Impact of Remote Blood Pressure Monitoring Device Connectivity on Engagement Among Pregnant Individuals Enrolled in the Delfina Care Platform: Observational Study.

Unlabelled: User engagement with remote blood pressure monitoring during pregnancy is critical to optimize the associated benefits of blood pressure control and early detection of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. In our study population of pregnant individuals, we found that connected blood pressure cuffs, which automatically sync measures to a monitoring platform or health record, increase engagement (2.13 [95% CI 1.36-3.35] times more measures per day) with remote blood pressure monitoring compared to unconnected cuffs that require manual entry of measures.

Moving toward implementation: the potential for accountable care organizations and private-public partnerships to advance active neighborhood design.

The 2010 Affordable Care Act's (ACA) aims of lowering costs and improving quality of care will renew focus on preventive health strategies. This coincides with a trend in medicine to reconsider population health approaches as part of the standard curriculum. This intersection of new policy and educational climates presents a unique opportunity to reconsider traditional healthcare structures. This paper introduces and advances an alignment that few have considered. We propose that accountable care organizations (ACOs), which are expected to proliferate under the ACA, present the best opportunity to establish partnerships between healthcare, public health, and community-based organizations to achieve the legislation's goals. One example is encouraging daily physical activity via built environment interventions and programs, which is recommended by numerous groups. We highlight how nonprofit organizations in Sacramento, California have been able to leverage influence, capital, and policy to encourage design for active living, and how their work is coordinating with public health and healthcare initiatives. In conclusion, we critically examine potential barriers to the success of partnerships between ACOs and community organizations and encourage further exploration and evaluation.

Evaluation of organizational culture among different levels of healthcare staff participating in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's 100,000 Lives Campaign.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how hospital organizational and cultural factors associated with implementation of quality initiatives such as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's (IHI) 100,000 Lives Campaign differ among levels of healthcare staff. DESIGN: Evaluation of a mixed qualitative and quantitative methodology ("trilogic evaluation model"). SETTING: Six hospitals that joined the campaign before June 2006. PARTICIPANTS: Three strata of staff (executive leadership, midlevel, and frontline) at each hospital. RESULTS. Surveys were completed in 2008 by 135 hospital personnel (midlevel, 43.7%; frontline, 38.5%; executive, 17.8%) who also participated in 20 focus groups. Overall, 93% of participants were aware of the IHI campaign in their hospital and perceived that 58% (standard deviation, 22.7%) of improvements in quality at their hospital were a direct result of the campaign. There were significant differences between staff levels on the organizational culture (OC) items, with executive-level staff having higher scores than midlevel and frontline staff. All 20 focus groups perceived that the campaign interventions were sustainable and that data feedback, buy-in, hardwiring (into daily activities), and leadership support were essential to sustainability. CONCLUSIONS: The trilogic model demonstrated that the 3 levels of staff had markedly different perceptions regarding the IHI campaign and OC. A framework in which frontline, midlevel, and leadership staff are simultaneously assessed may be a useful tool for future evaluations of OC and quality initiatives such as the IHI campaign.

A healthy bottom line: healthy life expectancy as an outcome measure for health improvement efforts.

CONTEXT: Good health is the most important outcome of health care, and healthy life expectancy (HLE), an intuitive and meaningful summary measure combining the length and quality of life, has become a standard in the world for measuring population health. METHODS: This article critically reviews the literature and practices around the world for measuring and improving HLE and synthesizes that information as a basis for recommendations for the adoption and adaptation of HLE as an outcome measure in the United States. FINDINGS: This article makes the case for adoption of HLE as an outcome measure at the national, state, community, and health care system levels in the United States to compare the effectiveness of alternative practices, evaluate disparities, and guide resource allocation. CONCLUSIONS: HLE is a clear, consistent, and important population health outcome measure that can enable informed judgments about value for investments in health care.