Lower comorbidity scores and severity levels in Veterans Health Administration hospitals: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies found that documentation of comorbidities differed when Veterans received care within versus outside Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Changes to medical center funding, increased attention to performance reporting, and expansion of Clinical Documentation Improvement programs, however, may have caused coding in VHA to change. METHODS: Using repeated cross-sectional data, we compared Elixhauser-van Walraven scores and Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) severity levels for Veterans' admissions across settings and payers over time, utilizing a linkage of VHA and all-payer discharge data for 2012-2017 in seven US states. To minimize selection bias, we analyzed records for Veterans admitted to both VHA and non-VHA hospitals in the same year. Using generalized linear models, we adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics. RESULTS: Following adjustment, VHA admissions consistently had the lowest predicted mean comorbidity scores (4.44 (95% CI 4.34-4.55)) and lowest probability of using the most severe DRG (22.1% (95% CI 21.4%-22.8%)). In contrast, Medicare-covered admissions had the highest predicted mean comorbidity score (5.71 (95% CI 5.56-5.85)) and highest probability of using the top DRG (35.3% (95% CI 34.2%-36.4%)). CONCLUSIONS: More effective strategies may be needed to improve VHA documentation, and current risk-adjusted comparisons should account for differences in coding intensity.

Mortality among US veterans after emergency visits to Veterans Affairs and other hospitals: retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To measure and compare mortality outcomes between dually eligible veterans transported by ambulance to a Veterans Affairs hospital and those transported to a non-Veterans Affairs hospital. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using data from medical charts and administrative files. SETTING: Emergency visits by ambulance to 140 Veteran Affairs and 2622 non-Veteran Affairs hospitals across 46 US states and the District of Columbia in 2001-18. PARTICIPANTS: National cohort of 583 248 veterans (aged ≥65 years) enrolled in both the Veterans Health Administration and Medicare programs, who resided within 20 miles of at least one Veterans Affairs hospital and at least one non-Veterans Affairs hospital, in areas where ambulances regularly transported patients to both types of hospitals. INTERVENTION: Emergency treatment at a Veterans Affairs hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Deaths in the 30 day period after the ambulance ride. Linear probability models of mortality were used, with adjustment for patients' demographic characteristics, residential zip codes, comorbid conditions, and other variables. RESULTS: Of 1 470 157 ambulance rides, 231 611 (15.8%) went to Veterans Affairs hospitals and 1 238 546 (84.2%) went to non-Veterans Affairs hospitals. The adjusted mortality rate at 30 days was 20.1% lower among patients taken to Veterans Affairs hospitals than among patients taken to non-Veterans Affairs hospitals (9.32 deaths per 100 patients (95% confidence interval 9.15 to 9.50) v 11.67 (11.58 to 11.76)). The mortality advantage associated with Veterans Affairs hospitals was particularly large for patients who were black (-25.8%), were Hispanic (-22.7%), and had received care at the same hospital in the previous year. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that within a month of being treated with emergency care at Veterans Affairs hospitals, dually eligible veterans had substantially lower risk of death than those treated at non-Veterans Affairs hospitals. The nature of this mortality advantage warrants further investigation, as does its generalizability to other types of patients and care. Nonetheless, the finding is relevant to assessments of the merit of policies that encourage private healthcare alternatives for veterans.

Challenging weekend discharges associated with excess length of stay in surgical patients at Veterans Affairs hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Challenging discharges can lead to prolonged hospital stays. We hypothesized that surgical patients discharged from Veterans Affairs hospitals on weekdays have longer hospital stays and greater excess length of stay. METHODS: We identified inpatient general and vascular procedures at Veterans Affairs hospitals from 2007 to 2014. Expected length of stay was calculated using a stratified negative binomial model adjusted for patient/operative characteristics. Excess length of stay was defined as the difference between observed and expected length of stay. RESULTS: We identified 135,875 patients (80.4% weekday discharges, 19.6% weekend discharges). The average length of stay was 7.5 days. Patients with weekday discharges spent on average 2.5 more days in the hospital compared with patients discharged on weekends (8.0 vs. 5.5 days, P < .001); 28.5% of patients with weekday discharges had an observed length of stay at least 1 day longer than expected, compared with 16.4% of patients with weekend discharges (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Surgical patients are less frequently discharged from Veterans Affairs hospitals on the weekends than during the week, and this corresponds to an increased excess length of stay for patients ultimately discharged on weekdays. Exploring the opportunity to coordinate safe weekend discharges may improve efficiency of post-surgery hospital care and reduce healthcare costs.

How physicians evaluate patients with dementia who present with shortness of breath.

BACKGROUND: Whether the presence of dementia in patients makes it difficult for physicians to assess the risk such patients might have for serious conditions such as pulmonary embolism (PE) is unknown. Our objective was to examine the differential association of four clinical factors (deep venous thrombosis (DVT)/PE, malignancy, recent surgery, and tachycardia) with PE testing for patients with dementia compared to patients without dementia. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of emergency department (ED) visits to 104 Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals from 2011 to 2018 by patients aged 60 years and over presenting with shortness of breath (SOB). Our outcomes were PE testing (CT scan and/or D-dimer) and subsequently diagnosed acute PE. RESULTS: The sample included 593,001 patient visits for SOB across 7124 ED physicians; 5.6% of the sample had dementia, and 10.6% received PE testing. Three of the four clinical factors examined had a lower association with PE testing for patients with dementia. For example, after taking into account that at baseline, physicians were 0.9 percentage points less likely to test patients with dementia than patients without dementia for PE, physicians were an additional 2.6 percentage points less likely to test patients with dementia who had tachycardia than patients without dementia who had tachycardia. We failed to find evidence that any clinical factor examined had a differentially lower association with a subsequently diagnosed acute PE for patients with dementia. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical factors known to be predictive of PE risk had a lower association with PE testing for patients with dementia compared to patients without dementia. These results may be consistent with physicians missing these clinical factors more often when evaluating patients with dementia, but also with physicians recognizing such factors but not using them in the decision-making process. Further understanding how physicians evaluate patients with dementia presenting with common acute symptoms may help improve the care delivered to such patients.

The landscape of renal replacement therapy in Veterans Affairs Medical Center intensive care units.

BACKGROUND: Outpatient dialysis is standardized with several evidence-based measures of adequacy and quality that providers aim to meet while providing treatment. By contrast, in the intensive care unit (ICU) there are different types of prolonged and continuous renal replacement therapies (PIRRT and CRRT, respectively) with varied strategies for addressing patient care and a dearth of nationally accepted quality parameters. To eventually describe appropriate quality measures for ICU-related renal replacement therapy (RRT), we first aimed to capture the variety and prevalence of basic strategies and equipment utilized in the ICUs of Veteran Affairs (VA) medical facilities with inpatient hemodialysis capabilities. METHODS: Via email to the dialysis directors of all VA facilities that provided inpatient hemodialysis during 2018, we requested survey participation regarding aspects of RRT in VA ICUs. Questions centered around the mode of therapy, equipment, solutions, prescription authority, nursing, anticoagulation, antimicrobial dosing, and access. RESULTS: Seventy-six centers completed the questionnaire, achieving a response rate of 87.4%. Fifty-five centers reported using PIRRT or CRRT in addition to intermittent hemodialysis. Of these centers, 42 reported being specifically CRRT-capable. Over half of respondents had the capabilities to perform PIRRT. Twelve centers (21.8%) were equipped to use slow low efficient dialysis (SLED) alone. Therapy was largely prescribed by nephrologists (94.4% of centers). CONCLUSIONS: Within the VA system, ICU-related RRT practice is quite varied. Variation in processes of care, prescription authority, nursing care coordination, medication management, and safety practices present opportunities for developing cross-cutting measures of quality of intensive care RRT that are agnostic of modality choice.

A Nation-Wide Review of Elective Surgery and COVID-Surge Capacity.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 225,000 excess deaths in the United States. A moratorium on elective surgery was placed early in the pandemic to reduce risk to patients and staff and preserve critical care resources. This report evaluates the impact of the elective surgical moratorium on case volumes and intensive care unit (ICU) bed utilization. METHODS: This retrospective review used a national convenience sample to correlate trends in the weekly rates of surgical cases at 170 Veterans Affairs Hospitals around the United States from January 1 to September 30, 2020 to national trends in the COVID-19 pandemic. We reviewed data on weekly number of procedures performed and ICU bed usage, stratified by level of urgency (elective, urgent, emergency), and whether an ICU bed was required within 24 hours of surgery. National data on the proportion of COVID-19 positive test results and mortality rates were obtained from the Center for Disease Control website. RESULTS: 198,911 unique surgical procedures performed during the study period. The total number of cases performed from January 1 to March 16 was 86,004 compared with 15,699 from March 17 to May 17. The reduction in volume occurred before an increase in the percentage of COVID-19 positive test results and deaths nationally. There was a 91% reduction from baseline in the number of elective surgeries performed allowing 78% of surgical ICU beds to be available for COVID-19 positive patients. CONCLUSION: The moratorium on elective surgical cases was timely and effective in creating bed capacity for critically ill COVID-19 patients. Further analyses will allow targeted resource allocation for future pandemic planning.

Time Trends in Use of Radical Prostatectomy by Tumor Risk and Life Expectancy in a National Veterans Affairs Cohort.

Importance: Guidelines endorse using tumor risk and life expectancy (LE) to select appropriate candidates for radical prostatectomy (RP), recommending against treatment of most low-risk tumors and men with limited LE. Objective: To investigate time trends in the use of RP by tumor risk and Prostate Cancer Comorbidity Index (PCCI) score in a contemporary, nationally representative Veterans Affairs (VA) cohort. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study of 5736 men treated with RP at 8 VA hospitals from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2017, used a nationally representative, multicenter sample from the VA SEARCH (Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital) database. Statistical analysis was performed from June 30, 2018, to August 20, 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures: Stratified linear and log-linear Poisson regressions were used to estimate time trends in the proportion of men treated with RP across American Urological Association tumor risk and PCCI (a validated predictor of LE based on age and comorbidities) subgroups. Results: Among 5736 men (mean [SD] age at surgery, 62 [6] years) treated with RP from 2000 to 2017, the proportion of low-risk tumors treated with RP decreased from 51% to 7% (difference, -44%; 95% CI, -50% to -38%). The proportion of intermediate-risk tumors treated with RP increased from 30% to 59% (difference, 29%; 95% CI, 23%-35%), with unfavorable intermediate-risk tumors increasing from 30% to 41% (difference, 11%; 95% CI, 4%-18%) and favorable intermediate-risk tumors decreasing from 61% to 41% (difference, -20%; 95% CI, -24% to -15%). The proportion of high-risk tumors treated with RP increased from 18% to 33% (difference, 15%; 95% CI, 9%-21%). Among men treated with RP, the proportion with the highest PCCI scores of 10 or more (ie, LE <10 years) increased from 4% to 13% (difference, 9%; 95% CI, 4%-14%). Within each tumor risk subgroup, no significant difference in the rate of tumors treated with RP over time was found across PCCI subgroups. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, the use of RP shifted from low-risk and favorable intermediate-risk to higher-risk prostate cancer. However, its use among men with limited LE appears unchanged across tumor risk subgroups and increased overall.

Single-Dose del Nido Cardioplegia Compared With Standard Cardioplegia During Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting at a Veterans Affairs Hospital.

Del Nido cardioplegic solution (DNC), used chiefly in pediatric patients, rapidly induces prolonged cardiac arrest during cardiac surgery. To determine whether surgical outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting in a United States military veteran population differed when DNC was used instead of our standard Plegisol cardioplegia, we retrospectively reviewed 155 consecutive operations performed from July 2016 through June 2017. Del Nido cardioplegia was used to induce cardiac arrest in 70 patients, and Plegisol in 85. Compared with the Plegisol group, the DNC group had a shorter mean cardiopulmonary bypass time (96.8 vs 117 min; P <0.01) and aortic cross-clamp time (63.9 vs 71.7 min; P=0.02). On multiple linear regression, DNC use and number of bypasses performed were predictors of cardiopulmonary bypass time. The groups were similar in median number of bypasses performed, median time to extubation, intensive care unit stay, and total postoperative stay; however, the DNC group had a shorter mean operating room time (285.8 vs 364.5 min; P <0.01). Del Nido cardioplegia, number of bypasses, cardiopulmonary bypass time, and red blood cell transfusion were predictors of operating room time. Outcomes in the groups were similar for 30- and 180-day death, stroke, renal failure, ventilation time >48 hours, atrial fibrillation, tracheostomy, reintubation, and mechanical circulatory support. We conclude that single-dose DNC is safe, effective, and cost-effective for achieving cardiac arrest in U.S. veteran populations.

Relationship Between Perioperative Outcomes Used for Profiling Hospital Noncardiac Surgical Quality.

BACKGROUND: Risk-adjusted morbidity and mortality are commonly used by national surgical quality improvement (QI) programs to measure hospital-level surgical quality. However, the degree of hospital-level correlation between mortality, morbidity, and other perioperative outcomes (like reoperation) collected by contemporary surgical QI programs has not been well-characterized. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Veterans Affairs (VA) Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP) data (2015-2016) were used to evaluate hospital-level correlation in performance between risk-adjusted 30-d mortality, morbidity, major morbidity, reoperation, and 2 composite outcomes (1- mortality, major morbidity, or reoperation; 2- mortality or major morbidity) after noncardiac surgery. Correlation between outcomes rates was evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Correlation between hospital risk-adjusted performance rankings was evaluated using Spearman's correlation. RESULTS: Based on a median of 232 [IQR 95-331] quarterly surgical cases abstracted by VASQIP, statistical power for identifying 30-d mortality outlier hospitals was estimated between 3.3% for an observed-to-expected ratio of 1.1 and 45.7% for 3.0. Among 230,247 Veterans who underwent a noncardiac operation at 137 VA hospitals, there were moderate hospital-level correlations between various risk-adjusted outcome rates (highest r = 0.40, mortality and composite 1; lowest r = 0.32, mortality and morbidity). When hospitals were ranked based on performance, there was low-to-moderate correlation between rankings on the various outcomes (highest ρ = 0.47, mortality and composite 1; lowest ρ = 0.37, mortality and major morbidity). CONCLUSIONS: Modest hospital-level correlations between perioperative outcomes suggests it may be difficult to identify high (or low) performing hospitals using a single measure. Additionally, while composites of currently measured outcomes may be an efficient way to improve analytic sample size (relative to evaluations based on any individual outcome), further work is needed to understand whether they provide a more robust and accurate picture of hospital quality or whether evaluating performance across a portfolio of individual measures is most effective for driving QI.

Short-term Effects of Canceled Elective Procedures Due to COVID-19: Evidence From the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether delayed or canceled elective procedures due to COVID-19 resulted in higher rates of ED utilization and/or increased mortality. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: On March 15, 2020, the VA issued a nationwide order to temporarily pause elective cases due to COVID-19. The effects of this disruption on patient outcomes are not yet known. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used data from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse. Surgical procedures canceled due to COVID-19 in 2020 (n = 3326) were matched to similar completed procedures in 2018 (n = 151,863) and 2019 (n = 146,582). Outcome measures included 30- and 90-day VA ED use and mortality in the period following the completed or canceled procedure. We used exact matching on surgical procedure category and nearest neighbor matching on patient characteristics, procedure year, and facility. RESULTS: Patients with elective surgical procedures canceled due to COVID-19 were no more likely to have an ED visit in the 30- [Difference: -4.3% pts; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.078, -0.007] and 90 days (-0.9% pts; 95% CI: -0.068, 0.05) following the expected case date. Patients with cancellations had no difference in 30- (Difference: 0.1% pts; 95% CI: -0.008, 0.01) and 90-day (Difference: -0.4% pts; 95% CI: -0.016, 0.009) mortality rates when compared to similar patients with similar procedures that were completed in previous years. CONCLUSIONS: The pause in elective surgical cases was not associated with short-term adverse outcomes in VA hospitals, suggesting appropriate surgical case triage and management. Further study will be essential to determine if the delayed cases were associated with longer-term effects.

Male Sex Is Associated With Higher Rates of Liver-Related Mortality in Primary Biliary Cholangitis and Cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The impact of sex on the postcirrhosis progression of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) has not been well defined. Prior studies have suggested that men have worse outcomes but present at more advanced stages of fibrosis than women. This observation, however, has been limited by small numbers of men and even fewer patients with cirrhosis. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We investigated the association of sex with the development of all-cause and liver-related mortality or transplantation, decompensation, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), using competing-risk time-updating Cox proportional hazards models in a large cohort of predominantly male patients with PBC cirrhosis assembled from the Veterans Health Administration. In a cohort of 532 participants (418 male) with PBC-related cirrhosis with a total follow-up of 3,231.6 person-years (PY) from diagnosis of compensated cirrhosis, male participants had a higher unadjusted rates of death or transplantation (8.5 vs. 3.8 per 100 PY; P < 0.0001), liver-related death or transplantation (5.5 vs. 2.7 per 100 PY; P < 0.0001), decompensation (5.5 vs. 4.0 per 100 PY; P = 0.002), and HCC (0.9 vs. 0.3 per 100 PY; P < 0.0001). After adjusting for confounders, male sex was associated with a higher risk of death or transplantation (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.01-3.19; P = 0.046), and liver-related death or transplantation (subhazard ratio, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.15-4.08; P = 0.02). A sensitivity analysis that defined ursodeoxycholic acid response as normalization of alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin revealed similar findings. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with PBC and well-compensated cirrhosis, male sex is associated with a higher risk of both death and liver-related death or transplantation.

Acitretin for Secondary Prevention of Keratinocyte Cancers in a Veteran Population: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Acitretin, a vitamin A derivative used for psoriasis, can prevent keratinocyte carcinoma (KC). It induced regression of keratoacanthomas (KA) in animal models, presumably by activating retinoic acid and retinoid X receptors that regulate gene expression for growth and proliferation.1,2.

Periprocedural complications in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to those without infection: A nationwide propensity-matched analysis.

BACKGROUND: Reports on emergency surgery performed soon after a COVID-19 infection that are not controlled for premorbid risk-factors show increased 30-day mortality and pulmonary complications. This contributed to a virtual cessation of elective surgery during the pandemic surge. To inform evidence-based guidance on the decisions for surgery during the recovery phase of the pandemic, we compare 30-day outcomes in patients testing positive for COVID-19 before their operation, to contemporary propensity-matched COVID-19 negative patients undergoing the same procedures. METHODS: This prospective multicentre study included all patients undergoing surgery at 170 Veterans Health Administration (VA) hospitals across the United States. COVID-19 positive patients were propensity matched to COVID-19 negative patients on demographic and procedural factors. We compared 30-day outcomes between COVID-19 positive and negative patients, and the effect of time from testing positive to the date of procedure (≤10 days, 11-30 days and >30 days) on outcomes. RESULTS: Between March 1 and August 15, 2020, 449 COVID-19 positive and 51,238 negative patients met inclusion criteria. Propensity matching yielded 432 COVID-19 positive and 1256 negative patients among whom half underwent elective surgery. Infected patients had longer hospital stays (median seven days), higher rates of pneumonia (20.6%), ventilator requirement (7.6%), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS, 17.1%), septic shock (13.7%), and ischemic stroke (5.8%), while mortality, reoperations and readmissions were not significantly different. Higher odds for ventilation and stroke persisted even when surgery was delayed 11-30 days, and for pneumonia, ARDS, and septic shock >30 days after a positive test. DISCUSSION: 30-day pulmonary, septic, and ischaemic complications are increased in COVID-19 positive, compared to propensity score matched negative patients. Odds for several complications persist despite a delay beyond ten days after testing positive. Individualized risk-stratification by pulmonary and atherosclerotic comorbidities should be considered when making decisions for delaying surgery in infected patients.

Cholecystectomy Outcomes in the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program (2006-2017).

Background: Cholecystectomy trends and outcomes have been reported extensively in the private sector. Despite being one of the most common procedures performed in the United States, there is a paucity of reports on the trends and outcomes of laparoscopic and open cholecystectomy in the veteran population. Materials and Methods: Veterans who underwent laparoscopic or open cholecystectomy from 2006 to 2017 were identified using current procedural terminology codes from the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP) database. Multivariable analyses were used to compare laparoscopic and open outcomes. The primary outcome was mortality, and secondary outcomes were postoperative complications and length of stay (LOS). Results: In the VASQIP database, 53,901 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 8011 patients underwent open cholecystectomy during the study period. The laparoscopic approach increased from 82.0% (2006-2008) to 91.9% (2015-2017). Postoperatively, the open group had a significantly higher morbidity rate (15.4% versus 3.8%, P < .001). The 30-day mortality rate and mean LOS were also significantly higher in the open cholecystectomy group (P < .001). Earlier year of operation, diabetes diagnosis, and open approach significantly increased the likelihood of postoperative morbidity (P < .05). Conclusions: Similar to the private sector, minimally invasive cholecystectomy in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has increased over the last two decades. Diabetes was present in a significant percentage of the veteran population and was a predictor of all postoperative complications. Finally, the clinical outcomes in the VHA are comparable with those documented in the private sector.

Inpatient antibiotic utilization in the Veterans' Health Administration during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Antibiotic prescribing practices across the Veterans' Health Administration (VA) experienced significant shifts during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. From 2015 to 2019, antibiotic use between January and May decreased from 638 to 602 days of therapy (DOT) per 1,000 days present (DP), while the corresponding months in 2020 saw antibiotic utilization rise to 628 DOT per 1,000 DP.

Older veterans undergoing inpatient surgery: What is the compliance with best practice guidelines?

BACKGROUND: The United States population is aging, and the number of older adults requiring operative care is increasing at a rapid rate. In order to address this issue, the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and the American Geriatrics Society created best practice guidelines surrounding optimal perioperative care for the older adult surgical patient. This study aimed to determine the documented compliance with these guidelines at a single institution. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on 86 older adults undergoing elective, inpatient coronary artery bypass graft, prostatectomy, or colectomy over a 2-year period (1/2016-12/2017) at a single Veterans Affairs institution. The primary outcome was compliance with the 38 measures from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and the American Geriatrics Society Best Practice Guidelines. The secondary outcome was postoperative (including geriatric-specific) complications. RESULTS: The mean reported compliance across all measures was 41% ± 4%. Of 38 analyzed measures, compliance for 10 measures was achieved for 0 patients, and only 1 patient for 7 measures. There was variance in compliance by phase of care (P < .05) with a high of 56% ± 8% (immediate preoperative phase of care) and a low of 35% ± 4% (intraoperative phase of care). CONCLUSION: Overall reported compliance with the Best Practice Guidelines of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and the American Geriatrics Society is low (41%) at this institution. This study identifies a need to improve the care provided to the vulnerable population of older adults undergoing an operation. Future work is needed to understand barriers for implementation and how compliance relates to outcomes.

Using local rather than general anesthesia for inguinal hernia repair is associated with shorter operative time and enhanced postoperative recovery.

BACKGROUND: Inguinal hernia repair is the most common general surgery procedure and can be performed under local or general anesthesia. We hypothesized that using local rather than general anesthesia would improve outcomes, especially for older adults. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of 97,437 patients in the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program who had open inguinal hernia surgery under local or general anesthesia. Outcomes included 30-day postoperative complications, operative time, and recovery time. RESULTS: Our cohort included 22,333 (23%) Veterans who received local and 75,104 (77%) who received general anesthesia. Mean age was 62 years. Local anesthesia was associated with a 37% decrease in the odds of postoperative complications (95% CI 0.54-0.73), a 13% decrease in operative time (95% CI 17.5-7.5), and a 27% shorter recovery room stay (95% CI 27.5-25.5), regardless of age. CONCLUSIONS: Using local rather than general anesthesia is associated with a profound decrease in complications (equivalent to "de-aging" patients by 30 years) and could significantly reduce costs for this common procedure.

Factors affecting the implementation of evidence-based Progressive Tinnitus Management in Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.

PURPOSE: Progressive Tinnitus Management (PTM) is an evidence-based interdisciplinary stepped-care approach to improving quality of life for patients with tinnitus. PTM was endorsed by Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Audiology leadership in 2009. Factors affecting implementation of PTM are unknown. We conducted a study to: 1) estimate levels of PTM program implementation in VA Audiology and Mental Health clinics across the country; and 2) identify barriers and facilitators to PTM implementation based on the experiences of VA audiologists and mental health providers. METHOD: We conducted an anonymous, web-based survey targeting Audiology and Mental Health leaders at 144 major VA facilities. Quantitative analyses summarized respondents' facility characteristics and levels of program implementation (full PTM, partial PTM, or no PTM). Qualitative analyses identified themes in factors influencing the implementation of PTM across VA sites. RESULTS: Surveys from 87 audiologists and 66 mental health clinicians revealed that few facilities offered full PTM; the majority offered partial or no PTM. Inductive analysis of the open-ended survey responses identified seven factors influencing implementation of PTM: 1) available resources, 2) service collaboration, 3) prioritization, 4) Veterans' preferences and needs, 5) clinician training, 6) awareness of (evidence-based) options, and 7) perceptions of scope of practice. CONCLUSION: Results suggest wide variation in services provided, a need for greater engagement of mental health providers in tinnitus care, and an interest among both audiologists and mental health providers in receiving tinnitus-related training. Future research should address barriers to PTM implementation, including methods to: 1) improve understanding among mental health providers of their potential role in tinnitus management; 2) enhance coordination of tinnitus-related care between health care disciplines; and 3) collect empirical data on Veterans' need for and interest in PTM, including delivery by telehealth modalities.

Trends in Readmission and Mortality Rates Following Heart Failure Hospitalization in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System From 2007 to 2017.

Importance: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Veterans Affairs Health Care System provide incentives for hospitals to reduce 30-day readmission and mortality rates. In contrast with the large body of evidence describing readmission and mortality in the Medicare system, it is unclear how heart failure readmission and mortality rates have changed during this period in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Objectives: To evaluate trends in readmission and mortality after heart failure admission in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System, which had no financial penalties, in a decade involving focus on heart failure readmission reduction (2007-2017). Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used data from all Veterans Affairs-paid heart failure admissions from January 2007 to September 2017. All Veterans Affairs-paid hospital admissions to Veterans Affairs and non-Veterans Affairs facilities for a primary diagnosis of heart failure were included, when the admission was paid for by the Veterans Affairs. Data analyses were conducted from October 2018 to March 2020. Exposures: Admission for a primary diagnosis of heart failure at discharge. Main Outcomes and Measures: Thirty-day all-cause readmission and mortality rates. Results: A total of 164 566 patients with 304 374 hospital admissions were included. Among the 304 374 hospital admissions between 2007 and 2017, 298 260 (98.0%) were for male patients, and 195 205 (64.4%) were for white patients. The mean (SD) age was 70.8 (11.5) years. The adjusted odds ratio of 30-day readmission declined throughout the study period to 0.85 (95% CI, 0.83-0.88) in 2015 to 2017 compared with 2007 to 2008. The adjusted odds ratio of 30-day mortality remained stable, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.01 (95% CI, 0.96-1.06) in 2015 to 2017 compared with 2007 to 2008. Stratification by left ventricular ejection fraction showed similar readmission reduction trends and no significant change in mortality, regardless of strata. Conclusions and Relevance: In this analysis of an integrated health care system that provided guidance and nonfinancial incentives for reducing readmissions, such as public reporting of readmission rates, risk-adjusted 30-day readmission declined despite inclusion of clinical variables in risk adjustment, but mortality did not decline. Future investigations should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of specific approaches to readmission reduction to inform efficient and effective application in individual health systems, hospitals, and practices.