Content validation of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network/Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Lymphoma Symptom Index-18 (NFLymSI-18) in indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: The NFLymSI-18 is a patient-reported outcome measure comprised of the highest priority symptoms, emotional concerns, treatment side effects, and other concerns identified by lymphoma patients and oncologists. This study assessed the content validity of the NFLymSI-18 for patients with indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (iNHL), with a focus on the Disease-Related Symptoms Physical (DRS-P) subscale. METHODS: Patients with a confirmed iNHL diagnosis who had received one or more lines of treatment were recruited during clinic visits. Patients described their symptoms, treatment side effects, and emotional concerns related to iNHL in a semi-structured interview. Qualitative data were analyzed using NVivo10. RESULTS: Data saturation was obtained by the 18th interview. Most participants (67%) had follicular lymphoma. 28% of participants had marginal zone lymphoma, and one participant had lymphoplasmacytoid lymphoma/Waldenström macroglobulinemia. Mean age of the 18 participants was 67 years. 56% of the sample was male. Most participants (67%) had a college or advanced degree. When asked to describe their iNHL symptoms, patients most often discussed swelling (n = 14), fatigue (n = 11), and pain (n = 8). The following symptoms were mentioned by three patients each: anxiety, appetite loss, rash, sleep disruption, trouble breathing, and malaise. Mapping of NFLymSI-18 content to these concerns showed the instrument includes all those most frequently mentioned symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the content validity of the NFLymSI-18, including its DRS-P Subscale, for patients with iNHL. The instrument shows strong validity for the most referenced symptoms of swelling, fatigue, and pain. The diversity of additional symptoms reported by patients is consistent with the heterogeneous symptomology of iNHL.

Using Registry Data to Support National Quality Forum Endorsement of Quality Measures for Home-Based Medical Care.

Homebound older adults receiving home-based medical care (HBMC) are high-need, high-cost patients. National Quality Forum (NQF)-endorsed quality measures for this population are lacking. The objective is to describe the reliability and validity testing of 2 new quality measures for such patients to support NQF endorsement. The authors developed 2 new clinical quality measures for HBMC: evaluation of (1) functional status and (2) cognitive function. Data from a large multistate HBMC practice in a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-approved qualified clinical data registry were used to test both measures for reliability and validity. In 63 000 patient encounters, provider performance rates were 68% for evaluation of functional status and 40% for cognitive function. Reliability and validity were high for both. This article describes a replicable approach to leverage registry-type data to systematically address quality gaps for high-need, high-cost populations that will raise the profile of HBMC with measure developers and payers.

Effects of a Transitional Care Practice for a Vulnerable Population: a Pragmatic, Randomized Comparative Effectiveness Trial.

BACKGROUND: There is limited experimental evidence on transitional care interventions beyond 30 days post-discharge and in vulnerable populations. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate effects of a transitional care practice (TC) that comprehensively addresses patients' medical and psychosocial needs following hospital discharge. DESIGN: Pragmatic, randomized comparative effectiveness trial. PATIENTS: Adults discharged from an initial emergency, observation, or inpatient hospital encounter with no trusted usual source of care. INTERVENTIONS: TC intervention included a scheduled post-discharge appointment at the TC practice, where a multidisciplinary team comprehensively assessed patients' medical and psychosocial needs, addressed modifiable barriers, and subsequent linkage to a new primary care source. Routine Care involved assistance scheduling a post-discharge appointment with a primary care provider that often partnered with the hospital where the initial encounter occurred. MAIN MEASURES: The primary outcome was a binary indicator of death or additional hospital encounters within 90 days of initial discharge. Secondary outcomes included any additional hospital encounters, and counts of hospital encounters, over 180 days. KEY RESULTS: Four hundred ninety patients were randomized to TC intervention and 164 to Routine Care; 34.6% were uninsured, 49.7% had Medicaid, and 57.4% were homeless or lived in a high-poverty area. There was no significant difference between arms in the 90-day probability of death or additional hospital encounters (relative risk [RR] 0.89; 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74-1.13). However, TC patients had 37% and 35% lower probability of any inpatient admission over 90 days (RR 0.63; 95% CI 0.43-0.91) and 180 days (RR 0.65; 95% CI 0.47-0.89), respectively. Over 180 days, TC patients had 42% fewer inpatient admissions (incidence rate ratio 0.58; 95% CI 0.37-0.90). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients randomized to a patient-centered transitional care intervention, there was no significant reduction in 90-day probability of death or additional hospital encounters. However, there were significant decreases in measures of inpatient admissions over 180 days. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT03066492.

Using hospital use trends to improve transitional care.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluates the Northwestern Medicine Group Transitional Care clinic (NMG-TC), which transitions patients from an urban hospital to primary care at partner community clinics. We evaluate change over the 55 month study period in emergency department, observation or inpatient use within 90 days of an initial NMG-TC visit. METHODS: Electronic health records were used to determine patient demographic, insurance and clinical characteristics, including inflation-adjusted total hospital charges in the 90 days prior and the 90 days after an initial NMG-TC visit. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the likelihood of any 90-day post-NMG-TC visit hospital use, controlled for the simultaneous effects of patient characteristics and pre-visit hospital use level. RESULTS: There were 3318 patients with 90-day follow-up of whom 28.5% had 90 day post-visit hospital encounters. Patients with cancer, infectious disease or pain diagnoses at the time of a NMG-TC visit had the highest 90-day post-visit hospital use. The level of pre-NMG-TC visit hospital charges, the number of NMG-TC visit diagnostic categories and the number of NMG-TC visits all showed a sharply graded effect on subsequent hospital use. Patients with a first NMG-TC visit in the last nine months of the study (2015-2016) had a 38% lower likelihood of any 90-day hospital use (OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.45-0.84) as compared to patients seen in 2011-2012. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Reduced post-visit hospital use is likely related to increased clinic resources, Affordable Care Act insurance expansions, and improved clinical and community social service expertise. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Cohort study, Level 2.

A pragmatic randomized comparative effectiveness trial of transitional care for a socioeconomically diverse population: Design, rationale and baseline characteristics.

Transitional care programs have been widely used to reduce readmissions and improve the quality and safety of the handoff process between hospital and outpatient providers. Very little is known about effective transitional care interventions among patients who are uninsured or with Medicaid. This paper describes the design and baseline characteristics of a pragmatic randomized comparative effectiveness trial of transitional care. Northwestern Medical Group- Transitional Care (NMG-TC) care model was developed to address the needs of patients with multiple medical problems that required lifestyle changes and were amenable to office-based management. We present the design, evaluation methods and baseline characteristics of NMG-TC trial patients. Baseline demographic characteristics indicate that our patient population is predominantly male, Medicaid insured and non-white. This study will evaluate two methods for implementing an effective transitional care model in a medically complex and socioeconomically diverse population.