Validity of International Classification of Diseases codes in identifying illicit drug use target conditions using medical record data as a reference standard: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The twenty-first century opioid crisis has spurred interest in using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code algorithms to identify patients using illicit drugs from administrative healthcare data. We conducted a systematic review of studies that validated ICD code algorithms for illicit drug use against a reference standard of medical record data. METHODS: Systematic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were conducted for studies published between 1980 and 2018 in English, French, Italian, or Spanish. We included validation studies of ICD-9 or ICD-10 code algorithms for an illicit drug use target condition (e.g., illicit drug use, abuse, or dependence (UAD), illicit drug use-related complications) given the sensitivity or specificity was reported or could be calculated. Bias was assessed with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies Version 2 (QUADAS-2) tool. RESULTS: Six of the 1210 articles identified met the inclusion criteria. For validation studies of broad UAD (n = 4), the specificity was nearly perfect, but the sensitivity ranged from 47% to 83%, with higher sensitivities tending to occur in higher prevalence populations. For validation studies of injection drug use (IDU)-associated infective endocarditis (n = 2), sensitivity and specificity were poor due to the lack of an ICD code for IDU. For all six studies, the risk of bias for the QUADAS-2 "reference standard" and "flow/timing domains" was scored as "unclear" due to insufficient reporting. CONCLUSIONS: Few studies have validated ICD code algorithms for illicit drug use target conditions, and available evidence is challenging to interpret due to inadequate reporting. PROSPERO Registration: CRD42019118401.

Disseminating, implementing, and evaluating patient-centered outcomes to improve cardiovascular care using a stepped-wedge design: healthy hearts for Oklahoma.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the US and incurs high health care costs. While many initiatives promote the implementation of ABCS (aspirin therapy, blood pressure control, cholesterol management, and smoking cessation) measures, most primary care practices (PCPs) lack quality improvement (QI) support and resources to achieve meaningful targets. The Healthy Hearts for Oklahoma (H2O) Study proposes to build a QI infrastructure by (1) constructing a sustainable Oklahoma Primary Healthcare Improvement Collaborative (OPHIC) to support dissemination and implementation (D&I) of QI methods; (2) providing QI support in PCPs to better manage patients at risk for CVD events. Parallel to infrastructure building, H2O aims to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the QI support D&I in primary care and assess the relationship between QI support uptake and changes in ABCS measures. METHODS: H2O has partnered with public health agencies and communities to build OPHIC and facilitate QI. H2O has 263 small primary care practices across Oklahoma that receive the bundled QI intervention to improve ABCS performance. A stepped-wedge designed is used to evaluate D&I of QI support. Changes in ABCS measures will be estimated as a function of various components of the QI support and capacity and readiness of PCPs to change. Notes from academic detailing and practice facilitation sessions will be analyzed to help interpret findings on ABCS performance. DISCUSSION: H2O program is designed to improve cardiovascular health and outcomes for more than 1.25 million Oklahomans. The infrastructure established as a result of this funding will help reach medically underserved Oklahomans, particularly among rural and tribal populations. Lessons learned from this project will guide future strategies for D&I of evidence-based practices in PCPs. Trained practice facilitators will continue to serve as critical resource to assists small, rural PCPs in adapting to the ever-changing health environment and continue to deliver quality care to their communities.

The Alarming Rate of Major Disruptive Events in Primary Care Practices in Oklahoma.

PURPOSE: In primary care practices, sustainability of performance improvements and ability to deliver continuity of care to patients can be adversely affected by major disruptive events, such as relocations and changes in ownership, clinicians, and key staff. This study documented the rates of major disruptive events in a cohort of primary care practices in Oklahoma. METHODS: Practices were included if they had existed for 1 year before enrollment and remained in the project for at least 1 year after enrollment. Practice characteristics for 208 practices and major disruptive events during the preenrollment year were collected by survey. Postenrollment major disruptive events were prospectively collected by practice facilitators. We compiled frequency statistics and conducted bivariate analyses for each data set. RESULTS: Of 208 eligible practices, 81 (39%) were clinician owned, and 51 (25%) were health system owned. One hundred nine practices (52%) were in nonmetropolitan counties. One hundred seventy-five major disruptive events occurred in 120 (58%) practices during the preenrollment year, with 42 practices having experienced multiple events. During the first year of the project, 89 major disruptive events occurred in 67 (32%) practices, with 20 practices experiencing multiple events. The major disruptive events reported most often during both periods were loss of personnel and implementation of electronic health records and billing systems. Practice size was associated with occurrence of these events. CONCLUSIONS: During a 2-year period, major disruptive events occurred at an alarming rate, adversely affecting quality improvement efforts. Most reported events involved losses of clinicians and staff. More research is needed to identify and address the root causes of these events.

Understanding prescription adherence: pharmacy claims data from the Contraceptive CHOICE Project.

BACKGROUND: We examined prescription adherence rates by contraceptive method among women who used oral contraceptive pills (OCP), transdermal patch or vaginal ring. STUDY DESIGN: Women in the St. Louis area were provided their choice of OCP, patch or ring at no cost and followed for 18 months. Time between monthly refills was obtained from pharmacy data and analyzed as a marker of adherence. Risk factors for initial nonadherence were estimated using Cox proportional hazards; predictors for repeated nonadherence were analyzed using Poisson regression with robust error variance. RESULTS: Overall, 619 participants filled 6435 contraceptive prescriptions with a median of 10 refills per participant. Only 30% of women (n = 187) obtained all refills on time. In the time-to-failure analysis, use of vaginal ring and increased parity were predictors of early nonadherence (p < .05). In the multivariable analysis, use of the vaginal ring and history of abortion were risk factors for repeated nonadherence (p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Even with financial barriers removed, pharmacy data show that many women inconsistently refill their contraception and may be at risk for unintended pregnancy.

Reasons for ineffective pre-pregnancy contraception use in patients seeking abortion services.

BACKGROUND: We sought to better understand reasons for not obtaining desired contraception among women presenting for a pregnancy termination. STUDY DESIGN: A survey was completed by women prior to having an abortion procedure. Reasons for lack of access were categorized as institutional, individual and compliance issues. Descriptive statistics were calculated and variables compared using chi(2) tests. RESULTS: Participants (n=298) ranged in age from 18 to 48 years. One third reported contraceptive use prior to pregnancy (37%). Approximately 72% of women reported some reason for not obtaining desired contraception, while 34% reported two or more. The distribution of reported individual, institutional, and compliance reasons were 44%, 28%, and 24%, respectively. Report of at least one reason was associated with a 35% increase in non-use (RR=1.35; 95% CI, 1.02-1.80) after adjusting for age, race, education, parity, and prior abortion. CONCLUSIONS: Many reasons for not obtaining desired contraception exist and are associated with non-use of contraception. Removing these reasons may help reduce unintended pregnancies and rates of pregnancy termination.