Disparities in arthroplasty utilization for rotator cuff tear arthropathy.

BACKGROUND: Rotator cuff tear arthropathy (CTA) carries a significant symptomatic burden for patients. Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is an effective treatment intervention for CTA. Disparities in musculoskeletal medicine are well documented; however, there is a paucity of literature on how social determinants of health affect utilization rates. The purpose of this study is to determine how social determinants of health affect the utilization rates of RSA. METHODS: A single-center retrospective review was conducted for adult patients diagnosed with CTA between 2015 and 2020. Patients were divided by those who underwent RSA and those who were offered RSA but did not undergo surgery. Each patient's zip code was used to determine the most specific median household income in the US Census Bureau database and compared to the multistate metropolitan statistical area median income. Income levels were defined by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) 2022 Income Limits Documentation System and the Federal Reserve's (FED's) Community Reinvestment Act. Because of numeric restrictions, patients were grouped into racial cohorts of Black, White, and all other races. RESULTS: Patients of other races had significantly lower odds of continuing to surgery compared with White patients in models controlled for median household income (odds ratio [OR] 0.38, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.18-0.81, P = .01), HUD's 3 income levels (OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.18-0.74, P = .01), and FED's income levels (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.17-0.79, P = .01). There was no significantly different odds of going on to surgery between FED income levels and median household income levels, but when compared with those with low HUD income, those below median had significantly lower odds of going on to surgery (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.23-0.80, P = .01). CONCLUSION: Although contradictory to reported health care utilization for Black patients, our study supports reported disparities in utilization for other ethnic minorities. These findings may suggest that improvements in utilization efforts targeted Black-identifying patients but not necessarily other ethnic minorities. The findings of this study can help providers understand how social determinants of health play a role in the utilization of care for CTA and direct mitigation efforts to reduce disparities in access to adequate orthopedic care.

Functional Assessment in End-Stage Renal Disease: Enhancing Quality of Life.

Why do functional assessments in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) matter? Multiple studies show that new dialysis patients undergo a substantial decline among activities of daily living. Moreover, poor functional status in ESRD patients is associated with early morality. That is why CMS has developed new criteria to assess ESRD patients in regards to their functional, psychologic, and cognitive capabilities. Functional assessments by health providers have been used in field of Rehabilitation Medicine for over 50 years; rehabilitation physicians have found them effective in establishing goals and monitoring improvement. Assessments can provide guidance by identifying the needs and types of intervention most suited for patients. Impairments can be addressed with referrals to physical therapy for gross motor issues, occupational therapy for self-care problems, psychiatry for mental disorders, and neurology for cognitive deficits. The more accurate the assessments over time, the more targeted and effective the therapies become. We believe that the new CMS goals to assess functionality will improve ESRD patient's quality of life, longevity, and long-term healthcare costs.

Narcotic prescribing practices in shoulder surgery before and after the institution of narcotic e-prescribing.

Background: Given the current opioid epidemic, it is crucial to highly regulate the prescription of narcotic medications for pain management. The use of electronic prescriptions (e-scripts) through the hospital's electronic medical record platform allows physicians to fill opioid prescriptions in smaller doses, potentially limiting the total quantity of analgesics patients have access to and decreasing the potential for substance misuse. The purpose of this study is to determine how the implementation of e-scripts changed the quantity of opioids prescribed following shoulder surgeries. Methods: For this single-center retrospective study, data were extracted for all patients aged 18 years or more who received a shoulder procedure between January 2015 and December 2020. Total milligrams of morphine equivalents (MMEs) of opioids prescribed within the 90 days following surgery were compared between 3 cohorts: preimplementation of the 2017 New Jersey Opioid laws (Pre-NJ opioid laws), post-NJ Opioid Laws but pre-escripting, and postimplementation of e-scripting in 2019 (postescripting). Any patient prescribed preoperative opioids, prescribed opioids by nonorthopedic physicians, under the care of a pain management physician, or had a simultaneous nonshoulder procedure was excluded from this study. Results: There were 1857 subjects included in this study; 796 pre-NJ opioid laws, 520 post-NJ opioid laws, pre-escripting, and 541 postescripting. Following implementation of e-scripting on July 1, 2019, there was a significant decrease in total MMEs prescribed (P < .001) from a median of 90 MME (interquartile range 65, 65-130) preimplementation to a median 45 MME (interquartile range 45, 45-90) MME postimplementation Additionally, there was a statistically significant decrease in opioids prescribed for all procedures (P < .001) and for 3 (P < .001) of the 4 orthopedic surgeons included in this study. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated a significant reduction in total MMEs prescribed overall, for all shoulder surgeries, and for the majority of our institution's providers in the postoperative period following the e-scripting implementation in July 2019. E-scripting is a valuable tool in conjunction with education and awareness on the national, institutional, provider, and patient levels to combat the opioid epidemic.

Clinical Efficacy of Intra-articular Mesenchymal Stromal Cells for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Double-Blinded Prospective Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there are limited nonoperative treatment options available for knee osteoarthritis (OA). Cell-based therapies have emerged as promising treatments for knee OA. Autologous stromal vascular fraction (SVF) has been identified as an efficient medium for intra-articular administration of progenitor cells and mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissue. HYPOTHESIS: Patients receiving intra-articular SVF would show significantly greater improvement than patients receiving placebo injections, and this improvement would be dose dependent. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. METHODS: This was a multisite prospective double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Adult patients with symptomatic knee OA were eligible. Thirty-nine patients were randomized to high-dose SVF, low-dose SVF, or placebo (1:1:1). SVF was obtained via liposuction, processed to create the cellular implant, and injected during the same clinical visit. Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores and magnetic resonance images were obtained preoperatively and at 6 and 12 months after injection. The Wilcoxon rank sum nonparametric test was utilized to assess statistical significance, and the Hodges-Lehmann location shift was used to assess superiority. RESULTS: The median percentage change in WOMAC score at 6 months after injection for the high-dose, low-dose, and placebo groups was 83.9%, 51.5%, and 25.0%, respectively. The high- and low-dose groups had statistically significant changes in WOMAC scores when compared with the placebo group (high dose, P = .04; low dose, P = .02). The improvements were dose dependent. The median percentage change in WOMAC score from baseline to 1 year after injection for the high-dose, low-dose, and placebo groups was 89.5%, 68.2%, and 0%, respectively. The high- and low-dose groups displayed a greater percentage change at 12 months when compared with the placebo group (high dose, P = .006; low dose, P = .009). Magnetic resonance image review revealed no changes in cartilage thickness after treatment. No serious adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: Intra-articular SVF injections can significantly decrease knee OA symptoms and pain for at least 12 months. The efficacy and safety demonstrated in this placebo-controlled trial support its implementation as a treatment option for symptomatic knee OA. REGISTRATION: NCT02726945 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).

Matching into an Orthopedic Residency: Which Application Components Correlate with Final Rank List Order?

OBJECTIVE: To determine if any of the unique elements of the applications of medical students who were granted interviews to an orthopedic residency program correlate to the program's final rank order list of candidate residents. DESIGN: Eight domains of the standard residency application were considered as independent variables for 36 applicants. Personal, identifying information was removed from the application material within each domain, thus blinding the application domains for 5 core faculty members from the program to review and rank independently. These 8 domain rank lists were then compared to the program's final rank list order to determine the correlation of each domain with the final rank list order. SETTING: Academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Applicants to a university-based orthopedic surgery residency program who were granted interviews in the 2016 academic year. RESULTS: Two domains of the application correlated with the final rank list order: interview and personal statement. None of the other domains had a significant correlation with the final rank list order. Interobserver variability among the faculty members was high for the rankings of the different domains. CONCLUSIONS: Interview and personal statement were the only domains within the application that had correlation with the final rank list for an orthopedic residency program. A better understanding of how these 2 components affect the rank list may provide opportunity for process improvements.

Novel policing techniques decrease gun-violence and the cost to the healthcare system.

The objective was to investigate the effects of novel policing techniques on hospital-observed incidence, healthcare utilization, mortality and costs associated with gun violence, from the perspective of a level-1 trauma center. An eight-year retrospective review evaluating the clinical and financial effects of gunshot wound (GSW) encounters between January 1st, 2010 and December 31st, 2017. Individuals who presented to the emergency department (Level-1 trauma center in Camden, NJ) between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2017 with GSW (995 encounters) were included; however, patients with incomplete financial or medical record data were excluded (55 encounters). Patients were subdivided into two cohorts: before and after changes in policing tactics (May 1st, 2013). 940 total firearm-related encounters were included in the study. Following the policing changes, the hospital-observed quarterly incidence of GSW encounters decreased by 22% post-policing changes, 44.3 to 34.6 (p = 0.038). Average quarterly days spent in-house for GSW treatment decreased 220.7 to 151.3 (31%) days. Hospital observed mortality increased from 13.5% of presentations to 17.3% of presentations (p = 0.106). Total cost savings associated with the policing change was roughly $254,000 per quarter (p = 0.023). In areas susceptible to high rates of gun violence, similar novel policing tactics could significantly decrease hospital-observed incidence, costs and healthcare utilization demanded by firearm-related injury.

Medical necessity: is current documentation practice and payment denial limiting access to inpatient rehabilitation?

Medical necessity is a legal, not medical, term. Depending on the stakeholder's point of view, it may seem less about human need and dispensing medical care and more about a web of rules, rulings, regulations, and manuals, especially for Medicare patients, who use the lion's share of rehabilitation services. In other words, the term medical necessity seems, to some stakeholders, to refer more to what determines payment by Medicare instead of what should be done to determine optimal patient health. Such a perspective on medical necessity has major implications, considering that Medicare pays for most of the rehabilitation treatment in some 1200 inpatient rehabilitation facilities and that its policies determine which patients qualify for admission to an inpatient rehabilitation facility. Medicare's medical necessity policies are often described by inpatient rehabilitation facility administrators and physiatrists as complicated and unfair, as well as being demeaning to the standing of physicians. Ask some physiatrists about their patients meeting Medicare guidelines for medical necessity, and they might bark, "Medical necessity?! That's what I was taught to know!"