Relation of the Networks Formed by Diabetic Patients Sharing Physicians With Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate if the networks of diabetic patients sharing physicians are associated with emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective cohort study. METHODS: We used administrative data from a large insurer in Hawaii in 2010. Three types of networks were defined based on patient visits: (1) the total number of links from one patient to other patients sharing a physician; (2) the number of other patients connected by sharing the physician seen the most often; and (3) the number of other patients connected by seeing all the same physicians during the year. The networks were characterized into thirds based on their complexity and analyzed using zero-inflated negative binomial regression models on ED visits and hospitalizations. RESULTS: The study included 38,767 diabetes patients with a mean age of 64 years. Patients sharing the most physicians had double the risks of ED visits and hospitalizations. Patients linked by belonging to the largest primary care practices had a 28% reduced odds of ED visits. Patients linked by seeing all of the same physicians during the year had the fewest primary care providers and specialists visits and 25%-50% reductions in ED visits and hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS: Networks of diabetic patients sharing all the same physicians were associated with decreased ED visits and hospitalizations. Encouraging diabetic patients to find a provider they like and trust and to stay in the provider's care may help reduce the risks of adverse events. Physicians building loyalty among their patients may reduce their patients' risks.

Prevalence of Single and Multiple Leading Causes of Death by Race/Ethnicity Among US Adults Aged 60 to 79 Years.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD) (coronary artery disease, heart attack, and angina pectoris), and chronic lung disease (emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) are major causes of death in the United States. The objective of this study was to assess racial/ethnic differences in the prevalence of these conditions as cause of death among people aged 60 to 79 years with one or more of these conditions. METHODS: We used data on the prevalence of major chronic conditions from the National Health Interview Survey on 56,290 adults aged 60 to 79 years who reported having any of the chronic conditions assessed in the National Health Interview Survey for 2006 through 2014. We compared trends with age for 11 single and multiple conditions. Analyses employed multinomial logistic regression models. RESULTS: Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks had the greatest prevalence of diabetes, and non-Hispanic whites had the greatest prevalence of cancer and chronic lung disease. The prevalence of multiple chronic diseases in an individual varied less by race/ethnicity. An exception was the prevalence of having both diabetes and CVD, which was higher among Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks than non-Hispanic whites. Non-Hispanic blacks aged 65 years and 75 years had higher odds of having diabetes and cancer than non-Hispanic whites at the same ages. Hispanics had lower odds of having CVD with cancer or chronic lung disease than non-Hispanic whites. Women had a lower age-specific prevalence than men for most of the 11 single and multiple conditions. Most chronic diseases showed an inverse relationship with education and a higher prevalence in the South than in other regions. CONCLUSION: Strong racial/ethnic differences exist in the prevalence of single chronic conditions, but differences are lower for prevalence of multiple conditions. Comparing races/ethnicities, the same disease dyads and triads may occur more often in different orders.

Ethnic Comparison of 30-Day Potentially Preventable Readmissions After Stroke in Hawaii.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Ethnic disparities in readmission after stroke have been inadequately studied. We sought to compare potentially preventable readmissions (PPR) among a multiethnic population in Hawaii. METHODS: Hospitalization data in Hawaii from 2007 to 2012 were assessed to compare ethnic differences in 30-day PPR after stroke-related hospitalizations. Multivariable models using logistic regression were performed to assess the impact of ethnicity on 30-day PPR after controlling for age group (<65 and ≥65 years), sex, insurance, county of residence, substance use, history of mental illness, and Charlson Comorbidity Index. RESULTS: Thirty-day PPR was seen in 840 (8.4%) of 10 050 any stroke-related hospitalizations, 712 (8.7%) of 8161 ischemic stroke hospitalizations, and 128 (6.8%) of 1889 hemorrhagic stroke hospitalizations. In the multivariable models, only the Chinese ethnicity, compared with whites, was associated with 30-day PPR after any stroke hospitalizations (odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval {CI}], 1.40 [1.05-1.88]) and ischemic stroke hospitalizations (OR, 1.42 [CI, 1.04-1.96]). When considering only one hospitalization per individual, the impact of Chinese ethnicity on PPR after any stroke hospitalization (OR, 1.22 [CI, 0.89-1.68]) and ischemic stroke hospitalization (OR, 1.21 [CI, 0.86-1.71]) was attenuated. Other factors associated with 30-day PPR after any stroke hospitalizations were Charlson Comorbidity Index (per unit increase) (OR, 1.21 [CI, 1.18-1.24]), Medicaid (OR, 1.42 [CI, 1.07-1.88]), Hawaii county (OR, 0.78 [CI, 0.62-0.97]), and mental illness (OR, 1.37 [CI, 1.10-1.70]). CONCLUSIONS: In Hawaii, Chinese may have a higher risk of 30-day PPR after stroke compared with whites. However, this seems to be driven by the high number of repeated PPR within the Chinese ethnic group.

Pathways to potentially preventable hospitalizations for diabetes and heart failure: a qualitative analysis of patient perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Potentially preventable hospitalizations (PPH) for heart failure (HF) and diabetes mellitus (DM) cost the United States over $14 billion annually. Studies about PPH typically lack patient perspectives, especially across diverse racial/ethnic groups with known PPH health disparities. METHODS: English-speaking individuals with a HF or DM-related PPH (n = 90) at the largest hospital in Hawai'i completed an in-person interview, including open-ended questions on precipitating factors to their PPH. Using the framework approach, two independent coders identified patient-reported factors and pathways to their PPH. RESULTS: Seventy-two percent of respondents were under 65 years, 30 % were female, 90 % had health insurance, and 66 % had previously been hospitalized for the same problem. Patients' stories identified immediate, precipitating, and underlying reasons for the admission. Underlying background factors were critical to understanding why patients had the acute problems necessitating their hospitalizations. Six, non-exclusive, underlying factors included: extreme social vulnerability (e.g., homeless, poverty, no social support, reported by 54 % of respondents); health system interaction issues (e.g., poor communication with providers, 44 %); limited health-related knowledge (42 %); behavioral health issues (e.g., substance abuse, mental illness, 36 %); denial of illness (27 %); and practical problems (e.g., too busy, 6 %). From these findings, we developed a model to understand an individual's pathways to a PPH through immediate, precipitating, and underlying factors, which could help identify potential intervention foci. We demonstrate the model's utility using five examples. CONCLUSIONS: In a young, predominately insured population, factors well outside the traditional purview of the hospital, or even clinical medicine, critically influenced many PPH. Patient perspectives were vital to understanding this issue. Innovative partnerships and policies should address these issues, including linkages to social services and behavioral health.

Giving formulary and drug cost information to providers and impact on medication cost and use: a longitudinal non-randomized study.

BACKGROUND: Providers wish to help patients with prescription costs but often lack drug cost information. We examined whether giving providers formulary and drug cost information was associated with changes in their diabetes patients' drug costs and use. We conducted a longitudinal non-randomized evaluation of the web-based Prescribing Guide ( www.PrescribingGuide.com ), a free resource available to Hawaii's providers since 2006, which summarizes the formularies and copayments of six health plans for drugs to treat 16 common health conditions. All adult primary care physicians in Hawaii were offered the Prescribing Guide, and providers who enrolled received a link to the website and regular hardcopy updates. METHODS: We analyzed prescription claims from a large health plan in Hawaii for 5,883 members with diabetes from 2007 (baseline) to 2009 (follow-up). Patients were linked to 299 "main prescribing" providers, who on average, accounted for >88 % of patients' prescriptions and drug costs. We compared changes in drug costs and use for "study" patients whose main provider enrolled to receive the Prescribing Guide, versus "control" patients whose main provider did not enroll to receive the Prescribing Guide. RESULTS: In multivariate analyses controlling for provider specialty and clustering of patients by providers, both patient groups experienced similar increases in number of prescriptions (+3.2 vs. +2.7 increase, p = 0.24), and days supply of medications (+141 vs. +129 increase, p = 0.40) averaged across all drugs. Total and out-of-pocket drug costs also increased for both control and study patients. However, control patients showed higher increases in yearly total drug costs of $208 per patient (+$792 vs. +$584 increase, p = 0.02) and in 30-day supply costs (+$9.40 vs. +$6.08 increase, p = 0.03). Both groups experienced similar changes in yearly out-of-pocket costs (+$41 vs + $31 increase, p = 0.36) and per 30-day supply (-$0.23 vs. -$0.19 decrease, p = 0.996). CONCLUSION: Giving formulary and drug cost information to providers was associated with lower increases in total drug costs but not with lower out-of-pocket costs or greater medication use. Insurers and health information technology businesses should continue to increase providers' access to formulary and drug cost information at the point of care.

Daily Moderate-to-Vigorous Activity of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and Seven Asian Subgroups by Types of Activities, American Time Use Survey, 2010-2019.

The study used the American Time Use Survey data from 2010 to 2019 to compare the daily moderate-to-vigorous activity of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) and seven Asian ethnic subgroups. Adults aged 24 years and older were included. The study analyzed activities from sports and recreation, household activities, and all activities carried out during the day. Outcomes were determined by the completion of 30 min or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity and the type of activity carried out in the day. Significant ethnic differences were observed for sports and recreation but not for household activities and not for all activities carried out during the day. Of the ethnic populations, NHPI were the least active, and Asian Indians and Chinese were the most active. A majority achieved 30 min or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity during the day from all their activities. Physical activity from household activities exceeded physical activity from sports and recreation. The most physically active group was adults over the age of 65 years, perhaps reflecting more time to exercise or greater concerns about their health. For sports and recreation, exercising with someone doubled the minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity. The results emphasize the importance of activities performed around the household in addition to sports and recreation and the benefit of exercising with someone. Ethnic populations may be receptive to interventions that emphasize activities they are performing in their daily lives.

Modeling Poverty and Health for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander and Asian Ethnic Populations.

This study examined differences in poverty and health among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) and 6 disaggregated Asian ethnic subgroups and an aggregated Other Asian category. Participants were followed longitudinally for 2 years using data from 2009 to 2019 from the Current Population Survey, a monthly survey conducted by the Census Bureau. Having 2 years of data enabled the study to assess both prevalence of poverty and fair/poor health in only 1 of the 2 years and in both years. For NHPI, 13.5% were in poverty 1of the 2 years and 7.1% in both years. Asian ethnicities showed high variability ranging from a low of 6.4% for 1 year and 1.9% for 2 years among Asian Indians to 16.0% for 1 year and 6.3% for 2 years among Vietnamese. Fair/poor health also showed ethnic variability, made most apparent after age-sex adjustment in regression models. For poverty, after adjustment, Asian Indians, Filipinos and Japanese had significantly lower odds of being in poverty at least 1 year than NHPI. For having fair/poor health, Asian Indians and Japanese experienced lower odds than NHPI for both 1 and 2 years and Filipinos for 1 year, after age/sex adjustment. The results emphasize the diversity of Asian and Pacific Islander populations, the variability of poverty over time, and the importance of using disaggregated data to understand ethnic differences in poverty and health. These findings can be used to inform future modeling of social determinants on poverty and health among NHPI and Asian subgroups.

Socialization, Relaxation, and Leisure across the Day by Social Determinants of Health: Results from the American Time Use Survey, 2014-2016.

This study used the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) to examine socialization, relaxation, and leisure activities throughout the day as related to social determinants of health (SDOH). The study population was adults aged 25 years and older who participated in the ATUS in 2014-2016, the most recent years for collecting SDOH. Descriptive analyses provide characteristics of the study population. Graphical analyses display socialization by SDOH across the hours of the day based on adjusted regression models. Quasi-binomial models analyzed the association between the numbers of minutes of various activities and SDOH. Associations between SDOH and sleeplessness (yes or no) were explored using logistic regression. For much of the day, being female, having less education, living in poverty, and having food insecurity were associated with more time socializing and relaxing. The major activities under socializing and relaxation are watching television and movies. Having a college degree was strongly associated with increased minutes of sports activity, whereas living in poverty and food insecurity were associated with fewer minutes. Less education, living in poverty, and having food insecurity were associated with sleeplessness. A possible mechanism of the effects of SODH on health is by its altering of the patterns of daily life.

"Community 101 for researchers": an online training program to build capacity for ethical community-engaged research with Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

To address the history of unethical research and community distrust in research among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities, we developed the "Community 101 for Researchers" training program, which was launched in 2014 to enhance the capacity of researchers to engage in ethical community-engaged research. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of this training program as well as its reach and feedback from participants. The Community 101 training program is a self-paced, 2-h online training program featuring community-engaged researchers from the University of Hawai'i and their longstanding community partners. Throughout the five modules, we highlight the historical context of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander populations in Hawai'i related to research ethics and use examples from the community as well as our own research projects that integrate community ethics, relevance, benefits, and input. To determine reach and gather participant feedback on the training, we extracted data from the user accounts. The training has been completed by 697 users to-date since its launch. Despite very little advertisement, an average of nearly 70 users have completed the Community 101 Program each year. The majority of the participants were located in Hawai'i though participants were also from other states and territories in the US, and international locations. The majority of participants were from universities in Hawai'i in 51 different departments demonstrating multidisciplinary relevance of the program's training. The general feedback from the 96 participants who completed an optional anonymous evaluation survey given at the end of the training was positive. The "Community 101 for Researchers" Training program is an accessible and relevant tool that can be used to advance ethical community engaged research, specifically with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.

Relation of incident chronic disease with changes in muscle function, mobility, and self-reported health: Results from the Health and Retirement Study.

The primary objective was to learn the extent that muscle function, mobility, and self-reported health decline following incident diabetes, stroke, lung problem, and heart problems. A secondary objective was to measure subsequent recovery following the incident events. A longitudinal panel study of the natural history of four major chronic diseases using the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative sample of adults over age 50 years. People first interviewed from 1998-2004 were followed across five biannual exams. The study included 5,665 participants who reported not having diabetes, stroke, lung problems, and heart problems at their baseline interview. Their mean age was 57.3 years (SD = 6.0). They were followed for an average of 4.3 biannual interviews. Declines and subsequent recovery in self-reported health, muscle function, and mobility were examined graphically and modeled using negative binomial regression. The study also measured the incidence rates and prevalence of single and multiple chronic diseases across the follow-up years.Self-reported health and muscle function declined significantly following incident stroke, heart problems, lung problems, and multiple chronic diseases. Mobility declined significantly except following incident diabetes. Self-reported health improved following incident multiple chronic conditions, but recovery was limited compared to initial decline. Population prevalence after five follow-up waves reached 9.0% for diabetes, 8.1% for heart problems, 3.4% for lung disease, 2.1% for stroke, and 5.2% for multiple chronic diseases. Significant declines in self-reported health, muscle function, and mobility occurred within two years of chronic disease incidence with only limited subsequent recovery. Incurring a second chronic disease further increased the declines. Early intervention following incident chronic disease seems warranted to prevent declines in strength, mobility, and perceptions of health.

Difference in rural and urban Medicare prescription pattern for Parkinson's disease in Hawai'i.

Background: Medical management of Parkinson's Disease (PD) is becoming complex. Increasing evidence suggests that patients have better outcomes when they are managed by neurologists. However, access to neurologists can be limited in rural areas. Analysis of prescription pattern can provide insight into access gap rural patients face. Methods: This retrospective observational study used National Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data: Part D Prescriber Public Use Files from 2013 to 2018. Query was made for levodopa, dopamine agonists and other antiparkinsonian medications. The data elements obtained included drug name, number of prescribers, prescriber specialty, number of claims, number of standardized 30-day Part D prescriptions, and number of Medicare beneficiaries in the state of Hawai'i. Individual prescribing providers were categorized as urban or rural based on their cities of practice. Prescription patterns of urban and rural providers in Hawai'i as well as difference in provider specialty were compared, using standardized 30-day prescriptions as the primary measure of utilization. Results: Practice patterns differed between rural and urban areas. In rural Hawai'i, Rytary, Rotigoitne and selegiline were rarely prescribed. Levodopa percentage was higher in urban Hawai'i. In urban Hawai'i, 74.4% of the prescriptions were provided by movement disorders and general neurologists. In rural Hawai'i, 25.1% of the prescriptions were written by neurologists and 74.9% by general practitioners. Conclusions: In the state of Hawai'i, there is an urban-rural access gap to neurologists as evidenced by Medicare prescription pattern. Further study is needed to understand the reasons for rural-urban differences in prescription patterns and their impact on outcomes.

Social networks in patients hospitalized with preventable conditions for heart disease and diabetes in Hawai'i by health literacy.

OBJECTIVES: Reducing potentially preventable hospitalizations (PPH) for chronic disease is a research and practice priority. Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders (NHOPI) have disparities in PPH, and are understudied in both health literacy and social network research. Greater inclusion of social and familial networks can help address health disparities among people with chronic illness and enhance culturally relevant healthcare. METHODS: Adults hospitalized with a heart disease or diabetes-related PHH in Hawai'i (N = 22) were assessed for health literacy and social network membership ("alters"). RESULTS: Sixty-nine percent of respondents were NHOPI. Three respondents (14%) had no alters ("isolates"). Among non-isolates, 79% desired the participation of at least one alter in chronic disease management-related interventions. Fifty-nine percent of respondents had low health literacy. While the mean number of alters did not vary significantly by health literacy, those with lower health literacy had a trend (p = .055) towards less interest in social network engagement. DISCUSSION: In a sample primarily comprised of NHOPI with chronic disease, many patients wished to include social network members in interventions. Engagement varied by health literacy with implications for health disparities. Not all patients were interested in social network engagement, which must be considered in intervention planning.

Disparities in Potentially Preventable Emergency Department Visits for Children with Asthma among Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Whites in Hawai'i.

The cost burdens of potentially preventable emergency department visits for pediatric asthma were estimated for Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Whites using Hawai'i statewide 2015-2016 data. The cost burden of the 3234 preventable emergency department visits over the study period was over $1.9 million. Native Hawaiians had the largest proportion (36.5%) of all preventable emergency department visits and accounted for the highest costs for the two years at $709,698. After adjusting for other factors, costs for preventable pediatric-asthma-related emergency department visits differed significantly by age, insurance provider, and island of residency. Reducing potentially preventable emergency department visits would not only improve health disparities among Native Hawaiians compared to other racial or ethnic populations in Hawai'i, but could also generate cost savings for public and private insurance payers.

Building a Diverse Workforce and Thinkforce to Reduce Health Disparities.

The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program was congressionally mandated in 1985 to build research capacity at institutions that currently and historically recruit, train, and award doctorate degrees in the health professions and health-related sciences, primarily to individuals from underrepresented and minority populations. RCMI grantees share similar infrastructure needs and institutional goals. Of particular importance is the professional development of multidisciplinary teams of academic and community scholars (the "workforce") and the harnessing of the heterogeneity of thought (the "thinkforce") to reduce health disparities. The purpose of this report is to summarize the presentations and discussion at the RCMI Investigator Development Core (IDC) Workshop, held in conjunction with the RCMI Program National Conference in Bethesda, Maryland, in December 2019. The RCMI IDC Directors provided information about their professional development activities and Pilot Projects Programs and discussed barriers identified by new and early-stage investigators that limit effective career development, as well as potential solutions to overcome such obstacles. This report also proposes potential alignments of professional development activities, targeted goals and common metrics to track productivity and success.

Insights in Public Health: Outpatient Care Gaps for Patients Hospitalized with Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions in Hawai'i: Beyond Access and Continuity of Care.

Ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) are conditions that can generally be managed in community-based healthcare settings, and, if managed well, should not require hospital admission. A 5-year, mixed methods study was recently concluded that (1) documented disparities in hospitalizations for ACSCs in Hawai'i through quantitative analysis of state-wide hospital discharge data; and (2) identified contributing factors for these hospitalizations through patient interviews. This Public Health Insights article provides deeper context for, and consideration of, a striking study finding: the differences between typical measures of access to care and the quality of patient/provider interactions as reported by study participants. The themes that emerged from the patients' stories of their own potentially preventable hospital admissions shed light on the importance of being heard, trust, communication, and health knowledge in their relationships with their providers. We conclude that improving the quality of the relationship and level of engagement between the patient and community/outpatient providers may help reduce hospitalizations for ACSCs in Hawai'i and beyond. These interpersonal-level goals should be supported by systems-level efforts to improve health care delivery and address health disparities.

Healthcare network analysis of patients with diabetes and their physicians.

OBJECTIVES: To illustrate methods using administrative data on patients with diabetes that can offer a foundation for using network analyses in managed care. STUDY DESIGN: The study used an administrative claims database to analyze patients with diabetes in a large health plan in Hawaii in 2010. METHODS: The networks were explored graphically and analyzed at several levels of complexity. Levels ranged from major components comprising the majority in the networks to smaller, highly connected cliques to communities of patients and physicians grouped by a network algorithm. The attributes of patients linked by seeing the same primary physicians were evaluated using an exponential random graph model that predicted links in the network. RESULTS: The study included 41,941 patients with diabetes of Native Hawaiian (16.3%), Filipino (14.2%), Japanese (46.7%), white (11.2%), and other (11.6%) ethnicity. About half were 65 years or older. When examined by Hawaiian island of residence, at least 95% of patients and at least 78% of physicians belonged to loosely connected major components within a network. Smaller communities of patients, identified by being closely linked together, averaged 150 to 177 patients; communities of physicians averaged 3 to 8 physicians. The average numbers of patients sharing physicians and physicians sharing patients were greater on the island of Oahu than on the rural neighboring islands. Patients of the same ethnicity were significantly more likely to share the same primary physician. CONCLUSIONS: Network analyses reveal structures and links that health plans could leverage to strengthen quality improvement and disease management programs.

Insights in Public Health: Hana Pu No Ke Ola O Hana ("Working Together for the Health of Hana"): Our 14-year CBPR Journey.

There are substantial and persistent health disparities among Native Hawaiians that are best addressed through multilevel socio-ecological approaches, which are tailored to the needs of the community. Partnerships that link academic investigators with grass roots community members have the potential to profoundly reduce health disparities and improve health and wellness by increasing the capacity of community-based organizations to provide leadership in health advocacy, support community health promotion, and participate in health research. We describe a 14-year partnership to reduce Native Hawaiian health disparities between investigators from The Queen's Medical Center and University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine (QMC-JABSOM) and community members in Hana, a geographically isolated, underserved, rural community with the second largest concentration of Native Hawaiians in the state. Our relationship started as an investigator-initiated, National Institutes of Health-sponsored study to explore familial cardiomyopathy, and transitioned to a community-based project that combined community cardiovascular health screening fairs with a qualitative research study to understand attitudes towards genetic research. Most recently, QMC-JABSOM has partnered closely with Ma Ka Hana Ka 'Ike, an award-winning construction skills training program for at-risk youth in Hana, to develop innovative, culturally based interventions to improve health and well-being among Native Hawaiians using principles of community-based participatory research.

Thirty-Day Inpatient Readmissions for Asian American and Pacific Islander Subgroups Compared With Whites.

Asian and Pacific Islander (API) 30-day potentially preventable readmissions (PPRs) are understudied. Hawaii Health Information Corporation data from 2007-2012 statewide adult hospitalizations ( N = 495,910) were used to compare API subgroup and White PPRs. Eight percent of hospitalizations were PPRs. Seventy-two percent of other Pacific Islanders, 60% of Native Hawaiians, and 52% of Whites with a PPR were 18 to 64 years, compared with 22% of Chinese and 21% of Japanese. In multivariable models including payer, hospital, discharge year, residence location, and comorbidity, PPR disparities existed for some API subpopulations 65+ years, including Native Hawaiian men (odds ratio [OR] = 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04-1.24), Filipino men (OR = 1.19; 95% CI = 1.04-1.38), and other Pacific Islander men (OR = 1.30; 95% CI = 1.19-1.43) and women (OR = 1.23; 95% CI = 1.02-1.51) compared with Whites, while many API groups 18 to 64 years had significantly lower PPR odds. Distinct PPR characteristics across API subpopulations and age groups can inform policy and practice. Further research should determine why elderly API have higher PPR rates, while nonelderly rates are lower.

2017 Writing Contest Undergraduate Winner: Pathways to Preventable Hospitalizations for Filipino Patients with Diabetes and Heart Disease in Hawai'i.

Filipinos are one of the fastest growing Asian ethnic groups in the United States, yet little is known about how to specifically address the varying health needs of the Filipino community with diabetes and heart disease. This is a problem because rates of potentially preventable hospitalizations (PPH) are high for Filipinos with these conditions. A PPH is a hospitalization that could potentially have been avoided with better access to quality primary care. Patients over 21 years of age with heart disease or diabetes and who were hospitalized at the Queen's Medical Center with a PPH were recruited to complete a face-to-face interview eliciting the patients' perspectives on key factors leading to this hospitalization (n=102). This study focused on a subset of Filipino patients (n=21). Two independent coders reviewed interviews to identify factors leading to their PPH. A majority of the Filipino respondents identified social vulnerabilities as the most common factor that led to their hospitalization, including financial challenges, limited social support, and life instability. Many respondents also noted challenges with the healthcare system as precipitating their hospitalization, including poor communication/coordination, management plan issues, and bad experience with their healthcare providers. Cultural and language barriers were also identified by Filipino patients as challenges leading to their hospitalizations. These findings emphasize the importance of considering patients' perspectives of the barriers they face inside and outside of healthcare facilities.

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Those Accompanying Medicare Patients to the Doctor: Insights from the 2013 Medicare Current Beneficiary's Survey.

Surprisingly little current, population-level detail exists regarding companion accompaniment for health care among Medicare beneficiaries, particularly by race/ethnicity. For respondents in the 2013 Medicare Current Beneficiary's Survey Access to Care public use data (N = 12,253), multivariable models predicted accompaniment to the doctor by race/ethnicity, adjusting for confounders. Chi square analyses compared, by race/ethnicity, who was accompanying and why. Overall, 37.5% of beneficiaries had accompaniment. In multivariable analyses, non-Hispanic blacks (OR 1.18; 95% CI 1.03-1.36) and Hispanics (OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.25-1.74) were significantly more likely than non-Hispanic whites to have accompaniment. Over 35% of all three groups had someone to "take notes," "ask questions," and/or "explain things," which did not vary by race/ethnicity; significant differences were seen for "explain instructions," "translate," and "moral support." Hispanics had the highest percentages for all three. Many Medicare beneficiaries have accompaniment to doctors' appointments, particularly in minority racial/ethnic groups, which should be considered in policy and practice.