Can administrative data identify active diagnoses for long-term care resident assessment?

Many veterans receive rehabilitation services in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) nursing homes. Efficient methods for the identification of active diagnoses could facilitate care planning and outcomes assessment. We set out to determine whether diagnostic data from VA databases can be used to identify active diagnoses for Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments. We evaluated diagnoses being considered for inclusion in MDS version 3.0 and present in at least 15% of a sample of VA nursing home residents. A research nurse following a standardized protocol identified active diagnoses from the medical records of 120 residents. A clinical nurse also identified active diagnoses in 58 of these patients. Inpatient and outpatient diagnoses from the VA National Patient Care Database were identified for the past year. We calculated kappa, sensitivity, and specificity values, considering the nurses' assessments the gold standard. We found that kappa values comparing research nurses and databases were generally poor, with only 8 of the 19 diagnoses having a value >0.60. Levels of agreement between the clinical nurse and administrative data were generally similar. We conclude that VA administrative data cannot be used to accurately identify active diagnoses for nursing home residents. How best to efficiently collect these important data remains uncertain.

Providing all-inclusive care for frail elderly veterans: evaluation of three models of care.

Frail elderly veterans aged 55 and older who met state nursing home admission criteria were enrolled in one of three models of all-inclusive long-term care (AIC) at three Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers (n=386). The models included: VA as sole care provider, VA-community partnership with a Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), and VA as care manager with care provided by PACE. Healthcare use was monitored for 6 months before and 6 to 36 months after enrollment using VA, DataPACE, and Medicare files. Hospital and outpatient care did not differ before and after AIC enrollment. Only 53% of VA sole-provider patients used adult day health care (ADHC), whereas all other patients used ADHC. Nursing home days increased, but permanent institutionalization was low. Thirty percent of participants died; of those still enrolled in AIC, 92% remained in the community. VA successfully implemented three variations of AIC and was able to keep frail elderly veterans in the community. Further research on providing variations of AIC in general is warranted.

An exploration of job design in long-term care facilities and its effect on nursing employee satisfaction.

This study used quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the design of nursing jobs in long-term care facilities and the effect of job design on employee satisfaction.

The effects of changes in nursing home staffing on pressure ulcer rates.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships between various components of nursing home staffing (total staffing levels and staff mix, staff turnover, and changes in staffing patterns) to an important measure of quality, risk-adjusted rates of pressure ulcer development. DESIGN, SETTING, AND MEASUREMENTS: Staffing records from 35 Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) nursing homes were reviewed and nursing home administrators from each of the facilities were interviewed. Incidence rates for pressure ulcers were obtained from DVA's national long-term care database and risk adjusted using patients' baseline characteristics. The relationships of risk-adjusted pressure ulcer rates to staffing patterns were tested. RESULTS: Although there was no linear association between staffing levels and pressure ulcer rates, data analysis revealed a strong trend (P = .07) that among the nursing homes meeting staffing guidelines, 60% were among the best performing. Ten nursing homes reduced staffing levels from their baseline levels at the beginning of the study and/or changed their staffing mix by replacing licensed personnel with nursing assistants. This change was associated with a 2.1% higher rate of pressure ulcer development (P = .004). CONCLUSION: Changes in nursing home staffing patterns (either a decrease in overall staffing levels or a change in staffing mix) are related to the quality of nursing home care. Staff stability is associated with better outcomes.

Identifying hypertension-related comorbidities from administrative data: what's the optimal approach?

The objective was to determine the best strategy for identifying outpatients with hypertension-related diagnoses using Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative databases. We reviewed 1176 outpatient charts from 10 VA sites in 1999, taking the presence of 11 diagnoses relevant to hypertension management as the "gold standard" for identifying the comorbidity. We calculated agreement, sensitivity, and specificity for the chart versus several administrative data-based algorithms. Using 1999 data and requiring 1 administrative diagnosis, observed agreement ranged from 0.98 (atrial fibrillation) to 0.85 (hyperlipidemia), and kappas were generally high. Sensitivity varied from 38% (tobacco use) to 97% (diabetes); specificity exceeded 91% for 10 of 11 diagnoses. Requiring 2 years of data and 2 diagnoses improved most measures, with minimal sensitivity decrease. Agreement between the database and charts was good. Administrative data varied in its ability to identify all patients with a given diagnosis but identified accurately those without. The best strategy for case-finding required 2 diagnoses in a 2-year period.

Can we use automated data to assess quality of hypertension care?

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether extractable blood pressure (BP) information available in a computerized patient record system (CPRS) could be used to assess quality of hypertension care independently of clinicians' notes. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of a random sample of hypertensive patients from 10 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) sites across the country. METHODS: We abstracted BPs from electronic clinicians' notes for all medical visits of 981 hypertensive patients in 1999. We compared these with BP measurements available in a separate vitals signs file in the CPRS. We also evaluated whether assessments of performance varied by source by using patients' last documented BP reading. RESULTS: When the vital signs file and notes were combined, a BP measurement was taken for 71% of 6097 medical visits; 60% had a BP measurement only in the vital signs file. Combining sources, 43% of patients had a BP reading of less than 140/90 mm Hg; by site this varied (34%-51%). Vital signs file data alone yielded similar findings; site rankings by rates of BP control changed minimally. CONCLUSIONS: Current performance review programs collect clinical data from both clinicians' notes and automated sources as available. However, we found that notes contribute little information with respect to BP values beyond automated data alone. The VA's vital signs file is a prototypical automated data system that could make assessment of hypertension care more efficient in many settings.

Hypertension control: how well are we doing?

BACKGROUND: We compared blood pressure (BP) control in a recent cohort of hypertensive military veterans with BP control in a previous cohort and examined whether hypertension treatment practices, as defined by the frequency of antihypertensive medication dosage increases, have changed over time. METHODS: We abstracted 1999 outpatient chart data including visit type, BP measurements, comorbidities, and medication use for 981 randomly selected hypertensive veterans. We examined overall BP control and control in subgroups with diabetes mellitus and renal disease, and compared results with those of a sample of 800 veterans studied from 1990 to 1995. We also compared the frequency of antihypertensive medication dosage increases in the 2 samples. RESULTS: Mean BPs were significantly lower in 1999. The mean systolic drop was 3.1 mm Hg and reached 13.7 mm Hg for the subgroups with diabetes and renal disease. Even larger decreases were seen in mean diastolic BPs. In 1999, 57% of patients had BP measurements of 140/90 mm Hg or higher, vs 69% of patients in the 1990-1995 study (P<.001). In 1999, the BP control of patients with diabetes was similar to that of patients without diabetes, as 60% of the former had BP measurements of 140/90 mm Hg or higher. Patients with renal disease had better control than those without, however, as only 43% had BP measurements of 140/90 mm Hg or higher. When comparing samples, patients with diabetes, renal disease, or both had better BP control in 1999 than their counterparts in the 1990-1995 study (P<.003 in all cases). In 1999, more medical visits were associated with medication dosage increases than in the 1990-1995 study. CONCLUSIONS: Although overall BP control has improved, BP measurements still exceeded recommended levels in most patients. For patients with diabetes and renal disease BP was much better controlled in the more recent sample. However, BP control of patients with diabetes was similar to that of patients without diabetes, and not in agreement with the guideline-recommended tighter control. Thus, room for improvement remains, especially in this subgroup.

Quality improvement implementation in the nursing home.

OBJECTIVE: To examine quality improvement (QI) implementation in nursing homes, its association with organizational culture, and its effects on pressure ulcer care. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Primary data were collected from staff at 35 nursing homes maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on measures related to QI implementation and organizational culture. These data were combined with information obtained from abstractions of medical records and analyses of an existing database. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional analysis of the association among the different measures was performed. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Completed surveys containing information on QI implementation, organizational culture, employee satisfaction, and perceived adoption of guidelines were obtained from 1,065 nursing home staff. Adherence to best practices related to pressure ulcer prevention was abstracted from medical records. Risk-adjusted rates of pressure ulcer development were calculated from an administrative database. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Nursing homes differed significantly (p<.001) in their extent of QI implementation with scores on this 1 to 5 scale ranging from 2.98 to 4.08. Quality improvement implementation was greater in those nursing homes with an organizational culture that emphasizes innovation and teamwork. Employees of nursing homes with a greater degree of QI implementation were more satisfied with their jobs (a 1-point increase in QI score was associated with a 0.83 increase on the 5-point satisfaction scale, p<.001) and were more likely to report adoption of pressure ulcer clinical guidelines (a 1-point increase in QI score was associated with a 28 percent increase in number of staff reporting adoption, p<.001). No significant association was found, though, between QI implementation and either adherence to guideline recommendations as abstracted from records or the rate of pressure ulcer development. CONCLUSIONS: Quality improvement implementation is most likely to be successful in those VA nursing homes with an underlying culture that promotes innovation. While QI implementation may result in staff who are more satisfied with their jobs and who believe they are providing better care, associations with improved care are uncertain.

Hypertension management in patients with diabetes: the need for more aggressive therapy.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical trials have demonstrated the importance of tight blood pressure control among patients with diabetes. However, little is known regarding the management of hypertension in patients with coexisting diabetes. To examine this issue, we addressed 1) whether hypertensive patients with coexisting diabetes are achieving lower levels of blood pressure than patients without diabetes, 2) whether there are differences in the intensity of antihypertensive medication therapy provided to patients with and without diabetes, and 3) whether diabetes management affects decisions to increase antihypertensive medication therapy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We abstracted medical records to collect detailed information on 2 years of care provided for 800 male veterans with hypertension. We compared patients with and without diabetes on intensity of therapy and blood pressure control. Intensity of therapy was described using a previously validated measure that captures the likelihood of an increase in antihypertensive medications. We also determined whether increases in antihypertensive medications were less likely at those visits in which the diabetes medications were being adjusted. RESULTS: Of the 274 hypertensive patients with diabetes, 73% had a blood pressure > or =140/90 mmHg, compared with 66% in the 526 patients without diabetes (P = 0.04). Diabetic patients also received significantly (P = 0.05) less intensive antihypertensive medication therapy than patients without diabetes. Less intensive therapy in diabetic patients could not be explained by clinicians being distracted by the treatment for diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: There is an urgent need to improve hypertension care and blood pressure control in patients with diabetes. Additional information is required to understand why clinicians are not more aggressive in managing blood pressure when patients also have diabetes.