Cost-effectiveness of a complex continuum of care intervention targeting women and children: protocol for an economic evaluation of the Bukhali trial in South Africa.

INTRODUCTION: As nearly two-thirds of women presenting at their first antenatal visit are either overweight or obese in urban South Africa, the preconception period is an opportunity to optimise health and offset transgenerational risk of both obesity and non-communicable diseases. This protocol describes the planned economic evaluation of an individually randomised controlled trial of a complex continuum of care intervention targeting women and children in Soweto, South Africa (Bukhali trial). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The economic evaluation of the Bukhali trial will be conducted as a within-trial analysis from both provider and societal perspectives. Incremental costs and health outcomes of the continuum of care intervention will be compared with standard care. The economic impact on implementing agencies (programme costs), healthcare providers, participants and their households will be estimated. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) will be calculated in terms of cost per case of child adiposity at age years averted. Additionally, ICERs will also be reported in terms of cost per quality-adjusted life year gained. If Bukhali demonstrates effectiveness, we will employ a decision analytical model to examine the cost-effectiveness of the intervention over a child's lifetime. A Markov model will be used to estimate long-term health benefits, healthcare costs and cost-effectiveness. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses will be conducted to explore uncertainty and ensure robust results. An analysis will be conducted to assess the equity impact of the intervention, by comparing intervention impact within quintiles of socioeconomic status. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The Bukhali trial economic evaluation has ethical approval from the Human Ethics Research Committee of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (M240162). The results of the economic evaluation will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at a relevant international conference. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR201903750173871; https://pactr.samrc.ac.za).

Association of Inpatient Continuity of Care With Complications and Length of Stay Among Hospitalized Medicare Enrollees.

Importance: Continuity in primary care is associated with improved outcomes, but less information is available on the association of continuity of care in the hospital with hospital complications. Objective: To assess whether the number of hospitalists providing care is associated with subsequent hospital complications and length of stay. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study used multilevel logistic regression models to analyze Medicare claims for medical admissions from 2016 to 2018 with a length of stay longer than 4 days. Admissions with multiple charges on the same day from a hospitalist or an intensive care unit (ICU) stay during hospital days 1 to 3 were excluded. The data were accessed and analyzed from November 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021. Exposures: The number of different hospitalists who submitted charges during hospital days 1 to 3. Main Outcomes and Measures: Overall length of stay and transfer to ICU or a new diagnosis of drug toxic effects on hospital day 4 or later. Results: Among the 617 680 admissions, 362 376 (58.7%) were women, with a mean (SD) age of 80.2 (8.4) years. In 306 037 admissions (49.6%), the same hospitalist provided care on days 1 to 3, while 2 hospitalists provided care in 274 658 admissions (44.5%), and 3 hospitalists provided care in 36 985 admissions (6.0%). There was no significant association between the number of different hospitalists on days 1 to 3 and either length of stay or subsequent ICU transfers. Admissions seeing 2 or 3 hospitalists had a slightly greater adjusted odds of subsequent new diagnoses of drug toxic effects (2 hospitalists: odds ratio [OR], 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.07; 3 hospitalists: OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03-1.12). Conclusions and Relevance: There was little evidence that receiving care from multiple hospitalists was associated with worse outcomes for patients receiving all their general medical care from hospitalists.

Phase-Specific and Lifetime Costs of Multiple Myeloma Among Older Adults in the US.

Importance: Health care costs associated with diagnosis and care among older adults with multiple myeloma (MM) are substantial, with cost of care and the factors involved differing across various phases of the disease care continuum, yet little is known about cost of care attributable to MM from a Medicare perspective. Objective: To estimate incremental phase-specific and lifetime costs and cost drivers among older adults with MM enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare. Design, Setting, and Participants: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using population-based registry data from the 2007-2015 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database linked with 2006-2016 Medicare administrative claims data. Data analysis included 4533 patients with newly diagnosed MM and 4533 matched noncancer Medicare beneficiaries from a 5% sample of Medicare to assess incremental MM lifetime and phase-specific costs (prediagnosis, initial care, continuing care, and terminal care) and factors associated with phase-specific incremental MM costs. The study was conducted from June 1, 2019, to April 30, 2021. Main Outcomes and Measures: Incremental MM costs were calculated for the disease lifetime and the following 4 phases of care: prediagnosis, initial, continuing care, and terminal. Results: Of the 4533 patients with MM included in the study, 2374 were women (52.4%), 3418 (75.4%) were White, and mean (SD) age was 75.8 (6.8) years (2313 [51.0%] aged ≥75 years). The characteristics of the control group were similar; however, mean (SD) age was 74.2 (8.8) years (2839 [62.6%] aged ≤74 years). Mean adjusted incremental MM lifetime costs were $184 495 (95% CI, $183 099-$185 968). Mean per member per month phase-specific incremental MM costs were estimated to be $1244 (95% CI, $1216-$1272) for the prediagnosis phase, $11 181 (95% CI, $11 052-$11 309) for the initial phase, $5634 (95% CI, $5577-$5694) for the continuing care phase, and $6280 (95% CI, $6248-$6314) for the terminal phase. Although inpatient and outpatient costs were estimated as the major cost drivers for the prediagnosis (inpatient, 55.8%; outpatient, 40.2%), initial care (inpatient, 38.1%; outpatient, 35.5%), and terminal (inpatient, 33.0%; outpatient, 34.6%) care phases, prescription drugs (44.9%) were the largest cost drivers in the continuing care phase. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this study suggest that there is substantial burden to Medicare associated with diagnosis and care among older adults with MM, and the cost of care and cost drivers vary across different phases of the cancer care continuum. The study findings might aid policy discussions regarding MM care and coverage and help further the development of alternative payment models for MM, accounting for differential costs across various phases of the disease continuum and their drivers.

Surveillance for gestational trophoblastic neoplasia following molar pregnancy: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

BACKGROUND: Historically, published guidelines for care after molar pregnancy recommended monitoring human chorionic gonadotropin levels for the development of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia until normal and then for 6 months after the first normal human chorionic gonadotropin. However, there are little data underlying such recommendations, and recent evidence has demonstrated that gestational trophoblastic neoplasia diagnosis after human chorionic gonadotropin normalization is rare. OBJECTIVE: We sought to estimate the cost-effectiveness of alternative strategies for surveillance for gestational trophoblastic neoplasia after human chorionic gonadotropin normalization after complete and partial molar pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: A Markov-based cost-effectiveness model, using monthly cycles and terminating after 36 months/cycles, was constructed to compare alternative strategies for asymptomatic human chorionic gonadotropin surveillance after the first normal (none; monthly testing for 1, 3, 6, and 12 months; or every 3-month testing for 3, 6, and 12 months) for both complete and partial molar pregnancy. The risk of reduced surveillance was modeled by increasing the probability of high-risk disease at diagnosis. Probabilities, costs, and utilities were estimated from peer-reviewed literature, with all cost data applicable to the United States and adjusted to 2020 US dollars. The primary outcome was cost per quality-adjusted life year ($/quality-adjusted life year) with a $100,000/quality-adjusted life year willingness-to-pay threshold. RESULTS: Under base-case assumptions, we found no further surveillance after the first normal human chorionic gonadotropin to be the dominant strategy from both the healthcare system and societal perspectives, for both complete and partial molar pregnancy. After complete mole, this strategy had the lowest average cost (healthcare system, $144 vs maximum $283; societal, $152 vs maximum $443) and highest effectiveness (2.711 vs minimum 2.682 quality-adjusted life years). This strategy led to a slightly higher rate of death from gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (0.013% vs minimum 0.009%), although with high costs per gestational trophoblastic neoplasia death avoided (range, $214,000 to >$4 million). Societal perspective costs of lost wages had a greater impact on frequent surveillance costs than rare gestational trophoblastic neoplasia treatment costs, and no further surveillance was more favorable from this perspective in otherwise identical analyses. No further surveillance remained dominant or preferred with incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of <$100,000 in all analyses for partial mole, and most sensitivity analyses for complete mole. Under the assumption of no disutility from surveillance, surveillance strategies were more effective (by quality-adjusted life year) than no further surveillance, and a single human chorionic gonadotropin test at 3 months was found to be cost-effective after complete mole with incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $53,261 from the healthcare perspective, but not from the societal perspective (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, $288,783). CONCLUSION: Largely owing to the rare incidence of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia after human chorionic gonadotropin normalization after molar pregnancy, prolonged surveillance is not cost-effective under most assumptions. It would be reasonable to reduce, and potentially eliminate, current recommendations for surveillance after human chorionic gonadotropin normalization after molar pregnancy, particularly among partial moles. With any reduction in surveillance, patients should be counseled on symptoms of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia and established in routine gynecologic care.

Testicular cancer follow-up costs in Germany from 2000 to 2015.

PURPOSE: Advances in testicular cancer screening and therapy increased 10-year survival to 97% despite a rising incidence; eventually expanding the population of survivors requiring follow-up. We analyzed 10-year follow-up costs after testicular cancer treatment in Germany during 2000, 2008, and 2015. METHODS: Testicular cancer follow-up guidelines were extracted from the European Association of Urology. Per patient costs were estimated with a micro-costing approach considering direct and indirect medical expenses derived from expert interviews, literature research, and official scales of tariffs. Three perspectives covering costs for patients, providers, and insurers were included to estimate societal costs. Cost progression was compared across cancer histology, stage, stakeholders, resource use, and follow-up years. RESULTS: Mean 10-year follow-up costs per patient for stage I seminomatous germ-cell tumors (SGCT) on surveillance declined from EUR 11,995 in 2000 to EUR 4,430 in 2015 (p < 0.001). Advanced SGCT spending shrank from EUR 13,866 to EUR 9,724 (p < 0.001). In contrast, expenditure for stage II SGCT increased from EUR 7,159 to EUR 9,724 (p < 0.001). While insurers covered 32% of costs in 2000, only 13% of costs were reimbursed in 2015 (p < 0.001). 70% of SGCT follow-up resources were consumed by medical imaging (x-ray, CT, ultrasound, FDG-PET). Spending was unevenly distributed across follow-up years (years 1-2: 50%, years 3-5: 39%, years 5-10: 11%). CONCLUSIONS: The increasing prevalence of testicular cancer survivors caused German statutory insurers to cut per patient cost by up to 80% by budgeting services and decreasing reimbursement rates. The economic burden was gradually redistributed to patients and providers.

Care Fragmentation and Mortality in Readmission after Surgery for Hepatopancreatobiliary and Gastric Cancer: A Patient-Level and Hospital-Level Analysis of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Administrative Database.

BACKGROUND: Hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) and gastric oncologic operations are frequently performed at referral centers. Postoperatively, many patients experience care fragmentation, including readmission to "outside hospitals" (OSH), which is associated with increased mortality. Little is known about patient-level and hospital-level variables associated with this mortality difference. STUDY DESIGN: Patients undergoing HPB or gastric oncologic surgery were identified from select states within the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project database (2006-2014). Follow-up was 90 days after discharge. Analyses used Kruskal-Wallis test, Youden index, and multilevel modeling at the hospital level. RESULTS: There were 7,536 patients readmitted within 90 days of HPB or gastric oncologic surgery to 636 hospitals; 28% of readmissions (n = 2,123) were to an OSH, where 90-day readmission mortality was significantly higher: 8.0% vs 5.4% (p < 0.01). Patients readmitted to an OSH lived farther from the index surgical hospital (median 24 miles vs 10 miles; p < 0.01) and were readmitted later (median 25 days after discharge vs 12; p < 0.01). These variables were not associated with readmission mortality. Surgical complications managed at an OSH were associated with greater readmission mortality: 8.4% vs 5.7% (p < 0.01). Hospitals with <100 annual HPB and gastric operations for benign or malignant indications had higher readmission mortality (6.4% vs 4.7%, p = 0.01), although this was not significant after risk-adjustment (p = 0.226). CONCLUSIONS: For readmissions after HPB and gastric oncologic surgery, travel distance and timing are major determinants of care fragmentation. However, these variables are not associated with mortality, nor is annual hospital surgical volume after risk-adjustment. This information could be used to determine safe sites of care for readmissions after HPB and gastric surgery. Further analysis is needed to explore the relationship between complications, the site of care, and readmission mortality.

Telestroke Across the Continuum of Care: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

While use of telemedicine to guide emergent treatment of ischemic stroke is well established, the COVID-19 pandemic motivated the rapid expansion of care via telemedicine to provide consistent care while reducing patient and provider exposure and preserving personal protective equipment. Temporary changes in re-imbursement, inclusion of home office and patient home environments, and increased access to telehealth technologies by patients, health care staff and health care facilities were key to provide an environment for creative and consistent high-quality stroke care. The continuum of care via telestroke has broadened to include prehospital, inter-facility and intra-facility hospital-based services, stroke telerehabilitation, and ambulatory telestroke. However, disparities in technology access remain a challenge. Preservation of reimbursement and the reduction of regulatory burden that was initiated during the public health emergency will be necessary to maintain expanded patient access to the full complement of telestroke services. Here we outline many of these initiatives and discuss potential opportunities for optimal use of technology in stroke care through and beyond the pandemic.

Reducing the Costs of an Eye Care Adherence Program for Underserved Children Referred Through Inner-City Vision Screenings.

PURPOSE: We previously reported costs and outcomes of the Children's Eye Care Adherence Program (CECAP1), a social worker intervention designed to improve adherence to eye care for underserved children in urban Philadelphia. Using cost findings from CECAP1, we revised the intervention to reduce costs. The aim of this study was to evaluate costs and effectiveness of the revised intervention (CECAP2). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Records of children needing ophthalmic follow-up after 2 community-based vision screening programs were reviewed. We modified CECAP1 to prioritize children more likely to visit, decreased phone calls and scheduling attempts, better documented children already followed by other doctors, and constricted our geographic catchment area for better accessibility. Cost was calculated using time spent executing CECAP2 by our salaried social worker. Effectiveness was defined as the percentage of patients completing at least 1 follow-up visit within the recommended time frame. RESULTS: Of 462 children referred to CECAP2 from our in-school and on-campus screening programs, 242 (52.4%) completed subsequent recommended eye examinations, a proportion identical to our prior report (52.3%). Social worker time per patient was 0.8 hours; a significant reduction from the previous 2.6 hours (P < .01). Cost per patient was $32.73; a significant reduction compared to the previous $77.20 (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Programmatic changes to reduce social worker intervention time and target potential patients by likelihood to attend along with constriction of the catchment area led to reduced costs by more than 50%, without impairing CECAP effectiveness.

The effect of continuity of care on medical costs in patients with chronic shoulder pain.

Unnecessary surgery could be prevented through continuity of care (COC). The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between COC, surgery and cost associated with chronic shoulder pain. We used the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service national patient sample (HIRA-NPS) in 2017. A total of 1717 patients were included. Bice-Boxerman Continuity of Care Index was used as the indicator for measuring the COC. Occurrence of surgery, associated costs, and direct medical costs were analysed. Logistic regression, a two-part model with recycled predictions and generalized linear model with gamma distribution were used. The majority of patients were 40-65 years old (high COC: 68.4%; low COC: 64.4%). The odds ratio (OR) for surgery was 0.41 in the high-COC group compared to the low COC group (95% CI, 0.20 to 0.84). Direct medical cost was 14.09% (95% CI, 8.12% to 19.66%) and 58.00% lower in surgery cost (95% CI, 57.95 to 58.05) in the high-COC group. Interaction with COC and shoulder impingement syndrome was significant lower in direct medical cost (15.05% [95% CI, 1.81% to 26.51%]). High COC was associated with low medical cost in patients diagnosed with chronic shoulder pain.

Acceptability, quality of life and cost overview of a remote follow-up plan for patients with colorectal cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Colorectal cancer (CRC) follow-up has a major impact on outpatient services. The aim was to examine patient acceptability and costs of a new remote follow-up regimen for patients with CRC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All patients with stage I-III CRC and having completed at least one-year of follow-up at Radboud University Medical Center located in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, were considered for remote follow-up. Enrolled patients received the EORTC-C30 (Quality of Life, QoL), Cancer Worry Scale (Fear of Cancer Recurrence, FCR), (e)Health literacy and patient satisfaction questionnaires. Follow-up use and costs were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 118 patients with stage I-III CRC have been followed according to the new remote follow-up regimen. Median length of follow-up at start of remote follow-up was 34 months (interquartile range of 24-41) and all patients were sufficiently health literate. Overall satisfaction towards remote follow-up at 6-and 12-months was rated 7.8 and 7.5 out of 10. Satisfaction with the online self-management information was rated 8 out of 10. Over a one-year period, QoL remained high and patients experienced low FCR. More than 70% of the patients self-organized their care, while the others sought contact by telephone, MyChart or hospital visits. Remote follow-up for the total cohort led to €22,408 cost-savings over one-year compared to standard hospital follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of remote follow-up for patients with stage I-III CRC is feasible, comes with high patient satisfaction and considerable cost-savings. Short-term results did not show differences in QoL or FCR during the course of remote follow-up.

Continuity of care and health care cost among community-dwelling older adult veterans living with dementia.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the causal impact of continuity of care (COC) on total, institutional, and noninstitutional cost among community-dwelling older veterans with dementia. DATA SOURCES: Combined Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and Medicare data in Fiscal Years (FYs) 2014-2015. STUDY DESIGN: FY 2014 COC was measured by the Bice-Boxerman Continuity of Care (BBC) index on a 0-1 scale. FY 2015 total combined VHA and Medicare cost, institutional cost of acute inpatient, emergency department [ED], long-/short-stay nursing home, and noninstitutional long-term care (LTC) cost for medical (like skilled-) and social (like unskilled-) services were assessed controlling for covariates. An instrumental variable for COC (change of residence by more than 10 miles) was used to account for unobserved health confounders. DATA COLLECTION: Community-dwelling veterans with dementia aged 66 and older, enrolled in Traditional Medicare (N = 102 073). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Mean BBC in FY 2014 was 0.32; mean total cost in FY 2015 was $35 425. A 0.1 higher BBC resulted in (a) $4045 lower total cost; (b) $1597 lower acute inpatient cost, $119 lower ED cost, $4368 lower long-stay nursing home cost; (c) $402 higher noninstitutional medical LTC and $764 higher noninstitutional social LTC cost. BBC had no impact on short-stay nursing home cost. CONCLUSIONS: COC is an effective approach to reducing total health care cost by supporting noninstitutional care and reducing institutional care.

Economic burden of epilepsy in children: A population-based matched cohort study in Canada.

OBJECTIVE: The economic burden of childhood epilepsy to the health care system remains poorly understood. This study aimed to determine phase-specific and cumulative long-term health care costs in children with epilepsy (CWE) from the health care payer perspective. METHODS: This cohort study utilized linked health administrative databases in Ontario, Canada. Incident childhood epilepsy cases were identified from January 1, 2003 to June 30, 2017. CWE were matched to children without epilepsy (CWOE) on age, sex, rurality, socioeconomic status, and comorbidities, and assigned prediagnosis, initial, ongoing, and final care phase based on clinical trajectory. Phase-specific, 1-year and 5-year cumulative health care costs, attributable costs of epilepsy, and distribution of costs across different ages were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 24 411 CWE were matched to CWOE. The costs were higher for prediagnosis and initial care than ongoing care in CWE. Hospitalization was the main cost component. The costs of prediagnosis, initial, and ongoing care were higher in CWE than CWOE, with the attributable costs at $490 (95% confidence interval [CI] = $352-$616), $1322 (95% CI = $1247-$1402), and $305 (95% CI = $276-$333) per 30 patient-days, respectively. Final care costs were lower in CWE than CWOE, with attributable costs at -$2515 (95% CI = -$6288 to $961) per 30 patient-days. One-year and 5-year cumulative costs were higher in CWE ($14 776 [95% CI = $13 994-$15 546] and $39 261 [95% CI = $37 132-$41 293], respectively) than CWOE ($6152 [95% CI = $5587-$6768] and $15 598 [95% CI = $14 291-$17 006], respectively). The total health care costs were highest in the first year of life in CWE for prediagnosis, initial, and ongoing care. SIGNIFICANCE: Health care costs varied along the continuum of epilepsy care, and were mainly driven by hospitalization costs. The findings identified avenues for remediation, such as enhancing care around the time of epilepsy diagnosis and better care coordination for epilepsy and comorbidities, to reduce hospitalization costs and the economic burden of epilepsy care.

Health Care Utilization of Homeless Minors With Diabetes in New York State From 2009 to 2014.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe differences in health care utilization between homeless and nonhomeless minors with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's Statewide Inpatient Database from New York for years 2009-2014 were examined to identify pediatric patients <18 years old with diabetes. Outcomes of interest included hospitalization rate, in-hospital mortality, admission through the emergency department (ED), diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), hospitalization cost, and length of stay (LOS). Other variables of interest included age-group, race/ethnicity, insurance type, and year. Multivariate logistic regression models were used for in-hospital mortality, admission through ED, and DKA. Log-transformed linear regression models were used for hospitalization cost, and negative binomial regression models were used for LOS. RESULTS: A total of 643 homeless and 10,559 nonhomeless patients were identified. The hospitalization rate was higher among homeless minors, with 3.64 per 1,000 homeless population compared with 0.38 per 1,000 in the nonhomeless population. A statistically significant higher readmission rate was detected among homeless minors (20.4% among homeless and 14.1% among nonhomeless, P < 0.01). Lower rates of DKA (odds ratio 0.75, P = 0.02), lower hospitalization costs (point estimate 0.88, P < 0.01), and longer LOS (incidence rate ratio 1.20, P < 0.01) were detected among homeless minors compared with nonhomeless minors. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that among minors with diabetes, those who are homeless experience a higher hospitalization rate than the nonhomeless. Housing instability, among other environmental factors, may be targeted for intervention to improve health outcomes.

NUrse-led COntinuum of care for people with Diabetes and prediabetes (NUCOD) in Nepal: study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study will be to improve diabetes prevention, access to care and advocacy through a novel cost-effective nurse-led continuum of care approach that incorporates diabetes prevention, awareness, screening and management for low-income settings, and furthermore utilizes the endeavor to advocate for establishing a standard diabetes program in Nepal. METHODS: We will conduct a two-arm, parallel group, stratified cluster randomized controlled trial of the NUrse-led COntinuum of care for people with Diabetes (N1 = 200) and prediabetes (N2 = 1036) (NUCOD) program, with primary care centers (9 outreach centers and 17 government health posts) as a unit of randomization. The NUCOD program will be delivered through the trained diabetes nurses in the community to the intervention group and the outcomes will be compared with the usual treatment group at 6 and 12 months of the intervention. The primary outcome will be the change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level among diabetes individuals and progression to type 2 diabetes among prediabetes individuals, and implementation outcomes measured using the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance) framework. Outcomes will be analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis. DISCUSSION: The results of this trial will provide information about the effectiveness of the NUCOD program in improving clinical outcomes for diabetes and prediabetes individuals, and implementation outcomes for the organization. The continuum of care model can be used for the prevention and management of diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases within and beyond Nepal with similar context. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04131257. Registered on 18 October 2019.

Continuity of Care Is Associated with Medical Costs and Inpatient Days in Children with Cerebral Palsy.

Background: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) place a considerable burden on medical costs and add to an increased number of inpatient days in Taiwan. Continuity of care (COC) has not been investigated in this population thus far. Materials and Methods: We designed a retrospective population-based cohort study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients aged 0 to 18 years with CP catastrophic illness certificates were enrolled. We investigated the association of COC index (COCI) with medical costs and inpatient days. We also investigated the possible clinical characteristics affecting the outcome. Results: Over five years, children with CP with low COCI levels had higher medical costs and more inpatient days than did those with high COCI levels. Younger age at CP diagnosis, more inpatient visits one year before obtaining a catastrophic illness certificate, pneumonia, and nasogastric tube use increased medical expenses and length of hospital stay. Conclusions: Improving COC reduces medical costs and the number of inpatient days in children with CP. Certain characteristics also influence these outcomes.

The Affordable Care Act's Medicaid Expansion and Impact Along the Cancer-Care Continuum: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Health reform and the merits of Medicaid expansion remain at the top of the legislative agenda, with growing evidence suggesting an impact on cancer care and outcomes. A systematic review was undertaken to assess the association between Medicaid expansion and the goals of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in the context of cancer care. The purpose of this article is to summarize the currently published literature and to determine the effects of Medicaid expansion on outcomes during points along the cancer care continuum. METHODS: A systematic search for relevant studies was performed in the PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and Cochrane databases. Three independent observers used an abstraction form to code outcomes and perform a quality and risk of bias assessment using predefined criteria. RESULTS: A total of 48 studies were identified. The most common outcomes assessed were the impact of Medicaid expansion on insurance coverage (23.4% of studies), followed by evaluation of racial and/or socioeconomic disparities (17.4%) and access to screening (14.5%). Medicaid expansion was associated with increases in coverage for cancer patients and survivors as well as reduced racial- and income-related disparities. CONCLUSIONS: Medicaid expansion has led to improved access to insurance coverage among cancer patients and survivors, particularly among low-income and minority populations. This review highlights important gaps in the existing oncology literature, including a lack of studies evaluating changes in treatment and access to end-of-life care following implementation of expansion.

Nationwide Outcomes and Risk Factors for Reinjury After Penetrating Trauma.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that a notable portion of patients who are readmitted for reinjury after penetrating trauma present to a different hospital. The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors for reinjury after penetrating trauma including reinjury admissions to different hospitals. METHODS: The 2010-2014 Nationwide Readmissions Database was queried for patients surviving penetrating trauma. E-codes identified patients subsequently admitted with a new diagnosis of blunt or penetrating trauma. Univariable analysis was performed using 44 injury, patient, and hospital characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression using significant variables identified risk factors for the outcomes of reinjury, different hospital readmission, and in-hospital mortality after reinjury. RESULTS: There were 443,113 patients identified. The reinjury rate was 3.5%. Patients presented to a different hospital in 30.0% of reinjuries. Self-inflicted injuries had a higher risk of reinjury (odds ratio [OR]: 2.66, P < 0.05). Readmission to a different hospital increased risk of mortality (OR: 1.62, P < 0.05). Firearm injury on index admission increased risk of mortality after reinjury (OR: 1.94, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the first national finding that one in three patients present to a different hospital for reinjury after penetrating trauma and have a higher risk of mortality due to this fragmentation of care. These findings have implications for quality and cost improvements by identifying areas to improve continuity of care and the implementation of penetrating injury prevention programs.

An Evaluation of Interprofessional Patient Navigation Services in High Utilizers at a County Tertiary Teaching Health System.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Affordable Care Act holds health systems accountable for patient outcomes. Patients with low socioeconomic status are at highest risk of lacking a primary care provider, receiving lower quality of care, and being readmitted. These patients also have elevated risks of all-cause readmissions and death after discharge. The purpose of this study was to determine if an interprofessional patient navigation program (PNP) decreases emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions for these high utilizers of care, thus promoting the implementation of PNPs in other healthcare settings. We performed a retrospective, single-centered, chart review of patients who were enrolled in the PNP. We compared utilization, including ED visits and hospital admissions, for patients two years prior to enrollment to their utilization after enrollment. We found significant reductions in hospital utilization through patient navigation in the predominantly indigent, culturally diverse population of high utilizers of the healthcare system. In addition, our investigation of costs associated with implementing a PNP indicates the potential for cost avoidance.