Impact of Program Changes Including Telemedicine and Telephonic Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Preventing 30-Day Hospital Readmission for Patients in a Care Transitions Program.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: To describe health outcomes of older adults enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Care Transitions (MCCT) program before and during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to unenrolled patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults (age >60 years) in the MCCT program compared to a usual care control group from January 1, 2019, to September 20, 2022. The MCCT program involved a home, telephonic, or telemedicine visit by an advanced care provider. Outcomes were 30- and 180-day hospital readmissions, emergency department (ED) visit, and mortality. We performed a subgroup analysis after March 1, 2020 (during the pandemic). We analyzed data with Cox proportional hazards regression models and hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs. RESULTS: Of the 1,012 patients total, 354 were in the MCCT program and 658 were in the usual care group with a mean (SD) age of 81.1 (9.1) years overall. Thirty-day readmission was 16.9% (60 of 354) for MCCT patients and 14.7% (97 of 658) for usual care patients (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.88-1.75). During the pandemic, the 30-day readmission rate was 15.1% (28 of 186) for MCCT patients and 14.9% (68 of 455) for usual care patients (HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.75-1.91). There was no difference between groups for 180-day hospitalization, 30- or 180-day ED visit, and 30- or 180-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Numerous factors involving patients, providers, and health care delivery systems during the pandemic most likely contributed to these findings.

Posthospital Multidisciplinary Care for AKI Survivors: A Feasibility Pilot.

Rationale & Objective: Innovative models are needed to address significant gaps in kidney care follow-up for acute kidney injury (AKI) survivors. Study Design: This quasi-experimental pilot study reports the feasibility of the AKI in Care Transitions (ACT) program, a multidisciplinary approach to AKI survivor care based in the primary care setting. Setting & Participants: The study included consenting adults with stage 3 AKI discharged home without dialysis. Interventions: The ACT intervention included predischarge education from nurses and coordinated postdischarge follow-up with a primary care provider and pharmacist within 14 days. ACT was implemented in phases (Usual Care, Education, ACT). Outcomes: The primary outcome was feasibility. Secondary outcomes included process and clinical outcomes. Results: In total, 46 of 110 eligible adults were enrolled. Education occurred in 18/18 and 14/15 participants in the Education and ACT groups, respectively. 30-day urine protein evaluation occurred in 15%, 28%, and 87% of the Usual Care, Education, and ACT groups, respectively (P < 0.001). Cumulative incidence of provider (primary care or nephrologist) and laboratory follow-up at 14 and 30 days was different across groups (14 days: Usual care 0%, Education 11%, ACT 73% [P < 0.01]; 30 days: 0%, 22%, and 73% [P < 0.01]). 30-day readmission rates were 23%, 44%, and 13% in the Usual Care, Education, and ACT groups, respectively (P = 0.13). Limitations: Patients were not randomly assigned to treatment groups. The sample size limited the ability to detect some differences or perform multivariable analysis. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the feasibility of multidisciplinary AKI survivor follow-up beginning in primary care. We observed a higher cumulative incidence of laboratory and provider follow-up in ACT participants. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04505891). Plain-Language Summary: Abrupt loss of kidney function in hospitalized patients, acute kidney injury (AKI), increases the chances of long-term kidney disease and a worse health care experience for patients. One out of 3 people who experience AKI do not get the follow-up kidney care they need. We performed a pilot study to test whether a program that facilitates structured AKI follow-up in primary care called the AKI in Care Transitions (ACT) program was possible. ACT brings together the unique expertise of nurses, doctors, and pharmacists to look at the patient's kidney health plan from all angles. The study found that the ACT program was possible and led to more complete kidney care follow-up after discharge than the normal approach to care.

Risk Prediction Model for 6-Month Mortality for Patients Discharged to Skilled Nursing Facilities.

OBJECTIVE: Hospitalized patients discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for post-acute care are at high risk for adverse outcomes. Yet, absence of effective prognostic tools hinders optimal care planning and decision making. Our objective was to develop and validate a risk prediction model for 6-month all-cause death among hospitalized patients discharged to SNFs. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Patients discharged from 1 of 2 hospitals to 1 of 10 SNFs for post-acute care in an integrated health care delivery system between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2016. METHODS: Gradient-boosting machine modeling was used to predict all-cause death within 180 days of hospital discharge with use of patient demographic characteristics, comorbidities, pattern of prior health care use, and clinical parameters from the index hospitalization. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was assessed for out-of-sample observations under 10-fold cross-validation. RESULTS: We identified 9803 unique patients with 11,647 hospital-to-SNF discharges [mean (SD) age, 80.72 (9.71) years; female sex, 61.4%]. These discharges involved 9803 patients alive at 180 days and 1844 patients who died between day 1 and day 180 of discharge. Age, comorbid burden, health care use in prior 6 months, abnormal laboratory parameters, and mobility status during hospital stay were the most important predictors of 6-month death (model AUC, 0.82). CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: We derived a robust prediction model with parameters available at discharge to SNFs to calculate risk of death within 6 months. This work may be useful to guide other clinicians wishing to develop mortality prediction instruments specific to their post-acute SNF populations.

Telehealth Use and Hospital Readmission Rates in Long-term Care Facilities in Southeastern Minnesota During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: To determine whether the length of a telehealth visit predicted the risk of hospital readmission at 30 days in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in southeastern Minnesota during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in SNFs located in southeastern Minnesota from March 1, 2020 through July 15, 2020. The primary outcomes included hospitalization within 30 days of a video visit, and the secondary outcome was the number of provider video visits during the stay at an SNF. The primary predictor was the duration of video visits, and we collected the data regarding other known predictors of hospitalization. We used the χ2 test for categorical variables and multivariate conditional logistic regression. Results: We included 722 patients (mean age, 82.8 years [SD, 10.8 years]). Of those, 76 SNF residents (10.5%) were rehospitalized within 30 days. The average length of a video visit was 34.0 minutes (SD, 22.7 minutes) in admitted residents compared with 30.0 minutes (SD, 15.9 minutes) in nonadmitted residents. After full adjustment, there was no difference in the video visit duration between admitted and nonadmitted residents (odds ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.99-1.03). The number of subsequent provider video visits was 2.26 (SD, 1.9) in admitted residents vs 1.58 (SD, 1.6), which was significant after adjustment (odds ratio, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.02-1.34). Conclusion: There was no difference in the length of video visits for hospitalized SNF residents vs those who were not hospitalized within 30 days of a video visit. There were more visits in residents with hospital readmission. This may reflect the acuity of care for patients requiring a hospital stay. More research is needed to determine the ideal use of telehealth during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in the postacute and long-term care environment.

Role of senescence in the chronic health consequences of COVID-19.

While the full impact of COVID-19 is not yet clear, early studies have indicated that upwards of 10% of patients experience COVID-19 symptoms longer than 3 weeks, known as Long-Hauler's Syndrome or PACS (postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection). There is little known about risk factors or predictors of susceptibility for Long-Hauler's Syndrome, but older adults are at greater risk for severe outcomes and mortality from COVID-19. The pillars of aging (including cellular senescence, telomere dysfunction, impaired proteostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, deregulated nutrient sensing, genomic instability, progenitor cell exhaustion, altered intercellular communication, and epigenetic alterations) that contribute to age-related dysfunction and chronic diseases (the "Geroscience Hypothesis") may interfere with defenses against viral infection and consequences of these infections. Heightening of the low-grade inflammation that is associated with aging may generate an exaggerated response to an acute COVID-19 infection. Innate immune system dysfunction that leads to decreased senescent cell removal and/or increased senescent cell formation could contribute to accumulation of senescent cells with both aging and viral infections. These processes may contribute to increased risk for long-term COVID-19 sequelae in older or chronically ill patients. Hence, senolytics and other geroscience interventions that may prolong healthspan and alleviate chronic diseases and multimorbidity linked to fundamental aging processes might be an option for delaying, preventing, or alleviating Long-Hauler's Syndrome.

Connecting community-delivered evidence-based programs and the healthcare system: Piloting a learning "wellcare" system.

INTRODUCTION: Many evidence-based programs (EBPs) have been determined in randomized controlled trials to be effective, but few studies explore the real-world effectiveness of EBPs implemented in the natural community setting. Our study evaluated whether a novel linked infrastructure would enable such insights and continuous improvement as part of a learning healthcare-community bridged "wellcare" ecosystem. METHODS: We created a secure, web-based data entry and storage platform with a network of Minnesota community-based organizations to record EBP participants' demographics and attendance, and program details. We then linked participant's information to their Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) medical records. With this infrastructure, we conducted a proof of concept, retrospective cohort study by matching EBP participants to REP controls and comparing medical record-documented outcomes over 1 year follow-up. RESULTS: We successfully linked EBP participant records with medical records in 77.6% of cases, and the infrastructure proved feasible and scalable. Still, key challenges remain in obtaining participant consent for data sharing. Upfront resource investments and the availability of REP-like warehouses limit generalizability. Optimal learning will be improved by enhancements that better track program fidelity. Our pilot study established a proof-of-concept, but sample sizes (n = 99 for falls prevention and n = 97 chronic disease/pain management EBP completers) were too small to detect significant differences in hospital admittance as compared to matched controls for either EBP group, (OR = 0.66[0.36, 1.19]) and (OR = 0.81[0.43, 1.54]), respectively. Events were too rare to gather meaningful information about effects on fall rates. CONCLUSIONS: Our pilot demonstrates the feasibility of developing an online infrastructure that connects information from community leaders with medical record documented health outcomes, bridging the knowledge gap between community programs and the health care system. Insights gleaned from our infrastructure can be used to continuously shape community program delivery to reduce the need for formal health care services.

Fisetin for COVID-19 in skilled nursing facilities: Senolytic trials in the COVID era.

The burden of senescent cells (SnCs), which do not divide but are metabolically active and resistant to death by apoptosis, is increased in older adults and those with chronic diseases. These individuals are also at the greatest risk for morbidity and mortality from SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2 complications include cytokine storm and multiorgan failure mediated by the same factors as often produced by SnCs through their senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). The SASP can be amplified by infection-related pathogen-associated molecular profile factors. Senolytic agents, such as Fisetin, selectively eliminate SnCs and delay, prevent, or alleviate multiple disorders in aged experimental animals and animal models of human chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and respiratory diseases. Senolytics are now in clinical trials for multiple conditions linked to SnCs, including frailty; obesity/diabetes; osteoporosis; and cardiovascular, kidney, and lung diseases, which are also risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 morbidity and mortality. A clinical trial is underway to test if senolytics decrease SARS-CoV-2 progression and morbidity in hospitalized older adults. We describe here a National Institutes of Health-funded, multicenter, placebo-controlled clinical trial of Fisetin for older adult skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents who have been, or become, SARS-CoV-2 rtPCR-positive, including the rationale for targeting fundamental aging mechanisms in such patients. We consider logistic challenges of conducting trials in long-term care settings in the SARS-CoV-2 era, including restricted access, consent procedures, methods for obtaining biospecimens and clinical data, staffing, investigational product administration issues, and potential solutions for these challenges. We propose developing a national network of SNFs engaged in interventional clinical trials.

Outcomes of a Nursing Home-to-Community Care Transition Program.

OBJECTIVES: Most transitional care initiatives to reduce rehospitalization have focused on the transition that occurs between a patient's hospital discharge and return home. However, many patients are discharged from a skilled nursing facility (SNF) to their homes. The goal was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mayo Clinic Care Transitions (MCCT) program (hereafter called program) among patients discharged from SNFs to their homes. DESIGN: Propensity-matched control-intervention trial. INTERVENTION: Patients in the intervention group received care management following nursing stay (a home visit and nursing phone calls). SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Patients enrolled after discharge from an SNF to home were matched to patients who did not receive intervention because of refusal, program capacity, or distance. Patients were aged ≥60 years, at high risk for hospitalization, and discharged from an SNF. METHODS: Program enrollees were matched through propensity score to nonenrollees on the basis of age, sex, comorbid health burden, and mortality risk score. Conditional logistic regression analysis examined 30-day hospitalization and emergency department (ED) use; Cox proportional hazards analyses examined 180-day hospital stay and ED use. RESULTS: Each group comprised 160 patients [mean (standard deviation) age, 85.4 (7.4) years]. Thirty-day hospitalization and ED rates were 4.4% and 10.0% in the program group and 3.8% and 10.0% in the group with usual care (P = .76 for hospitalization; P > .99 for ED). At 180 days, hospitalization and ED rates were 30.6% and 46.3% for program patients compared with 11.3% and 25.0% in the comparison group (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: We found no evidence of reduced hospitalization or ED visits by program patients vs the comparison group. Such findings are crucial because they illustrate how aggressive stabilization care within the SNF may mitigate the program role. Furthermore, we found higher ED and hospitalization rates at 180 days in program patients than the comparison group.

Design and Implementation of a Skilled Nursing Facility COVID-19 Unit.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has challenged the health care system's capacity to care for acutely ill patients. In a collaborative partnership between a health system and a skilled nursing facility (SNF), we developed and implemented an SNF COVID-19 unit to allow expedited hospital discharge of COVID-positive older adults who are clinically improving, and to provide an alternative to hospitalization for those who require SNF care but do not require or necessarily desire aggressive disease-modifying interventions.

Health Care Costs and Utilization Predictions by the Skilled Nursing Facility Readmission Risk Instrument.

OBJECTIVES: Health care providers at hospitals and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are increasingly expected to optimize care of post-acute patients to reduce hospital readmissions and contain costs. To achieve these goals, providers need to understand their patients' risk of hospital readmission and how this risk is associated with health care costs. A previously developed risk prediction model identifies patients' probability of 30-day hospital readmission at the time of discharge to an SNF. With a computerized algorithm, we translated this model as the Skilled Nursing Facility Readmission Risk (SNFRR) instrument. Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between 30-day health care costs and hospital readmissions according to the level of risk calculated by this model. DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study used SNFRR scores to evaluate patient data. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The patients were discharged from Mayo Clinic Rochester hospitals to 11 area SNFs. METHODS: We compared the outcomes of all-cause 30-day standardized direct medical costs and hospital readmissions between risk quartiles based on the distribution of SNFRR scores for patients discharged to SNFs for post-acute care from April 1 through November 30, 2017. RESULTS: Mean 30-day all-cause standardized costs were positively associated with SNFRR score quartiles and ranged from $9199 in the fourth quartile (probability of readmission, 0.27-0.66) to $2679 in the first quartile (probability of readmission, 0.07-0.13) (P ≤ .05). Patients in the fourth SNFRR score quartile had 5.68 times the odds of 30-day hospital readmission compared with those in the first quartile. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The SNFRR instrument accurately predicted standardized direct health care costs for patients on discharge to an SNF and their risk for 30-day hospital readmission. Therefore, it could be used to help categorize patients for preemptive interventions. Further studies are needed to confirm its validity in other institutions and geographic areas.

Use of a Computerized Algorithm to Evaluate the Proportion and Causes of Potentially Preventable Readmissions Among Patients Discharged to Skilled Nursing Facilities.

OBJECTIVES: Older patients discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for post-acute care are at high risk for hospital readmission. Yet, as in the community setting, some readmissions may be preventable with optimal transitional care. This study examined the proportion of 30-day hospital readmissions from SNFs that could be considered potentially preventable readmissions (PPRs) and evaluated the reasons for these readmissions. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Post-acute practice of an integrated health care delivery system serving 11 SNFs in the US Midwest. Patients discharged from the hospital to an SNF and subsequently readmitted to the hospital within 30 days from January 1, 2009, through November 31, 2016. METHODS: A computerized algorithm evaluated the relationship between initial and repeat hospitalizations to determine whether the repeat hospitalization was a PPR. We assessed for changes in PPR rates across the system over the study period and evaluated the readmission categories to identify the most prevalent PPR categories. RESULTS: Of 11,976 discharges to SNFs for post-acute care among 8041 patients over the study period, 16.6% resulted in rehospitalization within 30 days, and 64.8% of these rehospitalizations were considered PPRs. Annual proportion of PPRs ranged from 58.2% to 66.4% [mean (standard deviation) 0.65 (0.03); 95% confidence interval CI 0.63-0.67; P = .36], with no discernable trend. Nearly one-half (46.2%) of all 30-day readmissions were classified as potentially preventable medical readmissions related to recurrence or continuation of the reason for initial admission or to complications from the initial hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: For this cohort of patients discharged to SNFs, a computerized algorithm categorized a large proportion of 30-day hospital readmissions as potentially preventable, with nearly one-half of those linked to the reason for the initial hospitalization. These findings indicate the importance of improvement in postdischarge transitional care for patients discharged to SNFs.

Hospital to Community Transitions for Older Adults: An Update for the Practicing Clinician.

Spurred by changes in both population demographics and health care reimbursement, health care providers are responding by using new models to more fully support the posthospital transition. This paper reviews common models for posthospital transition and also describes the Mayo Clinic model for care transition. Models are designed with the intent of managing the cost of health care by reducing 30-day hospital readmissions and improving management of chronic disease. Meta-analyses have proved helpful in identifying the most effective program elements designed to reduce 30-day hospital readmissions. These elements include a bundled and multidisciplinary approach to best meet the needs of patients. Successful care teams also emphasize self-empowerment for both patients and caregivers. There are 2 general types of practice. In 1 model, introduced by Mary Naylor, an advanced-practice provider cares for the patient for a set period of time, which includes home visits. In the second model, introduced by Eric Coleman, a transitions coach, who can be an RN, a social worker, or a trained volunteer, serves as the health care coach, while improving self-efficacy. Both models have been successful. At Mayo Clinic, the Mayo Clinic Care Transitions program has encompassed a 7-year experience, using the services of an advanced practice provider. In previous studies, this model demonstrated a 20.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 15.8 to 24.1%) decrease in 30-day readmission in controls compared with 12.4% (95% CI, 8.9 to 15.7%) in the control group. Although this model was successful in reducing 30-day readmissions, there was no difference between groups at 180 days. In patients experiencing the highest deciles of cost (8th decile), enrollment in a care transitions program reduced their overall cost by $2700. This cost savings was statistically significant. Both patients and caregivers participating in the program appreciated the home visits and felt more comfortable communicating at home.

Reducing Radiation and Lowering Costs With a Standardized Care Pathway for Nonoperative Thoracolumbar Fractures.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. OBJECTIVE: There is marked variation in the management of nonoperative thoracolumbar (TL) compression and burst fractures. This was a quality improvement study designed to establish a standardized care pathway for TL fractures treated with bracing, and to then evaluate differences in radiographs, length of stay (LOS), and cost before and after the pathway. METHODS: A standardized pathway was established for management of nonoperative TL burst and compression fractures (AOSpine classification type A1-A4 fractures). Bracing, radiographs, costs, complications, and LOS before and after pathway adoption were analyzed. Differences between the neurosurgery and orthopedic spine services were compared. RESULTS: Between 2012 and 2015, 406 nonoperative burst and compression TL fractures were identified. A total of 183 (45.1%) were braced, 60.6% with a custom-made thoracolumbosacral orthosis (TLSO) and 39.4% with an off-the-shelf TLSO. The number of radiographs significantly reduced after initiation of the pathway (3.23 vs 2.63, P = .010). A total of 98.6% of braces were custom-made before the pathway; 69.6% were off-the-shelf after the pathway. The total cost for braced patients after pathway adoption decreased from $10 462.36 to $8928.58 (P = .078). Brace-associated costs were significantly less for off-the-shelf TSLO versus custom TLSO ($1352.41 vs $3719.53, respectively, P < .001). The mean LOS and complication rate did not change significantly following pathway adoption. The orthopedic spine service braced less frequently than the neurosurgery service (40.7% vs 52.2%, P = .023). CONCLUSIONS: Standardized care pathways can reduce cost and radiation exposure without increasing complication rates in nonoperative management of thoracolumbar compression and burst fractures.

Risk of 30-Day Hospital Readmission Among Patients Discharged to Skilled Nursing Facilities: Development and Validation of a Risk-Prediction Model.

OBJECTIVES: Patients discharged to a skilled nursing facility (SNF) for post-acute care have a high risk of hospital readmission. We aimed to develop and validate a risk-prediction model to prospectively quantify the risk of 30-day hospital readmission at the time of discharge to a SNF. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Ten independent SNFs affiliated with the post-acute care practice of an integrated health care delivery system. PARTICIPANTS: We evaluated 6032 patients who were discharged to SNFs for post-acute care after hospitalization. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was all-cause 30-day hospital readmission. Patient demographics, medical comorbidity, prior use of health care, and clinical parameters during the index hospitalization were analyzed by using gradient boosting machine multivariable analysis to build a predictive model for 30-day hospital readmission. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was assessed on out-of-sample observations under 10-fold cross-validation. RESULTS: Among 8616 discharges to SNFs from January 1, 2009, through June 30, 2014, a total of 1568 (18.2%) were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days. The 30-day hospital readmission prediction model had an AUC of 0.69, a 16% improvement over risk assessment using the Charlson Comorbidity Index alone. The final model included length of stay, abnormal laboratory parameters, and need for intensive care during the index hospitalization; comorbid status; and number of emergency department and hospital visits within the preceding 6 months. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: We developed and validated a risk-prediction model for 30-day hospital readmission in patients discharged to a SNF for post-acute care. This prediction tool can be used to risk stratify the complex population of hospitalized patients who are discharged to SNFs to prioritize interventions and potentially improve the quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of care.

Care Transitions Program for High-Risk Frail Older Adults is Most Beneficial for Patients with Cognitive Impairment.

BACKGROUND: Although posthospitalization care transitions programs (CTP) are highly diverse, their overall program thoroughness is most predictive of their success. OBJECTIVE: To identify components of a successful homebased CTP and patient characteristics that are most predictive of reduced 30-day readmissions. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. PATIENTS: A total of 315 community-dwelling, hospitalized, older adults (≥60 years) at high risk for readmission (Elder Risk Assessment score ≥16), discharged home over the period of January 1, 2011 to June 30, 2013. SETTING: Midwest primary care practice in an integrated health system. INTERVENTION: Enrollment in a CTP during acute hospitalization. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was all-cause readmission within 30 days of the first CTP evaluation. Logistic regression was used to examine independent variables, including patient demographics, comorbidities, number of medications, completion, and timing of program fidelity measures, and prior utilization of healthcare. RESULTS: The overall 30-day readmission rate was 17.1%. The intensity of follow-up varied among patients, with 17.1% and 50.8% of the patients requiring one and ≥3 home visits, respectively, within 30 days. More than half (54.6%) required visits beyond 30 days. Compared with patients who were not readmitted, readmitted patients were less likely to exhibit cognitive impairment (29.6% vs 46.0%; P = .03) and were more likely to have high medication use (59.3% vs 44.4%; P = .047), more emergency department (ED; 0.8 vs 0.4; P = .03) and primary care visits (4.0 vs 3.0; P = .018), and longer cumulative time in the hospital (4.6 vs 2.5 days; P = .03) within 180 days of the index hospitalization. Multivariable analysis indicated that only cognitive impairment and previous ED visits were important predictors of readmission. CONCLUSIONS: No single CTP component reliably predicted reduced readmission risk. Patients with cognitive impairment and polypharmacy derived the most benefit from the program.

Improving Value of Care for Older Adults With Advanced Medical Illness and Functional Decline: Cost Analyses of a Home-Based Palliative Care Program.

CONTEXT: Identifying high-value health care delivery for patients with clinically complex and high-cost conditions is important for future reimbursement models. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess the Medicare reimbursement savings of an established palliative care homebound program. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study involving 50 participants enrolled in a palliative care homebound program and 95 propensity-matched control patients at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, between September 1, 2012, and March 31, 2013. Total Medicare reimbursement was compared in the year before enrollment with the year after enrollment for participants and controls. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in demographic characteristics or prognostic indices between the two groups. Total Medicare reimbursement per program participant the year before program enrollment was $16,429 compared with $14,427 per control patient, resulting in $2004 higher charges per program patient. In 12 months after program enrollment, mean annual payment was $5783 per patient among participants and $22,031 per patient among the matched controls. In the second year, the intervention group had a decrease of $10,646 per patient; the control group had an increase of $7604 per patient. The difference between the participant group and control group was statistically significant (P < 0.001) and favored the palliative care homebound program enrollees by $18,251 (95% CI, $11,268-$25,234). CONCLUSION: The Mayo Clinic Palliative Care Homebound Program reduced annual Medicare expenditures by $18,251 per program participant compared with matched control patients. This supports the role of home-based palliative medicine in delivering high-value care to high-risk older adults.

Cost-Effectiveness of a Care Transitions Program in a Multimorbid Older Adult Cohort.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Facing penalties for preventable 30-day hospital readmissions, many provider groups have implemented programs to remedy this problem, but the cost efficacy and value of such programs are not well delineated. The objective was to compare total cost of care over 30 days of individuals enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Care Transitions (MCCT) program and individuals not enrolled. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using secondary data analysis of a previously published cohort study. SETTING: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. PARTICIPANTS: MCCT participants (n = 363) and individuals in a propensity-matched referent cohort (n = 365). INTERVENTION: MCCT program enrollment. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was total cost of care over 30 days after hospital discharge. A 2-part modeling strategy was used to analyze 30-day costs: whether individuals had non-zero costs during the 30 days after discharge and a generalized linear model for individuals who incurred costs. Potential heterogeneous effects of the MCCT program were examined according to decile of 30-day costs using quantile regression. RESULTS: Mean age was 83 in both groups. Adjusted mean 30-day cost after hospitalization was $3,363 (95% confidence interval (CI) = $2,512-4,213) in the MCCT group and $4,161 (95% CI = $3,096-5,226) in the control group (P = .25). Cost savings of $2,744 (P = .008) at the eighth decile and $3,388 (P = .20) at the ninth decile were demonstrated. Thus, the only statistically significant differences were in the post hoc subgroup analysis in the highest-cost subgroups. CONCLUSION: We did not find a difference in overall mean costs between the MCCT group and the control group, although intervention participants in the upper deciles of costs appeared to experience lower costs than controls. A larger study cohort might better determine the value of the intervention.

Experience of US Patients Who Self-identify as Having an Overdiagnosed Thyroid Cancer: A Qualitative Analysis.

Importance: Overdiagnosis of cancer-the identification of cancers that are unlikely to progress-is a source of discomfort and challenge for patients, physicians, and health care systems. A major cause of this discomfort is the inability to know prospectively with certainty which cancers are overdiagnosed. In thyroid cancer, as patients have begun to understand this concept, some individuals are independently deciding not to intervene, despite this practice not yet being widely accepted. Objective: To describe the current experience of people who independently self-identify as having an overdiagnosed cancer and elect not to intervene. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this qualitative study, semistructured interviews were conducted between July 1 and December 31, 2015, with 22 community-dwelling adults aged 21 to 75 years who had an incidentally identified thyroid finding that was known or suspected to be malignant and who questioned the intervention recommended by their physicians. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed using constant comparative analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures: The experience of individuals who self-identify as having an overdiagnosed cancer and elect not to intervene. Results: Of the 22 people interviewed (16 females and 6 males; mean age, 48.5 years), 18 had elected not to intervene on their thyroid finding and had been living with the decision for a mean of 39 months (median, 40 months; range, 1-88 months). Twelve of the 18 participants reported that they experienced significant anxiety about cancer progression, but had considered reasons for choosing nonintervention: understanding issues of precision in diagnostic testing and the varied behavior of cancer, surgical risks, medication use, and low risk of death from the cancer. Twelve participants described their decisions as met with nonreassuring, unsupportive responses. Medical professionals, friends, and internet discussion groups told them they were "being stupid," "were wrong," or were "crazy" to not intervene. Although 14 individuals said they wished to connect with others about their experiences, only 3 reported success in doing so. Fifteen participants reported that they managed their overall experience through secret keeping. By the time of this study, 5 of the 18 individuals had discontinued surveillance, the recommended alternative to intervention. Despite this, only 7 participants "wished they did not know" about their thyroid finding. Conclusions and Relevance: Isolation and anxiety characterize the current experience of patients with thyroid cancer who are living with the decision to not intervene. These patients are at risk of disengaging from health care. Successful de-escalation of intervention for patients who self-identify as having overdiagnosed cancers requires explicit social and health system support and education. We hypothesize that improved support would also promote quality of care by increasing the likelihood that patients could be kept engaged for recommended surveillance.

Utilization of Patient Electronic Messaging to Promote Advance Care Planning in the Primary Care Setting.

BACKGROUND: Advance care planning (ACP) is an instrumental mechanism aimed at preserving patient autonomy. Numerous interventions have been proposed to facilitate the implementation of ACP; however, rates of completed advance directives (ADs) are universally low. Patient electronic portal messaging is a newer tool in patient-provider communication which has not been studied as a method to promote ACP. In this study, we hypothesized that the use of ACP-specific patient electronic messages would increase rates of AD completion in patients aged 65 years and older in an academic primary care practice. METHODS: All primary care patients, aged 65+, who had previously enrolled in a patient electronic messaging system, within an academic primary care practice, were included for randomization. Two hundred patients were randomized to receive an electronic message. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients in each group who completed an AD, 3 months after intervention. Secondary outcomes included clinical utility of the completed ADs and proportion of patients who viewed their electronic messages. RESULTS: The intervention group completed an AD 5.5% of the time when compared to 2% in the control group (odds ratio 3.2 [1.6-6.3]). Up to 74.5% of patients opened their electronic messages. CONCLUSION: Among primary care patients aged 65 years and older, use of AD-specific electronic messaging statistically significantly increased the rate of AD completion, but the absolute number of completed AD remained relatively low. These data suggest that this valuable communication tool holds opportunities for further improvement. Older, frailer adults were more likely to complete an AD, and prompted directives were more likely to include a written expression of the individual's health-care values and preference.

A Systematic Review of Treatment Strategies for Degenerative Lumbar Spine Fusion Surgery in Patients With Osteoporosis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the current evidence in the literature on treatment strategies for degenerative lumbar spine fusion in patients with osteoporosis. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature from 1950 to 2015. RESULTS: The review of the literature yielded 15 studies on the effect of treatment options for osteoporosis on lumbar fusion rates. This study evaluated only degenerative lumbar spine conditions and excluded deformity patients. One study demonstrated an association between low bone mass as measured by Hounsfield units and lower fusion rates. Six studies evaluated perioperative medical treatment of osteoporosis and showed higher fusion rates in patients treated with alendronate and teriparatide. The strongest evidence was for perioperative teriparatide. Eight studies evaluated surgical treatment strategies in patients with osteoporosis and showed that cement augmentation of pedicle screws and expandable pedicle screws demonstrated improved fusion rates than traditional pedicle screws. The strongest evidence was for expandable pedicle screws. CONCLUSION: There are 15 articles evaluating osteoporosis in patients undergoing lumbar fusion and the highest level of evidence is for perioperative use of teriparatide.