Same-Day Ileostomy Closure Discharge Reduces Costs without Compromising Outcomes: An Economic Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the costs of a Same-Day Discharge Enhanced Recovery Pathway (SDD) for diverting loop ileostomy closure compared to a standard institutional enhanced recovery protocol (ERP). SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Every year, 50,155 patients in the United States undergo temporary stoma reversal. While ambulatory stoma closure has shown promise, widespread adoption remains slow. This study builds on previous research, focusing on the costs of a novel SDD protocol introduced in 2020. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was conducted at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, and Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, comparing patients undergoing same-day discharge diverting loop ileostomy closure (SDD) from August 2020 to February 2023 to those in a matched cohort receiving standard inpatient ERP. Patients were matched based on age, sex, ASA score, surgery period, and hospital. Primary outcomes included direct hospitalization and additional costs in the 30 days post-discharge. RESULTS: The SDD group (n=118) demonstrated a significant reduction in median index episode hospitalization and 30-day post-operative costs compared to the inpatient group (n=236), with savings of $4,827 per patient. Complication rates were similar, and so were readmission and reoperation rates. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of the SDD for diverting loop ileostomy closure is associated with substantial cost savings without compromising patient outcomes. The study advocates for a shift towards same-day discharge protocols, offering economic benefits and potential improvements in healthcare resource utilization.

Cost-effectiveness of Myomectomy versus Hysterectomy in Women with Uterine Fibroids.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Increasing evidence suggests that hysterectomy to treat uterine fibroids (UFs), even with ovarian conservation (OC), is associated with a 33% increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). We sought to compare the cost-effectiveness of various treatment approaches for UFs to understand the trade-offs among development of CAD vs new fibroids. DESIGN: We developed a Markov model to include women with UFs who no longer desired pregnancy. The outcomes of interest were quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and total treatment costs. We conducted sensitivity analyses to test the effect of uncertain model inputs. SETTING: Health system perspective. PATIENTS: A hypothetical cohort of 10 000 40-year-old women. INTERVENTIONS: Myomectomy, hysterectomy with OC, and hysterectomy without OC. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Myomectomy was the best-value strategy, costing US$528 217 and providing 19.38 QALYs. Neither hysterectomy with OC nor hysterectomy without OC was found to be cost-effective, assuming a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100 000 per QALY gain as hysterectomy with OC provided more benefit than myomectomy at an average cost of $613 144 to gain one additional QALY. The sensitivity analyses showed that if the risk of new symptomatic UFs that required treatment after myomectomy was more than 13%, annually (base case, 3.6%), or the quality of life after myomectomy was less than 0.815 (base case, 0.834), then myomectomy would no longer be cost-effective, under a willingness-to-pay amount of US$100 000. CONCLUSION: Myomectomy is an optimal treatment of UFs compared with hysterectomy among women aged 40 years. The increased risk of CAD after hysterectomy and its associated costs and the effects on morbidity and quality of life made hysterectomy a costlier and less effective long-term strategy.

Comparative cost-effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: Results according to VESPER data.

BACKGROUND: The VESPER trial demonstrated improved progression-free (PFS) and (preliminarily) overall survival (OS) with six cycles of neoadjuvant dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (ddMVACx6) versus four cycles of gemcitabine and cisplatin (GCx4) before radical cystectomy (RC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), but with increased toxicity. This study compares the cost-effectiveness of these regimens. METHODS: A cost-effectiveness analysis of neoadjuvant ddMVACx6 and GCx4 was performed using a decision-analytic Markov model with 5-year, 10-year, and lifetime horizons. Probabilities were derived from reported VESPER data. Utility values were obtained from the literature. Primary outcomes were effectiveness measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALY) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) with a willingness to pay threshold of $100,000 per QALY. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the robustness of the model. RESULTS: At 5 years, ddMVACx6 improved QALYs by 0.30 at an additional cost of $16,100, rendering it cost-effective relative to GCx4 (ICER: $53,284/QALY). Additionally, probabilistic sensitivity analysis found ddMVACx6 to be cost-effective in 79% and 81% of microsimulations at10-year and lifetime horizons, respectively. One-way sensitivity analysis demonstrated a minimum difference in 5-year progression of 0.9% and progression mortality of 0.7% between ddMVACx6 and GCx4 was necessary for ddMVACx6 to remain cost-effective. CONCLUSIONS: Neoadjuvant ddMVACx6 was more cost-effective than GCx4 for MIBC. These data, together with the improved PFS and (albeit preliminary) OS noted in VESPER, support use of this regimen in appropriate candidates for neoadjuvant chemotherapy before RC. LAY SUMMARY: We performed a benefit-to-cost analysis using evidence from a randomized controlled trial that compared two different chemotherapy treatments before bladder removal for bladder cancer that had invaded into the bladder muscle. Despite being more expensive and having a greater likelihood of toxicity, six cycles of dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin was more cost-effective (or had higher value) than four cycles of gemcitabine and cisplatin.

Cost-effectiveness of the anti-fibrotics for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in the United States.

BACKGROUND: The anti-fibrotic medications nintedanib and pirfenidone were approved in the United States for use in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis several years ago. While there is a growing body of evidence surrounding their clinical effectiveness, these medications are quite expensive and no prior cost-effectiveness analysis has been performed in the United States. METHODS: A previously published Markov model performed in the United Kingdom was replicated using United States data to project the lifetime costs and health benefits of treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with: (1) symptom management; (2) pirfenidone; or (3) nintedanib. For the cost-effectiveness analysis, strategies were ranked by increasing costs and then checked for dominating treatment strategies. Then an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated for the dominant therapy. RESULTS: The anti-fibrotic medications were found to cost more than $110,000 per year compared to $12,291 annually for symptom management. While pirfenidone was slightly more expensive than nintedanib and provided the same amount of benefit, neither medication was found to be cost-effective in this U.S.-based analysis, with an average cost of $1.6 million to gain one additional quality-adjusted life year over symptom management. CONCLUSIONS: Though the anti-fibrotics remain the only effective treatment option for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and the data surrounding their clinical effectiveness continues to grow, they are not considered cost-effective treatment strategies in the United States due to their high price.

Modeling the Cost of Teleneonatology from the Health System Perspective.

Introduction: Teleneonatology (TN) allows remote neonatologists to provide real-time audio-video telemedicine support to community hospitals when neonates require advanced resuscitation or critical care. Currently, there are no published economic evaluations of U.S. TN programs. Objective: To evaluate the cost of TN from the perspective of the health care system. Methods: We constructed a decision tree comparing TN to usual care for neonates born in hospitals without a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) who require consultation. Our outcome of interest was total cost per patient, which included the incremental cost of a TN program, the cost of medical transport, and the cost of NICU or non-NICU hospitalization. We performed threshold sensitivity analyses where we varied each parameter to determine whether the base-case finding reverted. Results: For neonates requiring consultation after birth in a hospital without a NICU, TN was less costly ($16,878) than usual care ($28,047), representing a cost-savings of $11,168 per patient. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that at least one of the following conditions would need to be met for TN to no longer be cost saving compared to usual care: transfer rate with usual care <12% (base-case = 82%), TN reducing the odds of transfer by <8% (base-case = 52%), or TN cost exceeding $12,989 per patient (base-case = $1,821 per patient). Conclusions: Economic modeling from the health system perspective demonstrated that TN was cost saving compared to usual care for neonates requiring consultation following delivery in a non-NICU hospital. Understanding the cost savings associated with TN may influence organizational decisions regarding implementation, diffusion, and retention of these programs.

Comparative Cost Effectiveness of Reflux-Based and Reflux-Independent Strategies for Barrett's Esophagus Screening.

INTRODUCTION: Minimally invasive tests for Barrett's esophagus (BE) detection have raised the prospect of broader nonreflux-based testing. Cost-effectiveness studies have largely studied men aged 50 years with chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms. We evaluated the comparative cost effectiveness of BE screening tests in GERD-based and GERD-independent testing scenarios. METHODS: Markov modeling was performed in 3 scenarios in 50 years old individuals: (i) White men with chronic GERD (GERD-based); (ii) GERD-independent (all races, men and women), BE prevalence 1.6%; and (iii) GERD-independent, BE prevalence 5%. The simulation compared multiple screening strategies with no screening: sedated endoscopy (sEGD), transnasal endoscopy, swallowable esophageal cell collection devices with biomarkers, and exhaled volatile organic compounds. A hypothetical cohort of 500,000 individuals followed for 40 years using a willingness to pay threshold of $100,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) was simulated. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) comparing each strategy with no screening and comparing screening strategies with each other were calculated. RESULTS: In both GERD-independent scenarios, most non-sEGD BE screening tests were cost effective. Swallowable esophageal cell collection devices with biomarkers were cost effective (<$35,000/QALY) and were the optimal screening tests in all scenarios. Exhaled volatile organic compounds had the highest ICERs in all scenarios. ICERs were low (<$25,000/QALY) for all tests in the GERD-based scenario, and all non-sEGD tests dominated no screening. ICERs were sensitive to BE prevalence and test costs. DISCUSSION: Minimally invasive nonendoscopic tests may make GERD-independent BE screening cost effective. Participation rates for these strategies need to be studied.

A model-based cost-effectiveness analysis of pharmacogenomic panel testing in cardiovascular disease management: preemptive, reactive, or none?

PURPOSE: Pharmacogenomics (PGx) studies how inherited genetic variations in individuals affect drug absorption, distribution, and metabolism. PGx panel testing can potentially help improve efficiency and accuracy in individualizing therapy. This study compared the cost-effectiveness between preemptive PGx panel testing, reactive PGx panel testing and usual care (no testing) in cardiovascular disease management. METHODS: We developed a decision analytic model from the US payer's perspective for a hypothetical cohort of 10,000 patients ≥45 years old, using a short-term decision tree and long-term Markov model. The testing panel included the following gene-drug pairs: CYP2C19-clopidogrel, CYP2C9/VKORC1-warfarin, and SLCO1B1-statins with 30 test-return days. Costs were reported in 2019 US dollars and effectiveness was measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). The primary outcome was incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER = ΔCost/ΔQALY), assuming 3% discount rate for costs and QALYs. Scenario and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the impact of demographics, risk level, and follow-up timeframe. RESULTS: Preemptive testing was found to be cost-effective compared with usual care (ICER $86,227/QALY) at the willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000/QALY while reactive testing was not (ICER $148,726/QALY). Sensitivity analyses suggested that our cost-effectiveness results were sensitive to longer follow-up, and the age group 45-64 years. CONCLUSION: Compared with usual care, preemptive PGx panel testing was cost-effective in cardiovascular disease management.

Efficacy of Rituximab and Plasma Exchange in Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis with Severe Kidney Disease.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and severe renal involvement is not established. We describe outcomes in response to rituximab (RTX) versus cyclophosphamide (CYC) and plasma exchange (PLEX). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of MPO- or PR3-ANCA-positive patients with AAV (MPA and GPA) and severe kidney disease (eGFR <30 ml/min per 1.73 m2). Remission, relapse, ESKD and death after remission-induction with CYC or RTX, with or without the use of PLEX, were compared. RESULTS: Of 467 patients with active renal involvement, 251 had severe kidney disease. Patients received CYC (n=161) or RTX (n=64) for remission-induction, and 51 were also treated with PLEX. Predictors for ESKD and/or death at 18 months were eGFR <15 ml/min per 1.73 m2 at diagnosis (IRR 3.09 [95% CI 1.49 to 6.40], P=0.002), renal recovery (IRR 0.27 [95% CI 0.12 to 0.64], P=0.003) and renal remission at 6 months (IRR 0.40 [95% CI 0.18 to 0.90], P=0.027). RTX was comparable to CYC in remission-induction (BVAS/WG=0) at 6 months (IRR 1.37 [95% CI 0.91 to 2.08], P=0.132). Addition of PLEX showed no benefit on remission-induction at 6 months (IRR 0.73 [95% CI 0.44 to 1.22], P=0.230), the rate of ESKD and/or death at 18 months (IRR 1.05 [95% CI 0.51 to 2.18], P=0.891), progression to ESKD (IRR 1.06 [95% CI 0.50 to 2.25], P=0.887), and survival at 24 months (IRR 0.54 [95% CI 0.16 to 1.85], P=0.330). CONCLUSIONS: The apparent benefits and risks of using CYC or RTX for the treatment of patients with AAV and severe kidney disease are balanced. The addition of PLEX to standard remission-induction therapy showed no benefit in our cohort. A randomized controlled trial is the only satisfactory means to evaluate efficacy of remission-induction treatments in AAV with severe renal involvement.

Impact of patient factors and procedure on readmission after aortic dissection admission in the states of Florida and New York.

BACKGROUND: Readmissions after aortic dissection (AD) admission are not well described. Using state-based administrative claims data, we sought to define readmission rates after AD and to identify factors associated with them. METHODS: State Inpatient Databases for Florida (2007-2012) and New York (2008-2012) were queried for AD index admissions. Admissions were stratified by initial treatment strategy: type A open surgery repair (TAOR), type B open surgery repair (TBOR), thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), or medical management (MM). All-cause readmission rates were calculated at 30 days, 90 days, and 2 years. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with readmission at each time point for all type A admissions (TAOR) or type B admissions (TBOR, TEVAR, MM). RESULTS: We identified 4670 patients with an AD index admission. Treatment was with TAOR in 1031 (22%), TBOR in 761 (16%), TEVAR in 412 (9%), and MM in 2466 (53%). Patients were predominantly male (59.4%) and white (61.9%), with a median age of 66 years. Overall mortality during AD index admission was 14.8% (TAOR, 15.8%; TBOR, 17.1%; TEVAR, 9.0%; MM, 14.7%; P = .002 across all groups). All-cause readmission rates were similar across treatment groups at 30 days (9.6%-11%; P = .56), 90 days (15.2%-20%; P = .26), and 2 years (49.2%-54.4%; P = .15). Higher income quartile (vs lowest) was associated with lower odds of early readmission (at 30 days and 90 days) after type B admissions but not after type A admissions. At 2 years, self-pay (vs Medicare) was associated with lower odds of readmission in both type A and type B admissions, whereas higher comorbidity count and black race (vs white) were associated with higher odds of readmission. TEVAR (vs MM) was also associated with higher odds of readmission. Cardiovascular disease was the most common cause for readmission at all time points. Emergency department readmission counts were highest after MM admissions, and ambulatory surgical admissions were highest after TBOR. Both TEVAR and MM initial costs were lower than TAOR and TBOR costs, but at 2 years, costs remained significantly lower only for MM. CONCLUSIONS: In-state 30-day, 90-day, and 2-year readmission rates after AD were not associated with initial treatment type. Two-year readmissions are common. Strategies to target socioeconomic, race, and geographic factors may reduce variations in readmission patterns after AD admission.

FIRSTT study: randomized controlled trial of uterine artery embolization vs focused ultrasound surgery.

BACKGROUND: Uterine leiomyomas (fibroid tumors) cause considerable symptoms in 30-50% of women and are the leading cause of hysterectomy in the United States. Women with uterine fibroid tumors often seek uterine-preserving treatments, but comparative effectiveness trials are lacking. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to report treatment effectiveness and ovarian function after uterine artery embolization vs magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound surgery from the Fibroid Interventions: Reducing Symptoms Today and Tomorrow study. STUDY DESIGN: The Fibroid Interventions: Reducing Symptoms Today and Tomorrow study, which is a randomized controlled trial of uterine artery embolization vs magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound surgery, enrolled premenopausal women with symptomatic uterine fibroid tumors; women who declined randomization were enrolled in a parallel observational cohort. A comprehensive cohort design was used for outcomes analysis. Our target enrollment was 220 women, of which we achieved 41% (n=91) in the randomized and parallel arms of the trial. Primary outcome was reintervention for uterine fibroid tumors within 36 months. Secondary outcomes were change in serum anti-Müllerian hormone levels and standardized measures of fibroid symptoms, quality of life, pain, and sexual function. RESULTS: From 2010-2014, 83 women (mean age, 44.4 years) were treated in the comprehensive cohort design (43 for magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound surgery [27 randomized]; 40 for uterine artery embolization [22 randomized]); baseline clinical and uterine characteristics were similar between treatment arms, except for higher fibroid load in the uterine artery embolization arm. The risk of reintervention was higher with magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound surgery than uterine artery embolization (hazard ratio, 2.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-7.79). Uterine artery embolization showed a significantly greater absolute decrease in anti-Müllerian hormone levels at 24 months compared with magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound surgery. Quality of life and pain scores improved in both arms but to a greater extent in the uterine artery embolization arm. Higher pretreatment anti-Müllerian hormone level and younger age at treatment increased the overall risk of reintervention. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates a lower reintervention rate and greater improvement in symptoms after uterine artery embolization, although some of the effectiveness may come through impairment of ovarian reserve. Both pretreatment anti-Müllerian hormone level and age are associated with risk of reintervention. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00995878, clinicaltrials.gov.

Association between smoking cessation and post-hospitalization healthcare costs: a matched cohort analysis.

BACKGROUND: The potential economic benefit in terms of reduced healthcare costs when patients quit smoking after hospital discharge has not been directly measured. The aim of this study was to compare the costs for hospital admission and six-month follow-up for a cohort of patients who self-reported abstinence from cigarettes at 6 months after hospital discharge and a matched group of patients who reported continued smoking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of a recent population-based clinical trial cohort (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01575145), with cohort membership determined by self-reported 7 day point prevalence abstinence at 6 months after the index hospital discharge. Participants were admitted to Mayo Clinic Hospital, Rochester, MN, between May 5, 2012 and August 10, 2014 for any indication and lived in the areas covered by postal codes included in Olmsted County, MN. Propensity score matching was used to control for differences between groups other than smoking status, and any residual imbalance was adjusted through generalized linear model with gamma distribution for cost and log-link transformation. RESULTS: Of 600 patients enrolled in the clinical trial, 144 could be contacted and self-reported 7 day point prevalence abstinence at 6 months after hospital discharge. Of these patients, 99 were successfully matched for this analysis. The cost for the index hospitalization was significantly greater in patients who abstained compared to those that did not abstain (mean difference of $3042, higher for abstainers, 95% CI $170 to $5913, P = 0.038). However, there was no difference between mean 6-month follow-up costs, number of inpatient hospitalizations, or number of emergency room visits for abstainers versus non-abstainers. CONCLUSION: There was no evidence to support the hypothesis that abstinence at 6 months after hospital discharge is associated with a decrease in health care costs or utilization over the first 6 months after hospital discharge.

Costs associated with Barrett's esophagus screening in the community: an economic analysis of a prospective randomized controlled trial of sedated versus hospital unsedated versus mobile community unsedated endoscopy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Data on the economic impact associated with screening for Barrett's esophagus (BE) are limited. As part of a comparative effectiveness randomized trial of unsedated transnasal endoscopy (uTNE) and sedated EGD (sEGD), we assessed costs associated with BE screening. METHODS: Patients were randomly allocated to 3 techniques: sEGD or uTNE in a hospital setting (huTNE) versus uTNE in a mobile research van (muTNE). Patients were called 1 and 30 days after screening to assess loss of work (because of the screening procedure) and medical care sought after procedure. Direct medical costs were extracted from billing claims databases. Indirect costs (loss of work for subject and caregiver) were estimated using patient reported data. Statistical analyses including multivariable analysis accounting for comorbidities were conducted to compare costs. RESULTS: Two hundred nine patients were screened (61 sEGD, 72 huTNE, and 76 muTNE). Thirty-day direct medical costs and indirect costs were significantly higher in the sEGD than the huTNE and muTNE groups. Total costs (direct medical + indirect costs) were also significantly higher in the sEGD than in the uTNE group. The muTNE group had significantly lower costs than the huTNE group. Adjustment for age, sex, and comorbidities on multivariable analysis did not change this conclusion. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term direct, indirect, and total costs of screening are significantly lower with uTNE compared with sEGD. Mobile uTNE costs were lower than huTNE costs, raising the possibility of mobile screening as a novel method of screening for BE and esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Time trends in the health care burden and mortality of acute on chronic liver failure in the United States.

Acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) is associated with multisystem organ failure and poor prognosis in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis. We aimed to determine time trends in the epidemiology, economic burden, and mortality of ACLF in the United States. The National Inpatient Sample database was queried between 2001 and 2011. ACLF was defined as two or more extrahepatic organ failures in patients with cirrhosis. The primary outcomes were trends in hospitalizations, hospital costs, and inpatient mortality. The number of hospitalizations for cirrhosis in the United States nearly doubled from 371,000 in 2001 to 659,000 in 2011. The prevalence of ACLF among those hospitalizations increased from 1.5% (n = 5,400) to 5% (n = 32,300). The inpatient costs increased 2-fold for cirrhosis ($4.8 billion to $9.8 billion) and 5-fold ($320 million to $1.7 billion) for ACLF. In 2011, the cost per hospitalization for ACLF was 3.5-fold higher than that for cirrhosis ($53,570 versus $15,193). The in-hospital fatality rates decreased from 65% to 50% for ACLF and from 10% to 7% for cirrhosis. The organ failure trends in ACLF showed an increasing proportion of cardiovascular and cerebral and decreasing proportion of respiratory and renal failure. Age, male sex, and the number and types of organ failure were predictors of death in ACLF. CONCLUSION: Cirrhosis and ACLF represent a substantial and increasing health and economic burden in the United States; these data highlight an urgent need for research on pathophysiological mechanisms and effective therapy as well as for education of health care providers of its importance in the care of patients with cirrhosis. (Hepatology 2016;64:2165-2172).

Randomized Trial of Rapid Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Blood Culture Identification and Susceptibility Testing.

BACKGROUND: The value of rapid, panel-based molecular diagnostics for positive blood culture bottles (BCBs) has not been rigorously assessed. We performed a prospective randomized controlled trial evaluating outcomes associated with rapid multiplex PCR (rmPCR) detection of bacteria, fungi, and resistance genes directly from positive BCBs. METHODS: A total of 617 patients with positive BCBs underwent stratified randomization into 3 arms: standard BCB processing (control, n = 207), rmPCR reported with templated comments (rmPCR, n = 198), or rmPCR reported with templated comments and real-time audit and feedback of antimicrobial orders by an antimicrobial stewardship team (rmPCR/AS, n = 212). The primary outcome was antimicrobial therapy duration. Secondary outcomes were time to antimicrobial de-escalation or escalation, length of stay (LOS), mortality, and cost. RESULTS: Time from BCB Gram stain to microorganism identification was shorter in the intervention group (1.3 hours) vs control (22.3 hours) (P < .001). Compared to the control group, both intervention groups had decreased broad-spectrum piperacillin-tazobactam (control 56 hours, rmPCR 44 hours, rmPCR/AS 45 hours; P = .01) and increased narrow-spectrum ß-lactam (control 42 hours, rmPCR 71 hours, rmPCR/AS 85 hours; P = .04) use, and less treatment of contaminants (control 25%, rmPCR 11%, rmPCR/AS 8%; P = .015). Time from Gram stain to appropriate antimicrobial de-escalation or escalation was shortest in the rmPCR/AS group (de-escalation: rmPCR/AS 21 hours, control 34 hours, rmPCR 38 hours, P < .001; escalation: rmPCR/AS 5 hours, control 24 hours, rmPCR 6 hours, P = .04). Groups did not differ in mortality, LOS, or cost. CONCLUSIONS: rmPCR reported with templated comments reduced treatment of contaminants and use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials. Addition of antimicrobial stewardship enhanced antimicrobial de-escalation. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT01898208.

Diagnostic workup and costs of a single supplemental molecular breast imaging screen of mammographically dense breasts.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine additional diagnostic workup and costs generated by addition of a single molecular breast imaging (MBI) examination to screening mammography for women with dense breasts. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Women with mammographically dense breasts presenting for screening mammography underwent adjunct MBI performed with 300 MBq (99m)Tc-sestamibi and a direct-conversion cadmium-zinc-telluride dual-head gamma camera. All subsequent imaging tests and biopsies were tracked for a minimum of 1 year. The positive predictive value of biopsies performed (PPV3), benign biopsy rate, cost per patient screened, and cost per cancer detected were determined. RESULTS: A total of 1651 women enrolled in the study. Among the 1585 participants with complete reference standard, screening mammography alone prompted diagnostic workup of 175 (11.0%) patients and biopsy of 20 (1.3%) and yielded five malignancies (PPV3, 25%). Results of combined screening mammography plus MBI prompted diagnostic workup of 279 patients (17.6%) and biopsy of 67 (4.2%) and yielded 19 malignancies (PPV3, 28.4%). The benign biopsy rates were 0.9% (15 of 1585) for screening mammography alone and 3.0% (48 of 1585) for the combination (p < 0.001). The addition of MBI increased the cost per patient screened from $176 for mammography alone to $571 for the combination. However, cost per cancer detected was lower for the combination ($47,597) than for mammography alone ($55,851). CONCLUSION: The addition of MBI to screening mammography of women with dense breasts increased the overall costs and benign biopsy rate but also increased the cancer detection rate, which resulted in a lower cost per cancer detected than with screening mammography alone.

Evaluating implementation of a rapid response team: considering alternative outcome measures.

OBJECTIVE: Determine the prolonged effect of rapid response team (RRT) implementation on failure to rescue (FTR). DESIGN: Longitudinal study of institutional performance with control charts and Bayesian change point (BCP) analysis. SETTING: Two academic hospitals in Midwest, USA. PARTICIPANTS: All inpatients discharged between 1 September 2005 and 31 December 2010. INTERVENTION: Implementation of an RRT serving the Mayo Clinic Rochester system was phased in for all inpatient services beginning in September 2006 and was completed in February 2008. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Modified version of the AHRQ FTR measure, which identifies hospital mortalities among medical and surgical patients with specified in-hospital complications. RESULTS: A decrease in FTR, as well as an increase in the unplanned ICU transfer rate, occurred in the second-year post-RRT implementation coinciding with an increase in RRT calls per month. No significant decreases were observed pre- and post-implementation for cardiopulmonary resuscitation events or overall mortality. A significant decrease in mortality among non-ICU discharges was identified by control charts, although this finding was not detected by BCP or pre- vs. post-analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Reduction in the FTR rate was associated with a substantial increase in the number of RRT calls. Effects of RRT may not be seen until RRT calls reach a sufficient threshold. FTR rate may be better at capturing the effect of RRT implementation than the rate of cardiac arrests. These results support prior reports that short-term studies may underestimate the impact of RRT systems, and support the need for ongoing monitoring and assessment of outcomes to facilitate best resource utilization.

Comparative cost-effectiveness of contemporary treatment strategies for stage IIA seminoma.

BACKGROUND: The Surgery in Early Metastatic Seminoma (SEMS) trial examined retroperitoneal lymph node dissection as first-line treatment for patients with isolated 1-3 cm retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy. To date, the standard of care for these patients has been either chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Herein, we evaluated the relative cost-effectiveness of these management strategies. METHODS: A microsimulation model assessed the cost-effectiveness of retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy for stage IIA seminoma. Sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate model robustness. Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection recurrence probabilities were obtained from the SEMS trial. All other probability and utility values were obtained from published literature. Primary outcomes included costs from a commercial insurer's perspective, effectiveness (quality adjusted life-years [QALYs]), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios using a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100 000/QALY. RESULTS: At a lifetime horizon, the mean costs per patient for retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy were $58 469, $98 783, and $104 096, and the mean QALYs were 40.61, 40.70, and 39.15, respectively. Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection was found to be the most cost-effective approach because of high costs and accrued disutility of chronic toxicities associated with radiotherapy (cost-effectiveness ratios = $433 845/QALY) and chemotherapy (dominated). On 1-way sensitivity analyses, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection was no longer cost-effective if the probabilities of infertility and cardiovascular toxicity after radiotherapy were less than 13% and 16%, respectively, or if the 2-year probability of progression after retroperitoneal lymph node dissection was more than 26%. CONCLUSIONS: Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection was the most cost-effective treatment approach for stage IIA seminoma. These findings support clinical guideline consideration of including retroperitoneal lymph node dissection as a treatment option for well-selected patients with stage IIA seminoma.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of margin-controlled surgery for vulvar Paget's disease.

Objectives: To determine the cost of two surgical treatment approaches for vulvar Paget's disease and model the cost-effectiveness considering differences in recurrence and reoperation over time. Methods: We assessed cost-effectiveness between excision guided by Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS-E) and traditional wide local excision (WLE). We examined billing data from patients with vulvar Paget's disease who underwent MMS-E (cases, n = 24, 2018-2022) or WLE (controls, n = 64, 1990-2020). We created typical treatment bundles incorporating physician-administered services and facility costs standardized to Medicare reimbursements in 2022 United States Dollars (USD). The primary measure of effectiveness was disease-free years of life. A secondary analysis estimated quality-adjusted life years (QALY). A Markov model simulated treatment pathways over a 10-year time horizon. Transition probabilities were based on institutional recurrence rates (3-year RR 6.7 % for MMS-E vs 34.1 % for WLE). We used a willingness-to-pay threshold of 100,000 USD per QALY. Results: The cost of a single surgical episode was 34,664 USD for MMS-E and 14,969 USD for WLE. In the setting of lower recurrence rates with MMS-E, the incremental cost was 12,789 USD per disease-free year gained. A secondary analysis incorporating QALY showed an incremental cost of 72,820 USD per QALY. Conclusions: MMS-E appears to be a cost-effective treatment for vulvar Paget's disease compared to historic standard of care. Our ability to estimate quality of life gained by avoiding disease recurrence was limited by scant data for this rare condition; thus, future studies incorporating health utility values are needed to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis.