Adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer: a qualitative exploration of attribution of symptoms among post-menopausal women.

PURPOSE: Oral adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) is an effective treatment for hormone receptor positive breast cancer to decrease recurrence and mortality, but adherence is poor. This study explored post-menopausal women's experiences with AET, with a particular focus on adherence to AET as well as distress and symptoms experienced prior to and during AET treatment. METHODS: Participants were recruited from a hospital registry, stratified by adherence to/discontinuation of AET. Telephone interviews followed a semi-structured interview guide and were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were systematically coded using team-based coding, with analysis of themes using a grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Thirty-three participants were interviewed; ages ranged from 57 to 86 years. Participants included 10 discontinued patients and 23 patients who completed their AET course or were adherent to AET at the time of interviewing. Both adherent and discontinued patients reported symptoms throughout their AET treatment course, and both attributed symptoms to factors other than AET (e.g., older age and pre-existing comorbidities). However, discontinued patients were more likely to attribute symptoms to AET and to describe difficulty managing their symptoms, with some directly citing symptoms as the reason for discontinuing AET therapy. Conversely, adherent patients were more likely to describe the necessity of taking AET, despite symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: AET adherence was associated with beliefs about AET, symptom attribution, and symptom management. Routine symptom monitoring during AET and addressing both symptoms and patients' understanding of their symptoms may promote adherence to AET.

Medication delivery factors and adjuvant endocrine therapy adherence in breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Over 50% of breast cancer patients prescribed a 5-year course of daily oral adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) are nonadherent. We investigated the role of costs and cancer medication delivery mode and other medication delivery factors on adherence. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of commercially insured and Medicare advantage patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer in 2007-2015 who initiated ET. We examined the association between 12-month ET adherence (proportion of days covered by fills ≥ 0.80) and ET copayments, 90-day prescription refill use, mail order pharmacy use, number of pharmacies, and synchronization of medications. We used regression models to estimate nonadherence risk ratios adjusted for demographics (age, income, race, urbanicity), comorbidities, total medications, primary cancer treatments, and generic AI availability. Sensitivity analyses were conducted using alternative specifications for independent variables. RESULTS: Mail order users had higher adherence in both commercial and Medicare-insured cohorts. Commercially insured patients who used mail order were more likely to be adherent if they had low copayments (< $5) and 90-day prescription refills. For commercially insured patients who used local pharmacies, use of one pharmacy and better synchronized refills were also associated with adherence. Among Medicare patients who used mail order pharmacies, only low copayments were associated with adherence, while among Medicare patients using local pharmacies both low copayments and 90-day prescriptions were associated with ET adherence. CONCLUSION: Out-of-pocket costs, medication delivery mode, and other pharmacy-related medication delivery factors are associated with adherence to breast cancer ET. Future work should investigate whether interventions aimed at streamlining medication delivery could improve adherence for breast cancer patients.

Patient-Physician Concordance for Quantitative Formats and Treatment Options and the Relationship with State Anxiety.

Patient-physician concordance about topics discussed in a clinic visit is essential for effective communication but may be difficult to achieve in cancer care. We conducted a multicenter, observational study at two Midwestern oncology clinics. A sample of 48 English-speaking or Spanish-speaking women with newly diagnosed stage 0-3 breast cancer completed surveys before and after a visit with an oncologist. Patient-physician dyads were coded as concordant if both patient and physician follow-up self-reports agreed whether (or not) specific treatments were discussed (i.e., treatment option concordance; mastectomy, lumpectomy, hormone therapy, neoadjuvant, and adjuvant chemotherapy) and whether risk was described using certain quantitative formats (i.e., quantitative format concordance; percentages, proportions out of 100 and 1000, graphs, pictures, evidence from clinical studies, cancer stage). Agreement was determined using percent agreement and prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted kappa (PABAK). Pearson's correlations were used to determine relationships between anxiety and each measure concordance. Percent concordance was higher for treatment concordance (73.3%) compared to quantitative format concordance (64.5%), and PABAK scores tended to be higher for treatment options (PABAK = .21-.78). Both treatment and quantitative format concordance were negatively associated with pre-visit state anxiety, but only treatment concordance was statistically significant (treatment: r = - .504, p = .001; quantitative format: r = - .096, p = .523). Our study indicates moderate patient-physician concordance in early breast cancer care communication and that patient anxiety may impact the ability for patients and physicians to agree on the content communicated in a clinic visit.

The Role of Physician Professional Networks in Physicians' Receipt of Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Industries' Payments.

BACKGROUND: Financial relationships between physicians and the pharmaceutical and medical device industries are common, but the factors associated with physicians receiving payments are unknown. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of physicians' professional networks' characteristics on the receipt of payments among physicians. DESIGN: Network analysis of cross-sectional data PARTICIPANTS: US physicians who shared Medicare patients with other physicians in 2015 (N=357,813). EXPOSURE (INTERVENTION): Proportion of a physician's professional network that received industry payments and other network characteristics including number of physician connections, how central the physician is within the network, and the tightness of the referral network in which a physician is located. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Relative risk of receiving industry payments. We used modified Poisson regression to control for confounding by gender, time since graduation, practice size, and practice setting (teaching hospital vs. not). We included dummy variables for specialty and hospital referral region level. KEY RESULTS: The proportion of a physician's peers in their professional network that received payments was strongly associated with receipt of pharmaceutical or device industry payments by the physician (top vs bottom quartile aRR=1.28, 95%CI=1.25-1.31). Physician's centrality within a network had a small positive effect on receiving payment (top vs bottom quartile aRR=1.02, 95%CI=1.01-1.04). Network density also had a small negative association with receipt of payment (top vs bottom quartile aRR=0.97, 95%CI=0.96-0.98). CONCLUSIONS: Network characteristics, particularly the receipt of payments among physicians one shares patients with, are associated with whether a physician receives payments. This finding has implications for institutional regulation of industry payments to physicians and demonstrates how institutional policy may impact not only the physicians within the institution but also physicians outside of the institution.

Pharmacy deserts and patients with breast cancer receipt of influenza vaccines.

BACKGROUND: Yearly influenza vaccination is strongly recommended at age 65 and reimbursed by Medicare without copays or deductibles at pharmacies and clinical settings. Uptake is low among patients with a high risk for influenza complications and good access to specialist care, such as recent cancer survivors. We hypothesized that more accessible pharmacies could be associated with higher immunization uptake in such patients. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether pharmacy access is associated with influenza vaccination in subjects recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and whether this association differs by additional risk factors for influenza complications. METHODS: We examined a cohort of patients with stage 0-III breast cancer diagnosed 2011-2015 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare cancer registry. All retail pharmacies in the United States were identified, and pharmacy access was measured by assessing supply and demand in each census tract using a 2-stage floating catchment area approach that accounted for pharmacy driving distances recommended by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. We examined the association of pharmacy access with influenza vaccination after breast cancer diagnosis in regression models. RESULTS: More than 11% of 45,722 patients with breast cancer lived in census tracts where no pharmacies were within recommended driving distances from the population-weighted tract center. Vaccination in the year after diagnosis was less likely for patients in these very low-access tracts (adjusted odds ratio 0.92 [95% CI 0.86-0.96]), black (0.55 [0.51-0.60]) and Hispanic (0.76 [0.70-0.83]) women, and Medicaid recipients (0.74 [0.69-0.79]). Vaccination was inversely associated with per capita income in the subject's census tract, but there was no difference in the pharmacy effect by race, ethnicity, or census tract income. CONCLUSION: Very low pharmacy access is associated with modest reductions in vaccination that could be useful for policy and planning regarding vaccinator resources and outreach.

New-onset persistent opioid use following breast cancer treatment in older adult women.

BACKGROUND: Patients with cancer-related pain are underrepresented in the opioid literature despite high opioid exposure and numerous risk factors for adverse opioid outcomes, including unnecessary persistent opioid use. The objective of this study was to determine the extent, historical trends, and predictors of new-onset persistent opioid use among older adult women after active breast cancer treatment. METHODS: Using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data for opioid-naive women diagnosed with stage 0 to III breast cancer at the age of 66 to 90 years between 2008 and 2013, this study estimated overall and quarterly adjusted probabilities of new-onset persistent opioid use, which was defined as receiving ≥90 days' supply of opioids in the year after active breast cancer treatment. Sensitivity analyses were conducted with an alternative definition of persistent opioid use: any opioid fill 90 to 180 days after active cancer treatment. RESULTS: Nearly two-thirds of the subjects received prescription opioid therapy during cancer treatment. Quarterly probabilities of new-onset persistent opioid use after active treatment ranged from 2% to 4%; in sensitivity analyses, the alternative outcome definition resulted in predicted probabilities ranging from 11.4% to 14.7%. Subjects with more advanced disease, a higher comorbidity burden, a low-income status, and greater opioid exposure during active cancer treatment were more likely to develop persistent opioid use. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent opioid use was an infrequent occurrence among older adult patients with breast cancer completing cancer treatment between 2008 and 2013. This finding was encouraging because of the concerning opioid trends seen in noncancer populations. However, opportunities to further mitigate unsafe opioid use as a complication of cancer care, including standardization of persistent opioid use definitions, should be explored.

The impact of generic aromatase inhibitors on initiation, adherence, and persistence among women with breast cancer: Applying multi-state models to understand the dynamics of adherence.

PURPOSE: Clinical trials have clearly documented the survival benefit of aromatase inhibitors (AIs); however, many women fail to initiate (primary nonadherence) or remain adherent to AIs (secondary nonadherence). Prior studies have found that costs impact secondary nonadherence to medications but have failed to examine primary nonadherence. The purpose of this study is to examine primary and secondary adherence following the reduction in copays due to the introduction of generic AIs. METHODS: Using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data, we identified 50 054 women diagnosed with incident breast cancer between 2008 and 2013. We compare women whose copays would change and those whose would not, due to the receipt of cost-sharing subsidies before and after generics were introduced using a difference-in-difference (DinD) analysis. To examine primary and secondary nonadherence, we rely on a multistate model with four states (Not yet initiated, User, Not Using, and Death). We adjusted for baseline factors using inverse probability treatment weights and then simulated adherence for 36 months following diagnosis. RESULTS: The generic introduction of AIs resulted in patients initiating AIs faster (DinD = -4.7%, 95%CI = -7.0, -2.3; patients not yet initiating treatment at 6-months), being more adherent (DinD ranging in absolute increase of 8.1%-10.4%) and being less likely to not be using the therapy (DinD range in absolute decrease of 1.2% at 6 months to 8.8% at 24 months) for women that do not receive a subsidy after generics were available. CONCLUSIONS: Introduction of generic alternatives to AIs significantly reduced primary and secondary nonadherence.

The association of pharmacy fill synchronization with breast cancer endocrine therapy adherence.

BACKGROUND: One-third to one-half of patients prescribed adjuvant endocrine therapy are nonadherent during the recommended 5-year endocrine therapy course. This study investigated whether poor pharmacy synchronization of medication fills (requiring refills on different days) acts as a barrier to adherence. METHODS: A cohort of older women with stage 0 to III endocrine receptor-positive breast cancer in 2011 was identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result-Medicare claims-linked cancer registry. Women with endocrine therapy and at least 1 other medication fill were identified, and the 3-month synchronization of their fills was calculated as 1 minus the quotient of the number of pharmacy visits and the number of filled medications. Regression models were used to examine the association between synchronization (in quartiles adjusted for the number of medications) and adherence to endocrine therapy (defined as a medication possession ratio ≥80%) over the subsequent year. RESULTS: During the 3 months after the first endocrine therapy prescription, the study cohort of 3212 women had a mean of 8.6 pharmacy visits (standard deviation, 4.7) with a mean synchronization of 0.3 (standard deviation, 0.2). Those in the third (odds ratio, 1.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.59) and fourth (most) medication number-adjusted synchronization quartiles (odds ratio, 1.49; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-1.86) were more likely to be adherent than those in the least. Multivariate model predictions showed that the proportion of patients who were adherent over 1 year varied from 68.9% in the least synchronized quartile to 76.6% in the most synchronized one. CONCLUSIONS: Prescription refill synchronization is strongly associated with adherence to endocrine therapy. Efforts to improve adherence should address this.

Temporal trends and regional variation in the utilization of low-value breast cancer care: has the Choosing Wisely campaign made a difference?

PURPOSE: Since 2012, about 80 specialty societies have released Choosing Wisely (CW) recommendations aimed at reducing the use of low-value, unproven, or ineffective medical services. The extent to which these recommendations have influenced the behavior of physicians and patients remains largely unknown. METHODS: Using MarketScan Commercial Claims and Medicare Supplemental and Coordination of Benefits databases, we identified annual cohorts of women with incident, early-stage breast cancer and estimated the prevalence of four initial treatment and six surveillance metrics deemed as low-value breast cancer care by CW. Multivariable logistic regressions were subsequently used to estimate temporal trends and regional variation in the use of these metrics, with a special focus on the year of CW's publication. RESULTS: There were 122,341 women identified as undergoing treatment for incident breast cancer between 2010 and 2014. Two of the four low-value initial treatment metrics and four of the six low-value surveillance metrics declined significantly over time. The temporal trend of declining use, however, preceded the release of CW's guidelines. Declines ranged from 11.0% for follow-up mammography to 40.6% for receipt of surgical biopsy without an attempted needle biopsy. There were marked regional differences in use of low-value breast cancer care for all metrics, much of which persisted after publication of CW. CONCLUSIONS: With two notable exceptions, use of low-value breast cancer care has declined steadily since 2010. The declines, however, were not accelerated by the publication of CW recommendations.

The association of socioeconomic status with receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: There are advantages to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in operable breast cancer, particularly for those with higher-risk cancers, but little is known about factors that are associated with the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy outside of clinical trials. We examined whether use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy instead of adjuvant chemotherapy varies by nonclinical factors such as patient socioeconomic status or rural residence. METHODS: Women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013-2014 at eight medical institutions were surveyed by mail regarding their experiences with breast cancer treatment, and this information was linked to hospital-based cancer registries. We examined the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy among women with histologically confirmed invasive stage I-III breast cancer and used regression models to examine the association of socioeconomic status with chemotherapy timing. We also explored potential mechanisms for those differences. RESULTS: Over 29% of the chemotherapy sample overall received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Neoadjuvant receipt was lower for those with income < $100,000 (AOR 0.56, 95% CI 0.2-0.9) even with adjustment for other demographics, stage, and biomarker status, and findings for education and a variable for both lowest education and income < $100,000 were similar. Rural/urban residence was not associated with neoadjuvant receipt. Differences by income in perceptions of the importance of neoadjuvant chemotherapy advantages and disadvantages did not appear to explain the differences in use by income. CONCLUSIONS: In a multicenter sample of breast cancer patients, lower income was strongly associated with less receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Since patients with lower socioeconomic status are more likely to present with later-stage disease, this pattern has the potential to contribute to breast cancer outcome disparities.

Using Group-based Trajectory Models and Propensity Score Weighting to Detect Heterogeneous Treatment Effects: The Case Study of Generic Hormonal Therapy for Women With Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: We extend an interrupted time series study design to identify heterogenous treatment effects using group-based trajectory models (GBTMs) to identify groups before a new policy and then examine if the effects of the policy has consistent impacts across groups using propensity score weighting to balance individuals within trajectory groups who are and are not exposed to the policy change. We explore this by examining how adherence to endocrine therapy (ET) for women with breast cancer was impacted by reducing copayments for medications by the introduction of generic ETs among women who do not receive a subsidy (the "treatment" group) to those that do receive a subsidy and are not exposed to any changes in copayments (the "control" group). METHODS: We examined monthly adherence to ET using the proportion of days covered for women diagnosed with breast cancer between 2008 and 2009 using SEER-Medicare data. To account for baseline trends, we characterize adherence for 1 year before generic approval of ET using GBTMs, within each groups we generate inverse probability treatment weights of not receiving a subsidy. We compared adherence after generic entry within each GBTM using a modified Poisson model. RESULTS: GBTMs for adherence in the 1-year pregeneric identified 6 groups. When comparing patients who did and did not receive a subsidy we found no overall effect of generic introduction. However, 1 of the 6 identified adherence groups postgeneric adherence increased [the "consistently low" (risk ratio=1.91; 95% confidence interval=1.34-2.72)]. CONCLUSIONS: This study describes a new approach to identify heterogenous effects when using an interrupted time series research design.

Geographic Variation of Adjuvant Breast Cancer Therapy Initiation in the United States: Lessons From Medicare Part D.

Background: Drug utilization under Medicare Part D varies significantly by geographic region. This study examined the extent to which geographic variation in Part D plan characteristics contributes to the variation in choice of initial endocrine therapy agent among women with incident breast cancer. Methods: Two-stage multivariate regression analyses were applied to the 16,541 women identified from Medicare claims as having incident breast cancer in 2006-2007. The first stage determined the effect of state of residence on the probability of having an aromatase inhibitor (AI), as opposed to tamoxifen, as initial endocrine therapy. The second stage provided estimates of the impact of state-specific Part D plan characteristics on variation in choice of initial therapy. Results: There was substantial residual geographic variation in the likelihood of using an AI as initial endocrine therapy, despite controlling for socioeconomic status, breast cancer treatment, and other factors. Regression-adjusted probabilities of starting an AI ranged from 57.3% in Wyoming to 92.6% in the District of Columbia. Results from the second stage revealed that variation in characteristics of Part D plans across states explained approximately one-third (30%) of the state-level variability in endocrine therapy. A higher number of plans with cost-sharing above the mean, greater spread in deductibles, and a greater spread in monthly drug premiums were associated with lower adjusted state probabilities of initiating an AI. In contrast, a higher number of drug plans with monthly premiums above the state mean and higher mean cost-sharing (in dollars) were both positively associated with likelihood of starting on an AI. Conclusions: Study findings suggest that variation in benefit design of Part D plans accounts for an important share of the large and persisting variability in use of AIs-the preferred oral therapy for breast cancer.

Catalyzing Transdisciplinarity: A Systems Ethnography of Cancer-Obesity Comorbidity and Risk Coincidence.

Effectively addressing wicked health problems, that is, those arising from complex multifactorial biological and socio-economic causes, requires transdisciplinary action. However, a significant body of research points toward substantial difficulties in cultivating transdisciplinary collaboration. Accordingly, this article presents the results of a study that adapts Systems Ethnography and Qualitative Modeling (SEQM) in response to wicked health problems. SEQM protocols were designed to catalyze transdisciplinary responses to national defense concerns. We adapted these protocols to address cancer-obesity comorbidity and risk coincidence. In so doing, we conducted participant-observations and interviews with a diverse range of health care providers, community health educators, and health advocacy professionals who target either cancer or obesity. We then convened a transdisciplinary conference designed to catalyze a coordinated response. The findings offer productive insights into effective ways of catalyzing transdisciplinarity in addressing wicked health problems action and demonstrate the promise of SEQM for continued use in health care contexts.

Development and Validation of the Spanish Numeracy Understanding in Medicine Instrument.

BACKGROUND: The Spanish-speaking population in the U.S. is large and growing and is known to have lower health literacy than the English-speaking population. Less is known about the health numeracy of this population due to a lack of health numeracy measures in Spanish. OBJECTIVE: we aimed to develop and validate a short and easy to use measure of health numeracy for Spanish-speaking adults: the Spanish Numeracy Understanding in Medicine Instrument (Spanish-NUMi). DESIGN: Items were generated based on qualitative studies in English- and Spanish-speaking adults and translated into Spanish using a group translation and consensus process. Candidate items for the Spanish NUMi were selected from an eight-item validated English Short NUMi. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) was conducted to evaluate equivalence between English and Spanish items. Cronbach's alpha was computed as a measure of reliability and a Pearson's correlation was used to evaluate the association between test scores and the Spanish Test of Functional Health Literacy (S-TOFHLA) and education level. PARTICIPANTS: Two-hundred and thirty-two Spanish-speaking Chicago residents were included in the study. KEY RESULTS: The study population was diverse in age, gender, and level of education and 70 % reported Mexico as their country of origin. Two items of the English eight-item Short NUMi demonstrated DIF and were dropped. The resulting six-item test had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.72, a range of difficulty using classical test statistics (percent correct: 0.48 to 0.86), and adequate discrimination (item-total score correlation: 0.34-0.49). Scores were positively correlated with print literacy as measured by the S- TOFHLA (r = 0.67; p < 0.001) and varied as predicted across grade level; mean scores for up to eighth grade, ninth through twelfth grade, and some college experience or more, respectively, were 2.48 (SD ± 1.64), 4.15 (SD ± 1.45), and 4.82 (SD ± 0.37). CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish NUMi is a reliable and valid measure of important numerical concepts used in communicating health information.

Bone Mineral Density Testing Disparities Among Patients With Breast Cancer Prescribed Aromatase Inhibitors.

OBJECTIVES: Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are standard adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal women with early-stage, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. We designed our study to determine whether women initiating adjuvant therapy with an AI underwent baseline bone mineral density testing, as well as what factors predicted adherence with testing guidelines. METHODS: Medicare Parts A, B, and D claims were used to identify a cohort of women aged 67 years and older with incident breast cancer in 2006 and 2007 who started AI therapy. Medicare claims provided information about bone density testing, as well as demographic and other treatment data through 2012. We also ascertained which patients were treated with bisphosphonates and studied the relationship of bisphosphonate therapy with bone density testing. RESULTS: Approximately two-thirds of patients had baseline bone density testing. Older age, comorbidity, low income, and black race were associated with lower rates of baseline bone density testing. Testing rates decreased substantially with increasing age from 73% for women aged 67 to 70 years to 51% for those 85 years of age and older (adjusted odds ratio for not being tested, 2.48 [Cl, 2.17-2.82]). The proportion of women who had neither bone density testing nor bisphosphonate therapy increased with age as well. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the importance of age as a risk factor for fractures, older women starting treatment with AIs for treatment of breast cancer are less likely to undergo recommended bone density assessment.

Development and validation of the numeracy understanding in Medicine Instrument short form.

Health numeracy can be defined as the ability to understand and use numeric information and quantitative concepts in the context of health. The authors previously reported the development of the Numeracy Understanding in Medicine Instrument (NUMi), a 20-item test developed using item response theory. The authors now report the development and validation of a short form of the NUMi. Item statistics were used to identify a subset of 8 items representing a range of difficulty and content areas. Internal reliability was evaluated with Cronbach's alpha. Divergent and convergent validity was assessed by comparing scores of the S-NUMI with existing measures of education, print and numeric health literacy, mathematic achievement, cognitive reasoning, and the original NUMi. The 8-item scale had adequate reliability (α=.72) and was strongly correlated to the 20-item NUMi (α=.92). S-NUMi scores were strongly correlated with the Lipkus Expanded Health Numeracy Scale (α=.62), the Wide Range of Achievement Test-Mathematics (α=.72), and the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test (α=.76). Moderate correlation was found with education level (α=.58) and print literacy as measured by the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (α=.49). Results show that the short form of the NUMi is a reliable and valid measure of health numeracy feasible for use in clinical and research settings.

Screening and Treating Urinary Incontinence in Primary Care: A Missed Opportunity.

More than 60% of adult women in the United States have urinary incontinence (UI), with the prevalence increasing to over 80% in women over age 65. Despite its high prevalence, most patients do not seek care and few clinicians screen for UI. The Medicare Health Outcomes Survey queries patients about satisfaction with their provider's discussion and management of UI, but formal recommendations about screening, diagnosis, and treatment are lacking. This review presents a practical algorithm for primary care providers to incorporate management of UI into routine preventive care for women, and outlines UI prevalence, risk factors, screening, and non-surgical treatment options.

Referral and Prescription Patterns for Female Patients With Urinary Incontinence.

IMPORTANCE: Although behavioral modifications, medications, and other interventions can improve urinary incontinence (UI), many women never receive them. OBJECTIVES: To better characterize UI treatment patterns in primary care, we examined prescriptions and referrals to pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) and specialist physicians within a large Midwestern academic health system. STUDY DESIGN: Electronic health records were queried to identify a cohort of adult female patients receiving a new UI diagnosis during outpatient primary care visits from 2016 to 2020. Urinary incontinence referrals and referral completion were examined for the overall cohort, and medication prescriptions were examined for women with urgency or mixed UI. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of prescriptions and/or referrals with patient demographics, comorbidities, and UI diagnosis dates. RESULTS: In the year after primary care UI diagnosis, 37.2% of patients in the overall cohort (n = 4,382) received guideline-concordant care. This included 20.6% of women who were referred for further management: 17.7% to urology/urogynecology and 3.2% to PFPT. Most women who were referred attended an initial appointment. Among those with urgency (n = 2,398) or mixed UI (n = 552), 17.1% were prescribed medication. Women with stress (odds ratio [OR], 3.10; 95% CI, 2.53-3.79) and mixed UI (OR, 6.17; 95% CI, 4.03-9.66) were more likely to be referred for further management, and women diagnosed during the COVID-19 pandemic were less likely to be referred for further care (OR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.29, 0.48). CONCLUSION: Only slightly above 1 in 3 women with a new diagnosis of UI in primary care received guideline-based medications or referrals within 1 year, suggesting missed opportunities for timely care.

The association of robotic surgical technology and hospital prostatectomy volumes: increasing market share through the adoption of technology.

BACKGROUND: Despite limited and conflicting evidence for the efficacy of newly developed robotic technology for laparoscopic prostatectomy, this technology is spreading rapidly. Because the newer technology is more costly, reasons for this rapid adoption are unclear. The authors of this report sought to determine whether hospital acquisition of robotic technology was associated with volume of prostate cancer surgery. METHODS: The inpatient dataset of claims records from 2002 to 2008 and the acquisition dates of robotic technology were used to examine the rates of prostatectomy in Wisconsin hospitals. In analyses that accounted for hospital and referral region characteristics, changes in hospital prostatectomy volume were examined for their association with technology acquisition. Overall trends in the rate of prostatectomy also were examined over the study period. RESULTS: In total, 10,021 prostatectomies were performed in 52 hospitals in Wisconsin's 8 health referral regions during the study period. The mean quarterly prostatectomy volume in hospitals that did not acquire the technology was 4.5 in 2002 and 3.1 in 2007/2008. In contrast, the mean quarterly prostatectomy volume in hospitals that went on to acquire robotic technology was 16.5 in 2002 and 24.8 in 2007/2008. In adjusted models, the acquisition of a robot was associated with a 114% annual increase (95% confidence interval, 62%-177% annual increase) in hospital prostatectomy volume. The average Wisconsin hospital prostatectomy volume was unchanged during 2002 through 2006 but increased by 25.6% in 2007. CONCLUSIONS: Robotic technology acquisition occurred rapidly in Wisconsin hospitals, and hospitals that acquired a robot had large increases in prostatectomy volume.