Four Years of CHEER: Cost and QALY Savings of a Free Nurse-run Walk-in Clinic Serving an Uninsured, Predominantly Spanish-speaking Immigrant Population in Providence.

Non-emergent visits to emergency departments by uninsured patients impose unnecessary costs on both patients and safety-net institutions. We evaluated the health and economic impacts of providing free, walk-in care to low-income, uninsured adults-most of them Hispanic-at a free clinic between January 2013 and December 2016. Providing access to health care services for uninsured patients at Clínica Esperanza/Hope Clinic reduced emergency department expenditures in Rhode Island by approximately $448,876 (range: $410,377-$487,375) annually and may have also reduced future healthcare costs for this population by more than $48 million ($12,034,469 annually) over the four-year evaluation period. For every $1 in funding for walk-in clinic operation, delivering free care provided a return on investment of $71.18 (range: $70.95-71.40) in healthcare value. Providing access to non-emergent walk-in care at the more than 12,000 free healthcare clinics nationwide may save billions in ED costs while improving the health of uninsured individuals.

A Risk-Benefit Assessment of Dementia Medications: Systematic Review of the Evidence.

BACKGROUND: There is no cure for dementia, and no treatments exist to halt or reverse the course of the disease. Treatments are aimed at improving cognitive and functional outcomes. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to review the basis of pharmacological treatments for dementia and to summarize the benefits and risks of dementia treatments. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature search of MEDLINE through November 2014, for English-language trials and observational studies on treatment of dementia and mild cognitive impairment. Additional references were identified by searching bibliographies of relevant publications. Whenever possible, pooled data from meta-analyses or systematic reviews were obtained. Studies were included for review if they were randomized trials or observational studies on dementia or mild cognitive impairment that evaluated efficacy outcomes or adverse outcomes associated with treatment. Studies were excluded if they evaluated non-FDA approved treatments, or if they evaluated treatment in disorders other than dementia and mild cognitive impairment. RESULTS: The literature search found 540 potentially relevant studies, of which 257 were included in the systematic review. In pooled trial data, cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) produce small improvements in cognitive, functional, and global benefits in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's and Lewy body dementia, but the clinical significance of these effects are unclear. There is no significant benefit seen for vascular dementia. The efficacy of ChEI treatment appears to wane over time, with minimal benefit seen after 1 year. There is no evidence for benefit for those with advanced disease or those aged over 85 years. Adverse effects are significantly increased with ChEIs, in a dose-dependent manner. A two- to fivefold increased risk for gastrointestinal, neurological, and cardiovascular side effects is related to cholinergic stimulation, the most serious being weight loss, debility, and syncope. Those aged over 85 years have double the risk of adverse events compared with younger patients. Memantine monotherapy may provide some cognitive benefit for patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's and vascular dementia, but the benefit is small and may wane over the course of several months. Memantine exhibits no significant benefit in mild dementia or Lewy body dementia or as an add-on treatment with ChEIs. Memantine has a relatively favorable side-effect profile, at least under controlled trial conditions. CONCLUSIONS: ChEIs produce small, short-lived improvements in cognitive function in mild to moderate dementia, which may not translate into clinically meaningful effects. Marginal benefits are seen with severe disease, long-term treatment, and advanced age. Cholinergic side effects, including weight loss, debility, and syncope, are clinically significant and could be especially detrimental in the frail elderly population, in which the risks of treatment outweigh the benefits. Memantine monotherapy may have minimal benefits in moderate to severe dementia, balanced by minimal adverse effects.

The use of very-low-dose methadone and haloperidol for pain control in the hospital setting: a preliminary report.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate the use of very-low-dose methadone with haloperidol in the acute-care setting. METHODS: We reviewed the records of 735 hospitalized patients receiving a palliative care consultation between 2011 and 2014. All patients with pain on opiates were offered conversion to methadone, 2.5 mg/day to 15 mg/day, in conjunction with scheduled haloperidol. Additional doses of haloperidol or short-acting opiates were given as needed for pain. Patients receiving an opiate at a morphine-equivalent daily dose (MEDD) of ≥40 mg had pain scores assessed daily, before and after conversion. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the results. RESULTS: Forty-three patients underwent conversion from another opiate (median MEDD, 78.5 mg) to methadone (median daily dose, 5 mg) and haloperidol (median daily dose, 1.5 mg). The median pain score was 5 in the week prior to conversion, 1 in week 1 after conversion (p<0.001 for difference), and zero in week 2. Similar results were seen for patients with cancer and noncancer diagnoses and for those with the highest and lowest initial opiate doses. CONCLUSION: The use of very-low-dose methadone in conjunction with haloperidol in the acute-care setting resulted in improved pain control after conversion from typical opiates.

Vida Sana: a lifestyle intervention for uninsured, predominantly Spanish-speaking immigrants improves metabolic syndrome indicators.

Metabolic syndrome is an increasingly common condition that can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 35 % of adults living in the United States meet the criteria for having metabolic syndrome, with that number being even higher in populations with health disparities. We describe a 'healthy lifestyles' program implemented at a free clinic serving a predominantly Hispanic cohort of low-income, uninsured individuals living in Providence, Rhode Island. The "Vida Sana/Healthy Life" (Vida Sana) program uses low literacy, language-appropriate materials and trained peers to educate participants about healthy lifestyles in a setting that also provided opportunities for social engagement. 192 of 126 (65.6 %) participants in Vida Sana completed 6 out of 8 sessions of the Vida Sana program over a 12-month period. At the completion of the program, nearly 90 % of Vida Sana participants showed an increase in their health literacy, and at least 60 % of participants decreased each of the risk factors (blood sugar, cholesterol, body mass index or waist circumference) associated with metabolic syndrome.

Impact of more restrictive blood transfusion strategies on clinical outcomes: a meta-analysis and systematic review.

BACKGROUND: There is accumulating evidence that restricting blood transfusions improves outcomes, with newer trials showing greater benefit from more restrictive strategies. We systematically evaluated the impact of various transfusion triggers on clinical outcomes. METHODS: The MEDLINE database was searched from 1966 to April 2013 to find randomized trials evaluating a restrictive hemoglobin transfusion trigger of <7 g/dL, compared with a more liberal trigger. Two investigators independently extracted data from the trials. Outcomes evaluated included mortality, acute coronary syndrome, pulmonary edema, infections, rebleeding, number of patients transfused, and units of blood transfused per patient. Extracted data also included information on study setting, design, participant characteristics, and risk for bias of the included trials. A secondary analysis evaluated trials using less restrictive transfusion triggers, and a systematic review of observational studies evaluated more restrictive triggers. RESULTS: In the primary analysis, pooled results from 3 trials with 2364 participants showed that a restrictive hemoglobin transfusion trigger of <7 g/dL resulted in reduced in-hospital mortality (risk ratio [RR], 0.74; confidence interval [CI], 0.60-0.92), total mortality (RR, 0.80; CI, 0.65-0.98), rebleeding (RR, 0.64; CI, 0.45-0.90), acute coronary syndrome (RR, 0.44; CI, 0.22-0.89), pulmonary edema (RR, 0.48; CI, 0.33-0.72), and bacterial infections (RR, 0.86; CI, 0.73-1.00), compared with a more liberal strategy. The number needed to treat with a restrictive strategy to prevent 1 death was 33. Pooled data from randomized trials with less restrictive transfusion strategies showed no significant effect on outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with critical illness or bleed, restricting blood transfusions by using a hemoglobin trigger of <7 g/dL significantly reduces cardiac events, rebleeding, bacterial infections, and total mortality. A less restrictive transfusion strategy was not effective.

The use of very-low-dose methadone for palliative pain control and the prevention of opioid hyperalgesia.

BACKGROUND: Opioid dose escalation may cause hyperalgesia, mediated by the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) pathway. Methadone is an atypical opioid that inhibits hyperalgesia through NMDA-blockade, especially at low doses. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of using very-low-dose methadone as the sole long-acting opioid agent in a hospice practice. DESIGN: A retrospective, observational study of the use of methadone, ≤15 mg daily, with as-needed short-acting opiates. Adjuvant nonopioid medications included haloperidol, which may have NMDA-blocking effects. SETTING/SUBJECTS: We reviewed the records of 240 patients admitted to a community-based hospice from July 1, 2011 to April 1, 2012, with data collected until hospice discharge or until April 30, 2012. MEASUREMENTS: Descriptive statistics were used to summarize patient demographics, medication regimens, and reported pain scores measured on a numeric rating scale from 0 to 10. RESULTS: All patients received short-acting opiates, in a morphine-equivalent dose of 5 mg every 4 hours as needed, while 40% also received methadone at a median daily dose of 5 mg. Of those on methadone, almost half received scheduled haloperidol. The population had a median reported pain score of 0 and a peak score of 3, with similar results seen for cancer and noncancer groups. Two-thirds of patients never reported a pain score greater than 3. CONCLUSION: The use of very-low-dose methadone in conjunction with adjuvant haloperidol resulted in excellent pain control without dose escalation or opioid-induced hyperalgesia, for both cancer and noncancer diseases. We conclude that low-dose methadone should be part of first-line treatment in palliative pain management.