Prescriber continuity and medication adherence for complex patients.

BACKGROUND: Medication adherence is a critical aspect of managing cardiometabolic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and heart failure. Patients who have multiple cardiometabolic conditions and multiple prescribers may be at increased risk for nonadherence. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between number of prescribers, number of conditions, and refill adherence to oral medications to treat cardiometabolic conditions. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, 7933 veterans were identified with 1 to 4 cardiometabolic conditions. Refill adherence to oral medications for diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia was measured using an administrative claims-based continuous multiple-interval gap (CMG) that estimates the percentage of days a patient did not possess medication. We dichotomized refill adherence for each condition as a CMG ≤20% for each year of analysis. Condition-specific logistic regression models estimated the relationship between refill adherence and number of cardiometabolic conditions and number of prescribers, controlling for demographic characteristics, other comorbidities, and a count of cardiometabolic drug classes used. RESULTS: Compared with patients with 1 prescriber, antihypertensive refill adherence was lower in patients seeing ≥4 prescribers (odds ratio [OR] = 0.69; 95% CI = 0.59-0.80), but the number of cardiometabolic conditions was not a significant predictor. Antidyslipidemia refill adherence was lower in patients seeing 3 prescribers (OR = 0.80; 95% CI = 0.70-0.92) or ≥4 prescribers (OR = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.64-0.91). Conversely, antidyslipidemia refill adherence improved with the number of cardiometabolic conditions, but differences were only statistically significant for ≥3 conditions (OR = 1.31; 95% CI = 1.09-1.57). In multivariate regression models, the number of conditions and number of prescribers were not significant predictors of refill adherence in the group of patients with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Effective management of care and medication regimens for complex patients remains an unresolved challenge, but these results suggest that medication refill adherence might be improved by minimizing the number of prescribers involved in a patient's care, at least for hypertension and dyslipidemia.

The intersection of patient complexity, prescriber continuity and acute care utilization.

BACKGROUND: Care continuity is considered a critical characteristic of high-performing health systems. Few studies have examined the continuity of medication management of complex patients, who often have multiple providers and complex medication regimens. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to characterize patient factors associated with having more prescribers and the association between number of prescribers and acute care utilization. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 7,933 Veterans with one to four cardiometabolic conditions (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia or congestive heart failure) and prescribed medications for these conditions in 2008. MAIN MEASURES: The association between number of cardiometabolic conditions and prescribers was modeled using Poisson regression. The number of cardiometabolic conditions and number of prescribers were modeled to predict probability of inpatient admission, probability of emergency room (ER) visits, and number of ER visits among ER users. Demographic characteristics, number of cardiometabolic medications and comorbidities were included as covariates in all models. KEY RESULTS: Patients had more prescribers if they had more cardiometabolic conditions (p < 0.001). The adjusted odds of an ER visit increased with the number of prescribers (two prescribers, Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.16; three prescribers, OR = 1.21; 4+ prescribers, OR = 1.39), but not with the number of conditions. Among ER users, the number of ER visits was neither associated with the number of prescribers nor the number of conditions. The adjusted odds of an inpatient admission increased with the number of prescribers (two prescribers, OR = 1.27; three prescribers, OR = 1.30; 4+ prescribers, OR = 1.34), but not with the number of conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Having more prescribers was associated with greater healthcare utilization for complex patients, despite adjustment for the number of conditions and medications. The number of prescribers may be an appropriate target for reducing acute care utilization by complex patients.

Scheduled telephone visits in the veterans health administration patient-centered medical home.

BACKGROUND: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patient-centered medical home model, Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACT), includes telephone visits to improve care access and efficiency. Scheduled telephone visits can replace in-person care for some focused issues, and more information is needed to understand how this mode can best work for primary care. We conducted a study at the beginning of PACT implementation to elicit stakeholder views on this mode of healthcare delivery, including potential facilitators and barriers. METHODS: We conducted focus groups with primary care patients (n = 3 groups), providers (n = 2 groups) and staff (n = 2 groups). Questions were informed by Donabedian's framework to evaluate and improve healthcare quality. Content analysis and theme matrix techniques were used to explore themes. Content was assigned a positive or negative valuation to indicate whether it was a facilitator or barrier. PACT principles were used as an organizing framework to present stakeholder responses within the context of the VHA patient-centered medical home program. RESULTS: Scheduled telephone visits could potentially improve care quality and efficiency, but stakeholders were cautious. Themes were identified relating to the following PACT principles: comprehensiveness, patient-centeredness, and continuity of care. In sum, scheduled telephone visits were viewed as potentially beneficial for routine care not requiring physical examination, and patients and providers suggested using them to evaluate need for in-person care; however, visits would need to be individualized, with patients able to discontinue if not satisfied. Patients and staff asserted that providers would need to be kept in the loop for continuity of care. Additionally, providers and staff emphasized needing protected time for these calls. CONCLUSION: These findings inform development of scheduled telephone visits as part of patient-centered medical homes by providing evidence about areas that may be leveraged to most effectively implement this mode of care. Presenting this service as enhanced care, with ability to triage need for in-person clinic visits and consequently provide more frequent contact, may most adequately meet different stakeholder expectations. In this way, scheduled telephone visits may serve as both a substitute for in-person care for certain situations and a supplement to in-person interaction.

The patient centered medical home. A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) describes mechanisms for organizing primary care to provide high quality care across the full range of individuals' health care needs.It is being widely implemented by provider organizations and third party payers. PURPOSE: To describe approaches for PCMH implementation and summarize evidence for effects on patient and staff experiences,process of care, and clinical and economic outcomes. DATA SOURCES: PubMed (through 6 December 2011), Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (through 29 June 2012). STUDY SELECTION: English-language trials and longitudinal observational studies that met criteria for the PCMH, as defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and included populations with multiple conditions. DATA EXTRACTION: Information on study design, populations, interventions,comparators, financial models, implementation methods,outcomes, and risk of bias were abstracted by 1 investigator and verified by another. DATA SYNTHESIS: In 19 comparative studies, PCMH interventions had a small positive effect on patient experiences and small to moderate positive effects on the delivery of preventive care services(moderate strength of evidence). Staff experiences were also improved by a small to moderate degree (low strength of evidence).Evidence suggested a reduction in emergency department visits(risk ratio [RR], 0.81 [95% CI, 0.67 to 0.98]) but not in hospital admissions (RR, 0.96 [CI, 0.84 to 1.10]) in older adults (low strength of evidence). There was no evidence for overall cost savings. LIMITATION: Systematic review is challenging because of a lack of consistent definitions and nomenclature for PCMH. CONCLUSION: The PCMH holds promise for improving the experiences of patients and staff and potentially for improving care processes,but current evidence is insufficient to determine effects on clinical and most economic outcomes

The Cholesterol, Hypertension, And Glucose Education (CHANGE) study: results from a randomized controlled trial in African Americans with diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes account for one-third of the mortality difference between African American and white patients. We evaluated the effect of a CVD risk reduction intervention in African Americans with diabetes. METHODS: We randomized 359 African Americans with type 2 diabetes to receive usual care or a nurse telephone intervention. The 12-month intervention provided monthly self-management support and quarterly medication management facilitation. Coprimary outcomes were changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) over 12 months. We estimated between-intervention group differences over time using linear mixed-effects models. The secondary outcome was self-reported medication adherence. RESULTS: The sample was 72% female; 49% had low health literacy, and 37% had annual income <$10,000. Model-based estimates for mean baseline SBP, HbA1c, and LDL-C were 136.8 mm Hg (95% CI 135.0-138.6), 8.0% (95% CI 7.8-8.2), and 99.1 mg/dL (95% CI 94.7-103.5), respectively. Intervention patients received 9.9 (SD 3.0) intervention calls on average. Primary providers replied to 76% of nurse medication management facilitation contacts, 18% of these resulted in medication changes. There were no between-group differences over time for SBP (P = .11), HbA1c (P = .66), or LDL-C (P = .79). Intervention patients were more likely than those receiving usual care to report improved medication adherence (odds ratio 4.4, 95% CI 1.8-10.6, P = .0008), but adherent patients did not exhibit relative improvement in primary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This intervention improved self-reported medication adherence but not CVD risk factor control among African Americans with diabetes. Further research is needed to determine how to maximally impact CVD risk factors in African American patients.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers for treatment of ischemic heart disease: Future research needs prioritization.

BACKGROUND: A recent review evaluated the comparative effectiveness of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-Is) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) in patients with or at high risk for stable ischemic heart disease (IHD). The prioritization of future research needs has customarily been an informal process that is not responsive to the needs of all relevant stakeholders. METHODS: As part of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Effective Healthcare Program, the Duke Evidence-Based Practice Center engaged a diverse stakeholder group in 3 exercises designed to prioritize future research needs pertaining to the comparative effectiveness of ACE-I/ARB in patients with stable IHD. RESULTS: Our stakeholders prioritized the following areas of research pertaining to the comparative effectiveness of ACE-I/ARB in stable IHD: (1) strategies to enhance greater evidence-based use, (2) impact of adherence on effectiveness or harms, (3) impact of comorbidities on effectiveness or harms, (4) medication impact on patient quality of life, (5) impact of demographic differences on effectiveness or harms, and (6) medication impact on incidence of new diagnoses. This project also yielded suggestions regarding potential study designs to address these future research needs. CONCLUSIONS: Our stakeholders prioritized research designed to facilitate (1) tailored ACE-I/ARB treatment based on individual patient characteristics and (2) implementation of ACE-I/ARB use among patients most likely to benefit. With respect to suggested study designs, it was felt that analysis of existing data would sufficiently address many of the top-tier future research needs (FRNs).

Economic evaluation of telephone self-management interventions for blood pressure control.

BACKGROUND: Half of patients with hypertension have poor blood pressure (BP) control. Recent models for treating hypertension have integrated disease monitoring and telephone-based interventions delivered in patients' homes. This study evaluated the costs of the Hypertension Intervention Nurse Telemedicine Study (HINTS), aimed to improve BP control in veterans. METHODS: Eligible veterans were randomized to either usual care or 1 of 3 telephone-based intervention groups using home BP telemonitoring: (1) behavioral management, (2) medication management, or (3) combined. Intervention costs were derived from information collected during the trial. Direct medical costs (inpatient, outpatient, and outpatient pharmacy, including hypertension-specific pharmacy) at 18 months by group were calculated using Veterans Affairs (VA) Decision Support System data. Bootstrapped CIs were computed to compare intervention and medical costs between intervention groups and usual care. RESULTS: Patients receiving behavior or medication management showed significant gains in BP control at 12 months; there were no differences in BP control at 18 months. In subgroup analysis, patients with poor baseline BP control receiving combined intervention significantly improved BP at 12 and 18 months. In overall and subgroup samples, average intervention costs were similar in the 3 study arms, and at 18 months, there were no statistically significant differences in direct VA medical costs or total VA costs between treatment arms and usual care. CONCLUSIONS: To optimize investment in telephone-based home interventions such as the HINTS, it is important to identify groups of patients who are most likely to benefit from more intensive home BP management.

Racial differences in the effect of a telephone-delivered hypertension disease management program.

BACKGROUND: African Americans are significantly more likely than whites to have uncontrolled hypertension, contributing to significant disparities in cardiovascular disease and events. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine whether there were differences in change in blood pressure (BP) for African American and non-Hispanic white patients in response to a medication management and tailored nurse-delivered telephone behavioral program. PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred and seventy-three patients (284 African American and 289 non-Hispanic white) primary care patients who participated in the Hypertension Intervention Nurse Telemedicine Study (HINTS) clinical trial. INTERVENTIONS: Study arms included: 1) nurse-administered, physician-directed medication management intervention, utilizing a validated clinical decision support system; 2) nurse-administered, behavioral management intervention; 3) combined behavioral management and medication management intervention; and 4) usual care. All interventions were activated based on poorly controlled home BP values. MAIN MEASURES: Post-hoc analysis of change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. General linear models (PROC MIXED in SAS, version 9.2) were used to estimate predicted means at 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month time points, by intervention arm and race subgroups (separate models for systolic and diastolic blood pressure). KEY RESULTS: Improvement in mean systolic blood pressure post-baseline was greater for African American patients in the combined intervention, compared to African American patients in usual care, at 12 months (6.6 mmHg; 95 % CI: -12.5, -0.7; p=0.03) and at 18 months (9.7 mmHg; -16.0, -3.4; p=0.003). At 18 months, mean diastolic BP was 4.8 mmHg lower (95 % CI: -8.5, -1.0; p=0.01) among African American patients in the combined intervention arm, compared to African American patients in usual care. There were no analogous differences for non-Hispanic white patients. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of home BP monitoring, remote medication management, and telephone tailored behavioral self-management appears to be particularly effective for improving BP among African Americans. The effect was not seen among non-Hispanic white patients.

Updated report on comparative effectiveness of ACE inhibitors, ARBs, and direct renin inhibitors for patients with essential hypertension: much more data, little new information.

OBJECTIVES: A 2007 systematic review compared angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) in patients with hypertension. Direct renin inhibitors (DRIs) have since been introduced, and significant new research has been published. We sought to update and expand the 2007 review. DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE (through December 2010) and selected other sources for relevant English-language trials. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, PARTICIPANTS, AND INTERVENTIONS: We included studies that directly compared ACE inhibitors, ARBs, and/or DRIs in at least 20 total adults with essential hypertension; had at least 12 weeks of follow-up; and reported at least one outcome of interest. Ninety-seven (97) studies (36 new since 2007) directly comparing ACE inhibitors versus ARBs and three studies directly comparing DRIs to ACE inhibitor inhibitors or ARBs were included. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: A standard protocol was used to extract data on study design, interventions, population characteristics, and outcomes; evaluate study quality; and summarize the evidence. RESULTS: In spite of substantial new evidence, none of the conclusions from the 2007 review changed. The level of evidence remains high for equivalence between ACE inhibitors and ARBs for blood pressure lowering and use as single antihypertensive agents, as well as for superiority of ARBs for short-term adverse events (primarily cough). However, the new evidence was insufficient on long-term cardiovascular outcomes, quality of life, progression of renal disease, medication adherence or persistence, rates of angioedema, and differences in key patient subgroups. LIMITATIONS: Included studies were limited by follow-up duration, protocol heterogeneity, and infrequent reporting on patient subgroups. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS: Evidence does not support a meaningful difference between ACE inhibitors and ARBs for any outcome except medication side effects. Few, if any, of the questions that were not answered in the 2007 report have been addressed by the 36 new studies. Future research in this area should consider areas of uncertainty and be prioritized accordingly.

Measuring blood pressure for decision making and quality reporting: where and how many measures?

BACKGROUND: The optimal setting and number of blood pressure (BP) measurements that should be used for clinical decision making and quality reporting are uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To compare strategies for home or clinic BP measurement and their effect on classifying patients as having BP that was in or out of control. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of a randomized, controlled trial of strategies to improve hypertension management. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00237692) SETTING: Primary care clinics affiliated with the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center. PATIENTS: 444 veterans with hypertension followed for 18 months. MEASUREMENTS: Blood pressure was measured repeatedly by using 3 methods: standardized research BP measurements at 6-month intervals; clinic BP measurements obtained during outpatient visits; and home BP measurements using a monitor that transmitted measurements electronically. RESULTS: Patients provided 111,181 systolic BP (SBP) measurements (3218 research, 7121 clinic, and 100,842 home measurements) over 18 months. Systolic BP control rates at baseline (mean SBP<140 mm Hg for clinic or research measurement; <135 mm Hg for home measurement) varied substantially, with 28% classified as in control by clinic measurement, 47% by home measurement, and 68% by research measurement. Short-term variability was large and similar across all 3 methods of measurement, with a mean within-patient coefficient of variation of 10% (range, 1% to 24%). Patients could not be classified as having BP that was in or out of control with 80% certainty on the basis of a single clinic SBP measurement from 120 mm Hg to 157 mm Hg. The effect of within-patient variability could be greatly reduced by averaging several measurements, with most benefit accrued at 5 to 6 measurements. LIMITATION: The sample was mostly men with a long-standing history of hypertension and was selected on the basis of previous poor BP control. CONCLUSION: Physicians who want to have 80% or more certainty that they are correctly classifying patients' BP control should use the average of several measurements. Hypertension quality metrics based on a single clinic measurement potentially misclassify a large proportion of patients. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Service.

The effectiveness of personalized coronary heart disease and stroke risk communication.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend global risk assessment to guide vascular risk factor management; however, most provider-patient communication focuses on individual risk factors in isolation. We sought to evaluate the impact of personalized coronary heart disease and stroke risk communication on patients' knowledge, beliefs, and health behavior. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial testing personalized risk communication based on Framingham stroke and coronary heart disease risk scores compared with a standard risk factor education. A total of 89 patients were recruited from primary care clinics and followed up for 3 months. Outcomes included the following: risk perception and worry, risk factor knowledge, risk reduction preferences and decision conflict, medication adherence, health behaviors, and blood pressure. RESULTS: Participants had a very low understanding of numeric information, high perceived risk for stroke or myocardial infarction, and high proportion of medication nonadherence. Patients' ability to identify vascular risk factors increased with personalized risk communication (mean 1.8 additional risk factors, 95% CI 1.3-2.2) and standard risk factor education (mean 1.6 additional risk factors, 95% CI 1.1-2.1) immediately after the intervention but was not sustained at 3 months. Patients in the personalized group had less decision conflict than the standard risk factor education group over intended risk reduction strategies (5.9 vs 10.1, P = .003). There was no appreciable impact of either communication strategy on medication adherence, exercise, smoking cessation, or blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Personalized risk communication was preferred by patients and had a small impact on risk reduction preferences and decision conflict but had no impact on patient beliefs or behavior compared with standard risk factor education.

Two self-management interventions to improve hypertension control: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Fewer than 40% of persons with hypertension in the United States have adequate blood pressure (BP) control. OBJECTIVE: To compare 2 self-management interventions for improving BP control among hypertensive patients. DESIGN: A 2 x 2 randomized trial, stratified by enrollment site and patient health literacy status, with 2-year follow-up. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00123058). SETTING: 2 university-affiliated primary care clinics. PATIENTS: 636 hypertensive patients. INTERVENTION: A centralized, blinded, and stratified randomization algorithm was used to randomly assign eligible patients to receive usual care, a behavioral intervention (bimonthly tailored, nurse-administered telephone intervention targeting hypertension-related behaviors), home BP monitoring 3 times weekly, or the behavioral intervention plus home BP monitoring. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was BP control at 6-month intervals over 24 months. RESULTS: 475 patients (75%) completed the 24-month BP follow-up. At 24 months, improvements in the proportion of patients with BP control relative to the usual care group were 4.3% (95% CI, -4.5% to 12.9%) in the behavioral intervention group, 7.6% (CI, -1.9% to 17.0%) in the home BP monitoring group, and 11.0% (CI, 1.9%, 19.8%) in the combined intervention group. Relative to usual care, the 24-month difference in systolic BP was 0.6 mm Hg (CI, -2.2 to 3.4 mm Hg) for the behavioral intervention group, -0.6 mm Hg (CI, -3.6 to 2.3 mm Hg) for the BP monitoring group, and -3.9 mm Hg (CI, -6.9 to -0.9 mm Hg) for the combined intervention group; patterns were similar for diastolic BP. LIMITATION: Changes in medication use and diet were monitored only in intervention participants; 24-month outcome data were missing for 25% of participants, BP control was adequate at baseline in 73% of participants, and the study setting was an academic health center. CONCLUSION: Combined home BP monitoring and tailored behavioral telephone intervention improved BP control, systolic BP, and diastolic BP at 24 months relative to usual care. .

Can this patient read and understand written health information?

CONTEXT: Patients with limited literacy are at higher risk for poor health outcomes; however, physicians' perceptions are inaccurate for identifying these patients. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the accuracy of brief instruments for identifying patients with limited literacy. DATA SOURCES: Search of the English-language literature from 1969 through February 2010 using PubMed, Psychinfo, and bibliographies of selected manuscripts for articles on health literacy, numeracy, reading ability, and reading skill. STUDY SELECTION: Prospective studies including adult patients 18 years or older that evaluated a brief instrument for identifying limited literacy in a health care setting compared with an accepted literacy reference standard. DATA EXTRACTION: Studies were evaluated independently by 2 reviewers who each abstracted information and assigned an overall quality rating. Disagreements were adjudicated by a third reviewer. DATA SYNTHESIS: Ten studies using 6 different instruments met inclusion criteria. Among multi-item measures, the Newest Vital Sign (English) performed moderately well for identifying limited literacy based on 3 studies. Among the single-item questions, asking about a patient's use of a surrogate reader, confidence filling out medical forms, and self-rated reading ability performed moderately well in identifying patients with inadequate or marginal literacy. Asking a patient, "How confident are you in filling out medical forms by yourself?" is associated with a summary likelihood ratio (LR) for limited literacy of 5.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.8-6.4) for an answer of "a little confident" or "not at all confident"; a summary LR of 2.2 (95% CI, 1.5-3.3) for "somewhat confident"; and a summary LR of 0.44 (95% CI, 0.24-0.82) for "quite a bit" or "extremely confident." CONCLUSION: Several single-item questions, including use of a surrogate reader and confidence with medical forms, were moderately effective for quickly identifying patients with limited literacy.

The Cholesterol, Hypertension, and Glucose Education (CHANGE) study for African Americans with diabetes: study design and methodology.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes account for over one third of the mortality difference between African Americans and white patients. The increased CVD risk in African Americans is due in large part to the clustering of multiple CVD risk factors. OBJECTIVES: The current study is aimed at improving CVD outcomes in African-American adults with diabetes by addressing the modifiable risk factors of systolic blood pressure , glycosylated hemoglobin, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. METHODS: A sample of African American patients with diabetes (N = 400) will receive written education material at baseline and be randomized to one of 2 arms: (1) usual primary care or (2) nurse-administered disease-management intervention combining patient self-management support and provider medication management. The nurse administered intervention is delivered monthly over the telephone. The nurses also interacts with the primary care providers at 3, 6, and 9 months to provide concise patient updates and facilitate changes in medical management. All patients are followed for 12 months after enrollment. The primary outcomes are change in glycosylated hemoglobin, systolic blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol over 12-months. Secondary outcomes include change in overall cardiovascular risk, aspirin use, and health behaviors. CONCLUSION: Given the continued racial disparities in CVD, the proposed study could result in significant contributions to cardiovascular risk reduction in African-American patients.

Comparison of medicine resident diabetes care between Veterans Affairs and academic health care systems.

BACKGROUND: Although others have reported national disparities in the quality of diabetes care between the Veterans Affairs (VA) and private health care delivery systems, it is not known whether these differences persist among internal medicine resident providers in academic settings. OBJECTIVE: We compared the quality of diabetes primary care delivered by resident physicians in either a private academic health care system (AHS) or its affiliated VA health care system. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study PARTICIPANTS: We included patients who: had a diagnosis of diabetes, had >2 primary care visits with the same resident provider during 2005, and were not separately managed by an attending physician or endocrinologist. A total of 640 patients met our criteria and were included in the analysis. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Compared to the VA, patients in the AHS were more likely to be younger, female, have fewer medications, and be treated with insulin, but had less comorbidity. Patients in the VA were more likely to be referred for an annual eye exam (94% vs. 78%), receive lipid screening (88% vs. 74%), receive proteinuria screening (63% vs. 34%), and receive a complete foot exam (85% vs. 32%) in analyses adjusted for patient demographics and comorbidities (p-value <0.001 for all comparisons). In adjusted analyses, there were no significant differences in HbA1(c), blood pressure, or LDL cholesterol control. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of similar resident providers and practice models, there were substantial differences in the diabetes quality of care delivered in the VA and AHS. Understanding how these factors influence subsequent practice patterns is an important area for study.

Perceived and actual stroke risk among men with hypertension.

The purposes of this study were to determine whether there is a significant correlation between the perceived and actual stroke risk among hypertensive patients and to identify patient characteristics associated with inaccurate estimation of stroke risk. The authors performed a cross-sectional analysis of 296 men with hypertension who were enrolled in the Veterans Study to Improve the Control of Hypertension (V-STITCH). A patient's actual stroke risk was calculated using the Framingham stroke risk (FSR); patients' perceived risk was measured according to a self-reported 10-point risk scale. The median 10-year FSR was 16%, but the median perceived risk score was 5 (range, 1 [lowest] to 10 [highest]). There was no significant correlation between patients' perceived risk of stroke and their calculated FSR (Spearman rho=-0.08; P=.16; 95% confidence interval, -0.19 to 0.03). Patients who underestimated their stroke risk were significantly less likely to be worried about their blood pressure than patients with accurate risk perception (12.4% vs 69.6%; P<.0001). The lack of correlation between hypertensive patients' perceived stroke risk and FSR supports the need for better patient education on the risks associated with hypertension.

Literacy and blood pressure--do healthcare systems influence this relationship? A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Limited literacy is common among patients with chronic conditions and is associated with poor health outcomes. We sought to determine the association between literacy and blood pressure in primary care patients with hypertension and to determine if this relationship was consistent across distinct systems of healthcare delivery. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1224 patients with hypertension utilizing baseline data from two separate, but similar randomized controlled trials. Patients were enrolled from primary care clinics in the Veterans Affairs healthcare system (VAHS) and a university healthcare system (UHS) in Durham, North Carolina. We compared the association between literacy and the primary outcome systolic blood pressure (SBP) and secondary outcomes of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and blood pressure (BP) control across the two different healthcare systems. RESULTS: Patients who read below a 9th grade level comprised 38.4% of patients in the VAHS and 27.5% of the patients in the UHS. There was a significant interaction between literacy and healthcare system for SBP. In adjusted analyses, SBP for patients with limited literacy was 1.2 mmHg lower than patients with adequate literacy in the VAHS (95% CI, -4.8 to 2.3), but 6.1 mmHg higher than patients with adequate literacy in the UHS (95% CI, 2.1 to 10.1); (p = 0.003 for test of interaction). This literacy by healthcare system interaction was not statistically significant for DBP or BP control. CONCLUSION: The relationship between patient literacy and systolic blood pressure varied significantly across different models of healthcare delivery. The attributes of the healthcare delivery system may influence the relationship between literacy and health outcomes.

The Impact of Hospital Health Network Affiliation on Discharge Communication Preferences of Primary Care Providers.

Primary care physicians (PCPs) experience differential postdischarge access to electronic health records, depending upon affiliation with the discharging hospital's health network. To better understand whether this affiliation impacts discharge communication preferences, we surveyed a convenience sample of PCPs in and out of our hospital's health network. We also surveyed hospitalists and compared PCPs' and hospitalists' responses. We found that PCP discharge communication preferences differed by hospital health network affiliation. In addition, PCPs and hospitalists reported different expectations of responsibility for pending laboratory test follow-up. More inclusive communication strategies and standardization of responsibility for pending laboratory results may improve discharge communication quality.

Diabetes Quality of Care Before and After Implementation of a Resident Clinic Practice Partnership System.

Deficiencies in resident diabetes care quality may relate to continuity clinic design. This retrospective analysis compared diabetes care processes and outcomes within a traditional resident continuity clinic structure (2005) and after the implementation of a practice partnership system (PPS; 2009). Under PPS, patients were more likely to receive annual foot examinations (odds ratio [OR] = 11.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.2, 18.5), microalbumin screening (OR = 2.4; 95% CI = 1.6, 3.4), and aspirin use counseling (OR = 3.8; 95% CI = 2.5, 6.0) and were less likely to receive eye examinations (OR = 0.54; 95% CI = 0.36, 0.82). Hemoglobin A1c and lipid testing were similar between periods, and there was no difference in achievement of diabetes and blood pressure goals. Patients were less likely to achieve cholesterol goals under PPS (OR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.39, 0.98). Resident practice partnerships may improve processes of diabetes care but may not affect intermediate outcomes.

Do the benefits of participation in a hypertension self-management trial persist after patients resume usual care?

BACKGROUND: Hypertension self-management has been shown to improve systolic blood pressure (BP) control, but longer-term economic and clinical impacts are unknown. The purpose of this article is to examine clinical and economic outcomes 18 months after completion of a hypertension self-management trial. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study is a follow-up analysis of an 18-month, 4-arm, hypertension self-management trial of 591 veterans with hypertension who were randomized to usual care or 1 of 3 interventions. Clinic-derived systolic blood pressure obtained before, during, and after the trial were estimated using linear mixed models. Inpatient admissions, outpatient expenditures, and total expenditures were estimated using generalized estimating equations. The 3 telephone-based interventions were nurse-administered health behavior promotion, provider-administered medication adjustments based on hypertension treatment guidelines, or a combination of both. Intervention calls were triggered by home BP values transmitted via telemonitoring devices. Clinical and economic outcomes were examined 12 months before, 18 months during, and 18 months after trial completion. Compared with usual care, patients randomized to the combined arm had greater improvement in proportion of BP control during and after the 18-month trial and estimated proportion of BP control improved 18 months after trial completion for patients in the behavioral and medication management arms. Among the patients with inadequate baseline BP control, estimated mean systolic BP was significantly lower in the combined arm as compared with usual care during and after the 18-month trial. Utilization and expenditure trends were similar for patients in all 4 arms. CONCLUSIONS: Behavioral and medication management can generate systolic BP improvements that are sustained 18 months after trial completion. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00237692.