Cost-Effectiveness of a Comprehensive Primary Care Smoking Treatment Program.

INTRODUCTION: Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the U.S. This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness from a healthcare system perspective of a comprehensive primary care intervention to reduce smoking rates. METHODS: This pragmatic trial implemented electronic health record prompts during primary care visits and employed certified tobacco cessation specialists to offer proactive outreach and smoking cessation treatment to patients who smoke. The data, analyzed in 2022, included 10,683 patients in the smoking registry from 2017 to 2020. Pre-post analyses compared intervention costs to treatment engagement, successful self-reported smoking cessation, and acute health care utilization (urgent care, emergency department visits, and inpatient hospitalization). Cost per quality-adjusted life year was determined by applying conversion factors obtained from the tobacco research literature to the cost per patient who quit smoking. RESULTS: Tobacco cessation outreach, medication, and counseling costs increased from $2.64 to $6.44 per patient per month, for a total post-implementation intervention cost of $500,216. Smoking cessation rates increased from 1.3% pre-implementation to 8.7% post-implementation, for an incremental effectiveness of 7.4%. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $628 (95% CI: $568, $695) per person who quit smoking, and $905 (95% CI: $822, $1,001) per quality-adjusted life year gained. Acute health care costs decreased by an average of $42 (95% CI: -$59, $145) per patient per month for patients in the smoking registry. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a comprehensive and proactive smoking cessation outreach and treatment program for adult primary care patients who smoke meets typical cost-effectiveness thresholds for healthcare.

Adapting the stages of implementation completion to an evidence-based implementation strategy: The development of the NIATx stages of implementation completion.

Background: Dissemination and implementation frameworks provide the scaffolding to explore the effectiveness of evidence-based practices (EBPs) targeting process of care and organizational outcomes. Few instruments, like the stages of implementation completion (SIC) examine implementation fidelity to EBP adoption and how organizations differ in their approach to implementation. Instruments to measure organizational competency in the utilization of implementation strategies are lacking. Method: An iterative process was utilized to adapt the SIC to the NIATx implementation strategies. The new instrument, NIATx-SIC, was applied in a randomized controlled trial involving 53 addiction treatment agencies in Washington state to improve agency co-occurring capacity. NIATx-SIC data were reported by state staff and external facilitators and through participating agency documentation. Proportion and duration scores for each stage and phase of the NIATx-SIC were calculated for each agency. Competency was assessed using the NIATx fidelity tool. Comparisons of proportion, duration, and NIATx activities completed were determined using independent sample t-tests by agency competency level. Results: The NIATx-SIC distinguished between agencies achieving competency (n = 23) and those not achieving competency (n = 26). Agencies achieving competency completed a greater proportion of implementation phase activities and had a significantly longer Stage 7 duration. These agencies participated in significantly more individual and group coaching calls, attended more in-person meetings, implemented more change projects, and spent approximately 64 more days, on average, engaging in all NIATx activities. Conclusions: Organizational participation in dissemination and implementation research requires a significant investment of staff resources. The inability of an organization to achieve competency when utilizing a set of implementation strategies waste an opportunity to institutionalize knowledge of how to apply implementation strategies to future change efforts. The NIATx-SIC provides evidence that competency is not an attribute of the organization but rather a result of the application of the NIATx implementation strategies to improve agency co-occurring capacity. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03007940. Registered January 2, 2017, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03007940.

Access to integrated services for persons with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders is a long-standing behavioral health problem. Evidence-based practices (EBPs) that focus on patient needs are effective in improving care for persons with co-occurring disorders. The stages of implementation completion (SIC) is a measure that assesses the process that organizations go through when implementing a new EBP and can be used to compare differences between organizations in their fidelity to recommended processes. To implement, organizations use specified strategies to integrate EBP into the care process. These strategies require a significant investment of staff resources. When organizations struggle to achieve competency with a set of implementation strategies, resources are wasted impacting the ability to use the strategies in future change efforts. As such, it is critical to measure organizational efforts to achieve competency, but instruments to do so are lacking. The SIC was adapted for a proven implementation strategy, NIATx, to address this gap. The NIATx strategy provides outside support and coaching to facilitate the implementation of a new EBP. Results from this study indicated that the NIATx-SIC could distinguish between addiction treatment agencies that applied NIATx implementation strategies with competency, versus those that did not, in the context of a multilevel randomized control trial. Study results provide evidence for the utility of adapting the SIC to specific implementation strategies and the benefit that the NIATx-SIC could provide for similar studies involving the use of NIATx to implement EBPs.

Electronic health record closed-loop referral ("eReferral") to a state tobacco quitline: a retrospective case study of primary care implementation challenges and adaptations.

BACKGROUND: Health system change can increase the reach of evidence-based smoking cessation treatments. Proactive electronic health record (EHR)-enabled, closed-loop referral ("eReferral") to state tobacco quitlines increases the rates at which patients who smoke accept cessation treatment. Implementing such system change poses many challenges, however, and adaptations to system contexts are often required, but are understudied. This retrospective case study identified adaptations to eReferral EHR tools and implementation strategies in two healthcare systems. METHODS: In a large clustered randomized controlled trial (C-RCT; NCT02735382) conducted in 2016-2017, 11 primary care clinics in two healthcare systems implemented quitline eReferral, starting with 1 pilot clinic per system followed by 2 phases of implementation (an experimental phase in 5-6 test clinics per system and then a system-wide dissemination phase in both systems). Adaptations were informed by stakeholder input from live trainings, follow-up calls and meetings in the first month after eReferral launch, emails, direct observation by researchers, and clinic staff survey responses. Retrospective, descriptive analysis characterized implementation strategy modifications and adaptations using the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications to Evidence-based Implementation Strategies (FRAME-IS). A pre- and post-implementation survey assessed staff ratings of eReferral acceptability and implementation barriers and facilitators. FINDINGS: Major modifications to closed-loop eReferral implementation strategies included aligning the eReferral initiative with other high-priority health system objectives, modifying eReferral user interfaces and training in their use, modifying eReferral workflows and associated training, and maintaining and enhancing interoperability and clinician feedback functions. The two health systems both used Epic EHRs but used different approaches to interfacing with the quitline vendor and integrating eReferral into clinician workflows. Both health systems engaged in iterative refinement of the EHR alert prompting eReferral, the eReferral order, trainings, and workflows. Staff survey comments suggested moderate acceptability of eReferral processes and identified possible targets for future modifications in eReferral, including reducing clinician burden related to EHR documentation and addressing clinicians' negative beliefs about patient receptivity to cessation treatment. CONCLUSIONS: System-wide implementation of tobacco quitline eReferral in primary care outpatient clinics is feasible but requires extensive coordination across stakeholders, tailoring to local health system EHR configurations, and sensitivity to system- and clinic-specific workflows. TRIAL REGISTRATION: www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov, NCT02735382 . Registered on 12 August 2016.

A comprehensive electronic health record-enabled smoking treatment program: Evaluating reach and effectiveness in primary care in a multiple baseline design.

Effective treatments for smoking cessation exist but are underused. Proactive chronic care approaches may enhance the reach of cessation treatment and reduce the prevalence of smoking in healthcare systems. This pragmatic study evaluated a population-based Comprehensive Tobacco Intervention Program (CTIP) implemented in all (6) adult primary care clinics in a Madison, Wisconsin, USA healthcare cooperative, assessing treatment reach, reach equity, and effectiveness in promoting smoking cessation. CTIP launched in 3 waves of 2 clinics each in a multiple baseline design. Electronic health record (EHR) tools facilitated clinician-delivered pharmacotherapy and counseling; guiding tobacco care managers in phone outreach to all patients who smoke; and prompting multimethod bulk outreach to all patients on a smoking registry using an opt-out approach. EHR data were analyzed to assess CTIP reach and effectiveness among 6894 adult patients between January 2018 and February 2020. Cessation treatment reach increased significantly after CTIP launch in 5 of 6 clinics and was significantly higher when clinics were active vs. inactive in CTIP [Odds Ratio (OR) range = 2.0-3.0]. Rates of converting from current to former smoking status were also higher in active vs. inactive clinics (OR range = 2.2-10.5). Telephone treatment reach was particularly high in historically underserved groups, including African-American, Hispanic, and Medicaid-eligible patients. Implementation of a comprehensive, opt-out, chronic-care program aimed at all patients who smoke was associated with increases in the rates of pharmacotherapy and counseling delivery and quitting smoking. Proactive outreach may help reduce disparities in treatment access.

Development of a Pharmacist-Led Opt-Out Cessation Treatment Protocol for Combustible Tobacco Smoking Within Inpatient Settings.

Background: Although people who smoke cigarettes are overrepresented among hospital inpatients, few are connected with smoking cessation treatment during their hospitalization. Training, accountability for medication use, and monitoring of all patients position pharmacists well to deliver cessation interventions to all hospitalized patients who smoke. Methods: A large Midwestern University hospital implemented a pharmacist-led smoking cessation intervention. A delegation protocol for hospital pharmacy inpatients who smoked cigarettes gave hospital pharmacists the authority to order nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) during hospitalization and upon discharge, and for referral to the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line (WTQL) at discharge. Eligible patients received the smoking cessation intervention unless they actively refused (ie, "opt-out"). The program was pilot tested in phases, with pharmacist feedback between phases, and then implemented hospital-wide. Interviews, surveys, and informal mechanisms identified ways to improve implementation and workflows. Results: Feedback from pharmacists led to changes that improved workflow, training and patient education materials, and enhanced adoption and reach. Refining implementation strategies across pilot phases increased the percentage of eligible smokers offered pharmacist-delivered cessation support from 37% to 76%, prescribed NRT from 2% to 44%, and referred to the WTQL from 3% to 32%. Conclusion: Hospitalizations provide an ideal opportunity for patients to make a tobacco quit attempt, and pharmacists can capitalize on this opportunity by integrating smoking cessation treatment into existing inpatient medication reconciliation workflows. Pharmacist-led implementation strategies developed in this study may be applicable in other inpatient settings.

Can inpatient pharmacists move the needle on smoking cessation? Evaluating reach and representativeness of a pharmacist-led opt-out smoking cessation intervention protocol for hospital settings.

PURPOSE: Hospitalization affords an opportunity to reduce smoking, but fewer than half of patients who smoke receive evidence-based cessation treatment during inpatient stays. This study evaluated a pharmacist-led, electronic health record (EHR)-facilitated opt-out smoking cessation intervention designed to address this need. METHODS: Analyses of EHR records for adult patients who smoked in the past 30 days admitted to an academic medical center in the upper Midwest were conducted using the Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. The reach of a pharmacist-led, EHR-facilitated protocol for smoking cessation treatment was assessed by comparing patients' receipt of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and tobacco quitline referral before and after implementation. χ2 tests, t tests, and multiple logistic regression models were used to compare reach across patient demographic groups to assess treatment disparities and the representativeness of reach. Adoption of the program by hospital services was also assessed. RESULTS: Of the 70 hospital services invited to implement the program, 88.6% adopted it and 78.6% had eligible admissions. Treatment reach increased as rates of delivering NRT rose from 43.6% of eligible patients before implementation to 50.4% after implementation (P < 0.0001) and quitline referral rates rose from 0.9% to 11.9% (P < 0.0001). Representativeness of reach by sex and ethnicity improved after implementation, although disparities by race and age persisted after adjustment for demographics, insurance, and primary diagnosis. Pharmacists addressed tobacco use for eligible patients in 62.5% of cases after protocol implementation. CONCLUSION: Smoking cessation treatment reach and representativeness of reach improved after implementation of a proactive, pharmacist-led, EHR-facilitated opt-out smoking cessation treatment protocol in adult inpatient services.

Closed-Loop Electronic Referral From Primary Care Clinics to a State Tobacco Cessation Quitline: Effects Using Real-World Implementation Training.

INTRODUCTION: Patients who use tobacco are too rarely connected with tobacco use treatment during healthcare visits. Electronic health record enhancements may increase such referrals in primary care settings. This project used the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance framework to assess the implementation of a healthcare system change carried out in an externally valid manner (executed by the healthcare system). METHODS: The healthcare system used their standard, computer-based training approach to implement the electronic health record and clinic workflow changes for electronic referral in 30 primary care clinics that previously used faxed quitline referral. Electronic health record data captured rates of assessment of readiness to quit and quitline referral 4 months before implementation and 8 months (May-December 2017) after implementation. Data, analyzed from October 2018 to June 2019, also reflected intervention reach, adoption, and maintenance. RESULTS: For reach and effectiveness, from before to after implementation for electronic referral, among adult patients who smoked, assessment of readiness to quit increased from 24.8% (2,126 of 8,569) to 93.2% (11,163 of 11,977), quitline referrals increased from 1.7% (143 of 8,569) to 11.3% (1,351 of 11,977), and 3.6% were connected with the quitline after implementation. For representativeness of reach, electronic referral rates were especially high for women, African Americans, and Medicaid patients. For adoption, 52.6% of staff who roomed at least 1 patient who smoked referred to the quitline. For maintenance, electronic referral rates fell by approximately 60% over 8 months but remained higher than pre-implementation rates. CONCLUSIONS: Real-world implementation of an electronic health record-based electronic referral system markedly increased readiness to quit assessment and quitline referral rates in primary care patients. Future research should focus on implementation methods that produce more consistent implementation and better maintenance of electronic referral.

Closed-loop electronic referral to SmokefreeTXT for smoking cessation support: a demonstration project in outpatient care.

Too few smokers who present for outpatient healthcare receive evidence-based interventions to stop smoking. Referral to nationally available smoking cessation support may enhance tobacco intervention reach during healthcare visits. This study evaluated the feasibility of outpatient electronic health record (EHR)-enabled, closed-loop referral (eReferral) to SmokefreeTXT, a National Cancer Institute text message smoking cessation program. SmokefreeTXT eReferral for adult patients who smoke was implemented in a family medicine clinic and an allergy and asthma clinic in an integrated Midwestern healthcare system. Interoperable, HIPAA-compliant eReferral returned referral outcomes to the EHR. In Phase 1 of implementation, clinicians were responsible for eReferral; in Phase 2 this responsibility shifted to Medical Assistants and/or nurses. EHR data were extracted to compute eReferral rates among adult smokers and compare demographics among those eReferred versus not referred. SmokefreeTXT data were used to compute SmokefreeTXT enrollment rates among those eReferred. Descriptive analyses of clinic staff surveys assessed implementation context and staff attitudes toward and adaptations of eReferral processes. During clinician implementation, 43 of 299 adult smokers (14.4%) were eReferred. During medical assistant (MA) implementation, 36 of 401 adult smokers (9.0%) were eReferred. Overall, among those eReferred, 25.7% completed SmokefreeTXT enrollment (3.1% of patients eligible for eReferral). Staff survey responses indicated that eReferral was efficient and easy. eReferral rates and relevant attitudes varied meaningfully by clinic. Thus, interoperable eReferral via outpatient EHR to SmokefreeTXT is feasible and acceptable to clinic staff and enrolls roughly 3.0% of smokers. Clinic context and implementation approach may influence reach.

Psychiatric disorders in smokers seeking treatment for tobacco dependence: relations with tobacco dependence and cessation.

OBJECTIVE: The present research examined the relation of psychiatric disorders to tobacco dependence and cessation outcomes. METHOD: Data were collected from 1,504 smokers (58.2% women; 83.9% White; mean age = 44.67 years, SD = 11.08) making an aided smoking cessation attempt as part of a clinical trial. Psychiatric diagnoses were determined with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview structured clinical interview. Tobacco dependence was assessed with the Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and the Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives (WISDM). RESULTS: Diagnostic groups included those who were never diagnosed, those who had ever been diagnosed (at any time, including in the past year), and those with past-year diagnoses (with or without prior diagnosis). Some diagnostic groups had lower follow-up abstinence rates than did the never diagnosed group (ps < .05). At 8 weeks after quitting, strong associations were found between cessation outcome and both past-year mood disorder and ever diagnosed anxiety disorder. At 6 months after quitting, those ever diagnosed with an anxiety disorder (OR = .72, p = .02) and those ever diagnosed with more than one psychiatric diagnosis (OR = .74, p = .03) had lower abstinence rates. The diagnostic categories did not differ in smoking heaviness or the FTND, but they did differ in dependence motives assessed with the WISDM. CONCLUSION: Information on recent or lifetime psychiatric disorders may help clinicians gauge relapse risk and may suggest dependence motives that are particularly relevant to affected patients. These findings also illustrate the importance of using multidimensional tobacco dependence assessments.

Smoking cessation via the internet: a randomized clinical trial of an internet intervention as adjuvant treatment in a smoking cessation intervention.

Internet interventions for smoking cessation are ubiquitous. Yet, to date, there are few randomized clinical trials that gauge their efficacy. This study is a randomized clinical trial (N= 284, n= 140 in the treatment group, n= 144 in the control group) of an Internet smoking cessation intervention. Smokers were randomly assigned to receive either bupropion plus counseling alone, or bupropion and counseling in addition to 12 weeks of access to the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System for Smoking Cessation and Relapse Prevention (CHESS SCRP; a Web site which provided information on smoking cessation as well as support). We found that access to CHESS SCRP was not significantly related to abstinence at the end of the treatment period (OR= 1.13, 95% CI 0.66-2.62) or at 6 months postquit (OR= 1.48, 95% CI 0.66-2.62). However, the number of times participants used CHESS SCRP per week was related to abstinence at both end of treatment (OR= 1.79, 95% CI 1.25-2.56) and at the 6-month follow-up (OR= 1.59, 95% CI 1.06-2.38). Participants with access to CHESS SCRP logged in an average of 33.64 times (SD=30.76) over the 90-day period of access. Rates of CHESS SCRP use did not differ by ethnicity, level of education or gender (all p>.05). In sum, results suggest that participants used CHESS SCRP frequently, CHESS SCRP use was related to success, but the effects in general did not yield intergroup effects.

Integrating smoking cessation treatment into primary care: an effectiveness study.

BACKGROUND: Lack of interest has been cited as a reason not to offer cessation assistance to smokers, but research suggests that smokers accept treatments offered proactively. This study assessed acceptability, utilization, and effectiveness of free smoking cessation treatment among diverse primary care patients. METHOD: Medical assistants invited 4174 adult smokers to participate. Enrollees (1869) self-selected or were assigned to receive free nicotine patch therapy alone or in combination with the Committed Quitters(R) program, and for some, individual counseling. RESULTS: In nearly 68% of cases, patients accepted a treatment invitation; 77% of eligible smokers enrolled; 85% of these picked up free patches. Given a choice of treatments, 75% of participants elected a psychosocial treatment in addition to patch therapy. Thirteen percent of treatment initiators achieved biochemically confirmed 7-day point-prevalence abstinence at 1 year, with no significant treatment effects. Minority patients showed greater initial interest but less utilization did than White patients. CONCLUSIONS: Free, readily accessible smoking cessation treatment offered in primary care settings was accepted and used by the majority of unselected smokers of diverse racial/ethnic origins. Psychosocial treatment components did not significantly increase abstinence rates. Barriers, rather than lack of interest, may keep minority smokers from using cessation treatments.

Use of the vital sign stamp as a systematic screening tool to promote smoking cessation.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the ability of a simple system-wide screening assessment tool, an expanded vital sign stamp, to increase rates of smoker identification, physician advice to quit smoking, and physician assistance in quitting and abstinence rates. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: This study is a pretest, posttest design in which 5 primary health care clinics were randomly assigned to either the intervention condition, which received the vital sign stamp, or the control condition. Participants (N = 9439) were surveyed by using exit interviews at the 5 clinics, both before and after the vital sign intervention was implemented. Participants who were identified as smokers were then contacted 1 year later for follow-up. The study began in February 1995, and all follow-up visits were completed by December 1998. RESULTS: Implementation of the vital sign stamp significantly increased the rates at which physicians asked participants about their smoking status (17.2% vs 7.5%). However, the rates of physicians advising smokers to quit, assisting them in quitting, and arranging follow-up either stayed constant or decreased. The number of quit attempts and abstinence rates also stayed constant. CONCLUSION: A simple system-wide screening assessment tool, while effective in identifying more tobacco users, did not increase the rates at which physicians advised or assisted smokers to quit. Further system-wide changes may be needed to ensure that effective tobacco-dependence treatments are given to smokers.