Lifetime Medical Spending Attributed to Incident Type 2 Diabetes in Medicare Beneficiaries: A Longitudinal Study Using 1999-2019 National Medicare Claims.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate lifetime incremental medical spending attributed to incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) among Medicare beneficiaries by age at diagnosis, sex, and race/ethnicity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We used the 1999-2019 100% Medicare fee-for-service claims database to identify a cohort of beneficiaries with newly diagnosed T2D in 2001-2003 using ICD codes. We matched this cohort with a nondiabetes cohort using a propensity score method and then followed the two cohorts until death, disenrollment, or the end of 2019. Lifetime medical spending for each cohort was the sum of expected annual spending, a product of actual annual spending multiplied by the annual survival rate, from the age at T2D diagnosis to death. Lifetime incremental medical spending was calculated as the difference in lifetime medical spending between the two cohorts. All spending was standardized to 2019 U.S. dollars. RESULTS: Medicare beneficiaries with newly diagnosed T2D, despite having a shorter life expectancy, had 36-40% higher lifetime medical spending compared with a comparable group without diabetes. Lifetime incremental medical spending ranged from $16,115 to $122,146, depending on age at diagnosis, sex, and race/ethnicity, declining with age at diagnosis, and being highest for Asian/Pacific Islander and non-Hispanic Black beneficiaries. CONCLUSIONS: The large lifetime incremental medical spending associated with incident T2D underscores the need for preventing T2D among Medicare beneficiaries. Our results could be used to estimate the potential financial benefit of T2D prevention programs both overall and among subgroups of beneficiaries.

(-)-Epigallocatechin 3-gallate protects pancreatic ß-cell against excessive autophagy-induced injury through promoting FTO degradation.

Excessive macroautophagy/autophagy leads to pancreatic ß-cell failure that contributes to the development of diabetes. Our previous study proved that the occurrence of deleterious hyperactive autophagy attributes to glucolipotoxicity-induced NR3C1 activation. Here, we explored the potential protective effects of (-)-epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG) on ß-cell-specific NR3C1 overexpression mice in vivo and NR3C1-enhanced ß cells in vitro. We showed that EGCG protects pancreatic ß cells against NR3C1 enhancement-induced failure through inhibiting excessive autophagy. RNA demethylase FTO (FTO alpha-ketoglutarate dependent dioxygenase) caused diminished m6A modifications on mRNAs of three pro-oxidant genes (Tlr4, Rela, Src) and, hence, oxidative stress occurs; by contrast, EGCG promotes FTO degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system in NR3C1-enhanced ß cells, which alleviates oxidative stress, and thereby prevents excessive autophagy. Moreover, FTO overexpression abolishes the beneficial effects of EGCG on ß cells against NR3C1 enhancement-induced damage. Collectively, our results demonstrate that EGCG protects pancreatic ß cells against NR3C1 enhancement-induced excessive autophagy through suppressing FTO-stimulated oxidative stress, which provides novel insights into the mechanisms for the anti-diabetic effect of EGCG.Abbreviation 3-MA: 3-methyladenine; AAV: adeno-associated virus; Ad: adenovirus; ALD: aldosterone; AUC: area under curve; ßNR3C1 mice: pancreatic ß-cell-specific NR3C1 overexpression mice; Ctrl: control; CHX: cycloheximide; DEX: dexamethasone; DHE: dihydroethidium; EGCG: (-)-epigallocatechin 3-gallate; FTO: FTO alpha-ketoglutarate dependent dioxygenase; GSIS: glucose-stimulated insulin secretion; HFD: high-fat diet; HG: high glucose; i.p.: intraperitoneal; IOD: immunofluorescence optical density; KSIS: potassium-stimulated insulin secretion; m6A: N6-methyladenosine; MeRIP-seq: methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing; NO: nitric oxide; NR3C1/GR: nuclear receptor subfamily 3, group C, member 1; NR3C1-Enhc.: NR3C1-enhancement; NAC: N-acetylcysteine; NC: negative control; PBS: phosphate-buffered saline; PI: propidium iodide; OCR: oxygen consumption rate; Palm.: palmitate; RELA: v-rel reticuloendotheliosis viral oncogene homolog A (avian); RNA-seq: RNA sequencing; O2.-: superoxide anion; SRC: Rous sarcoma oncogene; ROS: reactive oxygen species; T2D: type 2 diabetes; TEM: transmission electron microscopy; TLR4: toll-like receptor 4; TUNEL: terminal dUTP nick-end labeling; UTR: untranslated region; WT: wild-type.

Effects of Non-Face-to-Face Chronic Care Management on Service Utilization and Outcomes Among US Medicare Beneficiaries with Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) results in heavy economic and disease burdens in Louisiana. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has reimbursed non-face-to-face chronic care management (NFFCCM) for patients with two or more chronic conditions since 2015. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impacts of NFFCCM on healthcare utilization and health outcomes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective cohort study included Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with T2DM and at least one additional chronic disease between 2014 and 2018. EXPOSURES: At least one record of NFFCCM Current Procedural Terminology codes. MAIN MEASURES: The health outcomes in the study included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), all-cause mortality, and heart failure. The monthly service utilization and continuity of care index for primary care were also included. The propensity score method was used to balance the baseline differences between the two groups. Weighted multivariate regression models were developed using propensity score weights to assess the impacts of NFFCCM on outcomes. KEY RESULTS: During the 5 years of study period, 8415 patients among the 118,643 Medicare beneficiaries received at least one NFFCCM. Patients receiving any NFFCCM had reduced healthcare utilization compared with patients not receiving NFFCCM, including 0.012 (95% CI - 0.014 to - 0.011; p < 0.001) fewer monthly hospital admissions, 0.017 (95% CI - 0.019 to - 0.016; p < 0.001) fewer monthly ED visits, and 0.399 (95% CI 0.375 to 0.423; p < 0.001) more monthly outpatient encounters. Patients receiving NFFCCM services had lower MACE event rates of 7.4% (95% CI 7.1 to 7.8%; p < 0.001), all-cause mortality rate of 7.8% (95% CI 7.4 to 8.1%; p < 0.001), and heart failure rate of 0.3% (95% CI 0.2 to 0.5%; p < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These findings suggest that reimbursement for NFFCCM was associated with the shifting high-cost utilization to lower-cost primary health care settings among patients with diabetes in Louisiana.

Predictors of Telehealth Utilization and Subsequent Inpatient Stays and Emergency Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Evidence from Louisiana.

Objective: To understand which types of Medicare patients with diabetes disproportionately used telehealth during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and how their characteristics mediated their inpatient and emergency department (ED) utilization. Methods: Logistic regression analyses were used to measure the associations between patient characteristics and telehealth utilization using electronic health records among Medicare patients with diabetes (n = 31,654). Propensity score matching was used to examine the relative impact of telehealth use in conjunction with race, ethnicity, and age on inpatient and ED outcomes. Results: Telehealth was associated with age (75-84 vs. 65-74; odds ratio [OR] = 0.810, p < 0.01), gender (female: OR = 1.148, p < 0.01), and chronic diseases (e.g., lung disease: OR = 1.142; p < 0.01). Black patients using telehealth were less likely to visit the ED (estimate = -0.018; p = 0.08), whereas younger beneficiaries using telehealth were less likely to experience an inpatient stay (estimate = -0.017; p = 0.06). Conclusions: Telehealth expansion particularly benefited the clinically vulnerable but saw uneven use and uneven benefit along sociodemographic lines. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT03136471.

Telehealth Use and Healthcare Utilization Among Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence From Louisiana Medicaid Claims.

INTRODUCTION: The impact of telehealth use on healthcare utilization is limited, especially among Medicaid beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes. Considering the rapid adoption of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examined associations between telehealth use and healthcare utilization among Medicaid beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Using Louisiana Medicaid claims data from March 2019 to August 2021, the associations were examined using a difference-in-difference model with propensity score weighting. Demographic characteristics, baseline comorbidities and healthcare utilization, and zip code level environmental factors were included in the analysis. The monthly frequency of healthcare services, including in-person outpatient visits, inpatient visits, emergency department (ED) visits and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) tests, were measured as outcomes. Several sensitivity analyses were conducted across different subgroups. RESULTS: We included 48,992 beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes in the study of 27,340 beneficiaries in the telehealth group and 21,652 beneficiaries in the non-telehealth group. Of 1000 beneficiaries per month, the telehealth group had significantly more utilization compared to the non-telehealth group, with an increase of 195.049 in-person outpatient visits (95% CI: 166.169 to 223.929, p < 0.001), 3.816 inpatient visits (95% CI: 2.539 to 5.093, p < 0.001), 10.499 ED visits (95% CI: 7.287 to 13.712, p < 0.001) and 14.153 HbA1c tests (95% CI: 11.431 to 16.875, p < 0.001, respectively. Excluding beneficiaries who had ED or inpatient visits in the 30 days prior to receiving telehealth visits, overall ED visits significantly decreased for the telehealth group versus the non-telehealth group over time, by 9.456 visits (95% CI: - 12.356 to - 6.557, p < 0.001) per 1000 beneficiaries per month on average. CONCLUSION: The study found that telehealth was associated with a significant increase in healthcare utilization in general but has the potential to decrease ED and inpatient utilization for some groups among low-income populations with diabetes.

Telehealth use and its impact on clinical outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIM: To evaluate the impact of telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic on glycaemic control and other clinical outcomes among patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We used electronic health records from the Research Action for Health Network (REACHnet) database for patients with type 2 diabetes who had telehealth visits and those who only received in-person care during the pandemic. A quasi-experimental method of difference-in-difference with propensity-score weighting was implemented to mitigate selection bias and to control for observed factors related to telehealth use. Outcomes included glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and other clinical measures (low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol, blood pressure [BP], and body mass index [BMI]). RESULTS: Patients using telehealth had better HbA1c control compared to those receiving in-person care only during the pandemic. The telehealth group saw a significant average decrease of 0.146% (95% confidence interval [CI] -0.178% to -0.1145%; P < 0.001) in HbA1c levels over time. The proportion of patients with average HbA1c levels >7% decreased by 0.023 (95% CI -0.034, -0.011; P < 0.001) in the treatment group relative to the comparison group. Modest benefits in the control of LDL cholesterol levels, diastolic BP, and BMI were found in association with telehealth use. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that telehealth services contributed to better glycaemic control and management of other clinical outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes during the pandemic. Factors unmeasured in this study would need to be further explored to better understand the impact of telehealth.

External Validation of the BRAVO Diabetes Model Using the EXSCEL Clinical Trial Data.

INTRODUCTION: We have developed the Building, Relating, Assessing, and Validating Outcomes (BRAVO) diabetes model, an individual-level, discrete-time microsimulation model specifically designed for type 2 diabetes (T2D) management. This study aims to validate the model's performance when populated exclusively with a fully de-identified dataset to ensure its applicability in secure settings. METHODS: Patient-level data from the Exenatide Study of Cardiovascular Event Lowering (EXSCEL) trial were fully de-identified by removing all identifiable information and masking numerical values (e.g., age, body mass index) within ranges to minimize the risk of re-identification. To populate the simulation, we imputed the masked numerical values using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We applied the BRAVO model to the baseline data to predict 7-year study outcomes for the EXSCEL trial and assessed its discrimination power and calibration using C-statistics and Brier scores. RESULTS: The model demonstrated acceptable discrimination and calibration in predicting the first occurrence of non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, heart failure, revascularization, and all-cause mortality. Even with the fully deidentified data from the EXSCEL trial primarily presented in ranges rather than specific values, the BRAVO model exhibited robust prediction performance for diabetes complications and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the feasibility of using the BRAVO model in settings where only fully de-identified patient-level data are available.

Trends and disparities in telehealth use among Louisiana Medicaid beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes.

AIM: To examine trends in telehealth use among Medicaid beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes (T2D) before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and identify factors related to telehealth use. METHODS: We compared monthly proportions of outpatient visits delivered by telehealth by race/ethnicity, geography and age among Louisiana Medicaid beneficiaries with T2D using claims data from January 2018 to August 2021. We also examined the changes in provider types delivering telehealth. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to identify individual level and zip code-level factors associated with telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: The monthly proportion of outpatient visits delivered by telehealth was low (< 1%) before the pandemic, spiked in April 2020 (> 15%), then remained at approximately 5%. Telehealth use varied across different racial/ethnic groups, geography and age groups over years. Older beneficiaries were less probable to use telehealth during the pandemic (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.874, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.831-0.919). Females used more telehealth than males (AOR = 1.359, 95% CI: 1.298-1.423). Black beneficiaries used more telehealth than White beneficiaries (AOR = 1.067, 95% CI: 1.000-1.139). More telehealth services were used by Medicaid beneficiaries who were living in urban areas, with more primary care utilization, and with more chronic conditions at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: We found disparities in the uptake of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they might have been narrowed for some groups (Hispanic and rural) among Louisiana Medicaid beneficiaries with T2D. Future studies should explore strategies to improve access to telehealth services and reduce related disparities for the low-income population.

NR3C1/Glucocorticoid receptor activation promotes pancreatic ß-cell autophagy overload in response to glucolipotoxicity.

Diabetes is a complex and heterogeneous disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia. Its core cause is progressively impaired insulin secretion by pancreatic ß-cell failures, usually upon a background of preexisting insulin resistance. Recent studies demonstrate that macroautophagy/autophagy is essential to maintain architecture and function of ß-cells, whereas excessive autophagy is also involved in ß-cell dysfunction and death. It has been poorly understood whether autophagy plays a protective or harmful role in ß-cells, while we report here that it is dependent on NR3C1/glucocorticoid receptor activation. We proved that deleterious hyperactive autophagy happened only upon NR3C1 activation in ß-cells under glucolipotoxic conditions, which eventually promoted diabetes. The transcriptome and the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylome revealed that NR3C1-enhancement upregulated the RNA demethylase FTO (fat mass and obesity associated) protein in ß-cells, which caused diminished m6A modifications on mRNAs of four core Atg (autophagy related) genes (Atg12, Atg5, Atg16l2, Atg9a) and, hence, hyperactive autophagy and defective insulin output; by contrast, FTO inhibition, achieved by the specific FTO inhibitor Dac51, prevented NR3C1-instigated excessive autophagy activation. Importantly, Dac51 effectively alleviated impaired insulin secretion and glucose intolerance in hyperglycemic ß-cell specific NR3C1 overexpression mice. Our results determine that the NR3C1-FTO-m6A modifications-Atg genes axis acts as a key mediator of balanced autophagic flux in pancreatic ß-cells, which offers a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of diabetes.Abbreviations: 3-MA: 3-methyladenine; AAV: adeno-associated virus; Ac: acetylation; Ad: adenovirus; AL: autolysosome; ATG: autophagy related; AUC: area under curve; Baf A1: bafilomycin A1; ßNR3C1 mice: pancreatic ß-cell-specific NR3C1 overexpression mice; cFBS: charcoal-stripped FBS; Ctrl: control; ER: endoplasmic reticulum; FTO: fat mass and obesity associated; GC: glucocorticoid; GRE: glucocorticoid response element; GSIS: glucose-stimulated insulin secretion assay; HFD: high-fat diet; HG: high glucose; HsND: non-diabetic human; HsT2D: type 2 diabetic human; i.p.: intraperitoneal injected; KSIS: potassium-stimulated insulin secretion assay; m6A: N6-methyladenosine; MeRIP-seq: methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing; NR3C1/GR: nuclear receptor subfamily 3, group C, member 1; NR3C1-Enhc.: NR3C1-enhancement; NC: negative control; Palm.: palmitate; RNA-seq: RNA sequencing; T2D: type 2 diabetes; TEM: transmission electron microscopy; UTR: untranslated region; WT: wild-type.

Telemedicine Use by Age in Louisiana Medicaid During COVID-19: Claims-Based Longitudinal Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Limited availability of in-person health care services and fear of contracting COVID-19 during the pandemic promoted an increased reliance on telemedicine. However, long-standing inequities in telemedicine due to unequal levels of digital literacy and internet connectivity among different age groups raise concerns about whether the uptake of telemedicine has exacerbated or alleviated those inequities. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to examine changes in telemedicine and in-person health service use during the COVID-19 pandemic across age groups for Medicaid beneficiaries in the state of Louisiana. METHODS: Interrupted time series models were used on Louisiana Medicaid claims data to estimate trends in total, in-person, and telemedicine monthly office visit claims per 1000 Medicaid beneficiaries between January 2018 and December 2020. Changes in care pattern trends and levels were estimated around the infection peaks (April 2020 and July 2020) and for an end-of-year infection leveling off period (December 2020). Four mutually exclusive age categories (0 to 17, 18 to 34, 35 to 49, and 50 to 64 years) were used to compare the differences. RESULTS: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine services accounted for less than 1% of total office visit claim volume across the age groups. Each age group followed similar patterns of sharp increases in April 2020, downward trends until sharp increases again in July 2020, followed by flat trends thereafter until December 2020. These sharp increases were most pronounced for older patients, with those aged 50 to 64 years seeing increases of 184.09 telemedicine claims per 1000 Medicaid beneficiaries in April 2020 (95% CI 172.19 to 195.99) and 120.81 in July 2020 (95% CI 101.32 to 140.31) compared with those aged 18 to 34 years, seeing increases of 84.47 (95% CI 78.64 to 90.31) and 57.00 (95% CI 48.21 to 65.79), respectively. This resulted in overall changes from baseline to December 2020 levels of 123.65 (95% CI 112.79 to 134.51) for those aged 50 to 64 years compared with 59.07 (95% CI 53.89 to 64.24) for those aged 18 to 34 years. CONCLUSIONS: Older Medicaid beneficiaries in Louisiana had higher rates of telemedicine claim volume during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with younger beneficiaries.

Disparities in Telemedicine Use Among Louisiana Medicaid Beneficiaries During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increased reliance on telemedicine. Whether this exacerbated existing disparities within vulnerable populations is not yet known. OBJECTIVES: Characterize changes in outpatient telemedicine evaluation and management (E&M) services for Louisiana Medicaid beneficiaries by race, ethnicity, and rurality during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESEARCH DESIGN: Interrupted time series regression models estimated pre-COVID-19 trends and changes in E&M service use at the April and July 2020 peaks in COVID-19 infections in Louisiana and in December 2020 after those peaks had subsided. SUBJECTS: Louisiana Medicaid beneficiaries continuously enrolled between January 2018 and December 2020 who were not also enrolled in Medicare. MEASURES: Monthly outpatient E&M claims per 1000 beneficiaries. RESULTS: Prepandemic differences in service use between non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black beneficiaries narrowed by 34% through December 2020 (95% CI: 17.6%-50.6%), while differences between non-Hispanic White and Hispanic beneficiaries increased by 10.5% (95% CI: 0.1%-20.7%). Non-Hispanic White beneficiaries used telemedicine at higher rates than non-Hispanic Black (difference=24.9 claims per 1000 beneficiaries, 95% CI: 22.3-27.4) and Hispanic beneficiaries (difference=42.3 claims per 1000 beneficiaries, 95% CI: 39.1-45.5) during the first wave of COVID-19 infections in Louisiana. Telemedicine use increased slightly for rural beneficiaries compared with urban beneficiaries (difference=5.3 claims per 1000 beneficiaries, 95% CI: 4.0-6.6). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic narrowed gaps in outpatient E&M service use between non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black Louisiana Medicaid beneficiaries, though gaps in telemedicine use emerged. Hispanic beneficiaries experienced large reductions in service use and relatively small increases in telemedicine use.

Telehealth and Medicare Type 2 Diabetes Care Outcomes: Evidence From Louisiana.

BACKGROUND: At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services broadened access to telehealth. This provided an opportunity to test whether diabetes, a risk factor for COVID-19 severity, can be managed with telehealth services. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the impacts of telehealth on diabetes control. RESEARCH DESIGN: A doubly robust estimator combined a propensity score-weighting strategy with regression controls for baseline characteristics using electronic medical records data to compare outcomes in patients with and without telehealth care. Matching on preperiod trajectories in outpatient visits and weighting by odds were used to ensure comparability between comparators. SUBJECTS: Medicare patients with type 2 diabetes in Louisiana between March 2018 and February 2021 (9530 patients with a COVID-19 era telehealth visit and 20,666 patients without one). MEASURES: Primary outcomes were glycemic levels and control [ie, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) under 7%]. Secondary outcomes included alternative HbA1c measures, emergency department visits, and inpatient admissions. RESULTS: Telehealth was associated with lower pandemic era mean A1c values [estimate=-0.080%, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.111% to -0.048%], which translated to an increased likelihood of having HbA1c in control (estimate=0.013; 95% CI: 0.002-0.024; P<0.023). Hispanic telehealth users had relatively higher COVID-19 era HbA1c levels (estimate=0.125; 95% CI: 0.044-0.205; P<0.003). Telehealth was not associated with differences in the likelihood of having an emergency department visits (estimate=-0.003; 95% CI: -0.011 to 0.004; P<0.351) but was associated with more the likelihood of having an inpatient admission (estimate=0.024; 95% CI: 0.018-0.031; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Telehealth use among Medicare patients with type 2 diabetes in Louisiana stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with relatively improved glycemic control.

The Impact of Reimbursement for Non-Face-to-Face Chronic Care Management on Comprehensive Metabolic Biomarkers Among Multimorbid Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

AIMS: We evaluated the impact of reimbursement for non-face-to-face chronic care management (NFFCCM) on comprehensive metabolic risk factors among multimorbid Medicare beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes in Louisiana. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We implemented a propensity score method to obtain comparable treatment (n=1501 with NFFCCM) and control (n=17,524 without NFFCCM) groups. Patients with type 2 diabetes were extracted from the electronic health records stored in REACHnet. The study period was from 2013 to February 2020. The comprehensive metabolic risk factors included the primary outcome of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (as the primary outcome) and the secondary outcomes of body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (BP), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. RESULTS: Receiving any NFFCCM was associated with improvement in all outcomes measures: a reduction in HbA1c of 0.063% (95% CI: 0.031%-0.094%; P <0.001), a reduction in BMI of 0.155 kg/m 2 (95% CI: 0.029-0.282 kg/m 2 ; P =0.016), a reduction in systolic BP of 0.816 mm Hg (95% CI: 0.469-1.163 mm Hg; P <0.001), and a reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol of 1.779 mg/dL (95% CI: 0.988 2.570 mg/dL; P <0.001). Compared with the control group, the treatment group had 1.6% more patients with HbA1c <7% (95% CI: 0.3%-2.9%; P =0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with diabetes in Louisiana receiving NFFCCM experienced better control of HbA1c, BMI, BP, and low-density lipoprotein outcomes.

Comparison of Screening Mammogram Rates Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Medicaid Beneficiaries in Louisiana.

This cohort study investigates differences in screening mammography before vs during the COVID-19 pandemic by race and ethnicity among Medicaid beneficiaries in Louisiana.

The Impact of Reimbursement for Non-Face-to-Face Chronic Care Management on Health Utilization Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes in Louisiana.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the impact of reimbursement for non-face-to-face chronic care management (NFFCCM) on healthcare utilization among Medicare beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes in Louisiana. METHODS: We implemented group-based trajectory balancing and propensity score matching to obtain comparable treatment (with NFFCCM) and control (without NFFCCM) groups at baseline. Patients with diabetes with Medicare as their primary payer at baseline were extracted using electronic health records of 3 health systems from Research Action for Health Network, a Clinical Research Network. The study period is from 2013 to early 2020. Our outcomes include general healthcare utilization (outpatient, emergency department, and inpatient encounters) and health utilization related to diabetic complications. We tested each of these outcomes according to multiple treatment definitions and different subgroups. RESULTS: Receiving any NFFCCM was associated with an increase in outpatient visits of 657 (95% confidence interval [CI] 626-687; P < .001) per 1000 patients per month, a decrease in inpatient admissions of 5 (95% CI 2-7; P < .001) per 1000 patients per month, and a decrease in emergency department visits of 4 (95% CI 1-7; P = .005) per 1000 patients per month after 24-month follow-up from initial NFFCCM encounter. Both complex and noncomplex NFFCCM significantly increased visits to outpatient services and inpatient admissions per month. Receiving NFFCCM has a dose-response association with increasing outpatient visits per month. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with diabetes in Louisiana who received NFFCCM had more low-cost primary healthcare and less high-cost healthcare utilization in general. The cost savings of NFFCCM in diabetes management could be further explored in the future.

Ultrasonic surgical and electrosurgical system (USES) with conventional ultrasonic scalpel (CUS) in gastrectomy: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Harmonic ACE +7 Shears with Advanced Hemostasis is an upgraded ultrasonic device, an ultrasonic surgical and electrosurgical system (USES). The study aimed to evaluate the economic and clinical effectiveness of the USES compared with the conventional ultrasonic scalpel (CUS) in gastrectomy. METHODS: We conducted a single-center, retrospective cohort study using the electronic medical records in China. We collected intraoperative and postoperative data from gastric cancer patients who underwent the endoscope-assisted distal gastrectomy from 2018 to June 30, 2019. Procedure-related costs were estimated. We used linear regression by controlling a set of covariates to assess the effect of USES on outcomes. RESULT: Out of 87 eligible patients, the USES group (40 patients) and CUS group (47 patients) were comparable in terms of age, medical history and stages of cancer. Compared with the CUS, the USES saved 4.27 hemoclips per person (95% CI 0.57-7.97, p < 0.05) and 34.18 ml intraoperative blood per person (95% CI 8.74-59.62 ml, p < 0.05), respectively. Postoperative length of stay (LOS) was shorter in the USES group (7.90 ± 1.95 vs. 9.26 ± 2.81 days) but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The USES group was associated with fewer hemoclips use and intraoperative blood loss in patients undergoing laparoscopic gastrectomy at comparable costs.

Pre-COVID-19 Disparities in Telemedicine Use Among Louisiana Medicaid Beneficiaries.

Background: We examine trends in telemedicine use by race, geography, and age among Louisiana Medicaid beneficiaries in the months preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Using Louisiana Medicaid claims data from January 2018 through February 2020, we calculated a relative ratio of telemedicine use as the share of telemedicine claims by race, age, and geography and conducted two-sample t-tests. Results: In 2018, White beneficiaries used telemedicine at a relative ratio of 1.92 compared with Black beneficiaries (p < 0.001) and 2.02 compared with Hispanic beneficiaries (p < 0.001). Rural beneficiaries used telemedicine at a relative ratio of 1.27 (p < 0.001) compared with urban beneficiaries. Children and adolescents used telemedicine at a higher rate than other age groups. Racial and geographic disparities narrowed in the first months of 2020. Conclusions: Telemedicine use in Louisiana Medicaid was low but growing before the pandemic with narrowing disparities by race and geography and emerging disparities by age.

COVID-19 and Routine Childhood and Adolescent Immunizations: Evidence from Louisiana Medicaid.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine vaccinations for children and adolescents. However, it remains unclear whether the impact has been different for children and adolescents from low-income families. To address this, we compared monthly routine vaccination use per 1000 vaccine-eligible children and adolescents enrolled in Louisiana Medicaid in the years before (2017-2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020). Compared to the 2017-2019 average vaccination rates, we found a 28% reduction in measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), a 35% reduction in human papillomavirus (HPV), and a 30% reduction in tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) vaccinations in 2020. Vaccine uptake was lower in April 2020 after the declaration of a state of emergency and in late summer when back-to-school vaccinations ordinarily occur. We found little evidence of recovery in later months. Our findings suggest that a substantial number of disadvantaged children may experience longer periods of vulnerability to preventable infections because of missed vaccinations.

Impact of Check It: A Novel Community-Based Chlamydia Screening and Expedited Treatment Program for Young Black Men.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to estimate the impact of the Check It program, a novel community-based chlamydia seek, test, and treat program for young Black men who have sex with women, on test positivity rates for chlamydia in young Black women. METHODS: We used a synthetic control model to compare chlamydia test positivity rates in Orleans Parish (intervention site) with other similar parishes (control sites) in Louisiana. We estimated a model that used all other parishes as potential contributors to a synthetic control for Louisiana as well as a sample limited to the 40 parishes in Louisiana with the largest Black populations. RESULTS: The Check It program was associated with a 1.69-percentage-point decline in chlamydia positivity in the first full year of operation and a 2.44-percentage-point decline in chlamydia positivity in the second full year of operation compared with control sites with the largest Black populations (P = 0.05). Results were similar when the treatment site was compared with all other sites in Louisiana. CONCLUSIONS: The Check It program was associated with a significant decline in chlamydia testing positivity rates among women in Orleans Parish compared with control sites. Screening of young Black men who have sex with women can decrease rates in women living in the same community. Future recommendations for chlamydia screening of young men should be considered.