Rural For-Profit Hospitals Are Associated With Higher Commercial Prices for 3 Common Urological Procedures.

INTRODUCTION: Rural patients lack access to urological services, and high local prices may dissuade underinsured patients from surgery. We sought to describe commercially insured prices for 3 urological procedures at rural vs metropolitan and for-profit vs nonprofit hospitals. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of commercially insured prices from the Turquoise Health Transparency data set was performed for ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy, transurethral resection of bladder tumor, and transurethral resection of prostate. Hospital characteristics were linked using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Healthcare Cost Reporting Information System. Linear modeling analyzed median hospital price and its association with hospital characteristics. RESULTS: Overall, 1,532 hospitals reported urological prices in Turquoise. Median prices for each procedure were higher at rural for-profits (ureteroscopy $16,522, transurethral resection of bladder tumor $5,393, transurethral resection of prostate $9,999) vs rural nonprofits (ureteroscopy $4,512, transurethral resection of bladder tumor $2,788, transurethral resection of prostate $3,881) and metropolitan for-profits (ureteroscopy $5,411, transurethral resection of bladder tumor $3,420, transurethral resection of prostate $4,874). Rural for-profit status was independently associated with 160% higher price for ureteroscopy (relative cost ratio 2.60, P < .001), 50% higher for transurethral resection of bladder tumor (relative cost ratio 1.50, P = .002), and 113% higher for transurethral resection of prostate (relative cost ratio 2.13, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Prices are higher for 3 common urological surgeries at rural for-profit hospitals. Differential pricing may contribute to disparities for underinsured rural residents who lack access to nonprofit facilities. Interventions that facilitate transportation and price shopping may improve access to affordable urological care.

Association of Rural Hospital for-Profit Status With Higher Publicly Reported Prices for the Components of Inpatient Hematuria Evaluation Among Commercially Insured Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Rural patients have limited access to urological care and are vulnerable to high local prices. Little is known about price variation for urological conditions. We aimed to compare reported commercial prices for the components of inpatient hematuria evaluation between for-profit vs not-for-profit and rural vs metropolitan hospitals. METHODS: We abstracted commercial prices for the components of intermediate- and high-risk hematuria evaluation from a price transparency data set. We compared hospital characteristics between those that do and do not report prices for a hematuria evaluation using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Healthcare Cost Reporting Information System. Generalized linear modelling evaluated the association between hospital ownership and rural/metropolitan status with prices of intermediate- and high-risk evaluations. RESULTS: Of all hospitals, 17% of for-profits and 22% of not-for-profits report prices for hematuria evaluation. For intermediate-risk, median price at rural for-profit hospitals was $6,393 (interquartile range [IQR] $2,357-$9,295) compared to $1,482 (IQR $906-$2,348) at rural not-for-profits and $2,645 (IQR $1,491-$4,863) at metropolitan for-profits. For high-risk, rural for-profit hospitals' median price was $11,151 (IQR $5,826-$14,366) vs $3,431 (IQR $2,474-$5,156) at rural not-for-profits and $4,188 (IQR $1,973-$8,663) at metropolitan for-profits. Rural for-profit status was associated with an additional higher price for intermediate- (relative cost ratio 1.62, 95% CI 1.16-2.28, P = .005) and high-risk evaluations (relative cost ratio 1.50, 95% CI 1.15-1.97, P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Rural for-profit hospitals report high prices for components of inpatient hematuria evaluation. Patients should be aware of prices at these facilities. These differences may dissuade patients from undergoing evaluation and lead to disparities.

The LEGO™ Exercise: An Assessment of Core Competencies in Urology Residency Interviews.

BACKGROUND: In competitive residency specialties such as Urology, it has become increasingly challenging to differentiate similarly qualified applicants. Residency interviews are utilized to rank applicants, yet they are often biased and do not explicitly address ACGME core competencies. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized a team-based exercise in the urology residency interview centered on building LEGOs assesses core competences. DESIGN: From 2014-2017, students interviewing for urology residency at two institutions participated in a LEGO™ building activity. Applicants were assigned to "architect"- describing how to construct a structure - or "builder" - constructing the same structure with pieces-using only verbal cues to assemble the structure. Participants were graded using a rubric assessing competencies of interpersonal communication, problem-based learning, professionalism, and manual dexterity (indicator of procedural skill). The total minimum score was 16 and maximum was 80. SETTING: The study took place at two tertiary referral centers: University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, MI, and University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, UT. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 176 applicants participated, comprised of applicants interviewing for urology residency at two institutions during the study timeframe. RESULTS: For architects and builders, there was a maximum score of 80, and minimum of 34 and 32, respectively. Both distributions show a right shift with mean scores of 64.3 and 65.9, and median scores of 69 and 65.5. Successful pairs excelled with consistent nomenclature and clear directionality. Ineffective pairs miscommunicated with false affirmations, inconsistent nomenclature, and lack of patience. CONCLUSIONS: The LEGO™ exercise allowed for standardized assessment of applicants based on ACGME core competencies. The rubric identified poor performers who do not rise to the challenge of a team-based task.

Outcomes of Ureteroscopic Stone Treatment in Patients With Spinal Cord Injury.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of clinical factors on outcomes in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) undergoing ureteroscopy. Immobility, recurrent urinary tract infection, and lower urinary tract dysfunction contribute to renal stone formation in patients with SCI. Ureteroscopy is a commonly utilized treatment modality; however, surgical complication rates and outcomes have been poorly defined. Evidence guiding safe and effective treatment of stones in this cohort remains scarce. METHODS: Records were retrospectively reviewed for patients with SCI who underwent ureteroscopy for kidney stones from 1996 to 2014 at a single institution. Multivariate relationships were evaluated using a general estimating equation model. RESULTS: Forty-six patients with SCI underwent a total of 95 ureteroscopic procedures. After treatment, stone-free rate was 17% and 20% with <2-mm fragments. The complication rate was 21%. On multivariate analysis, SCI in cervical (C) levels was associated with higher risk of complications (C3: odds ratio [OR] 3.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.17-6.98; C6: OR 3.83, 95% CI 1.08-13.53). American Spinal Injury Association Scale A classification was associated with a lower probability of stone-free status (OR 0.16, 95% CI 0.03-0.82). Patients averaged 2.2 procedures yet more procedures were associated with lower stone-free status (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.03-0.32). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bladder management modality were not associated with stone-free status or complications. CONCLUSION: In patients with SCI, higher injury level and complete SCI were associated with worse stone clearance and more complications. Stone-free rate was 17%. Overall, flexible ureteroscopy is a relatively safe procedure in this population. Alternative strategies should be considered after failed ureteroscopy.

The Urology Applicant: An Analysis of Contemporary Urology Residency Candidates.

OBJECTIVE: To better understand today's urology applicant. METHODS: All 2016 Urology Residency Match applicants to the study-participating institutions were provided a survey via email inquiring about their paths to urology, their career aspirations, how they evaluate a training program, and how they perceive residency programs evaluate them. RESULTS: Of a possible 468 applicants registered for the match, 346 applicants completed the survey. Only 8.7% had a mandatory urology rotation, yet 58.4% believed that a mandatory urology rotation would influence their career decision. Most applicants (62.1%) spent more than 8 weeks on urology rotations, and 79.2% completed 2 or more away rotations. Applicants were attracted to urology by the diversity of procedures, prior exposure to the field, and the mix of medicine and surgery, with mean importance scores of 4.70, 4.52, and 4.45 of 5, respectively. Female applicants were more likely to be interested in pediatric urology, trauma or reconstructive urology, and female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. Significant differences in survey results were noted when applicants were separated by gender. Three-fourths of respondents (75.7%) applied to more than 50 residency programs. Applicants ranked operative experience, interactions with current residents, and relationships between faculty and residents as the most important criteria when evaluating training programs. Of the subspecialties, 62.1% of applicants expressed most interest in urologic oncology. At this stage in their career, a significant majority (83.5%) expressed interest in becoming academic faculty. CONCLUSION: This study provides new information that facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of today's urology applicants.

Improving Resident and Nurse Communication Practices: Results of a Collaborative Culture Initiative.

INTRODUCTION: Paging is a critical modality for urgent hospital communication. We sought to improve overnight nurse paging practices to reduce noncritical pages, improve resident sleep practices and create a team approach to patient care between residents and overnight nursing staff. METHODS: Residents, overnight urology nurses and a communications liaison met during 2 overnight sessions in October 2014 to develop a training curriculum for overnight paging, which consisted of a paging protocol based on page urgency, and batching nonurgent communication into a cluster page. Overnight (11 p.m. to 7 a.m.) pages per night were assessed from March 2014 to March 2015. Nurses and residents categorized page messages for perceived urgency. Pre-training and post-training surveys examined physician-nurse opinion after collaboration. RESULTS: Before training the nurses and residents had variable agreement across all urgency categories (Cohen's kappa=0.25 indicating poor agreement, sample size 132 pages). On trained floors average nightly pages decreased from 2.6 during training to 1.6 after training (November to January, Mann-Whitney p=0.007). This reduction was stable 5 months after training (1.8 pages per night, p=0.994 compared to after training). There was also a paging decrease on untrained floors (7.9 from 9.8 pages per night, p=0.005) but the decrease was lost at 5 months (6.29 pages per night, p=0.0493). Paging frequency from trained floors was proportionally lower (50% reduction) than from untrained floors (29% reduction). The post-training survey demonstrated that new paging practices improved overnight communication, physician response and mutual respect. CONCLUSIONS: This nurse-physician training collaborative produced a lasting reduction in overnight pages, an improved resident response to urgent pages and an enhanced culture of mutual respect.

Determining Resident Sleep During and After Call With Commercial Sleep Monitoring Devices.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that commercial activity monitoring devices (CAMDs) are practical for monitoring resident sleep while on call. Studies that have directly monitored resident sleep are limited, likely owing to both cost and difficulty in study interpretation. The advent of wearable CAMDs that estimate sleep presents the opportunity to more readily evaluate resident sleep in physically active settings and "home call," a coverage arrangement familiar to urology programs. METHODS: Twelve urology residents were outfitted with Fitbit Flex devices during "home call" for a total of 57 (out of 64, or 89%) call or post-call night pairs. Residents were surveyed with the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS), a single-question alertness survey. Time in bed (TIB) was "time to bed" to "rise for day." Fitbit accelerometers register activity as follows: (1) not moving; (2) minimal movement or restless; or (3) above threshold for accelerometer to register steps. Total sleep time (TST) was the number of minutes in level 1 activity during TIB. Sleep efficiency (SE) was defined as TST divided by TIB. RESULTS: While on call, 10 responding (of 12 available, 83%) residents on average reported TIB as 347 minutes, TST as 165 minutes, and had an SE of 47%. Interestingly, SSS responses did not correlate with sleep parameters. Post-call sleep demonstrated increases in TIB, SE, and TST (+23%, +15%, and +44%, respectively) while sleepiness was reduced by 22%. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that urologic residents can consistently wear CAMDs while on home call. SSS did not correlate with Fitbit-estimated sleep duration. Further study with such devices may enhance sleep deprivation recognition to improve resident sleep.

Definitive Management of Failure After Pyeloplasty.

INTRODUCTION: Failure after pyeloplasty is difficult to manage. We report our experience managing pyeloplasty failures. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the case log of a single surgeon, from August 1996 to August 2014, to identify all patients undergoing a surgical procedure after failed pyeloplasty. We excluded patients without follow-up exceeding 1 year from initial postpyeloplasty procedure. Failure was defined as a need for additional definitive intervention. RESULTS: Of 247 laparoscopic pyeloplasties, 68 endopyelotomies and 305 simple laparoscopic nephrectomies reviewed, 41 were performed after previous pyeloplasty and had sufficient follow-up. Laparoscopic nephrectomy was performed in nine patients. All three secondary laparoscopic pyeloplasties were successful. Of 29 secondary endopyelotomies, 10 (34%) were successful. Of the 19 failures after secondary endopyelotomy, 12 patients had tertiary pyeloplasty (5 laparoscopic and 7 open surgical), 5 (26%) underwent tertiary endopyelotomy, and 2 (11%) required nephrectomy. Our overall endopyelotomy success rate was 38% (13/34) vs 100% (11/11) for secondary or tertiary pyeloplasty (4 patients lost to follow-up). Median time to failure was 5 months for endopyelotomy. Median follow-up for patients free from intervention was 40.2 months. CONCLUSIONS: Secondary pyeloplasty (including both laparoscopic and open surgical approach) is more than twice as successful as endopyelotomy after failed pyeloplasty. Secondary pyeloplasty is an excellent alternative to endopyelotomy in select patients with failure after initial pyeloplasty.

Duct Diameter and Size of Stones Predict Successful Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy and Endoscopic Clearance in Patients With Chronic Pancreatitis and Pancreaticolithiasis.

OBJECTIVES: The need for endoscopic therapy before extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) to facilitate pancreatic duct stone removal is unclear. Predictive factors associated with successful fragmentation and subsequent complete duct clearance are variable. We hypothesize pancreatic duct strictures and large stones, but not pre-SWL endotherapy, correlate with successful fragmentation and complete duct clearance. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of patients with pancreaticolithiasis who underwent SWL and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography between January 2009 and June 2014 was evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients were treated. Technical success (TS) of fragmentation was achieved in 22 patients (60%). Technical success was associated with fewer stones and SWL sessions and smaller stone and duct size. By multivariate logistic regression, only duct dilation was associated with TS. Endoscopic success of complete duct clearance was achieved in 29 patients (80%). Endoscopic success was more frequent with stones 12 mm or less and with successful TS. By multivariate logistic regression, stones greater than 12 mm were associated with endoscopic failure. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-SWL endotherapy does not affect stone fragmentation. Patients with a dilated duct (>8 mm) and pancreatic stones 12 mm or greater were associated with unsuccessful TS and endoscopic success, respectively, and may benefit from early referral for surgical decompression.

Contemporary Practice Patterns of Flexible Ureteroscopy for Treating Renal Stones: Results of a Worldwide Survey.

INTRODUCTION: Flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) is increasingly used in the treatment of renal stones. However, wide variations exist in technique, use, and indications. To better inform our knowledge about the contemporary state of fURS for treating renal stones, we conducted a survey of endourologists worldwide. METHODS: An anonymous online questionnaire assessing fURS treatment of renal stones, consisting of 36 items, was sent to members of the Endourology Society in October 2014. Responses were collected through the SurveyMonkey system over a 3-month period. RESULTS: Questionnaires were answered by 414 surgeons from 44 countries (response rate 20.7%). U.S. surgeons accounted for 34.4% of all respondents. fURS was routinely performed in 80.0% of institutions, with 40.0% of surgeons performing >100 cases/year. Respondents considered fURS to be first-line therapy for patients with renal stones <2 cm and lower pole calculi. A substantial minority (11.3%) preferred fURS as a primary treatment modality for renal stones >2 cm. Basket displacement for lower pole stones was routinely performed by 55.8%. Ureteral access sheaths (UAS) were preferred for every case by 58.3%. Respondents frequently utilized high-power lasers and dusting techniques. Criteria for determining stone-free rate were defined as zero fragments or residual fragment (RF) <1, <2, <3, and <4 mm by 30.9%, 8.9%, 31.5%, 15.8%, and 11.2% of respondents, respectively. CONCLUSION: The overwhelming majority of endourologists surveyed consider fURS as a first-line treatment modality for renal stones, especially those <2 cm. Use of UAS, high-power holmium lasers, and dusting technique has become popular among practitioners. When defining stone free after fURS, the majority of endourologists used a zero fragment or RF <2 mm definition.

Wire-reinforced ureteral stents to rescue from nephrostomy tube in extrinsic ureteral obstruction.

INTRODUCTION: Ureteral obstruction due to extrinsic compression is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Management options for this condition include renal drainage with percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) or internal ureteral stent placement. A significant portion of patients will have disease progression leading to internal stent obstruction which is almost uniformly managed with PCN. We evaluated a novel, wire-reinforced internal ureteral stent as an alternative to PCN in those patients who fail initial internal ureteral stent placement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed to identify patients with extrinsic ureteral obstruction that failed conventional plastic internal ureteral stent placement and ultimately underwent placement of wire-reinforced internal ureteral stents (Scaffold) at the University of Michigan Health System between 2006-2011. Outcomes assessed included time to Scaffold stent failure and failure free time with Scaffold stent in place. RESULTS: A total of 8 patients were identified with extrinsic ureteral obstruction that failed initial conventional ureteral stenting and had a Scaffold stent placed. Scaffold stents ultimately failed in 3 out of 8 patients. Mean time to Scaffold stent failure was 197 days (range 20-536). In the remaining 5 patients, mean failure-free time with Scaffold stents in place was 277 days (range 18-774). CONCLUSION: Scaffold stent placement is a viable alternative to PCN in those patients with extrinsic ureteral obstruction who fail conventional internal ureteral stent placement.