Racial/ethnic differences in risk factors associated with severe COVID-19 among older adults with ADRD

Objective To examine racial/ethnic differences in risk factors, and their associations with COVID-19-related outcomes among older adults with ADRD. Design Observational study. Setting and participants:National Medicare claims data and the Minimum Data Set 3.0 from 04/01/2020 to 12/31/2020 were linked in this study. We included community-dwelling fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with ADRD, diagnosed with COVID-19 between 04/01/2020 and 12/01/2020 (N=138,533). Methods Two outcome variables were defined: hospitalization within 14 days and death within 30 days of COVID-19 diagnosis. We obtained information on individual sociodemographic characteristics, chronic conditions, and prior healthcare utilization based on the Medicare claims and the Minimum Dataset. Machine learning methods, including lasso regression and discriminative pattern mining, were used to identify risk factors in racial/ethnic subgroups (i.e., Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics). The associations between identified risk factors and outcomes were evaluated using logistic regression and compared across racial /ethnic subgroups using the coefficient comparison approach. Results We found higher risks of COVID-19-related outcomes among Blacks and Hispanics. The AUCs of the models with identified risk factors were 0.65-0.68 for mortality and 0.61-0.62 for hospitalization across racial/ethnic subgroups. Although some identified risk factors (e.g., age, gender, etc.) for COVID-19-related outcomes were common among all racial/ethnic subgroups, other risk factors (e.g., hypertension, obesity, etc.) varied by racial/ethnic subgroups. Furthermore, the associations between some common risk factors and COVID-19-related outcomes also varied by race/ethnicity. Being male was related to 138.2% (95% CI: [1.996, 2.841]), 64.7% (95% CI: [1.546, 1.755]), and 37.1% (95% CI: [1.192, 1.578]) increased odds of death among Hispanic, White, and Black individuals, respectively. In addition, the racial/ethnic disparity in COVID-19-related outcomes could not be completely explained by the identified risk factors. Conclusions and Implications Racial/ethnic differences were detected in the likelihood of having COVID-19-related outcomes, specific risk factors, and relationships between specific risk factors and COVID-19-related outcomes. Future research is needed to elucidate the reasons for these differences.

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Risk Factors Associated With Severe COVID-19 Among Older Adults With ADRD.

OBJECTIVE: To examine racial/ethnic differences in risk factors, and their associations with COVID-19-related outcomes among older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: National Medicare claims data and the Minimum Data Set 3.0 from April 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020, were linked in this study. We included community-dwelling fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with ADRD, diagnosed with COVID-19 between April 1, 2020, and December 1, 2020 (N = 138,533). METHODS: Two outcome variables were defined: hospitalization within 14 days and death within 30 days of COVID-19 diagnosis. We obtained information on individual sociodemographic characteristics, chronic conditions, and prior health care utilization based on the Medicare claims and the Minimum Dataset. Machine learning methods, including lasso regression and discriminative pattern mining, were used to identify risk factors in racial/ethnic subgroups (ie, White, Black, and Hispanic individuals). The associations between identified risk factors and outcomes were evaluated using logistic regression and compared across racial/ethnic subgroups using the coefficient comparison approach. RESULTS: We found higher risks of COVID-19-related outcomes among Black and Hispanic individuals. The areas under the curve of the models with identified risk factors were 0.65 to 0.68 for mortality and 0.61 to 0.62 for hospitalization across racial/ethnic subgroups. Although some identified risk factors (eg, age, gender) for COVID-19-related outcomes were common among all racial/ethnic subgroups, other risk factors (eg, hypertension, obesity) varied by racial/ethnic subgroups. Furthermore, the associations between some common risk factors and COVID-19-related outcomes also varied by race/ethnicity. Being male was related to 138.2% (95% CI: 1.996-2.841), 64.7% (95% CI: 1.546-1.755), and 37.1% (95% CI: 1.192-1.578) increased odds of death among Hispanic, White, and Black individuals, respectively. In addition, the racial/ethnic disparity in COVID-19-related outcomes could not be completely explained by the identified risk factors. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Racial/ethnic differences were detected in the likelihood of having COVID-19-related outcomes, specific risk factors, and relationships between specific risk factors and COVID-19-related outcomes. Future research is needed to elucidate the reasons for these differences.

Insight to urology patients' preferences regarding telemedicine.

INTRODUCTION: Due to COVID-19, telemedicine has become a common method of healthcare delivery. Our goal was to evaluate urology patients' satisfaction with telemedicine, examine patient preferences, and identify opportunities for improvement in readiness, access, and quality of care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 285 adult urology patients who completed at least one telemedicine visit from September to December 2020 were eligible. A paper survey was disseminated by postal mail with an option to complete electronically. Those who returned completed surveys received a $15 gift card. RESULTS: Seventy-six subjects completed the survey (response rate of 27%). The most common age bracket of the respondents was 70-79 years (37%). Readiness - To prepare, many subjects (49%) read the provided instructions. Most (91%) thought they were adequately prepared. A majority (82%) were satisfied with the ease of set up. Access - Types of visits included established patients (71%), new patient visits (17%), and postoperative visits (9%). Most respondents (84%) did not have difficulty accessing the visit. Quality of care - All respondents were satisfied with the length of visit, and 90% were satisfied with the overall experience. Patient preferences - Compared to office visits, most patients found telemedicine equal or superior in several areas. Preference to utilize telemedicine in the future was dependent on the nature of the complaint, length of their drive and their schedule. CONCLUSIONS: Patients reported high levels of satisfaction and a willingness to engage with telemedicine visits. To minimize future technical disruptions, we offer mock telehealth visits before their scheduled appointment and improved our clinicians' work flow.

Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Affect the Use of Antipsychotics Among Nursing Home Residents With ADRD?

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether and how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the use of antipsychotics among residents with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in nursing homes. DESIGN: Observational study based on the Minimum Data Set and Medicare claims. SETTING: Medicare- and/or Medicaid-certified nursing homes. PARTICIPANTS: Nursing home residents diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias between 2017 and 2020. MEASUREMENTS: The main outcome variable was any antipsychotic use during a quarter. The secondary outcome was certified nursing assistants' staffing hours per bed per day in a quarter. We categorized nursing homes into quartiles based on the distribution of nursing home racial and/or ethnic composition. To explore the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the frequency of antipsychotic use, we estimated a linear probability model with robust standard errors, individual and facility random effects. We used a similar model for certified nursing assistant hours. RESULTS: About 23.7% of residents with ADRD had antipsychotic uses during the study period. The frequency of antipsychotic use declined from 23.7%-23.1% between the first quarter of 2017 (2017Q1) and the first quarter of 2020 (2020Q1) but increased to 24.8% by the last quarter of 2020 (2020Q4). Residents in all four racial and/or ethnic groups experienced an increase in antipsychotic use during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the extent of the increase varied by race and/or ethnicity. For example, while residents in the very-high minority nursing homes experienced a greater increase in antipsychotic use than did the residents of other nursing homes at the beginning of the pandemic, the increasing trend during the pandemic was smaller in the very-high minority nursing homes compared to the low-minority nursing homes (0.2 percentage points less, p<0.001, based on heteroskedasticity-robust t statistics, t = 3.67, df = 8,155,219). On average, the certified nursing assistant hours decreased from 1.8-1.7 hours per bed per day between 2017Q1 and 2020Q1, and further decreased to 1.5 hours per bed per day by 2020Q4. There was also a decreasing trend in staffing hours across all racial and/or ethnic groups during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increase in the use of antipsychotics among nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and decreased staffing of certified nursing assistants, especially among nursing homes with a high minority penetration. Future research is needed to explore means for reducing antipsychotic use, particularly in homes with a high penetration of minority residents.

State social distancing restrictions and nursing home outcomes.

The COVID-19 poses a disproportionate threat to nursing home residents. Although recent studies suggested the effectiveness of state social distancing measures in the United States on curbing COVID-19 morbidity and mortality among the general population, there is a lack of evidence as to how these state orders may have affected nursing home patients or what potential negative health consequences they may have had. In this longitudinal study, we evaluated changes in state strength of social distancing restrictions from June to August of 2020, and their associations with the weekly numbers of new COVID-19 cases, new COVID-19 deaths, and new non-COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes of the US. We found that stronger state social distancing measures were associated with improved COVID-19 outcomes (case and death rates), reduced across-facility disparities in COVID-19 outcomes, and somewhat increased non-COVID-19 death rate, although the estimates for non-COVID-19 deaths were sensitive to alternative model specifications.

Trends in racial and ethnic disparities in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes among nursing home residents.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate trends in racial and ethnic disparities in weekly cumulative rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and deaths in Connecticut nursing homes. DESIGN: Longitudinal analysis of nursing-home COVID-19 reports and other databases. Multivariable negative binomial models were used to estimate disparities in COVID-19 incidence and fatality rates across nursing-home groups with varying proportions of racial and ethnic minority residents, defined as low-, medium-, medium-high-, and high-proportion groups. Trends in such disparities were estimated from week 1 (April 13) to week 10 (ending on June 19, 2020). SETTING: The study was conducted across 211 nursing homes. RESULTS: The average number of cases ranged from 6.1 cases per facility for the low-proportion group to 11.7 cases per facility for the high-proportion group in week 1, and from 26.7 to 58.5 cases per facility in week 10. Compared to the low-proportion group, the adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for the high-proportion group were 1.18 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77-1.80; P > .10) in week 1 and 1.54 (95% CI, 1.05-2.25; P < .05) in week 10, showing a 30% (95% CI, 5%-62%) relative increase (P < .05). The average weekly number of COVID-19-related deaths ranged from 0 to 0.3 deaths per facility for different groups in week 1, and from 7.6 to 13.3 deaths per facility in week 10. Adjusted disparities in fatalities similarly increased over time. CONCLUSIONS: Connecticut nursing homes caring for predominately racial and ethnic minority residents tended to have higher COVID-19 incidence and fatality rates. These across-facility disparities increased during the early periods of the pandemic.

COVID-19 Pandemic in Assisted Living Communities: Results from Seven States.

OBJECTIVE: To describe variations in COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths among assisted living (AL) residents and examine their associations with key AL characteristics. DESIGN: Observational study employing data on confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths in ALs from seven states, through May 29, 2020. SETTING: Information on COVID-19 cases/deaths in ALs was obtained from state government websites. A national inventory of ALs was used to identify communities with and without COVID-19 cases/deaths. Medicare Beneficiary Summary File identifying AL residents was employed to develop AL characteristics. County-level COVID-19 laboratory-confirmed cases/deaths were obtained from publicly available data. PARTICIPANTS: We found 4,865 ALs (2,647 COVID-19 cases and 777 deaths) in the seven states. After excluding missing data, the sample consisted of 3,994 ALs (82.1%) with 2,542 cases (96.0%) and 675 deaths (86.9%). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Outcomes were AL-level counts of cases and deaths. Covariates were AL characteristics and county-level confirmed COVID-19 cases/deaths. Multivariable two-part models determined the associations of independent variables with the likelihood of at least one case and death in the AL, and with the count of cases (deaths). RESULTS: State case fatality ranged from 3.32% in North Carolina to 9.26% in Connecticut, but for ALs in these states it was 12.89% and 31.59%, respectively. Among ALs with at least one case, midsize communities had fewer cases (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.829; P = .004) than small ALs. ALs with higher proportions of racial/ethnic minorities had more COVID-19 cases (IRR = 1.08; P < .001), as did communities with higher proportions of residents with dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and obesity. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: ALs with a higher proportion of minorities had more COVID-19 cases. Many of the previously identified individual risk factors are also present in this vulnerable population. The impact of COVID-19 on ALs is as critical as that on nursing homes, and is worth equal attention from policy makers.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19 Infections and Deaths Across U.S. Nursing Homes.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To determine racial/ethnic disparities in weekly counts of new COVID-19 cases and deaths among nursing home residents or staff. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of national nursing home COVID-19 reports linked to other data. Multivariable two-part models modeled disparities in count of cases or deaths, and logistic regressions modeled disparities in self-reported shortages in staff and personal protective equipment (PPE), across nursing home groups with varying proportions of racial/ethnic minority residents, defined as low-, medium-, medium-high-, and high-proportion groups. SETTING: A total of 12,576 nursing homes nationally. PARTICIPANTS: None. INTERVENTION: None. MEASUREMENTS: Numbers of incident COVID-19 confirmed cases among residents and staff, and incident COVID-19 related deaths among residents (primary outcomes); and nursing home reported shortages in staff and PPE (secondary outcomes). All outcomes were reported for the week of May 25, 2020. RESULTS: The number of weekly new COVID-19 confirmed cases among residents ranged from an average of 0.4 cases per facility (standard deviation (SD) = 2.5) for the low-proportion group (93.0% had zero new cases) to 1.5 cases per facility (SD = 6.3) for the high-proportion group (78.9% had zero new cases). Multivariable regression estimated that compared with the low-proportion group, the likelihood of having at least one new resident case was 76% higher (odds ratio = 1.76; 95% confidence interval = 1.38-2.25; P = .000) for the high-proportion group. Similar across-facility disparities were found for the weekly count of new COVID-19 deaths among residents (ranging from 0.1 deaths per facility (SD = 1.1) for the low-proportion group to 0.4 deaths (SD = 2.0) for the high-proportion group) and in the weekly count of new COVID-19 confirmed cases among staff (ranging from 0.3 cases (SD = 1.4] to 1.3 cases (SD = 4.4) per facility). No substantial disparities in self-reported shortages of staff or PPE were found. CONCLUSION: Nursing homes caring for disproportionately more racial/ethnic minority residents reported more weekly new COVID-19 confirmed cases and/or deaths. Immediate actions are needed to address these system-level disparities.

COVID-19 Infections and Deaths among Connecticut Nursing Home Residents: Facility Correlates.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To determine the associations of nursing home registered nurse (RN) staffing, overall quality of care, and concentration of Medicaid or racial and ethnic minority residents with 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) confirmed cases and deaths by April 16, 2020, among Connecticut nursing home residents. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis on Connecticut nursing home (n = 215) COVID-19 report, linked to other nursing home files and county counts of confirmed cases and deaths. Multivariable two-part models determined the associations of key nursing home characteristics with the likelihood of at least one confirmed case (or death) in the facility, and with the count of cases (deaths) among facilities with at least one confirmed case (death). SETTING: All Connecticut nursing homes (n = 215). PARTICIPANTS: None. INTERVENTION: None. MEASUREMENTS: Numbers of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths among residents. RESULTS: The average number of confirmed cases was eight per nursing home (zero in 107 facilities), and the average number of confirmed deaths was 1.7 per nursing home (zero in 131 facilities). Among facilities with at least one confirmed case, every 20-minute increase in RN staffing (per resident day) was associated with 22% fewer confirmed cases (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = .78; 95% confidence interval [CI] = .68-.89; P < .001); compared with one- to three-star facilities, four- or five-star facilities had 13% fewer confirmed cases (IRR = .87; 95% CI = .78-.97; P < .015), and facilities with high concentration of Medicaid residents (IRR = 1.16; 95% CI = 1.02-1.32; P = .025) or racial/ethnic minority residents (IRR = 1.15; 95% CI = 1.03-1.29; P = .026) had 16% and 15% more confirmed cases, respectively, than their counterparts. Among facilities with at least one death, every 20-minute increase in RN staffing significantly predicted 26% fewer COVID-19 deaths (IRR = .74; 95% CI = I .55-1.00; P = .047). Other focused characteristics did not show statistically significant associations with deaths. CONCLUSION: Nursing homes with higher RN staffing and quality ratings have the potential to better control the spread of the novel coronavirus and reduce deaths. Nursing homes caring predominantly for Medicaid or racial and ethnic minority residents tend to have more confirmed cases.