Impact of a patient-centered tool to reduce misconceptions about coronary artery disease and its treatment: The CAD roadmap.

Objective: Health misinformation is common and can lead to harmful behaviors such as medication non-adherence. We assessed the impact of a novel patient educational tool focused on overcoming misconceptions among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: We developed the CAD Roadmap, an educational tool aimed at explaining the disease trajectory and overcoming common disease misconceptions (such as that statin medications are not beneficial). We designed a pilot survey to assess patients' 1) CAD-related knowledge, 2) medication-taking behavior, and 3) acceptability of the Roadmap. Survey participants were recruited online. CAD knowledge scores were compared with repeated measures t-tests. Results: Among 114 patients with CAD (mean age 67 years, 63% male), average CAD-related knowledge was 79.0% pre-test and 89.7% after review of the CAD Roadmap (p < .001). After review of the Roadmap, 24% indicated they planned to take their medications more regularly, 93% agreed it was helpful in understanding medication benefits, and 77% felt more empowered to participate in medical decisions. Conclusion: The CAD Roadmap was evaluated positively, improved disease-related knowledge, and has the potential to improve adherence to treatments. Innovation: Unlike many other interventions, the CAD Roadmap is specifically designed to overcome common misconceptions to improve health behaviors.

A more complete measure of vertical integration between physicians and hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: To develop an accurate and reproducible measure of vertical integration between physicians and hospitals (defined as hospital or health system employment of physicians), which can be used to assess the impact of integration on healthcare quality and spending. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: We use multiple data sources including from the Internal Revenue Service, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and others to determine the Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) that hospitals and physicians use to bill Medicare for services, and link physician billing TINs to hospital-related TINs. STUDY DESIGN: We developed a new measure of vertical integration, based on the TINs that hospitals and physicians use to bill Medicare, using a broad set of sources for hospital-related TINs. We considered physicians as hospital-employed if they bill Medicare primarily or exclusively using hospital-related TINs. We assessed integration status for all physicians who billed Medicare from 1999 to 2019. We compared this measure with others used in the existing literature. We conducted a simulation study which highlights the importance of accurately identifying integrated physicians when study the effects of integration. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: We extracted physician and hospital-related TINs from multiple sources, emphasizing specificity (a small proportion of nonintegrated physicians identified as integrated). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We identified 12,269 hospital-related TINs, used for billing by 546,775 physicians. We estimate that the percentage of integrated physicians rose from 19% in 1999 to 43% in 2019. Our approach identifies many additional physician practices as integrated; a simpler TIN measure, comparable with prior work, identifies only 30% (3877) of the TINs we identify. A service location measure, used in prior work, has both many false positives and false negatives. CONCLUSION: We developed a new measure of hospital-physician integration. This measure is reproducible and identifies many additional physician practices as integrated.

Conscience-Based Barriers to Medical Aid in Dying: A Survey of Colorado Physicians.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 20% of the United States' population lives in a state or jurisdiction where medical aid in dying (MAiD) is legal. It is unknown how physicians' own barriers are associated with their provision of the spectrum of MAiD services. OBJECTIVE: To measure physicians' religious and/or ethical barriers to providing MAiD services and how such barriers relate to physicians' intentions and behaviors. DESIGN: Three-wave cross-sectional survey fielded in Colorado in 2020-2021. PARTICIPANTS: Physicians providing care to patients likely clinically eligible for MAiD according to probabilistic sampling. MAIN MEASURES: Physicians self-reported barriers to their own participation in MAiD. We considered large ethical and/or religious barriers to be conscience-based barriers. We measured physicians' self-reported intention to participate and self-reported prior participation in MAiD since it was legalized in Colorado in 2017. We estimated differences in intention and behavior outcomes according to presence of conscience-based barriers, adjusting for physician gender, race/ethnicity, time in practice, and specialty. KEY RESULTS: Among 300 respondents, 26% reported "large" ethical and/or religious barriers to their involvement in MAiD. Physicians with longer time in practice and those identifying as non-White were more likely to report conscience-based barriers to MAiD. Comparing physicians with and without conscience-based barriers to MAiD, we found no difference in ancillary participation (discussing, referring) but significant differences in direct participation (serving as consultant [5% vs. 31%] or attending [0% vs. 22%]). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one-quarter of physicians likely to care for MAiD-eligible patients in Colorado reported religious and/or ethical barriers to MAiD. Despite religious and/or ethical barriers, the vast majority of physicians were willing to discuss MAiD and/or refer patients seeking MAiD services. These data provide important empirical foundation for policy from hospitals and health systems as well as medical specialty groups with official positions on MAiD.

Ethics and Medical Aid in Dying: Physicians' Perspectives on Disclosure, Presence, and Eligibility.

Medical aid in dying (MAiD), despite being legal in many jurisdictions, remains controversial ethically. Existing surveys of physicians' perceptions of MAiD tend to focus on the legal or moral permissibility of MAiD in general. Using a novel sampling strategy, we surveyed physicians likely to have engaged in MAiD-related activities in Colorado to assess their attitudes toward contemporary ethical issues in MAiD.

Industry relationships among authors of U.S. Clinical Practice Guidelines in cardiology from 2014 to 2020.

Clinical practice guidelines and Scientific statements are influential publications that define the standard of care for many diseases. However, little is known about industry payments and financial conflict-of-interest among authors of such publications in cardiology. We identified guidelines published between 2014 and 2020 by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in order to assess the payment status of CPG authors using the Open Payment Program (OPP) database.

Trends in Short-, Intermediate-, and Long-Term Mortality Following Hospitalization for Myocardial Infarction Among Medicare Beneficiaries, 2008 to 2018.

Background Advances in technology and care quality have transformed the care of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but little is known about trends in mortality rates across separate time periods after hospitalization. Methods and Results We identified all Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries hospitalized with incident AMI from 2008 to 2018. We calculated unadjusted mortality rates by dividing the number of all-cause deaths by the number of patients with incident AMI for the following time periods: acute (in hospital), post acute (0-30 days after hospital discharge), short term (31 days to 1 year after discharge), intermediate term (1-2 years after discharge), and long term (2-3 years after discharge). Each period was considered separately (ie, patients who died during one period were not counted in subsequent periods). Using logistic regression to account for differences in patient characteristics, we calculated annual risk standardized mortality ratios defined as observed over expected mortality based on 2008 rates. Among 768 084 patients with incident AMI (mean age 81 years, 48% male, 87% White), declines in observed-to-expected mortality ratios were observed for each time period: acute (0.68 [95% CI, 0.66-0.71]), postacute (0.72 [95% CI, 0.71-0.75]), short term (0.77 [95% CI, 0.75-0.78]), intermediate term (0.79 [95% CI, 0.77-0.81]), and long term (0.77 [95% CI, 0.75-0.79]). Declines were observed both for patients with and without ST-segment-elevation AMI. Conclusions For patients with incident AMI, there have been improvements in mortality rates across periods spanning the hospital stay through 3 years after discharge, reflecting advances in AMI care from hospitalization through long-term outpatient follow-up.

Specialty Differences in Medical Aid in Dying Experiences: Results of a Survey of Physicians in Colorado.

In Colorado, medical aid in dying (MAiD) is legal, allowing a terminally ill person to request a prescription and self-administer a medication to end their life. Such requests are granted under certain circumstances, including a malignant neoplasm diagnosis, with a goal of peaceful death. This study examined differences in attitudes and actual participation in MAiD between oncologists and non-oncologists, using data from a recent survey of physicians regarding MAiD.

Use and Influence of Medical Aid in Dying Service on Physician Experiences.

Background: The involvement of Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) experts to guide MAiD prescribers who may be unfamiliar with the process is unknown. Objective: To examine the involvement of consulting services on physician experiences participating in MAiD activities. Design: This is an anonymous survey. Participants: Colorado physicians (n = 583) likely to care for MAiD-eligible patients. Measures: Consulting services used in a recent MAiD case and perspectives on use of a MAiD service. Results: Of 300 physicians (response rate 55%), 49 physicians had served as a MAiD attending and/or consulting physician. In a recent MAiD case, commonly used services included palliative care (92%), hospice (81%), social work (78%), or a MAiD service (63%). When a MAiD service was not used vs. used, respondents felt the MAiD case was less professionally risky (28% vs. 7%, p = 0.04). Conclusion: Along with palliative care, hospice, and social work, use of an experienced MAiD service was relatively common. The role and function of MAiD services warrant further exploration.

Patient Symptoms and Stress Testing After Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

Importance: Up to 60% of patients in the US receive a stress test within 2 years of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), prompting concerns about the possible overuse of stress testing. Objective: To examine the proportion of patients who underwent stress testing within 2 years of elective PCI, proportion of patients who had symptoms that were consistent with coronary artery disease (CAD), timing of stress testing, and site-level variation in stress testing among symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used administrative claims data and clinical records from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking program. Patients who underwent stress testing within 2 years of elective PCI for stable CAD between November 1, 2013, and October 31, 2015, at 64 VA facilities were included in the analysis. Patients who received stress testing for staging purposes, cardiac rehabilitation evaluation, or preoperative testing before high-risk surgery were excluded. Data were analyzed from June to December 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was the proportion of patients who underwent stress testing and had symptoms that were consistent with obstructive CAD, using definitions from the 2013 clinical practice guideline (Multimodality Appropriate Use Criteria for the Detection and Risk Assessment of Stable Ischemic Heart Disease). Secondary outcomes were the timing of stress testing (assessed using a cumulative incidence curve) and site-level variation in stress testing (assessed using multilevel logistic regression models). Results: A total of 3705 consecutive patients (mean [SD] age 66.3 [7.6] years; 3656 men [98.7%]; 437 Black individuals [11.8%], 3175 White individuals [85.7%], and 93 individuals [2.5%] of other races and ethnicities [Asian, Hispanic or Latinx, or unknown]) had elective PCI. Of these patients, 916 (24.7%) received a stress test within 2 years, among whom 730 (79.7%) had symptoms that were consistent with obstructive CAD at the time of stress testing. Visual inspection of a cumulative incidence curve for stress testing showed no rapid increases in stress testing at 6 months or 1 year after PCI, which might coincide with routine clinical visits. The proportion of symptomatic patients who underwent stress testing at each VA site ranged from 67.7% to 100%, with no significant site-level variation in stress testing. Conclusions and Relevance: Results of this study suggest that most veterans who underwent stress testing within 2 years after elective PCI had symptoms that were consistent with obstructive CAD. Therefore, measuring low-value stress testing using only administrative claims data may overestimate its prevalence, and concerns about overuse of post-PCI stress testing may be overstated.

A novel methodology to identify and survey physicians participating in medical aid-in-dying.

Physicians who participate in medical-aid-in-dying (MAID) cannot be easily identified and studied due to cost and anonymity barriers. We developed and empirically tested a novel methodology to identify and survey physicians highly likely to participate in MAID activities. We used a state-level comprehensive administrative claims database to identify a cohort of patients with diagnoses and hospice enrollment similar to those known to have filled a prescription for MAID from 2017-2018. We then identified physicians who provided routine outpatient care to these patients using National Provider Identifier numbers. We surveyed these physicians in 3 waves (n = 583 total surveys), ranking physicians in order of their likelihood of being asked about MAID for each wave based on characteristics including specialty and the number of unique patients they had provided care to. We re-ranked physicians in waves 2 and 3 based on responses from prior waves. Physicians were surveyed only once and there was no follow-up to preserve anonymity. Surveys assessed the proportion of respondents who participated in MAID activities (discussions, referrals, and/or prescriptions). We identified 6369 physicians that provided care to 2960 patients. In survey waves one, two, and three respectively, response rates (55%, 52%, and 55%; p = 0.98) and the proportion of respondents that participated in MAID activities (58%, 56%, and 42%; p = 0.05) were similar. Small adjustments made to physician ranking criteria in waves two and three did not increase the proportion of physicians that participated in MAID activities. We used a novel methodology using administrative data to identify and survey physicians at high likelihood of participating in MAID activities. We achieved good overall response rates (52%), and a high proportion of respondents that participated in MAID activities (52%), demonstrating that it is possible to overcome cost and anonymity barriers to conducting quantitative research on MAID. This methodology could be used in larger scale studies of MAID or other bioethical issues with "hidden" physician populations.

Strategies to Reduce Low-Value Cardiovascular Care: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Low-value health care services that provide little or no benefit to patients are common, potentially harmful, and costly. Nearly half of the patients in the United States will receive at least 1 low-value test or procedure annually, creating risk of avoidable complications from subsequent cascades of care and excess costs to patients and society. Reducing low-value care is of particular importance to cardiovascular health given the high prevalence and costs of cardiovascular disease in the United States. This scientific statement describes the current scope and impact of low-value cardiovascular care; reviews existing literature on patient-, clinician-, health system-, payer-, and policy-level interventions to reduce low-value care; proposes solutions to achieve meaningful and equitable reductions in low-value care; and suggests areas for future research priorities.

Physicians' Attitudes and Experiences with Medical Aid in Dying in Colorado: a "Hidden Population" Survey.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 20% of the US population live in states where MAiD is a legal, though highly contentious, practice. Little generalizable data exists on the experiences of MAiD providers who comprise a small, and intentionally hidden, population. OBJECTIVE: To examine the nature, extent, and consequences of physicians' participation in MAiD. DESIGN: An anonymous, multi-wave, mailed survey (RR= 55%). PARTICIPANTS: An enriched sample (n=583) of Colorado physicians caring for potential MAiD patients. MAIN MEASURES: Physician willingness, preparedness, and participation in a continuum of MAiD activities. Other outcomes include the effects of providing MAiD and the barriers physicians face related to MAiD. KEY RESULTS: Overall, 81.1% of respondents were willing to discuss MAiD with a patient, 88.3% to refer for MAiD, 46.3% to be a consultant, and 28.1% to be an attending. Fewer felt prepared to discuss MAiD (54.4%), provide a MAiD referral (62.8%), be a consultant (30.7%), or be an attending (18.0%). More than half of respondents (52.3%) had discussed MAiD with a patient, 27.3% provided a MAiD referral, 12.8% had been a MAiD consultant, and 8.5% had been a MAiD attending. Among MAiD consultants and attendings, 75% reported that their most recent MAiD case was emotionally fulfilling and professionally rewarding, though 75% also reported that it was time consuming and 46.9% reported that it was ethically challenging. Common barriers to physician participation in MAiD include lack of knowledge about MAiD (46.8%), the emotional (45.6%) and time (41.7%) investments, and ethical concerns (41.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Many physicians in our sample are both willing and prepared to discuss MAiD with patients and to provide MAiD referrals. Fewer are prepared and willing to serve as an attending or consultant and fewer have provided these services. MAID consultants and attendings largely report the experience to be emotionally fulfilling and professionally rewarding, but all respondents reported multiple barriers to participation.

Medication adherence in cardiovascular medicine.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally. While pharmacological advancements have improved the morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular disease, non-adherence to prescribed treatment remains a significant barrier to improved patient outcomes. A variety of strategies to improve medication adherence have been tested in clinical trials, and include the following categories: improving patient education, implementing medication reminders, testing cognitive behavioral interventions, reducing medication costs, utilizing healthcare team members, and streamlining medication dosing regimens. In this review, we describe specific trials within each of these categories and highlight the impact of each on medication adherence. We also examine ongoing trials and future lines of inquiry for improving medication adherence in patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Patient Roadmaps for Chronic Illness: Introducing a New Approach for Fostering Patient-Centered Care.

Background. Too frequently, patients with chronic illnesses are surprised by disease-related changes and are unprepared to make decisions based on their values. Many patients are not activated and do not see a role for themselves in decision making, which is a key barrier to shared decision making and patient-centered care. Patient decision aids can educate and activate patients at the time of key decisions, and yet, for patients diagnosed with chronic illness, it would be advantageous to activate patients in advance of critical decisions. In this article, we describe and formalize the concept of the Patient Roadmap, a novel approach for promoting patient-centered care that aims to activate patients earlier in the care trajectory and provide them with anticipatory guidance. Methods. We first identify the gap that the Patient Roadmap fills, and describe theory underlying its approach. Then we describe what information a Patient Roadmap might include. Examples are provided, as well as a review comparing the Patient Roadmap concept to existing tools that aim to promote patient-centered care (e.g., patient decision aids). Results and Conclusions. New approaches for promoting patient-centered care are needed. This article provides an introduction and overview of the Patient Roadmap concept for promoting patient-centered care in the context of chronic illness.

Patient Perspectives on the Benefits and Risks of Percutaneous Coronary Interventions: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence for coronary stents in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) suggests that the benefits of stents are uncertain. The goal of this study was to assess patients' informational needs and how patients react to information about the uncertain benefit of stents to CAD patients. METHODS: Semi-structured qualitative interviews (N=20) were conducted with patients with stable CAD who received a recent stent. Data were coded and analyzed using a mixed inductive-deductive approach. RESULTS: Some patients mistakenly believed that the purpose of their stent was to prevent a future heart attack, and few were previously aware of the uncertain benefit. Nearly all patients perceived positive outcomes from their procedure, even if their symptoms persisted. Some patients had difficulty accepting evidence that stents may not reduce the risk of heart attack or reliably improve symptoms. Nonetheless, patients still expressed a desire to receive new information about the uncertain benefits of stents and wanted to have received this information early in their care. CONCLUSION: Many patients with stable CAD do not understand the intended benefit of coronary stents and want to be informed of the evidence of uncertain benefit of coronary stents, even if this would not change their decision. Improved communication and patient education tools are needed to better inform patients. An intervention providing patients with this information early has the potential to solve these problems.

Differences in High- and Low-Value Cardiovascular Testing by Health Insurance Provider.

Background Quality of care incentives and reimbursements for cardiovascular testing differ between insurance providers. We hypothesized that there are differences in the use of guideline-concordant testing between Medicaid versus commercial insurance patients <65 years, and between Medicare Advantage versus Medicare fee-for-service patients ≥65 years. Methods and Results Using data from the Colorado All-Payer Claims Database from 2015 to 2018, we identified patients eligible to receive a high-value test recommended by guidelines: assessment of left ventricular function among patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction or incident heart failure, or a low-value test that provides minimal patient benefit: stress testing prior to low-risk surgery or routine stress testing within 2 years of percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Among 145 616 eligible patients, 37% had fee-for-service Medicare, 18% Medicare Advantage, 22% Medicaid, and 23% commercial insurance. Using multilevel logistic regression models adjusted for patient characteristics, Medicaid patients were less likely to receive high-value testing for acute myocardial infarction (odds ratio [OR], 0.84 [0.73-0.98]; P=0.03) and heart failure (OR, 0.59 [0.51-0.70]; P<0.01) compared with commercially insured patients. Medicare Advantage patients were more likely to receive high-value testing for acute myocardial infarction (OR, 1.35 [1.15-1.59]; P<0.01) and less likely to receive low-value testing after percutaneous coronary intervention/ coronary artery bypass graft (OR, 0.63 [0.55-0.72]; P<0.01) compared with Medicare fee-for-service patients. Conclusions Guideline-concordant testing was less likely to occur among patients with Medicaid compared with commercial insurance, and more likely to occur among patients with Medicare Advantage compared with fee-for-service Medicare. Insurance plan features may provide valuable targets to improve guideline-concordant testing.