Identifying Individual and Clinic Characteristics Associated With Primary Care Provider Turnover During Implementation of the Veterans Health Administration Patient-Centered Medical Home.

Understanding which factors predict primary care provider (PCP) turnover can help organizations prepare for PCP shortages. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Veteran Health Administration PCPs between 2012 and 2016. We analyzed whether 7 domains of the patient centered medical home (PCMH) implementation-including access, care coordination, comprehensiveness, self-management support, communication, shared decision-making, and team-based care-were associated with PCP turnover. We found that 2 domains of PCMH (access and self-management) were associated with lower turnover, which may reflect that practice cultures that support these characteristics may lower PCP turnover.

Potential drug-drug interactions in drug therapy for older adults with chronic coronary syndrome at hospital discharge: A real-world study.

Introduction: Polypharmacy are commonly observed among older adults with cardiovascular disease. However, multiple medications lead to increased risk of drug-drug interactions (DDIs). Therefore, identification and prevention actions related to harmful DDIs are expected in older adults. The study aimed to describe the prevalence of potential DDIs (pDDIs) in discharge prescriptions among older adults with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). Methods: A single-center cross-sectional study was performed in a tertiary public hospital in Beijing, China. CCS patients aged 65 years and above who were admitted to cardiology wards over a 3-month period and alive at discharge were included. Electronic medical records and discharge prescriptions were reviewed. pDDIs were evaluated through the Lexi-Interact online. Results: pDDIs were identified in 72.9% of the 402 individuals (n = 293). A total of 864 pDDIs were obtained. 72.1% of patients were found with C DDIs (n = 290) and 20.3% were categorized in D and X DDIs (n = 82). The only X DDI was between cyclosporine and atorvastatin. Under category D, glycemia alterations within antidiabetics and increased chances of bleeding with antithrombotic were the most common. Concomitant use of clopidogrel and calcium channel blockers was a frequent situation within category C, followed by synergic blood pressure lowering agents and increased rosuvastatin concentration induced by clopidogrel. Conclusion: DDIs exposure was common in older CCS. DDIs screening tools should be introduced to alert potential adverse effects. Prescribers need to rigorously review or modulate therapies to prevent DDI-related adverse outcomes. Clinical pharmacists should be more involved in complex drug regimen management.

How Did Veterans' Reliance on Veterans Health Administration Outpatient Care Change After Expansion of the Veterans Community Care Program?

BACKGROUND: The Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP) aims to address access constraints in the Veterans Health Administration (VA) by reimbursing care from non-VA community providers. Little existing research explores how veterans' choice of VA versus VCCP providers has evolved as a significant VCCP expansion in 2014 as part of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act. OBJECTIVES: We examined changes in reliance on VA for primary care (PC), mental health (MH), and specialty care (SC) among VCCP-eligible veterans. RESEARCH DESIGN: We linked VA administrative data with VCCP claims to retrospectively examine utilization during calendar years 2016-2018. SUBJECTS: 1.78 million veterans enrolled in VA before 2013 and VCCP-eligible in 2016 due to limited VA capacity or travel hardship. MEASURES: We measured reliance as the proportion of total annual outpatient (VA+VCCP) visits occurring in VA for PC, MH, and SC. RESULTS: Of the 26.1 million total outpatient visits identified, 45.6% were for MH, 29.9% for PC, and 24.4% for SC. Over the 3 years, 83.2% of veterans used any VA services, 23.8% used any VCCP services, and 20.0% were dual VA-VCCP users. Modest but statistically significant declines in reliance were observed from 2016-2018 for PC (94.5%-92.2%), and MH (97.8%-96.9%), and a more significant decline was observed for SC (88.5%-79.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Veterans who have the option of selecting between VA or VCCP providers continued using VA for most of their outpatient care in the initial years after the 2014 VCCP expansion.

The Effect of Bariatric Surgery on Long-term Depression Treatment in Patients With Obesity.

OBJECTIVE: In a large multisite cohort of Veterans who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), initiation of (ie, incident) and persistence of (ie, continuation of preoperative) depression treatment are compared with matched nonsurgical controls. BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery has been associated with short-term improvements in depression but less is known about longer term outcomes. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, we matched 1713 Veterans with depression treatment who underwent bariatric surgery in Veterans Administration bariatric centers from fiscal year 2001 to 2016 to 15,056 nonsurgical controls using sequential stratification and examined the persistence of depression treatment via generalized estimating equations. Incidence of depression treatment was compared using Cox regression models between 2227 surgical patients and 20,939 matched nonsurgical controls without depression treatment at baseline. RESULTS: In surgical patients with depression treatment at baseline, the use of postsurgical depression treatment declined over time for both surgical procedures, but postsurgical patients had greater use of depression treatment at 5 years [RYGB: odds ratio=1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-1.49; LSG: odds ratio=1.27, 95% CI: 1.04-1.56] compared with controls. Among those without depression treatment at baseline, bariatric surgery was associated with a higher incidence of depression treatment compared with matched controls (RYGB: hazard ratio=1.34, 95% CI: 1.17-1.53; LSG: hazard ratio at 1-5 years=1.27, 95% CI: 1.10-1.47). CONCLUSIONS: Bariatric surgery was associated with a greater risk of postoperative incident depression treatment and greater persistence of postoperative depression treatment. Depression may worsen for some patients after bariatric surgery, so clinicians should carefully monitor their patients for depression postoperatively.

Does Long-Term Post-Bariatric Weight Change Differ Across Antidepressants?

We sought to evaluate whether weight change up to 5 years after bariatric surgery differed by antidepressant class taken before surgery. Background: Bariatric surgery induces significant weight loss, but outcomes are highly variable. The specific type of antidepressant used prior to surgery may be an important factor in long-term weight loss. Methods: This retrospective cohort study from 2000 to 2016 compared the 5-year weight loss of 556 Veterans who were taking antidepressant monotherapy (bupropion, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs], or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors [SNRIs]) before bariatric surgery (229 sleeve gastrectomy and 327 Roux-en-Y gastric bypass) versus 556 matched nonsurgical controls. Results: Patients taking bupropion before sleeve gastrectomy had greater differential weight loss between surgical patients and matched controls than those taking SSRIs at 1 (8.9 pounds; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6-16.3; P = 0.02) and 2 years (17.6 pounds; 95% CI, 5.9-29.3; P = 0.003), but there was no difference at 5 years (11.9 pounds; 95% CI, -8.9 to 32.8; P = 0.26). Findings were similar for gastric bypass patients taking bupropion compared to SSRIs at 1 (9.7 pounds; 95% CI, 2.0-17.4; P = 0.014), 2 (12.0 pounds; 95% CI, -0.5 to 24.5; P = 0.06), and 5 years (4.8 pounds; 95% CI, -16.7 to 26.3; P = 0.66). No significant differences were observed comparing patients taking SNRI versus SSRI medications. Conclusions: Sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass patients taking bupropion had greater weight loss than those taking SSRIs, although these differences may wane over time. Bupropion may be the first-line antidepressant of choice among patients with severe obesity considering bariatric surgery.

Economic costs of implementing evidence-based telemedicine outreach for posttraumatic stress disorder in VA.

Background: Telemedicine outreach for posttraumatic stress disorder (TOP) is a virtual evidence-based practice (EBP) involving telephone care management and telepsychology that engages rural patients in trauma-focused psychotherapy. This evaluation examined implementation and intervention costs attributable to deploying TOP from a health system perspective. Methods: Costs were ascertained as part of a stepped wedge cluster randomized trial at five sites within the Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System. All sites initially received a standard implementation strategy, which included internal facilitation, dissemination of an internal facilitators operational guide, funded care manager, care managing training, and technical support. A subset of clinics that failed to meet performance metrics were subsequently randomized to enhanced implementation, which added external facilitation that focused on incorporating TOP clinical processes into existing clinic workflow. We measured site-level implementation activities using project records and structured activity logs tracking personnel-level time devoted to all implementation activities. We monetized time devoted to implementation activities by applying an opportunity cost approach. Intervention costs were measured as accounting-based costs for telepsychiatry/telepsychology and care manager visits, ascertained using VA administrative data. We conducted descriptive analyses of strategy-specific implementation costs across five sites. Descriptive analyses were conducted instead of population-level cost-effectiveness analysis because previous research found enhanced implementation was not more successful than the standard implementation in improving uptake of TOP. Results: Over the 40-month study period, four of five sites received enhanced implementation. Mean site-level implementation cost per month was $919 (SD = $238) during standard implementation and increased to $1,651 (SD = $460) during enhanced implementation. Mean site-level intervention cost per patient-month was $46 (SD = $28) during standard implementation and $31 (SD = $21) during enhanced implementation. Conclusions: Project findings inform the expected cost of implementing TOP, which represents one factor health systems should consider in the decision to broadly adopt this EBP. Plain Language Summary: What is already known about the topic: Trauma-focused psychotherapy delivered through telemedicine has been demonstrated as an effective approach for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, uptake of this evidence-based approach by integrated health systems such as the Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System is low. What does this paper add: This paper presents new findings on the costs of two implementation approaches designed to increase adoption telemedicine outreach for PTSD from a health system perspective. What are the implications for practice, research, and policy: Cost estimates from this paper can be used by health systems to inform the relative value of candidate implementation strategies to increase adoption of evidence-based treatments for PTSD or other mental health conditions.

Burden and Cost of Caring for US Veterans With CKD: Initial Findings From the VA Renal Information System (VA-REINS).

Kidney disease is a common, complex, costly, and life-limiting condition. Most kidney disease registries or information systems have been limited to single institutions or regions. A national US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Renal Information System (VA-REINS) was recently developed. We describe its creation and present key initial findings related to chronic kidney disease (CKD) without kidney replacement therapy (KRT). Data from the VA's Corporate Data Warehouse were processed and linked with national Medicare data for patients with CKD receiving KRT. Operational definitions for VA user, CKD, acute kidney injury, and kidney failure were developed. Among 7 million VA users in fiscal year 2014, CKD was identified using either a strict or liberal operational definition in 1.1 million (16.4%) and 2.5 million (36.3%) veterans, respectively. Most were identified using an estimated glomerular filtration rate laboratory phenotype, some through proteinuria assessment, and very few through International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision coding. The VA spent ∼$18 billion for the care of patients with CKD without KRT, most of which was for CKD stage 3, with higher per-patient costs by CKD stage. VA-REINS can be leveraged for disease surveillance, population health management, and improving the quality and value of care, thereby enhancing VA's capacity as a patient-centered learning health system for US veterans.

Thematic Analysis of the Health Records of a National Sample of US Veterans With Advanced Kidney Disease Evaluated for Transplant.

Importance: To be considered for a kidney transplant, patients with advanced kidney disease must participate in a formal evaluation and selection process. Little is known about how this process proceeds in real-world clinical settings. Objective: To characterize the transplant evaluation process among a representative national sample of US veterans with advanced kidney disease who were referred to a kidney transplant center. Design, Setting, and Participants: This qualitative study was a thematic analysis of clinician notes in the electronic health records of US veterans referred for kidney transplant evaluation. In a random sample of 4000 patients with advanced kidney disease between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2014, cared for in the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system, there were 211 patients who were referred to a transplant center during the follow-up period. This group was included in the qualitative analysis and was followed up until their date of death or the end of the follow-up period on October 8, 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures: Dominant themes pertaining to the kidney transplant evaluation and selection process identified through thematic analysis. Results: Among 211 study patients, the mean (SD) age was 57.9 (9.5) years, and 202 patients (95.7%) were male. The following 4 dominant themes regarding the transplant evaluation process emerged: (1) far-reaching and inflexible medical evaluation, in which patients were expected to complete an extensive evaluation that could have substantial physical and emotional consequences, made little accommodation for their personal values and needs, and impacted other aspects of their care; (2) psychosocial valuation, in which the psychosocial component of the transplant assessment could be subjective and intrusive and could place substantial demands on patients' family members; (3) surveillance over compliance, in which the patients' ability and willingness to follow medical recommendations was an important criterion for transplant candidacy and their adherence to a wide range of recommendations and treatments was closely monitored; and (4) disempowerment and lack of transparency, in which patients and their local clinicians were often unsure about what to expect during the evaluation process or about the rationale for selection decisions. For the evaluation process to proceed, local clinicians had to follow transplant center requirements even when they believed the requirements did not align with best practices or the patients' needs. Conclusions and Relevance: In this qualitative study of US veterans with advanced kidney disease evaluated for transplant, clinician documentation in the medical record indicated that, to be considered for a kidney transplant, patients were required to participate in a rigid, demanding, and opaque evaluation and selection process over which they and their local clinicians had little control. These findings highlight the need for a more evidence-based, individualized, and collaborative approach to kidney transplant evaluation.

Association of Bariatric Surgical Procedures With Changes in Unhealthy Alcohol Use Among US Veterans.

Importance: Bariatric surgical procedures have been associated with increased risk of unhealthy alcohol use, but no previous research has evaluated the long-term alcohol-related risks after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), currently the most used bariatric procedure. No US-based study has compared long-term alcohol-related outcomes between patients who have undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and those who have not. Objective: To evaluate the changes over time in alcohol use and unhealthy alcohol use from 2 years before to 8 years after a bariatric surgical procedure among individuals with or without preoperative unhealthy alcohol use. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study analyzed electronic health record (EHR) data on military veterans who underwent a bariatric surgical procedure at any of the bariatric centers in the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system between October 1, 2008, and September 30, 2016. Surgical patients without unhealthy alcohol use at baseline were matched using sequential stratification to nonsurgical control patients without unhealthy alcohol use at baseline, and surgical patients with unhealthy alcohol use at baseline were matched to nonsurgical patients with unhealthy alcohol use at baseline. Data were analyzed in February 2020. Interventions: LSG (n = 1684) and RYGB (n = 924). Main Outcomes and Measures: Mean alcohol use, unhealthy alcohol use, and no alcohol use were estimated using scores from the validated 3-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C), which had been documented in the VA EHR. Alcohol outcomes were estimated with mixed-effects models. Results: A total of 2608 surgical patients were included in the final cohort (1964 male [75.3%] and 644 female [24.7%] veterans. Mean (SD) age of surgical patients was 53.0 (9.9) years and 53.6 (9.9) years for the matched nonsurgical patients. Among patients without baseline unhealthy alcohol use, 1539 patients who underwent an LSG were matched to 14 555 nonsurgical control patients and 854 patients who underwent an RYGB were matched to 8038 nonsurgical control patients. In patients without baseline unhealthy alcohol use, the mean AUDIT-C scores and the probability of unhealthy alcohol use both increased significantly 3 to 8 years after an LSG or an RYGB, compared with control patients. Eight years after an LSG, the probability of unhealthy alcohol use was higher in surgical vs control patients (7.9% [95% CI, 6.4-9.5] vs 4.5% [95% CI, 4.1-4.9]; difference, 3.4% [95% CI, 1.8-5.0])). Similarly, 8 years after an RYGB, the probability of unhealthy alcohol use was higher in surgical vs control patients (9.2% [95% CI, 8.0-10.3] vs 4.4% [95% CI, 4.1-4.6]; difference, 4.8% [95% CI, 3.6-5.9]). The probability of no alcohol use also decreased significantly 5 to 8 years after both procedures for surgical vs control patients. Among patients with unhealthy alcohol use at baseline, prevalence of unhealthy alcohol use was higher for patients who underwent an RYGB than matched controls. Conclusions and Relevance: In this multi-site cohort study of predominantly male patients, among those who did not have unhealthy alcohol use in the 2 years before bariatric surgery, the probability of developing unhealthy alcohol use increased significantly 3-8 years after bariatric procedures compared with matched controls during follow-up.

Comparable, but distinct: Perceptions of primary care provided by physicians and nurse practitioners in full and restricted practice authority states.

AIMS: To understand patients' and providers' perceptions of primary care delivered by nurse practitioners (NPs) in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. DESIGN: Qualitative exploratory study (in convergent mixed-methods design). METHODS: Semi-structured interviews in 2016 with primary care providers and patients from facilities in states with full and restricted practice authority for NPs. Patient sample based on reassignment to: (a) a NP; or (b) a different physician following an established physician relationship. Data were analysed using content analysis. RESULTS: We interviewed 28 patients, 17 physicians and 14 NPs. We found: (a) NPs provided more holistic care than physicians; (b) patients were satisfied with NPs; and (c) providers' professional experience outweighed provider type. CONCLUSIONS: Patients' preferences for NPs (compared with prior physicians) contributed to perceptions of patient centredness. Similarities in providers' perceptions suggest NPs and physicians are both viable providers for primary care. IMPACT: Nurse Practitioners (NPs): practice authority Veterans Affairs Health care: nurse practitioners will continue to be a viable resource for primary care delivery United States Health care: challenges notions patients may not be satisfied with care provided by NPs and supports expanding their use to provide much-needed access to primary care services; expanding Full Practice Authority would allow states to provide acceptable primary care without diminishing patient or provider experiences.

Thematic Analysis of Hospice Mentions in the Health Records of Veterans with Advanced Kidney Disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced kidney disease are less likely than many patients with other types of serious illness to enroll in hospice. Little is known about real-world clinical decision-making related to hospice for members of this population. METHODS: We used a text search tool to conduct a thematic analysis of documentation pertaining to hospice in the electronic medical record system of the Department of Veterans Affairs, for a national sample of 1000 patients with advanced kidney disease between 2004 and 2014 who were followed until October 8, 2019. RESULTS: Three dominant themes emerged from our qualitative analysis of the electronic medical records of 340 cohort members with notes containing hospice mentions: (1) hospice and usual care as antithetical care models: clinicians appeared to perceive a sharp demarcation between services that could be provided under hospice versus usual care and were often uncertain about hospice eligibility criteria. This could shape decision-making about hospice and dialysis and made it hard to individualize care; (2) hospice as a last resort: patients often were referred to hospice late in the course of illness and did not so much choose hospice as accept these services after all treatment options had been exhausted; and (3) care complexity: patients' complex care needs at the time of hospice referral could complicate transitions to hospice, stretch the limits of home hospice, and promote continued reliance on the acute care system. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore the need to improve transitions to hospice for patients with advanced kidney disease as they approach the end of life.

Long-term opioid use after bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: Opioid analgesics are often prescribed to manage pain after bariatric surgery, which may develop into chronic prescription opioid use (CPOU) in opioid-naïve patients. Bariatric surgery may affect opioid use in those with or without presurgical CPOU. OBJECTIVE: To compare CPOU persistence and incidence in a large multisite cohort of veterans undergoing bariatric surgery (open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, laparoscopic RYGB, or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy) and matched nonsurgical controls. SETTING: Veterans Administration hospitals. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, we matched 1117 surgical patients with baseline CPOU to 9531 nonsurgical controls, and 2822 surgical patients without CPOU at baseline to 26,392 nonsurgical controls using sequential stratification. CPOU persistence in veterans with baseline CPOU was estimated using generalized estimating equations by procedure type. CPOU incidence in veterans without baseline CPOU was estimated in Cox regression models by procedure type because postoperative pain, complications, and absorption may differ by procedure. RESULTS: In veterans with baseline CPOU, postsurgical CPOU declined over time for each surgical procedure; these trends did not differ between surgical patients and nonsurgical controls. In veterans without baseline CPOU, compared with nonsurgical controls, bariatric patients had higher CPOU incidence within 5 years after open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (hazard ratio = 1.19; 95% confidence interval: 1.06-1.34) or laparoscopic open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (hazard ratio = 1.22, 95% confidence interval: 1.06-1.41). Veterans undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy had higher CPOU incidence 1 to 5 years after surgery (hazard ratio = 1.28; 95% confidence interval: 1.05-1.56) than nonsurgical controls. CONCLUSIONS: Bariatric surgery was associated with greater risk of CPOU incidence in patients without baseline CPOU but was not associated with greater CPOU persistence.

Events Associated With Changes in Reliance on the Veterans Health Administration Among Medicare-eligible Veterans.

OBJECTIVES: We can learn something about how Veterans value the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) versus community providers by observing Veterans' choices between VHA and Medicare providers after they turn 65. For a cohort of Veterans who were newly age-eligible for Medicare, we estimated the change in VHA reliance (VHA outpatient visits divided by total VHA and Medicare visits) associated with specific events: receiving a life-threatening diagnosis, having a Medicare-paid hospitalization, or moving further from the VHA. RESEARCH DESIGN: A longitudinal cohort study of VHA and Medicare administrative data. SUBJECTS: A total of 5932 VHA users who completed a health survey in 1999 and became age-eligible for Medicare from 1998 to 2000 were followed through 2016. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: More Veterans chose to rely on the VHA than Medicare (64% vs. 36.%). For a VHA-reliant Veteran, a Medicare-paid hospital stay was associated with a decrease of 7.8 percentage points (pps) (P<0.001) in VHA reliance in the subsequent 12 months, but by 36 months reliance increased to near prehospitalization levels (-1.5 pps; P=0.138). Moving further from the VHA, or receiving a diagnosis of cancer, heart failure, or renal failure had no significant association with subsequent VHA reliance; however, a diagnosis of dementia was associated with a decrease in VHA reliance (-8.6 pps; P=0.026). CONCLUSIONS: A significant majority of newly Medicare-eligible VHA users voted with their feet in favor of sustaining the VHA as a provider of comprehensive medical care for Veterans. These VHA-reliant Veterans maintained their reliance even after receiving a life-threatening diagnosis, and after experiencing Medicare-provided hospital care.

Midlife mortality in White non-Hispanic male veterans enrolled in Department of Veterans Affairs primary care, 2003-2014.

BACKGROUND: After years of decline in mortality rates in the United States, there have been increases in mortality rates in White non-Hispanic Americans ages 45-54, due to increases in deaths from suicide, poisoning, and alcoholic liver disease. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether White non-Hispanic middle age male Veterans enrolled in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) primary care had increased mortality, as found in the general population. RESEARCH DESIGN: Repeated cross-sectional analysis over 12 years to describe trends in death rates for men across 3 race/ethnicity groups (White non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, Hispanic) and 2 age groups (45-54, 55-64) for the Veteran and general US male populations. SUBJECTS: 60 million patient-years for Veterans enrolled in VA primary care from 2003 to 2014 and 1.8 million who died during the study period. MEASURES: All-cause and cause specific death rates for alcoholic liver disease, poisoning, and suicide. RESULTS: For White non-Hispanic male Veterans ages 55-64, the increase in all-cause mortality from 2003 to 2014 (+309 deaths/100,000) was accompanied by significant changes in deaths due to poisoning (+30/100,000), alcoholic liver disease (+23/100,000), and suicide (+17/100,000). For US men ages 55-64, all-cause mortality decreased slightly from 2003-2014 (-22 deaths/100,000). However, there were increases in death rates due to poisoning (+17/100,000), alcoholic liver disease (+14/100,000) and suicide (+11/100,000). CONCLUSIONS: These disturbing findings for White non-Hispanic Veteran men ages 55-64 suggest the critical importance of suicide prevention programs as well as the importance of high quality integrated health care for both Veteran and non-Veteran men.

Outcomes of primary care delivery by nurse practitioners: Utilization, cost, and quality of care.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether nurse practitioner (NP)-assigned patients exhibited differences in utilization, costs, and clinical outcomes compared to medical doctor (MD)-assigned patients. DATA SOURCES: Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative data capturing characteristics, outcomes, and provider assignments of 806 434 VA patients assigned to an MD primary care provider (PCP) who left VA practice between 2010 and 2012. STUDY DESIGN: We applied a difference-in-difference approach comparing outcomes between patients reassigned to MD and NP PCPs, respectively. We examined measures of outpatient (primary care, specialty care, and mental health) and inpatient (total and ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations) utilization, costs (outpatient, inpatient and total), and clinical outcomes (control of hemoglobin A1c, LDL, and blood pressure) in the year following reassignment. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Compared to MD-assigned patients, NP-assigned patients were less likely to use primary care and specialty care services and incurred fewer total and ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations. Differences in costs, clinical outcomes, and receipt of diagnostic tests between groups were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Patients reassigned to NPs experienced similar outcomes and incurred less utilization at comparable cost relative to MD patients. NPs may offer a cost-effective approach to addressing anticipated shortages of primary care physicians.

Developing an Algorithm for Combining Race and Ethnicity Data Sources in the Veterans Health Administration.

INTRODUCTION: Racial/ethnic disparities exist in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), despite financial barriers to care being largely mitigated and Veterans Administration's (VA) organizational commitment to health equity. Accurately identifying minority veterans is critical to monitoring progress toward equity as the VHA treats an increasingly racially and ethnically diverse veteran population. Although the VHA's completeness of race and ethnicity data is generally better than its public sector and private counterparts, the accuracy of the race and ethnicity in the various databases available to VHA is variable, as is the accuracy in identifying specific minority groups. The purpose of this article was to develop an algorithm for constructing race and ethnicity variables from data sources available to VHA researchers, to present demographic differences cross the data sources, and to apply the algorithm to one study year. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used existing VHA survey data from the Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients (SHEP) and three commonly used administrative databases from 2003 to 2015: the VA Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW), VA Defense Identity Repository (VADIR), and Medicare. Using measures of agreement such as sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and Cohen kappa, we compared self-reported race and ethnicity from the SHEP and each of the other data sources. Based on these results, we propose an algorithm for combining data on race and ethnicity from these datasets. We included VHA patients who completed a SHEP and had race/ethnicity recorded in CDW, VADIR, and/or Medicare. RESULTS: Agreement between SHEP and other sources was high for Whites and Blacks and substantially lower for other minority groups. The CDW demonstrated better agreement than VADIR or Medicare. CONCLUSIONS: We developed an algorithm of data source precedence in the VHA that improves the accuracy of the identification of historically under-identified minorities: (1) SHEP, (2) CDW, (3) Department of Defense's VADIR, and (4) Medicare.

Ethical Concerns in the Care of Patients with Advanced Kidney Disease: a National Retrospective Study, 2000-2011.

BACKGROUND: Understanding ethical concerns that arise in the care of patients with advanced kidney disease may help identify opportunities to support medical decision-making. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical contexts and types of ethical concerns that arise in the care of patients with advanced kidney disease. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 28,568 Veterans with advanced kidney disease between 2000 and 2009 followed through death or 2011. EXPOSURE: Clinical scenarios that prompted clinicians to consider an ethics consultation as documented in the medical record. MAIN MEASURES: Dialysis initiation, dialysis discontinuation, receipt of an intensive procedure during the final month of life, and hospice enrollment. KEY RESULTS: Patients had a mean age of 67.1 years, and the majority were male (98.5%) and white (59.0%). Clinicians considered an ethics consultation for 794 patients (2.5%) over a median follow-up period of 2.7 years. Ethical concerns involved code status (37.8%), dialysis (54.5%), other invasive treatments (40.6%), and noninvasive treatments (61.1%) and were related to conflicts between patients, their surrogates, and/or clinicians about treatment preferences (79.3%), who had authority to make healthcare decisions (65.9%), and meeting the care needs of patients versus obligations to others (10.6%). Among the 20,583 patients who died during follow-up, those for whom clinicians had considered an ethics consultation were less likely to have been treated with dialysis (47.6% versus 62.0%, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.63, 95% CI 0.53-0.74), more likely to have discontinued dialysis (32.5% versus 20.9%, aOR 2.07, CI 1.61-2.66), and less likely to have received an intensive procedure in the last month of life (8.9% versus 18.9%, aOR 0.41, CI 0.32-0.54) compared with patients without documentation of clinicians having considered consultation. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians considered an ethics consultation for patients with advanced kidney disease in situations of conflicting preferences regarding dialysis and other intensive treatments, especially when these treatments were not pursued.

Time and Organizational Cost for Facilitating Implementation of Primary Care Mental Health Integration.

BACKGROUND: Integrating mental health services into primary care settings is complex and challenging. Although facilitation strategies have successfully supported implementation of primary care mental health integration and other complex innovations, we know little about the time required or its cost. OBJECTIVE: To examine the time and organizational cost of facilitating implementation of primary care mental health integration. DESIGN: Descriptive analysis. PARTICIPANTS: One expert external facilitator and two internal regional facilitators who helped healthcare system stakeholders, e.g., leaders, managers, clinicians, and non-clinical staff, implement primary care mental health integration at eight clinics. INTERVENTION: Implementation facilitation tailored to the needs and resources of the setting and its stakeholders. MAIN MEASURES: We documented facilitators' and stakeholders' time and types of activities using a structured spreadsheet collected from facilitators on a weekly basis. We obtained travel costs and salary information. We conducted descriptive analysis of time data and estimated organizational cost. KEY RESULTS: The external facilitator devoted 263 h (0.09 FTE), including travel, across all 8 clinics over 28 months. Internal facilitator time varied across networks (1792 h versus 1169 h), as well as clinics. Stakeholder participation time was similar across networks (1280.6 versus 1363.4 person hours) but the number of stakeholders varied (133 versus 199 stakeholders). The organizational cost of providing implementation facilitation also varied across networks ($263,490 versus $258,127). Stakeholder participation accounted for 35% of the cost of facilitation activities in one network and 47% of the cost in the other. CONCLUSIONS: Although facilitation can improve implementation of primary care mental health integration, it requires substantial organizational investments that may vary by site and implementation effort. Furthermore, the cost of using an external expert to transfer facilitation skills and build capacity for implementation efforts appears to be minimal.

Association of Family Ratings of Quality of End-of-Life Care With Stopping Dialysis Treatment and Receipt of Hospice Services.

Importance: Approximately 1 in 4 patients receiving maintenance dialysis for end-stage renal disease eventually stop treatment before death. Little is known about the association of stopping dialysis and quality of end-of-life care. Objectives: To evaluate the association of stopping dialysis before death with family-rated quality of end-of-life care and whether this association differed according to receipt of hospice services at the time of death. Design, Setting, and Participants: This survey study included data from 3369 patients who were treated with maintenance dialysis at 111 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers and died between October 1, 2009, to September 30, 2015. Data set construction and analyses were conducted from September 2017 to July 2019. Exposure: Cessation of dialysis treatment before death. Main Outcomes and Measures: Bereaved Family Survey ratings. Results: Among 3369 patients included, the mean (SD) age at death was 70.6 (10.2) years, and 3320 (98.5%) were male. Overall, 937 patients (27.8%) stopped dialysis before death and 2432 patients (72.2%) continued dialysis treatment until death. Patients who stopped dialysis were more likely to have been receiving hospice services at the time of death than patients who continued dialysis (544 patients [58.1%] vs 430 patients [17.7%]). Overall, 1701 patients (50.5%) had a family member who responded to the Bereaved Family Survey. In adjusted analyses, families were more likely to rate overall quality of end-of-life care as excellent if the patient had stopped dialysis (54.9% vs 45.9%; risk difference, 9.0% [95% CI, 3.3%-14.8%]; P = .002) or continued to receive dialysis but also received hospice services (60.5% vs 40.0%; risk difference, 20.5% [95% CI, 12.2%-28.9%]; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: This survey study found that families rated overall quality of end-of-life care higher for patients who stopped dialysis before death or continued dialysis but received concurrent hospice services. More work to prepare patients for end-of-life decision-making and to expand access to hospice services may help to improve the quality of end-of-life care for patients with end-stage renal disease.

Family Perceptions of Quality of End-of-Life Care for Veterans with Advanced CKD.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the quality of end-of-life care for patients with advanced CKD. We describe the relationship between patterns of end-of-life care and dialysis treatment with family-reported quality of end-of-life care in this population. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: We designed a retrospective observational study among a national cohort of 9993 veterans with advanced CKD who died in Department of Veterans Affairs facilities between 2009 and 2015. We used logistic regression to evaluate associations between patterns of end-of-life care and receipt of dialysis (no dialysis, acute dialysis, maintenance dialysis) with family-reported quality of end-of-life care. RESULTS: Overall, 52% of cohort members spent ≥2 weeks in the hospital in the last 90 days of life, 34% received an intensive procedure, and 47% were admitted to the intensive care unit, in the last 30 days, 31% died in the intensive care unit, 38% received a palliative care consultation in the last 90 days, and 36% were receiving hospice services at the time of death. Most (55%) did not receive dialysis, 12% received acute dialysis, and 34% received maintenance dialysis. Patients treated with acute or maintenance dialysis had more intensive patterns of end-of-life care than those not treated with dialysis. After adjustment for patient and facility characteristics, receipt of maintenance (but not acute) dialysis and more intensive patterns of end-of-life care were associated with lower overall family ratings of end-of-life care, whereas receipt of palliative care and hospice services were associated with higher overall ratings. The association between maintenance dialysis and overall quality of care was attenuated after additional adjustment for end-of-life treatment patterns. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with advanced CKD, care focused on life extension rather than comfort was associated with lower family ratings of end-of-life care regardless of whether patients had received dialysis.