Medical Respite and Linkages to Outpatient Health Care Providers among Individuals Experiencing Homelessness.

Medical respite programs provide nursing care and case management to individuals experiencing homelessness following hospitalization for an acute medical problem. One goal of these programs is to link clients to outpatient providers to decrease their reliance on hospital services. Through qualitative interviews with staff members (n = 8) and clients (n = 14) at a medical respite program, we explored processes of, and challenges associated with, linking clients to outpatient care. Six themes were identified, which offer insight about important considerations when linking clients to outpatient providers and highlight the value of medical respite programs for this population.

Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Evidence-Based Guidelines for and Against Clinical Preventive Services: Results from a National Survey.

POLICY POINTS: Both the underuse and overuse of clinical preventive services relative to evidence-based guidelines are a public health concern. Informed consumers are an important foundation of many components of the Affordable Care Act, including coverage mandates for proven clinical preventive services recommended by the US Preventive Services Task Force. Across sociodemographic groups, however, knowledge of and positive attitudes toward evidence-based guidelines for preventive care are extremely low. Given the demonstrated low levels of consumers' knowledge of and trust in guidelines, coupled with their strong preference for involvement in preventive care decisions, better education and decision-making support for evidence-based preventive services are greatly needed. CONTEXT: Both the underuse and overuse of clinical preventive services are a serious public health problem. The goal of our study was to produce population-based national data that could assist in the design of communication strategies to increase knowledge of and positive attitudes toward evidence-based guidelines for clinical preventive services (including the US Preventive Services Task Force, USPSTF) and to reduce uncertainty among patients when guidelines change or are controversial. METHODS: In late 2013 we implemented an Internet-based survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,529 adults via KnowledgePanel, a probability-based survey panel of approximately 60,000 adults, statistically representative of the US noninstitutionalized population. African Americans, Hispanics, and those with less than a high school education were oversampled. We then conducted descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify the prevalence of and sociodemographic characteristics associated with key knowledge and attitudinal variables. FINDINGS: While 36.4% of adults reported knowing that the Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to cover proven preventive services without cost sharing, only 7.7% had heard of the USPSTF. Approximately 1 in 3 (32.6%) reported trusting that a government task force would make fair guidelines for preventive services, and 38.2% believed that the government uses guidelines to ration health care. Most of the respondents endorsed the notion that research/scientific evidence and expert medical opinion are important for the creation of guidelines and that clinicians should follow guidelines based on evidence. But when presented with patient vignettes in which a physician made a guideline-based recommendation against a cancer-screening test, less than 10% believed that this recommendation alone, without further dialogue and/or the patient's own research, was sufficient to make such a decision. CONCLUSIONS: Given these demonstrated low levels of knowledge and mistrust regarding guidelines, coupled with a strong preference for shared decision making, better consumer education and decision supports for evidence-based guidelines for clinical preventive services are greatly needed.

Provider Perspective on Integrative Medicine for Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease-related Pain.

OBJECTIVE: Integrative medicine (IM) approaches are sometimes used to manage sickle cell disease (SCD)-related pain. The purpose of this research is to (1) understand provider perspective towards the use of IM for pain in children with SCD at a large urban children's hospital and (2) provide recommendations on how to better promote IM for children and adolescents with SCD. METHODS: After approval from the institutional review board, a qualitative case study approach was used with criterion-type purposeful sampling to select providers from the division of hematology to adequately inform the study. Semistructured interviews were completed using audiotape to facilitate transcription. NVivo 10 analytic software (QSR International Pty Ltd, Doncaster, Victoria, Australia) was used to organize data into themes to answer the study questions. RESULTS: Ten provider interviews were completed. Attitudes were generally positive, and most providers felt that IM is generally helpful. All providers reported that they do not optimally use integrative therapies for children with SCD. The barriers uncovered focused on lack of process for integration of IM, specifically that IM resources seem transient and based on short-term funding. Provider attitude towards CAM is generally positive, but provider comfort level is highly variable. No providers are completely comfortable with their knowledge base about IM, and increased knowledge is desired. CONCLUSIONS: Creation of protocols and processes to incorporate IM into management plans for patients with SCD could help to promote its use. Education of providers about utility and efficacy of IM for SCD-related pain and about existing resources would aid in promotion of IM for children with SCD.

Drivers of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cardiac Rehabilitation Use: Patient and Provider Perspectives.

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) use is lower for racial and ethnic minorities than White patients. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that drive this disparity at the system, provider, and patient levels. A mixed methods study combined descriptive analysis of 2007 Medicare claims data and thematic analysis of 19 clinician interviews, 8 minority patient focus groups and 8 one-on-one interviews with minority heart patients across three communities. The disparity between White and non-White CR use ranged from 7 to 11 percentage points among study sites (p < .05). Key themes suggest disparities are driven by (a) flawed financing and reimbursement that creates disincentives to invest in CR programs, (b) a health care system whose priorities are misaligned with the needs of patients, and (c) subjective decision-making around referral processes. These findings suggest that the health care system needs to address multiple levels of problems to mitigate disparities in CR use.

Accessibility of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).

OBJECTIVE(S): This study examines the on-site availability of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) methods, defined here as intrauterine devices and contraceptive implants, at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). We also describe factors associated with on-site availability and specific challenges and barriers to providing on-site access to LARC as reported by FQHCs. STUDY DESIGN: An original survey of 423 FQHC organizations was fielded in 2011. RESULTS: Over two thirds of FQHCs offer on-site availability of intrauterine devices yet only 36% of FQHCs report that they offer on-site contraceptive implants. Larger FQHCs and FQHCs receiving Title X Family Planning program funding are more likely to provide on-site access to LARC methods. Other organizational and patient characteristics are associated with the on-site availability of LARC methods, though this relationship varies by the type of method. The most commonly reported barriers to providing on-site access to LARC methods are related to the cost of stocking or supplying the drug and/or device, the perceived lack of staffing and training, and the unique needs of special populations. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that patients seeking care in small FQHC organizations, FQHCs with limited dedicated family planning funding and FQHCs located in rural areas may have fewer choices and limited access to LARC methods on-site. IMPLICATIONS: Despite the presumed widespread coverage of contraceptives for women as a result of provisions in the Affordable Care Act, there is a limited understanding of how FQHCs may redesign their practices to provide on-site availability of LARC methods. This study sheds light on the current state of practice and challenges related to providing LARC methods in FQHC settings.

Improving cardiovascular care through outpatient cardiac rehabilitation: an analysis of payment models that would improve quality and promote use.

BACKGROUND: Much attention has been paid to improving the care of patients with cardiovascular disease by focusing attention on delivery system redesign and payment reforms that encompass the healthcare spectrum, from an acute episode to maintenance of care. However, 1 area of cardiovascular disease care that has received little attention in the advancement of quality is cardiac rehabilitation (CR), a comprehensive secondary prevention program that is significantly underused despite evidence-based guidelines that recommending its use. PURPOSE: The purpose of this article was to analyze the applicability of 2 payment and reimbursement models-pay-for-performance and bundled payments for episodes of care--that can promote the use of CR. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that a payment model combining elements of both pay-for-performance and episodes of care would increase the use of CR, which would both improve quality and increase efficiency in cardiac care. Specific elements would need to be clearly defined, however, including: (a) how an episode is defined, (b) how to hold providers accountable for the care they provider, (c) how to encourage participation among CR providers, and (d) how to determine an equitable distribution of payment. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Demonstrations testing new payment models must be implemented to generate empirical evidence that a melded pay-for-performance and episode-based care payment model will improve quality and efficiency.

Underserved patients' perspectives on patient-centered primary care: does the patient-centered medical home model meet their needs?

The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) has gained significant interest as a delivery system model that can improve health care quality while reducing costs. This study uses focus groups to investigate underserved, chronically ill patients' preferences for care and develops a patient-centered framework of priorities. Seven major priorities were identified: (a) communication and partnership, (b) affordable care, (c) coordinated care, (d) personal responsibility, (e) accessible care, (f) education and support resources, and (g) the essential role of nonphysician providers in supporting their care. Using the framework, we analyzed the PCMH joint principals as developed by U.S. medical societies to identify where the PCMH model could be improved to better meet the needs of these patients. Four of the seven patient priorities were identified as not present in or supported by current PCMH joint principles. The study discusses how the PCMH model can better address the needs of low-income, disadvantaged patients.

Scope of family planning services available in Federally Qualified Health Centers.

OBJECTIVES: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are a major and growing source of primary care for low-income women of reproductive age; however, only limited knowledge exists on the scope of family planning care they provide and the mechanisms for delivery of these essential reproductive health services, including family planning. In this paper, we report on the scope of services provided at FQHCs including on-site provision, prescription only and referral options for the range of contraceptive methods. STUDY DESIGN: An original survey of 423 FQHC organizations was fielded in 2011. RESULTS: Virtually all FQHCs reported that they provide at least one contraceptive method (99.8%) at one or more clinical sites. A large majority (87%) of FQHCs report that their largest primary care site prescribes oral contraceptives plus one additional method category of contraception, with oral contraception and injectables being the most commonly available methods. Substantial variation is seen among other methods such as intrauterine devices (IUDs), contraceptive implants, the patch, vaginal ring and barrier methods. For all method categories, Title-X-funded sites are more likely to provide the method, though, even in these sites, IUDs and implants are much less likely to be provided than other methods. CONCLUSION: There is clearly wide variability in the delivery of family planning services at FQHCs in terms of methods available, level of counseling, and provision of services on-site or through prescription or referral. Barriers to provision likely include cost to patients and/or additional training to providers for some methods, such as IUDs and implants, but these barriers should not limit on-site availability of inexpensive methods such as oral contraceptives. IMPLICATIONS: With the expansion of contraceptive coverage under private insurance as part of preventive health services for women, along with expanded coverage for the currently uninsured, and the growth of FQHCs as the source of care for women of reproductive age, it is critical that women seeking family planning services at FQHCs have access to a wide range of contraceptive options. Our study both highlights the essential role of FQHCs in providing family planning services and also identifies remaining gaps in the provision of contraception in FQHC settings.

A quality improvement framework for equity in cardiovascular care: results of a national collaborative.

Disparities in the quality of cardiovascular care provided to minorities have been well documented, but less is known about the use of quality improvement methods to eliminate these disparities. Measurement is also often impeded by a lack of reliable patient demographic data. The objective of this study was to assess the ability of hospitals with large minority populations to measure and improve the care rendered to Black and Hispanic patients. The Expecting Success: Excellence in Cardiac Care project utilized the standardized collection of self-reported patient race, ethnicity, and language data to generate stratified performance measures for cardiac care coupled with evidence-based practice tools in a national competitively selected sample of 10 hospitals with high cardiac volumes and largely minority patient populations. Main outcomes included changes in nationally recognized measures of acute myocardial infarction and heart failure quality of care and 2 composite measures, stratified by patient demographic characteristics. Quality improved significantly at 7 of the 10 hospitals as gauged by composite measures (p < .05), and improvements exceeded those observed nationally for all hospitals. Three of 10 hospitals found racial or ethnic disparities which were eliminated in the course of the project. Clinicians and institutions were able to join the standardized collection of self-reported patient demographic data to evidence-based measures and quality improvement tools to improve the care of minorities and eliminate disparities in care. This framework may be replicable to ensure equity in other clinical areas.

Improving the quality of language services delivery: findings from a hospital quality improvement initiative.

Over 24 million individuals in the United States speak English "less than very well" and are considered limited English proficient (LEP). Due to challenges inherent in patient-provider interactions with LEP patients, LEP individuals are at risk for a wide array of negative health consequences. Evidence suggests that having an interpreter present to facilitate interactions between LEP patients and health professionals can mitigate many of these disparities. This article presents the results and lessons learned from Speaking Together: National Language Services Network, a quality improvement (QI) collaborative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to improve the quality of language services (LS) in hospitals. Using five LS performance metrics, hospitals were able to demonstrate that meaningful improvement was possible through targeted QI efforts. By the end of the collaborative, each of the hospitals demonstrated improvement by more than five percentage points on at least one of the five recorded quality metrics. Lessons learned from this work, such as the helpful use of quality metrics to track performance, and the engagement of physician champions and executive leadership to promote improvement can be utilized in hospitals across the country because they seek to improve care for LEP patients.

Cell size and growth rate are major determinants of replicative lifespan.

Yeast cells, like mammalian cells, enlarge steadily as they age. Unabated cell growth can promote cellular senescence; however, the significance of the relationship between size and cellular lifespan is not well understood. Herein, we report a genetic link between cell size, growth rate and lifespan. Mutations that increase cell size concomitantly increase growth rate and decrease lifespan. As a result, large cells grow, divide and age dramatically faster than small cells. Conversely, small cell mutants age slowly and are long-lived. Investigation of the mechanisms involved suggests that attainment of a maximal size modulates lifespan. Indeed, cumulative results revealed that life expectancy is size-dependent, and that the rate at which cells age is determined in large part by the amount of cell growth per generation.

Development of a HIV-1 lipopeptide antigen pulsed therapeutic dendritic cell vaccine.

In the search for a therapeutic HIV-1 vaccine, we describe herein the development of a monocyte-derived dendritic cell (DC) vaccine loaded with a mixture of HIV-1-antigen lipopeptides (ANRS HIV-LIPO-5 Vaccine). LIPO-5 is comprised of five HIV-1-antigen peptides (Gag(17-35), Gag(253-284), Nef(66-97), Nef(116-145), and Pol(325-355)), each covalently linked to a palmitoyl-lysylamide moiety. Monocytes enriched from HIV-1-infected highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-treated patients were cultured for three days with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and alpha-interferon. At day 2, the DCs were loaded with ANRS HIV-LIPO-5 vaccine, activated with lipopolysaccharide, harvested at day 3 and frozen. Flow cytometry analysis of thawed DC vaccines showed expression of DC differentiation markers: CD1b/c, CD14, HLA-DR, CD11c, co-stimulatory molecule CD80 and DC maturation marker CD83. DCs were capable of eliciting an HIV-1-antigen-specific response, as measured by expansion of autologous CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cells. The expanded T-cells secreted gamma-IFN and interleukin (IL)-13, but not IL-10. The safety and immunogenicity of this DC vaccine are being evaluated in a Phase I/II clinical trial in chronically HIV-1-infected patients on HAART (clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00796770).

Gender differences in psychosocial issues affecting low-income, underserved patients' ability to manage cardiovascular disease.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: This paper examines the psychosocial challenges that interfere with low-income, underserved patients' ability to manage cardiovascular disease (CVD) and seeks to explore the differences in how men and women manifest these issues. STUDY DESIGN: We convened 33 focus group discussions with low-income, underserved heart patients in 10 U.S. communities. Using content analysis, we identified key psychosocial issues that illustrate the psychosocial barriers patients experience as they manage their illness and analyzed these issues by gender to uncover differences in coping and self-management. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We identified eight factors that represent the most frequently cited psychosocial issues by participants: 1) depression; 2) fear; 3) anger; 4) disease stress; 5) financial stress; 6) social isolation; 7) burden to family and friends; and 8) social supports. For the most part, men and women characterized psychosocial problems very differently. Among the eight themes identified, four emerged as dominant themes among women participants and three emerged among male participants. One factor, depression, was a prevalent theme for both men and women. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that low-income, underserved women and men experience gender-specific psychosocial problems that interfere with their ability to manage their disease. Programs and interventions to improve the psychosocial issues related to CVD, particularly for low-income underserved populations, may be more effective if they are designed to address the unique ways in which women and men experience their illnesses.

Barriers to effective self-management in cardiac patients: the patient's experience.

OBJECTIVE: This paper identifies common obstacles impeding effective self-management among patients with heart disease and explores how for disadvantaged patients access barriers interfere with typical management challenges to undermine patients' efforts to care for their illnesses. METHODS: We convened 33 focus group discussions with heart patients in 10 U.S. communities. Using content analysis, we identified and grouped the most common barriers that emerged in focus group discussions. RESULTS: We identified nine major themes reflecting issues related to patients' ability to care for and manage their heart conditions. We grouped the themes into three domains of interest: (1) barriers that interfere with getting necessary services, (2) barriers that impede the monitoring and management of a heart condition on a daily basis, and (3) supports that enable self-management and improve care. CONCLUSION: For disadvantaged populations, typical problems associated with self-management of a heart condition are aggravated by substantial obstacles to accessing care. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Ensuring disadvantaged patients with chronic heart conditions are linked to formal systems of care, such as cardiac rehabilitation programs, could better develop patients' self-management skills, reduce barriers to receiving care and improve the overall health outcomes of these patients.

Measuring equity: an index of health care disparities.

OBJECTIVE: To create an index that would serve as a simple tool to measure the quality of hospital care by race and ethnicity. STUDY DESIGN: Following extensive review of existing disparities indices, we created a disparities quality index (DQI) designed to easily measure differences in the quality of care hospitals deliver to different populations. The DQI uses performance data already collected by virtually all hospitals. It highlights areas where there are large numbers of patients in a specific population receiving potentially lower-quality care. SETTING: Data were collected from 2 acute care hospitals that participated in a multihospital collaborative. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: We applied the DQI to 2 hospitals' quality data, specifically to their performance on the Hospital Quality Alliance measure for patients with heart failure who were receiving angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker. RESULTS: The DQI was simple to apply and was able to measure differences in the care of different ethnic groups. It also detected changes in disparities over time. CONCLUSIONS: The DQI can help hospitals and other providers focus on the domain of equity in their quality-improvement efforts. Further testing is required to determine its applicability for community-wide equity projects.

Challenges in language services: identifying and responding to patients' needs.

OBJECTIVE: Identify characteristics of hospital-based language services (LS), and describe practices of identifying patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) and interpreter training. Participants Seventy-one hospitals applied to participate in a national initiative. Applicants were non-federal, acute care hospitals with substantial LEP populations, at least 10,000 discharges, and in-person interpreters. METHODS: Descriptive statistics were generated on language, collection of language data, LEP volume and service utilization, staffing and training requirements and organizational structure. The relationship between admissions and encounters was analyzed. RESULTS: Ninety percent of hospitals collect primary language data. Spanish is the most common language (93% of hospitals). We found no statistically significant correlation between admissions and encounters. Eighty-four percent require training. Eighty-nine percent have a designated LS department but no clear organizational home. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital-based LS programs are facing challenges identifying patients with language needs, staffing and training a workforce, and creating an organizational identity. Need is not associated with utilization, suggesting that LS are not reaching patients.

Private gain and public pain: financing American health care.

Health care spending comprises about 16% of the total United States gross domestic product and continues to rise. This article examines patterns of health care spending and the factors underlying their proportional growth. We examine the "usual suspects" most frequently cited as drivers of health care costs and explain why these may not be as important as they seem. We suggest that the drive for technological advancement, coupled with the entrepreneurial nature of the health care industry, has produced inherently inequitable and unsustainable health care expenditure and growth patterns. Successful health reform will need to address these factors and their consequences.

Race/Ethnicity and patient confidence to self-manage cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND: Minority populations bear a disproportionate burden of chronic disease, due to higher disease prevalence and greater morbidity and mortality. Recent research has shown that several factors, including confidence to self-manage care, are associated with better health behaviors and outcomes among those with chronic disease. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between minority status and confidence to self-manage cardiovascular disease (CVD). STUDY SAMPLE: Survey respondents admitted to 10 hospitals participating in the "Expecting Success" program, with a diagnosis of CVD, during January-September 2006 (n = 1107). RESULTS: Minority race/ethnicity was substantially associated with lower confidence to self-manage CVD, with 36.5% of Hispanic patients, 30.7% of Black patients, and 16.0% of white patients reporting low confidence (P < 0.001). However, in multivariate analysis controlling for socioeconomic status and clinical severity, minority status was not predictive of low confidence. CONCLUSIONS: Although there is an association between race/ethnicity and confidence to self-manage care, that relationship is explained by the association of race/ethnicity with socioeconomic status and clinical severity.

The heart of the matter: the relationship between communities, cardiovascular services, and racial and ethnic gaps in care.

Racial and ethnic disparities in cardiovascular care are greatly influenced by market factors and how the health care system is organized. This study examines key health system factors that contribute to disparities in cardiac care among racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. A market assessment, consisting of site visits, interviews, and data collection from key health care providers in 10 communities, was undertaken to identify common characteristics in the health care markets and to explore how these factors may drive disparities in cardiac care.

Cooperation between the PDGF receptors in cardiac neural crest cell migration.

Neural crest cells (NCCs) are essential components of the sympathetic nervous system, skin, craniofacial skeleton, and aortic arch. It has been known for many years that perturbation of migration, proliferation, and/or differentiation of these cells leads to birth defects such as cleft palate and persistent truncus arteriosus (PTA). Previously, we had shown that disruption of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) alpha in NCCs resulted in defects in craniofacial and aortic arch development, the latter with variable penetrance. Because we observed ventricular septal defects in embryos that are null for the PDGFRbeta, we hypothesized that both PDGF receptors are involved in NCC formation. Here, we show that both receptors are expressed in cardiac NCCs and that the combined loss of the PDGFRalpha and PDGFRbeta in NCCs resulted in NCC-related heart abnormalities, including PTA and a ventricular septal defect (VSD). Using NCC lineage tracing, we observed that loss of PDGF receptor signaling resulted in reduced NCCs in the conotruncus region, leading to defects in aortic arch septation. These results indicate that while PDGFRalpha plays a predominant role in NCC development, the PDGFRbeta is expressed by and functions in cardiac NCCs. Combined PDGF receptor signaling is required for sufficient recruitment of cardiac NCCs into the conotruncal region and for formation of the aortico-pulmonary and ventricular septum.