Rapid implementation of Inpatient eConsult Programme addresses new challenges for patient care during COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: At the early epicentre of the COVID-19 crisis in the USA, our institution saw a surge in the demand for inpatient consultations for areas impacted by COVID-19 (eg, infectious diseases, nephrology, palliative care) and shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE). We aimed to provide timely specialist input for consult requests during the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing an Inpatient eConsult Programme. METHODS: We used the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance implementation science framework and run chart analysis to evaluate the reach, adoption and maintenance of the Inpatient eConsult Programme compared with traditional in-person consults. We solicited qualitative feedback from frontline physicians and specialists for programme improvements. RESULTS: During the study period, there were 46 available in-person consult orders and 21 new eConsult orders. At the peak of utilisation, 42% of all consult requests were eConsults, and by the end of the study period, utilisation fell to 20%. Qualitative feedback revealed subspecialties best suited for eConsults (infectious diseases, nephrology, haematology, endocrinology) and influenced improvements to the ordering workflow, documentation, billing and education regarding use. DISCUSSION: When offered inpatient eConsult requests as an alternative to in-person consults in the context of a surge in patients with COVID-19, frontline physicians used eConsult requests and decreased use of in-person consults. As the demand for consults decreased and PPE shortages were no longer a major concern, eConsult utilisation decreased, revealing a preference for in-person consultations when possible. CONCLUSIONS: Lessons learnt can be used to develop and implement inpatient eConsults to meet context-specific challenges at other institutions.

Teamwork and Leadership Under Fire at the Epicenter of the COVID-19 Epidemic in the Bronx.

The first Covid-19 patient was admitted to Montefiore Medical Center (MMC) on March 10, 2020. Soon thereafter there was a rapid and exponential surge of Covid-19 admissions to MMC that could have resulted in catastrophic consequences if MMC had been overwhelmed, as happened in Europe. To adjust to this crisis our institution, under the inspiring leadership of Dr. Philip Ozuah, President and CEO of Montefiore Medicine, adopted an "all hands on deck" approach, mobilizing our entire workforce to expand our units to accommodate the growing number of patients being admitted. Given that the internal medicine (IM) and ICU units are part of the department of medicine (DOM), the DOM was at the center of this mobilization. The DOM is the largest department at MMC and mobilizing it required careful planning, seamless teamwork, and strong leadership. To achieve that goal, we applied a framework that we designate the "3C framework," denoting Coordination, Communication, and Collaboration. In this report we describe the many initiatives the Montefiore Einstein DOM implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic using the 3C framework. These included establishing the Medicine Covid-19 Taskforce to lead our efforts, starting a daily newsletter for up-to-date communications, rapidly expanding the ICU and IM units, converting most specialty inpatient consults to eConsults, coordinating research studies, and more. The goal of this report is to serve as a guide on how the 3C framework helped us organize, mobilize, and energize the department of medicine effectively and efficiently during this unprecedented crisis.

IATROGENIC CUSHING SYNDROME IN AN HIV-INFECTED PATIENT SECONDARY TO CONCOMITANT THERAPY WITH GENVOYA AND EPIDURAL TRIAMCINOLONE.

OBJECTIVE: We report the first known case of Cushing syndrome and secondary adrenal insufficiency in a patient with concomitant use of epidural triamcinolone and Genvoya® (elvitegravir 150 mg/cobicistat 150 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir alafenamide 10 mg) for the human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV). The prompt recognition of this drug-drug interaction is critical to avoid adverse outcomes when glucocorticoids are used with anti-retroviral treatment containing cobicistat, a potent cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A4) inhibitor. METHODS: The patient was evaluated by determining morning serum cortisol concentrations, the serum cortisol response to cosyntropin, and a urine synthetic glucocorticoid panel that is capable of measuring triamcinolone. We also employed the Naranjo Nomogram for Causality as well as a Drug Interaction Probability scale to assess medication-related adverse effects. Long term outcome was assessed by measuring morning serum cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels. RESULTS: A 76-year-old female with HIV on Genvoya® presented with fatigue, weight loss, and hyperglycemia. She had received multiple epidural triamcinolone injections for chronic back pain before her presentation. We hypothesized that the patient's presentation of Cushing syndrome and adrenal insufficiency was caused by the inhibition of triamcinolone metabolism by cobicistat. The patient's antiretroviral therapy was changed to a regimen without cobicistat. She was started on maintenance hydrocortisone to prevent an adrenal crisis. A repeat urine glucocorticoid panel, within 3 days of the patient's HIV regimen being changed, showed a significant decrease in triamcinolone levels. CONCLUSION: It is essential to avoid drugs that include cobicistat when administering glucocorticoids that are metabolized via the CYP3A4 pathway due to the risk of developing Cushing syndrome and secondary adrenal insufficiency.

Impact of an Opt-In eConsult Program on Primary Care Demand for Specialty Visits: Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Implementation Study.

BACKGROUND: eConsult programs have been instituted to increase access to specialty expertise. Opt-in choice eConsult programs maintain primary care physician (PCP) autonomy to decide whether to utilize eConsults versus traditional specialty referrals, but little is known about how this intervention may impact PCP eConsult adoption and traditional referral demand. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the feasibility of implementing an opt-in choice eConsult program and examined whether this intervention reduces demand for in-person visits for primary care patients requiring specialty expertise. DESIGN: Stepped-wedge, cluster randomized trial conducted from July 2018 to June 2019. PARTICIPANTS: Sixteen primary care practices in a large, urban academic health care system. INTERVENTION: Our intervention was an opt-in choice eConsult available in addition to traditional specialty referral; our implementation strategy included in-person training, audit and feedback, and incentive payments. MAIN MEASURES: Our implementation outcome measure was the eConsult rate: weekly proportion of eConsults per PCP visit at each site. Our intervention outcome measure was traditional referral rate: weekly proportion of referrals per PCP visit at each site. We also assessed PCP experiences with questionnaires. KEY RESULTS: Of 305,915 in-person PCP visits, there were 31,510 traditional referrals to specialties participating in the eConsult program, and 679 eConsults. All but one primary care site utilized the opt-in choice eConsult program, with a weekly rate of 0.05 eConsults per 100 PCP visits by the end of the study period. The weekly rate of traditional referrals was 11 per 100 PCP visits at the end of the study period; this represents a significant increase in traditional referral rate after implementation of eConsults. PCPs were generally satisfied with the eConsult program and valued prompt provider-to-provider communication. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of an opt-in choice eConsult program resulted in widespread PCP adoption; however, this did not decrease the demand for traditional referrals. Future studies should evaluate different strategies to incentivize and increase eConsult utilization while maintaining PCP choice.

Use of the estimated glucose disposal rate as a measure of insulin resistance in an urban multiethnic population with type 1 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Insulin resistance has been described in type 1 diabetes mellitus, is related to risk of vascular complications, and may be more common in certain ethnic groups. Estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) is a validated clinical tool for estimating insulin sensitivity in type 1 diabetes. Because previous reports of eGDR in adults with type 1 diabetes have included few ethnic minorities, this study explored interethnic differences in eGDR and the relationship of eGDR with diabetic vascular complications. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using a sample that included 207 white, black, or Hispanic adults with prior clinical diagnosis of type 1 diabetes who were receiving care at an urban academic medical center. eGDR (milligrams per kilogram per minute) was calculated using HbA1c, waist circumference, and hypertensive status. Race/ethnicity was self-reported. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs of association of eGDR with diabetes complications (cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, albuminuria, and chronic kidney disease above stage 3). RESULTS: Forty-two percent of the participants were women, and mean age was 45 ± 15 years; 34% were white, 32% were Hispanic, and 34% were black. Ethnicity was significantly associated with eGDR; blacks had significantly lower eGDR (5.66 ± 2.34) than Hispanics (6.70 ± 2.29) and whites (7.20 ± 2.03) (P < 0.001). Patients with the lowest eGDR compared with the highest had a significantly greater risk of any diabetes complication (OR 3.1 [95% CI 1.2-8.1]) compared with the least insulin-resistant patients. CONCLUSIONS: In an urban clinic population of patients with type 1 diabetes, blacks were significantly less insulin sensitive than whites or Hispanics, and lower eGDR was associated with diabetes complications. Further study is needed to determine whether using eGDR to target interventions can improve outcomes.

Proton pump inhibitor-induced hypocalcemic seizure in a patient with hypoparathyroidism.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of proton pump inhibitor-induced hypocalcemic seizure in a patient with hypoparathyroidism. METHODS: We describe the clinical history, physical examination findings, and laboratory values of the patient and briefly review the relevant literature. RESULTS: A 48-year-old woman with a history of postsurgical hypoparathyroidism who was taking calcium carbonate, 1500 mg 3 times daily, and cholecalciferol, 1200 IU daily, presented with a generalized seizure in the setting of hypocalcemia 12 days after initiating therapy with the proton pump inhibitor lansoprazole. Physical examination revealed a positive Chvostek sign. Electrocardiogram was notable for a prolonged QT(c) interval of 576 milliseconds. Laboratory data were notable for the following values: total serum calcium, 5.3 mg/dL; ionized calcium, 2.51 mg/dL; and intact parathyroid hormone, 5.8 pg/mL. The patient's condition responded to therapy with intravenous calcium gluconate, oral calcium carbonate, and calcitriol. As an outpatient she remained asymptomatic off lansoprazole, treated with calcium carbonate and calcitriol. CONCLUSIONS: Caution should be exercised in prescribing proton pump inhibitors to patients with a history of hypoparathyroidism treated with calcium carbonate supplementation because severe hypocalcemia is a potential adverse effect.

Combinatorial microRNA target predictions.

MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that recognize and bind to partially complementary sites in the 3' untranslated regions of target genes in animals and, by unknown mechanisms, regulate protein production of the target transcript. Different combinations of microRNAs are expressed in different cell types and may coordinately regulate cell-specific target genes. Here, we present PicTar, a computational method for identifying common targets of microRNAs. Statistical tests using genome-wide alignments of eight vertebrate genomes, PicTar's ability to specifically recover published microRNA targets, and experimental validation of seven predicted targets suggest that PicTar has an excellent success rate in predicting targets for single microRNAs and for combinations of microRNAs. We find that vertebrate microRNAs target, on average, roughly 200 transcripts each. Furthermore, our results suggest widespread coordinate control executed by microRNAs. In particular, we experimentally validate common regulation of Mtpn by miR-375, miR-124 and let-7b and thus provide evidence for coordinate microRNA control in mammals.