Reorganizing territorial healthcare to avoid inappropriate ED visits: does the spread of Community Health Centres make Walk-in-Clinics redundant?

BACKGROUND: Community care has recently been restructured with the development of Community Health Centres (CHCs), forcing a general rethink on the survival of previous organizational solutions adopted to reduce inappropriate ED access, for example Walk-in-Clinics (WiCs). METHODS: We focus on the Italian Emilia-Romagna Region that has made huge investments in CHC development, whilst failing to proceed at a uniform rate from area to area. Estimating panel count data models for the period 2015-2018, we pursue two goals. First we test the existence of a "CHC effect", choosing five urban cities with different degree of development of the CHC model and assessing whether, all else being equal, patients treated by GPs who have their premises inside the CHC show a lower need to seek inappropriate care (Aim 1). Second, we focus our attention on Walk-in-Clinics, investigating the long-established WiC in the city of Parma that currently coexists with three CHCs recently established in the same catchment area. In this case we try to assess whether, and to what extent, the progressive development of the CHCs in the city of Parma has been affecting the dynamics of WiC access (Aim 2). RESULTS: As regards Aim 1, we show that CHCs reduce the probability of inappropriate patient access to emergency care. As regards Aim 2, in the city of Parma patients whose GP belongs to the CHC are less likely to visit the WiC on a workday, with no significant change during the weekend when CHCs are closed, questioning the need to maintain them both in the same area when the CHC model is fully implemented. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm the hypothesis that expanding access to primary care settings diminishes inappropriate ED use. In addition, our findings suggest that where CHCs and WiCs coexist in the same area, it may be advisable to implement strategies that bring WiC activities into step with CHC-based general primary care reforms to avoid duplication.

Disease management in diabetes care: When involving GPs improves patient compliance and health outcomes.

Although the study of the association between interventions in primary care and health outcomes continues to produce mixed findings, programs designed to promote the greater compliance of General Practitioners and their diabetic patients with guidelines have been increasingly introduced worldwide, in an attempt to achieve better quality diabetes care through the enhanced standardisation of patient supervision. In this study, we use clinical data from the Diabetes Register of one large Local Health Authority (LHAs) in Italy's Emilia-Romagna Region for the period 2012-2015. Firstly, we investigate whether GPs' participation in the local Diabetes Management Program (DMP) leads to improved patient compliance with regional guidelines. Secondly, we test whether the monitoring activities prescribed for diabetics by the Regional diabetes guidelines have a positive impact on patients' health outcomes and increase appropriateness in health care utilization. Our results show that such a Program, which aims to increase GPs' involvement and cooperation in following the Regional guidelines, achieves its goal of improved patient compliance with the prescribed actions. In turn, through the implementation of the DMP and the greater involvement of physicians, Regional policies have succeeded in promoting better health outcomes and improved appropriateness of health care utilization.

A population based cohort study to assess the safety of pandemic influenza vaccine Focetria in Emilia-Romagna region, Italy - part two.

INTRODUCTION: A two phases post authorization safety and effectiveness study of individuals vaccinated with the MF59-adjuvanted A/H1N1 influenza vaccine, Focetria (Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Siena, Italy), was conducted in Emilia-Romagna region, Italy during the 2009 A/H1N1 influenza pandemic. The second phase study aim was to detect short- and long-term adverse events of special interest (AESIs) following vaccination, and to measure vaccine effectiveness in term of hospital admissions. STUDY DESIGN AND METHOD: A population-based cohort study using record linkage of automated healthcare databases is described. Focetria was administered to 127,522 subjects between October 2009 and February 2010. Vaccinated subjects were generally less healthy than unvaccinated ones. Propensity to be vaccinated was calculated for each subject, and vaccinated and unvaccinated subjects were matched accordingly (103,642 subjects in each group). AESIs were validated against clinical records. RESULTS: In the overall (pre-matching) cohort, a total of 504 short-term incident AESIs (28 in 127,522 vaccinated and 476 in 3,967,917 unvaccinated subjects) were registered (unadjusted OR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.2, 2.7). No fatalities were recorded. In the matched cohort, a total of 26 short-term incident AESIs (11 in the vaccinated and 15 in the unvaccinated group) were registered, with no differences between groups (OR: 0.7; 95% CI: 0.3, 1.6). Most frequent short-term incident AESIs were convulsions (4 out of 11), and demyelinating diseases (3 out of 11). In the long-term a total of 121 incident AESIs (60 in the vaccinated and 61 in the unvaccinated group) were registered, with no differences between groups (OR: 1.0; 95% CI: 0.7, 1.4). Most common long-term incident AESIs were demyelinating diseases (21 out of 60), and vasculitis (13 out of 60). Vaccine effectiveness was not assessed as the majority of subjects were vaccinated at the end of the pandemic peak and few cases (<0.1%) had laboratory confirmation. CONCLUSIONS: This population-based cohort study using automated databases suggests that Focetria is not associated with an increase in AESIs.

An early (3-6 weeks) active surveillance study to assess the safety of pandemic influenza vaccine Focetria in a province of Emilia-Romagna region, Italy - part one.

INTRODUCTION: An observational, non-comparative, prospective, surveillance study of individuals vaccinated with the MF59-adjuvanted A/H1N1 influenza vaccine, Focetria, (Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Siena, Italy), was performed in Italy during the 2009 A/H1N1 influenza pandemic. METHOD: This study assessed the short-term (six-week) safety profile of the investigational vaccine in real time. After vaccination (N=7943), adverse events (AE) were assessed using both active (telephone) and passive (healthcare database) follow-up in enrolled vaccinated subjects, including infants (6-23 months), pregnant women, and the immunosuppressed. The treating physicians of all subjects experiencing AEs post-vaccination were consulted for clinical information on the conditions reported. All AEs were coded according to ICD-10. RESULTS: A total of 1583 AEs occurred during the study, 67 (4.2%) of which were serious adverse events (SAEs). One SAE was considered to be possibly related to vaccination (transitory and ill-defined neurologic disorder experienced by a 16-year-old asthmatic male). Three adverse events of special interest (AESI) were identified (convulsions experienced by two epileptic subjects), none of which were considered to be vaccine-related. Six individuals died during the study period, in each case the cause of death was not related to vaccination (four cases of severe underlying co-morbidity, one case of psychoactive drug misuse, and one case of acute myocardial infarction). CONCLUSIONS: No cases of clinically relevant AEs, SAEs, or AESI were observed within a six-week period of vaccine administration. In accordance with existing clinical and post-marketing safety data, the results of this active surveillance study demonstrate a good safety profile for the MF59-adjuvanted A/H1N1 vaccine, Focetria, within the general population.

[The evolution of intensive cardiac care units and the effects of interhospital networks for reperfusion implementation. Analysis of the Emilia-Romagna regional data, 2002 to 2007]. / L'evoluzione delle unità di terapia intensiva cardiologica nell'era della rete interospedaliera Hub e Spoke. Analisi dell'attività in Emilia-Romagna dal 2002 al 2007.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the implementation of the interhospital network focused on reperfusion of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) on the activity of intensive cardiac care units (ICCUs) of the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy). METHODS: From the Emilia-Romagna Region databank of hospital discharge records, all consecutive admissions to ICCUs from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2007 were derived. The main discharge diagnoses were classified into three groups: ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (STE-ACS) (ICD-9 410, with the fourth digit other than 7), non-STE ACS (ICD-9 410.7 and all code 411), and hospitalizations for other diagnosis unrelated to ACS (non-ACS). RESULTS: During the study period, 92 545 patients were hospitalized in ICCUs (on average, almost 15 000 patients/year). In 2007, as compared to 2002, a 14% reduction in the overall admissions for STEMI was observed, with a 26% increase for non-STE ACS. The number of non-ACS admissions was stable. Interestingly, a significant increase (+15%) in direct admissions to the ICCUs of Hub centers was reported (+17% STEMI, +26% non-STE ACS and +6% non-ACS, respectively). Within these ICCUs, a significant increase in coronary angiography and angioplasty procedures in patients with STEMI or non-STE ACS was observed. Furthermore, the median hospital length of stay was shorter in the ICCUs of Hub centers. Over the same period, a substantial decline (-14%) in admissions to the ICCUs of Spoke centers was recorded, largely due to a 57% decrease in STEMI, not offset by a 20% increase in admissions for non-STE ACS or by the number of patients transferred back from Hub centers after reperfusion or stabilization. A reduction in hospitalizations for non-ACS was also observed, as well as an increase in the number of patients sent from the Spoke centers to the cath lab of the Hub centers for outpatient procedures. In the Spoke centers, the median length of stay in the ICCU did not vary over the whole study period. CONCLUSIONS: Although administrative data suffer from several limitations, this survey shows substantial variations in the ICCU activity after the implementation of the interhospital network for the treatment of STEMI. This finding should stimulate a critical reconsideration of the role and function of the ICCUs involved in acute cardiac care.

Economic incentives in general practice: the impact of pay-for-participation and pay-for-compliance programs on diabetes care.

OBJECTIVES: We investigate the impact on quality of care of the introduction of two financial incentives in primary care contracts in the Italian region Emilia Romagna: pay-for-participation and pay-for-compliance with best practices programs. METHODS: We concentrate on patients affected by diabetes mellitus type 2, for which the assumption of responsibility and the adoption of clinical guidelines are specifically rewarded. We test the hypothesis that, other things equal, patients under the responsibility of general practitioners (GPs) receiving a higher share of their income through these programs are less likely to experience hospitalisation for hyperglycaemic emergencies. To this end, we examine the combined influence of physician, organisational and patient factors by means of multilevel modelling for the year 2003. RESULTS: Programs aimed at stimulating GP assumption of responsibility in disease management significantly reduce the probability of hyperglycaemic emergencies for their patients. CONCLUSIONS: Although it has been recognised that incentive-based remuneration schemes can have an impact on GP behaviour, there is still weak empirical evidence on the extent to which such programs influence healthcare outcomes. Our results support the hypothesis that financial transfers may contribute to improve quality of care, even when they are not based on the ex-post verification of performances.

The analysis of a cardiological network in a regulated setting: a spatial interaction approach.

We analyse referral patterns for patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, a procedure for which the assumption of a negative association between volume and adverse outcomes is used to justify its territorial concentration. Nevertheless, recent clinical evidence shows PTCA superiority for immediate treatment of acute myocardial infarction, which advises an increase in the number of points of delivery. Our paper aims to develop analytical tools designed to provide support to policy makers when they are asked to evaluate the spatial distribution of catheterisation laboratories that perform PTCA. Information is drawn from the regional administrative hospital discharge data (SDO) for the year 2002. We first use entropy indexes to investigate the spatial accessibility of the cardiological network. Secondly, by means of a gravity model estimated using Bayesian techniques we identify the determinants of patient flows in terms of demand and supply factors. Our results suggest that information on destinations is processed hierarchically and that agglomeration-like forces are dominant. Furthermore, although self-sufficiency of provision at the provincial level has been achieved to a large extent, there is still scope to improve the organisational efficiency of the network.

Macrolide prescriptions and erythromycin resistance of Streptococcus pyogenes.

This study shows a significant association between the number of macrolide prescriptions reimbursed by the Italian National Health Service and resistance of Streptococcus pyogenes to erythromycin in children from a region in northern Italy with high prevalence of erythromycin resistance. Recent prescription of a macrolide (especially azithromycin) is a predictor of erythromycin resistance, as well as a possible risk factor for resistance at a community level.

Risk adjustment for coronary artery bypass graft surgery: an administrative approach versus EuroSCORE.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the ability of administrative data in predicting in-hospital mortality for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. METHODS: Patient data were obtained from the administrative databases on hospital discharge abstracts of the Italian region Emilia Romagna for the years 2000-2001. We used a multivariate logistic regression analysis to compare an ICD-9-CM risk adjustment approach based on administrative variables (such as age, gender, principal diagnosis, combined operation, previous cardiac surgery, emergency admission, and Charlson comorbidity index) with a risk adjustment approach based on the clinical European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) to predict in-hospital mortality and to assess hospital performance. In order to distinguish complications of care from comorbidities, we linked hospital data across multiple episodes of care up to 1 year before the admission for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). RESULTS: The risk adjustment approach based on ICD-9-CM data provides good explanatory ability in models assessing in-hospital mortality (the c statistics obtained are very close: c = 0.76 in 2000 and c = 0.80 in 2001 for the administrative model versus 0.78 in 2000 and 0.77 in 2001 for the clinical one) and in those ranking the centres (c = 0.78 in 2000 in both approaches, and c = 0.82 for the administrative model versus c = 0.78 for the clinical one in 2001). CONCLUSIONS: Adding some administrative variables considered proxy for clinical complexity to the administrative model and linking hospital data across patients' multiple episodes of care eliminated much of the difference in effectiveness between the clinical and administrative risk adjustment approach. Focusing on the health policy context of measuring CABG death rates, our study strengthened the thesis that, with the growing improvement in accurate coding practice, administrative databases could provide a valuable and economical source for health planning and research.

Different regional organisational models and the quality of health care: the case of coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

OBJECTIVES: The Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy within the Italian National Health Service provide an opportunity to see if two different approaches to the organisation of care--one more hierarchical and planned, the other more competitive and market-like--influence its quality through examining the relationship between the number of coronary artery bypass grafts (CABGs) and the rate of in-hospital mortality using administrative data for the period 1996-1998. METHODS: Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were used. RESULTS: The volume-outcome relation was statistically significant in both regions (odds ratio 0.71, P < 0.0001). Although CABG performance in Emilia-Romagna was slightly poorer than in Lombardy (OR 1.22, P < 0.05), the potential advantage in terms of the reduced risk of death for patients treated at high-volume versus low-volume hospitals was significantly greater. In Emilia-Romagna, the average performance advantage of high-volume units was more substantial in the case of private accredited hospitals than public hospitals (OR = 0.50, P < 0.0001 versus OR = 0.64, P < 0.0001). In Lombardy, the performance advantage of concentrating CABG procedures was greater in private research hospitals (OR = 0.67, P < 0.0001), whereas results were not statistically significant for the other types of hospital, indicating a good level of performance in both public and private hospitals even at low volumes. This also partially explained the lower mortality rate observed in that region. CONCLUSIONS: The degree of hierarchical regionalisation versus market-like arrangements characterising the two systems produced contrasting effects in terms of the quality of CABG surgery. Lombardy's more competitive environment appeared to achieve better performance in terms of a slightly lower probability of adverse outcomes, in a system with no formal assessment of population need and very high per capita revascularisation rates. To improve performance in the more hierarchical system adopted in Emilia-Romagna would require considerable effort to increase CABG surgery in low-volume cardiac units, and to sharpen performance incentives.

Vertical integration and contractual network in the cardiovascular sector: the experience of the Italian region Emilia Romagna.

OBJECTIVE: We analysed the integrated planning model adopted by the Italian region Emilia Romagna in year 2000 to cover the entire range of treatment of cardiovascular disease. This model, called "hub and spoke", provides for the transfer of patient care and treatment from peripheral units (the spokes) to central units (the hubs) once a certain complexity threshold has been reached. METHODS: We examined inter-temporal variations in patients flows for the selection/referral and follow-up phases between cardiac surgery and cardiology units during two periods characterised by different organisational set-ups, in order to reflect on the progress being made in the organisation of the network. The database consisted of regional records of hospital discharges during the 1997-2001 period. RESULTS: The investigation pointed to the achievement of a good degree of coordination between structures at different levels of specialisation in the case of cardiac surgery, for which six centres were selected already in 1996. On the other hand, the more recent introduction of a hierarchical system for interventional cardiology points to the prevalence of operations on patients previously treated within the same centre, to admissions by direct access, and to follow-up mainly conducted within the hub providing the initial service. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the progress made towards the more effective rationalisation of the health care network, there is still room for improvement in relations between different centres, in particular with regard to the clearer definition of the roles and interdependence of those intermediate-level centres located between the hub centres and basic healthcare facilities.