Standardizing the categorizations of models of aftercare for survivors of childhood cancer.

BACKGROUND: With significant improvements in the survival rates for most childhood cancers, there is increased pressure to determine how follow-up or aftercare for survivors is best structured. MAIN BODY: Previous work in this area has not been consistent in how it categorizes models of aftercare, which risks confusion between studies and evaluations of different models. The adoption of a standardized method for classifying and describing different models of aftercare is necessary in order to maximize the applicability of the available evidence. We identify some of the different ways models of aftercare have been classified in previous research. We then propose a revised taxonomy which allows for a more consistent classification and description of these models. The proposed model bases the classification of models of aftercare on who is the lead provider, and then collects data on five other key features: which other providers are involved in providing aftercare, where care is provided, how are survivors engaged, which services are provided, and who receives aftercare. CONCLUSION: There is a good deal of interest in the effectiveness of different models of aftercare. Future research in this area would be assisted by the adoption of a shared taxonomy that will allow programs to be identified by their structural type.

Patients Who Leave the Emergency Department Without Being Seen and Their Follow-Up Behavior: A Retrospective Descriptive Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Past studies suggest that patients who leave without being seen (LWBS) by a physician from a hospital's emergency department (ED) represent a quality and safety concern, and thus LWBS rates have often been used as an ED performance metric. There are few recent studies, however, that have examined the characteristics of the LWBS population at hospitals in the United States. OBJECTIVE: This study describes the LWBS population at a multi-hospital academic health system. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of electronic medical record data from EDs at two academic hospitals with a shared patient population that analyzed all LWBS visits during the 45-month period between July 2012 and March 2016. Demographic and clinical variables, including patient characteristics, chief complaint, acuity, and evidence of ongoing medical care, were assessed. RESULTS: During the study period, 2.4% of patients presenting to the study EDs left without being seen. This population tended to have lower-acuity chief complaints and nearly triple the number of ED visits as the general ED patient; 7.8% sought follow-up care from outpatient clinics and 24.8% returned to the ED within 7 days. Of this latter group, 11.5% were subsequently admitted for inpatient care, representing 0.068% of the total ED census during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: LWBS patients are high ED utilizers who may be effectively targeted by "hotspotting." Our 11.5% admission rate at return after LWBS compares favorably with the overall 20.9% admission rate at the study EDs and represents a small minority of all LWBS visits. Given the paucity of return ED visits after interval clinic encounters, our data suggest that patients who were seen in clinic had their medical complaint adequately resolved on a non-emergent outpatient basis, and that increased LWBS rates may reflect poor access to timely clinic-based care rather than intrinsic systemic issues within the ED.

[Assessment of functioning in patients with head and neck cancer based on the international classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF)]. / Beurteilung von Funktionsfähigkeit bei Patienten mit Kopf-Hals-Tumoren, auf Basis der Internationalen Klassifikation für Funktionsfähigkeit, Behinderung und Gesundheit (ICF).

The article approaches with the question how preservation of function after treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC) can be defined and measured across treatment approaches. On the basis of the "International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)" a series of efforts are summarized how all relevant aspects of the interdisciplinary team can be integrated into a common concept.Different efforts on the development, validation and implementation of ICF Core Sets for head and neck cancer (ICF-HNC) are discussed. The ICF-HNC covers organ-based problems with food ingestion, breathing, and speech, as well as psychosocial difficulties.Relationships between the ICF-HNC and well-established outcome measures are illustrated. This enables the user to integrate different aspects of functional outcome into a consolidated approach towards preservation/rehabilitation of functioning after HNC - applicable for a variety of treatment-approaches and health-professions.

Impact of the model of long-term follow-up care on adherence to guideline-recommended surveillance among survivors of adolescent and young adult cancers.

PURPOSE: Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors require lifelong healthcare to address the late effects of therapy. We examined the impact of different provider models of long-term follow-up (LTFU) care on adherence to recommended surveillance. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using administrative health databases in Ontario, Canada. Five-year survivors were identified from IMPACT, a database of patients aged 15-20.9 years at diagnosis of six cancers between 1992 and 2010. We defined three models of LTFU care hierarchically: specialized survivor clinics (SCCs), general cancer clinics (GCCs), and family physician (FP). We assessed adherence to the Children's Oncology Group surveillance guidelines for cardiomyopathy and breast cancer. Multistate models assessed adherence transitions and impacts of LTFU attendance. RESULTS: A total of 1574 survivors were followed for a mean of 9.2 years (range 4.3-13.9 years) from index (5-year survival). The highest level of LTFU attended in the first 2-years post-index was a GCC (47%); only 16.7% attended a SCC. By the end of study, 72% no longer attended any of the models of care and only 2% still attended an SCC. Among 188 survivors requiring breast cancer surveillance, 6.9% were adherent to their first required surveillance testing. Attendance at a SCC in the previous year and higher cumulative FP or GCC visits increased the rate of subsequently becoming adherent. Among 857 survivors requiring cardiomyopathy surveillance, 11% were adherent at study entry. Each subsequent SCC visit led to an 11.3% (95% CI: 1.05-1.18) increase in the rate of becoming adherent. CONCLUSION: LTFU attendance and surveillance adherence are sub-optimal. SCC follow-up is associated with greater adherence, but few survivors receive such care, and this proportion diminished over time. Interventions are needed to improve LTFU attendance and promote surveillance adherence.

An evaluation of a model for the systematic documentation of hospital based health promotion activities: results from a multicentre study.

BACKGROUND: The first step of handling health promotion (HP) in Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) is a systematic documentation and registration of the activities in the medical records. So far the possibility and tradition for systematic registration of clinical HP activities in the medical records and in patient administrative systems have been sparse. Therefore, the activities are mostly invisible in the registers of hospital services as well as in budgets and balances.A simple model has been described to structure the registration of the HP procedures performed by the clinical staff. The model consists of two parts; first part includes motivational counselling (7 codes) and the second part comprehends intervention, rehabilitation and after treatment (8 codes).The objective was to evaluate in an international study the usefulness, applicability and sufficiency of a simple model for the systematic registration of clinical HP procedures in day life. METHODS: The multi centre project was carried out in 19 departments/hospitals in 6 countries in a clinical setup. The study consisted of three parts in accordance with the objectives.A: Individual test. 20 consecutive medical records from each participating department/hospital were coded by the (coding) specialists at local department/hospital, exclusively (n = 5,529 of 5,700 possible tests in total).B: Common test. 14 standardized medical records were coded by all the specialists from 17 departments/hospitals, who returned 3,046 of 3,570 tests.C: Specialist evaluation. The specialists from the 19 departments/hospitals evaluated if the codes were useful, applicable and sufficient for the registration in their own department/hospital (239 of 285). RESULTS: A: In 97 to 100% of the local patient pathways the specialists were able to evaluate if there was documentation of HP activities in the medical record to be coded.B: Inter rater reliability on the use of the codes were 93% (57 to 100%) and 71% (31 to 100%), respectively.C: The majority of the study participants found the codes to be useful (71%), applicable (92%) and sufficient (92%). CONCLUSION: Systematic registration of HP activities is relevant in clinical day life and the suggested codes proved to be applicable for international use. HP is an essential part of the clinical pathway or the value chain. This model promises to improve the documentation and thereby facilitate analysis of records for evidence based medicine as well as cost and policy analyses.

Amlexanox Exhibits Cardioprotective Effects in 5/6 Nephrectomized Rats

Abstract Cardiorenal syndrome is a life-threatening condition. The aim of the current study was to determine the cardioprotective effects of amlexanox in 5/6 nephrectomized rats. Rats were randomly assigned to three groups: sham, 5/6 nephrectomized rats, and amlexanox-treated 5/6 nephrectomized group. Amlexanox (25 mg/kg/day, i.p.) administration was started just after surgery and continued for 10 weeks. After treatment, kidney function (serum creatinine and urea) and blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) were measured. Heart weight (normalized to tibial length) and fibrosis area percentage were measured. Serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP, heart failure marker) and cardiac levels of ß1-adrenergic receptor (ß1AR), ß-arrestin-2, phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), diacylglycerol (DAG), pS473 Akt (a survival marker), and caspase-3 activity (an apoptosis marker) were also measured. The 5/6 nephrectomy caused renal impairment, cardiac fibrosis, apoptosis, and heart failure indicated by down- regulation of cardiac ß1AR down-stream signals compared with those in the sham group. Interestingly, amlexanox significantly reduced all cardiopathological changes induced after 10 weeks of 5/6 nephrectomy. Amlexanox showed potent cardiac antifibrotic and antiapoptotic effects in 5/6 nephrectomized rats, which were associated with reduced heart failure. To our knowledge, this is the first study that addresses the potent in vivo cardioprotective effects of amlexanox

Rural implications of Medicare's post-acute-care transfer payment policy.

CONTEXT: Under the Medicare post-acute-care (PAC) transfer policy, acute-care hospitals are reimbursed under a per-diem formula whenever beneficiaries are discharged from selected diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) to a skilled nursing facility, home health care, or a prospective payment system (PPS)-excluded facility. Total per-diem payments are below the full DRG payment only when the patient's length of stay (LOS) is short relative to the geometric mean LOS for the DRG; otherwise, the full DRG payment is received. This policy originally applied to 10 DRGs beginning in fiscal year 1999 and was expanded to additional DRGs in FY2004. The Secretary may include other DRGs and types of PAC settings in future expansions. PURPOSE: This article examines how the initial policy change affected rural and urban hospitals and investigates the likely impact of the FY2004 expansion and other possible future expansions. METHODS: The authors used 1998-2001 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) data to investigate changes in hospital discharge patterns after the original policy was implemented, compute the change in Medicare revenue resulting from the payment change, and simulate the expected revenue reductions under expansions to additional DRGs and swing-bed discharges. FINDINGS: Neither rural nor urban hospitals appear to have made a sustained change in their discharge behavior so as to limit their exposure to the transfer policy. Financial impacts from the initial policy were similar in relative terms for both types of hospitals and would be expected to be fairly similar for an expansion to additional DRGs. On average, including swing-bed discharges in the transfer policy would have a very small financial impact on small rural hospitals; only hospitals that make extensive use of swing beds after a short inpatient stay might expect large declines in total Medicare revenue. CONCLUSION: Rural hospitals are not disproportionately harmed by the PAC transfer policy. An expanded policy may even benefit rural hospitals by recognizing their lower use of post-acute-care and readjusting DRG weights so that they are paid more appropriately when providing the full course of inpatient care.

Social supports as a determinant of community-based care utilization among rehabilitation patients.

OBJECTIVE: We determine the extent to which noninstitutionalized long-term care patients receive assistance from family members and friends, and evaluate the effect of this assistance on use of outpatient rehabilitative and personal care services. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: Over 12 months, primary data were collected from 289 patients in noninstitutional settings after inpatient rehabilitation at three Boston-area rehabilitation hospitals. Data on patients' acute and rehabilitative stays were obtained from medical record reviews. Patients provided primary data on sociodemographics, living arrangements, social supports, functional status, health behaviors, life events, and use of outpatient services during the study period. The latter was verified and service charge data obtained from the care providers. STUDY DESIGN: The study was longitudinal and observational. Patient-provided information was obtained at one, six, and twelve months postdischarge. ANALYTIC METHODS: Multivariate Tobit regression was used to evaluate the effect of social supports on patients' use of rehabilitative and personal care services, controlling for sociodemographics and functional status. Service use was measured as charges incurred during the 12-month study period. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Results confirm the primary role of family and friends in providing daily personal care and identify the availability of that support as a key determinant of expenditures on community-based personal care services. Social supports do not predict outpatient rehabilitative service use. CONCLUSIONS: Differing eligibility criteria seem appropriate for outpatient rehabilitative and personal care services. The current emphasis on functional status in determining rehabilitative service eligibility appears appropriate; but we find that considering patients' social supports would be both meaningful and appropriate in determining personal care service eligibility. This approach would avert the expense of making personal care services universally available, while facilitating assistance for patients whose functional and social status put them at increased risk of institutional placement.

Post-acute service use following acute myocardial infarction in the elderly.

This exploratory study examined the extent to which factors beyond characteristics of the patient, such as discharging hospital attributes and State factors, contributed to variations in post-acute services use (PASU) in a cohort of elderly Medicare patients following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Thirty-seven percent of this cohort received PAS within 30 days of discharge and home health care was the most common type of service used. Patient severity of illness at hospital discharge, for-profit ownership of the discharging hospital, and discharging hospital provision of home health services were shown to be important predictors of PASU. After adjusting for many patient and hospital characteristics, however, variation in PASU remained across States.

Type of housing predicts rate of readmission to hospital but not length of stay in people with schizophrenia on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

Accommodation is considered to be important by institutions interested in mental health care both in Australia and internationally Some authorities assert that no component of a community mental health system is more important than decent affordable housing. Unfortunately there has been little research in Australia into the consequences of discharging people with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia to different types of accommodation. This paper uses archival data to investigate the outcomes for people with schizophrenia discharged to two types of accommodation. The types of accommodation chosen are the persons own home and for-profit boarding house. These two were chosen because the literature suggests that they are respectively the most and least desirable types of accommodation. Results suggest that people with schizophrenia who were discharged to boarding houses are significantly more likely to be readmitted to the psychiatric unit of Gold Coast Hospital, although their length of stay in hospital is not significantly different.

Taxonomic classification of transitional follow-up care nursing interventions with low birthweight infants.

As new models of nursing care have merged, the need to understand the scope and content of nursing practice has increased. The domain of transitional follow-up nursing, an innovative model, was described by classification of nursing interventions according to the Taxonomy of Ambulatory Care Nursing. Content analysis of records of interventions employed by nurse specialists in the transitional follow-up care of very low birthweight infants yielded results that confirm the appropriateness of the Taxonomy of Ambulatory Care Nursing as a descriptor of transitional follow-up care.

[Characterization of a group of hospitalized elderly women and their caretakers keeping in mind the care after hospital discharge]. / Caracterização de um grupo de idosas hospitalizadas e seus cuidadores visando o cuidado pós alta hospitalar.

In the present study 50 old women interned in a medical treatment unity and their respective caregivers were studied. It was verified that most of the women preseted various dependencies and, thErefore, they needed the presence of a caregiver for their survival. The caregivers, most of them female, belonged to the old women's family, had some scholarship degree and pointed out several difficulties en caring for the women. It is verified, consequently, that during hospitalization there is the need to take measures aiming at preparing the caregiver to take on the complex aid required by the old person, especially after hospital discharge.

New research establishes importance of specialty care after discharge for an MI.

While numerous studies have focused on what type of care is optimal for MI patients while hospitalized, little focus has been paid to what happens after discharge. New research shows that patients who continue to see a cardiologist in the early months after discharge have better outcomes than those who do not. Further, this research raises some disturbing questions about why certain groups of patients are less likely to receive this specialty care than others.

Living arrangements decisions at discharge and later: differences in criteria and outcomes.

This study examined the pattern of post rehabilitation living arrangements over 18 months of 172 adults discharged from a geriatric rehabilitation unit at a large urban medical center, all of whom were living alone prior to admission. Results showed the diminishing importance of physical function and cognition as factors in decisions to return home as the length of time after hospital discharge increased. Patients who returned home to live alone after a period of time living in more supported environments had significantly lower assessment scores on physical function (p < 0.001) and cognition (p < 0.001) compared to patients who went home to live alone immediately upon discharge. As well, patients who returned home to live alone later than three months post discharge were significantly more likely to move to more supported environments by 18 months after discharge (p = 0.043) and to experience re-hospitalizations (p = 0.008), which raises questions about the appropriateness of these later decisions.

Case-mix groups for VA hospital-based home care.

The purpose of this study is to group hospital-based home care (HBHC) patients homogeneously by their characteristics with respect to cost of care to develop alternative case mix methods for management and reimbursement (allocation) purposes. Six Veterans Affairs (VA) HBHC programs in Fiscal Year (FY) 1986 that maximized patient, program, and regional variation were selected, all of which agreed to participate. All HBHC patients active in each program on October 1, 1987, in addition to all new admissions through September 30, 1988 (FY88), comprised the sample of 874 unique patients. Statistical methods include the use of classification and regression trees (CART software: Statistical Software; Lafayette, CA), analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression techniques. The resulting algorithm is a three-factor model that explains 20% of the cost variance (R2 = 20%, with a cross validation R2 of 12%). Similar classifications such as the RUG-II, which is utilized for VA nursing home and intermediate care, the VA outpatient resource allocation model, and the RUG-HHC, utilized in some states for reimbursing home health care in the private sector, explained less of the cost variance and, therefore, are less adequate for VA home care resource allocation.