Implementation of US Post-Acute Care Payment Reform and COVID-19 Policies: Examining Experiences of Health System Leaders, Staff, Patients, and Family Caregivers-A Protocol.

In fiscal year 2020, new national Medicare payment models were implemented in the two most common post-acute care settings (i.e., skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and home health agencies (HHAs)), which were followed by the emergence of COVID-19. Given concerns about the unintended consequence of these events, this study protocol will examine how organizations responded to these policies and whether there were changes in SNF and HHA access, care delivery, and outcomes from the perspectives of leadership, staff, patients, and families. We will conduct a two-phase multiple case study guided by the Institute of Medicine's Model of Healthcare Systems. Phase I will include three cases for each setting and a maximum of fifty administrators per case. Phase II will include a subset of Phase I organizations, which are grouped into three setting-specific cases. Each Phase II case will include a maximum of four organizations. Semi-structured interviews will explore the perspectives of frontline staff, patients, and family caregivers (Phase II). Thematic analysis will be used to examine the impact of payment policy and COVID-19 on organizational operations, care delivery, and patient outcomes. The results of this study intend to develop evidence addressing concerns about the unintended consequences of the PAC payment policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Examining Real-World Therapy Practice of Cognitive Screening and Assessment in Post-Acute Care.

OBJECTIVES: Routine implementation of cognitive screening and assessment by therapy providers in post-acute settings may promote improved care coordination. This study examined the frequency of cognitive screening and assessment documentation across post-acute settings, as well as its relationship with contextual factors and outcomes. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study using Medicare claims and electronic health record data from 1 large health system. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Older adults admitted to post-acute care after an acute hospitalization. METHODS: Descriptive analysis examined documentation of cognitive screening and assessment. Logistic and hierarchical linear regression evaluated the relationship among patient factors, cognitive screening and assessment, and patient outcomes. RESULTS: The most common admission diagnoses for the final sample (n=2535) were total hip or knee joint replacement (41.7%) and stroke (15.3%). Following acute hospitalization, patients were discharged to inpatient rehabilitation (22.6%), skilled nursing (9.3%), or home health (68.1%). During the post-acute care stay, 38% of patients had documentation of cognitive screening by any therapy discipline. Patterns of documentation varied across disciplines and post-acute settings. Documentation of standardized cognitive assessments was limited, occurring for less than 2% of patients. Admission for stroke was associated with significantly higher odds of cognitive screening or assessment [odds ratio (OR) 2.07, 95% CI 1.13, 3.82] compared to patients with other diagnoses. There was no significant relationship between documentation of cognitive screening or assessment and 30-day readmissions (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.53, 1.28). CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The key finding was inconsistent documentation of cognitive screening and assessment across disciplines and post-acute settings, which could be in part due to variation in electronic health record platforms. Future work can expand on these results to understand the degree to which contextual factors facilitate or inhibit routine delivery and documentation of cognitive screening and assessment. Findings can support implementation of standardized data elements to lead to improved care coordination and outcomes.

Optimizing Post-Acute Care Patient Safety: A Scoping Review of Multifactorial Fall Prevention Interventions for Older Adults.

Accidental falls are preventable adverse events for older post-acute care (PAC) patients. Yet, due to the functional and medical care needs of this population, there is little guidance to inform multidisciplinary prevention efforts. This scoping review aims to characterize the evidence for multifactorial PAC fall prevention interventions. Of the 33 included studies, common PAC intervention domains included implementing facility-based strategies (e.g., staff education), evaluating patient-specific fall risk factors (e.g., function), and developing an individualized risk profile and treatment plan that targets the patient's constellation of fall risk factors. However, there was variability across studies in how and to what extent the domains were addressed. While further research is warranted, health system efforts to prevent accidental falls in PAC should consider a patient-centered multifactorial approach that fosters a culture of safety, addresses individuals' fall risk, and champions a multidisciplinary team.

A Systematic Review of Tools Assessing the Perspective of Caregivers of Residents With Dementia.

In collaboration with stakeholders, we conducted a systematic review of psychometric evidence for self-report tools measuring the perspective of family caregivers of nursing home residents with dementia. Our rationale for this review was based on evidence that nonpharmacological interventions can ameliorate dementia symptoms in nursing home residents. Such interventions require caregiver participation, which is influenced by perspectives. Yet, no existing tool measures the multidomain caregiver perspective. Our review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol. The final sample included 42 articles describing 33 tools measuring domains of nursing home dementia care such as behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, resident quality of life, dementia-specific knowledge, communication, and medication use. We uncovered evidence gaps for tools measuring dementia-specific knowledge, communication, and medication use, all of which were important to our stakeholders. Future research should focus on development of psychometrically sound tools in alignment with the multidomain caregiver perspective.

Exploring Occupational Therapists' Experiences in U.S. Primary Care Settings: A Qualitative Study.

IMPORTANCE: Occupational therapy's scope of practice aligns with the goals of comprehensive primary care set forth by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. 111-148). To successfully integrate occupational therapy into primary care, we must understand occupational therapy practitioners' experiences in this setting. OBJECTIVE: To explore facilitators of, barriers to, and recommendations for integrating occupational therapy into primary care. DESIGN: A descriptive qualitative design that incorporated semistructured interviews, member checking sessions, and deductive thematic analysis. Interviews were structured to capture occupational therapists' experiences of and recommendations for practicing in primary care. SETTING: Primary care. PARTICIPANTS: A purposive sample of licensed occupational therapists with at least 6 mo primary care experience in the United States. RESULTS: Seven participants reported 1 to 8 yr of experience in primary care. Four themes emerged that contextualized the experiences of occupational therapists in primary care. The first theme captured the process of gaining entry onto the primary care team. Once structurally embedded on the team, the second and third themes, respectively, captured barriers and facilitators to navigating team-based care and providing patient-centered care. The fourth theme reflected participants' vision and ideas of how to expand reach nationally to promote consistent integration of occupational therapy into primary care. Conclusion and Relevance: Given the important role of an interprofessional primary care team in improving population health, this study is timely in that it explored occupational therapists' experiences in this emerging practice area. What This Article Adds: Occupational therapists in this study used their skills, resources, and networks to become part of a primary care team. They indicated that they contributed to positive outcomes through working with patients on self-management, functional problem solving, and behavior change.

Evidence for the Effectiveness of Interventions for Caregivers of People With Chronic Conditions: A Systematic Review.

IMPORTANCE: Caregivers are pivotal in supporting the growing population of people with chronic conditions. Yet, engaging in the caregiver role involves the risk of poor outcomes. Caregiver interventions are needed that address poor outcomes while fostering engagement in role-related activities. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the evidence for interventions to support caregivers of adults with chronic conditions. DATA SOURCES: Five databases were searched for studies of interventions for caregivers and patient-caregiver dyads published between 1995 and 2019. Study Selection and Data Collection: We reviewed the titles, abstracts, and full-text articles of the initial search results (N = 12,216 studies) according to a predetermined protocol. FINDINGS: Forty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Psychoeducation and education with skills training were the two caregiver intervention themes. Studies evaluating psychoeducation (n = 28) provided low strength of evidence for improved psychosocial outcomes. Within this theme, problem-solving and coping skills training were common intervention components associated with significant improvements in depression and quality of life. Studies evaluating education with skills training (n = 20) provided moderate strength of evidence for improved knowledge and low strength of evidence for improved psychosocial outcomes. Dyadic self-management education and hands-on training were common components associated with significant improvements in knowledge, quality of life, and burden or strain. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: We found low strength of evidence to support the use of psychoeducation and education with skills training. Within these approaches, problem-solving and coping skills training, dyadic self-management education, and hands-on training show promise for improving caregiver outcomes. What This Article Adds: Findings of this systematic review are inconclusive with respect to psychoeducation and education with skills training leading to improved caregiver well-being. Within these broad approaches, the findings support the use of problem-solving and coping skills training, dyadic self-management education, and hands-on training to improve knowledge and well-being among caregivers of people with chronic conditions.

Examining Guided and Directed Cues in Strategy Training and Usual Rehabilitation.

Therapist approach and feedback during rehabilitation may influence patient outcomes. It is unclear how much guided cueing, the approach used in strategy training, is present in usual rehabilitation care. We compared the frequency of guided and directed cueing in strategy training sessions with cueing in usual care occupational and physical therapy. We videotaped strategy training, occupational therapy, and physical therapy sessions among 20 patients admitted to inpatient rehabilitation after stroke. Using a standardized coding scheme, we coded and analyzed frequencies of therapists' cues (guided or directed). The proportion of guided cues was significantly higher in strategy training intervention (42%) compared with occupational therapy (4%) and physical therapy (3%). Preliminary research suggests that guided cueing may be more prevalent in strategy training than in usual care. Given that guided cueing provides more opportunity for patients to take an active role in their rehabilitation, guided cueing may lead to superior outcomes.