower HbA1c values. While association does not prove causation, blog readers have the benefit of learning information from peers and having 24/7 access to a community of individuals with similar daily life struggles, where they are able to ask questions and seek advice.

Implementation of Care Management: An Analysis of Recent AHRQ Research.

Care management (CM) is a promising team-based, patient-centered approach "designed to assist patients and their support systems in managing medical conditions more effectively." As little is known about its implementation, this article describes CM implementation and associated lessons from 12 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-sponsored projects. Two rounds of data collection resulted in project-specific narratives that were analyzed using an iterative approach analogous to framework analysis. Informants also participated as coauthors. Variation emerged across practices and over time regarding CM services provided, personnel delivering these services, target populations, and setting(s). Successful implementation was characterized by resource availability (both monetary and nonmonetary), identifying as well as training employees with the right technical expertise and interpersonal skills, and embedding CM within practices. Our findings facilitate future context-specific implementation of CM within medical homes. They also inform the development of medical home recognition programs that anticipate and allow for contextual variation.

A Novel Approach to Identifying Barriers and Facilitators in Raising a Child With Type 1 Diabetes: Qualitative Analysis of Caregiver Blogs.

BACKGROUND: With rising incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnoses among children and the high levels of distress experienced by the caregivers of these children, caregiver support is becoming increasingly important. Historically, relatively few support resources have existed. Increasing use of the Internet, and blogs in particular, has seen a growth of peer support between caregivers of children with T1D. However, little is known about the type and quality of information shared on T1D caregiver blogs. At the same time, the information on such blogs offers a new window into what challenges and successes caregivers experience in helping to manage their children's T1D. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to (1) analyze blogs of caregivers to children with T1D to better understand the challenges and successes they face in raising a child with T1D, and (2) assess the blogs for the presence of unsafe or inaccurate clinical information or advice. METHODS: An inductive thematic qualitative study was conducted of three blogs authored by caregivers of children living with T1D, which included 140 unique blog posts and 663 associated comments. Two physician investigators evaluated the blogs for presence of clinical or medical misinformation. RESULTS: Five major themes emerged: (1) the impact of the child's diagnosis, (2) the burden of intense self-management experienced in caring for a child with T1D, (3) caregivers' use of technology to ease their fear of hypoglycemia and impacts that device alarms associated with this technology have on caregiver burden, (4) caregivers' perceptions of frequently missed or delayed diagnosis of T1D and the frustration this causes, and (5) the resilience that caregivers develop despite the burdens they experience. Misinformation was exceedingly rare and benign when it did occur. CONCLUSIONS: Blog analysis represents a novel approach to understand the T1D caregiver's experience. This qualitative study found many challenges that caregivers face in raising a child with T1D. Despite the many barriers caregivers face in managing their children's T1D, they find support through advocacy efforts and peer-to-peer blogging. Blogs provide a unique avenue for support, with only rare and benign findings of medical misinformation, and may be a resource that diabetes care providers can consider offering to families for support.