Impact of integrated health system changes, accelerated due to an earthquake, on emergency department attendances and acute admissions: a Bayesian change-point analysis

OBJECTIVE

To chart emergency department (ED) attendance and acute admission following a devastating earthquake in 2011 which lead to Canterbury's rapidly accelerated integrated health system transformations.

DESIGN

Interrupted time series analysis, modelling using Bayesian change-point methods, of ED attendance and acute admission rates over the 2008-2014 period.

SETTING

ED department within the Canterbury District Health Board; with comparison to two other district health boards unaffected by the earthquake within New Zealand.

PARTICIPANTS

Canterbury's health system services ∼500 000 people, with around 85 000 ED attendances and 37 000 acute admissions per annum.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

De-seasoned standardised population ED attendance and acute admission rates overall, and stratified by age and sex, compared before and after the earthquake.

RESULTS

Analyses revealed five global patterns: (1) postearthquake, there was a sudden and persisting decrease in the proportion of the population attending the ED; (2) the growth rate of ED attendances per head of population did not change between the pre-earthquake and postearthquake periods; (3) postearthquake, there was a sudden and persisting decrease in the proportion of the population admitted to hospital; (4) the growth rate of hospital admissions per head of the population declined between pre-earthquake and postearthquake periods and (5) the most dramatic reduction in hospital admissions growth after the earthquake occurred among those aged 65+ years. Extrapolating from the projected and fitted deseasoned rates for December 2014, ∼676 (16.8%) of 4035 projected hospital admissions were avoided.

CONCLUSIONS

While both necessarily and opportunistically accelerated, Canterbury's integrated health systems transformations have resulted in a dramatic and sustained reduction in ED attendances and acute hospital admissions. This natural intervention experiment, triggered by an earthquake, demonstrated that integrated health systems with high quality out-of-hospital care models are likely to successfully curb growth in acute hospital demand, nationally and internationally.

Implementation of a Brief Treatment Counseling Toolkit in Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers: Patient and Clinician Utilization and Satisfaction

INTRODUCTION

The need to integrate behavioral health care within medical settings is widely recognized, and integrative care approaches are associated with improved outcomes for a range of disorders. As substance use treatment integration efforts expand within primary care settings, training behavioral health providers in evidence-based brief treatment models that are cost-effective and easily fit within the medical flow is essential.

METHODS

Guided by principles drawn from Diffusion of Innovations theory (Rogers, 2003) and the Consolidated Framework of Implementation Research (Damschroder et al., 2009), we adapted elements of Motivational Enhancement Therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and 12-step facilitation into a brief counseling toolkit. The toolkit is a menu driven assortment of 35 separate structured clinical interventions that each include client takeaway resources to reinforce brief clinical contacts. We then implemented this toolkit in the context of a randomized clinical trial in three Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers. Behavioral Health Consultants (BHCs) used a pre-screening model wherein 10,935 patients received a brief initial screener, and 2011 received more in-depth substance use screening. Six hundred patients were assigned to either a single session brief intervention or an expanded brief treatment encompassing up to five additional sessions. We conducted structured interviews with patients, medical providers, and BHCs to obtain feedback on toolkit implementation.

RESULTS

On average, patients assigned to brief treatment attended 3.29 sessions. Fifty eight percent of patients reported using most or all of the educational materials provided to them. Patients assigned to brief treatment reported that the BHC sessions were somewhat more helpful than did patients assigned to a single session brief intervention (p=.072). BHCs generally reported that the addition of the toolkit was helpful to their work in delivering screening and brief treatment.

DISCUSSION

This work is significant because it provides support to clinicians in delivering evidence-based brief interventions and has been formatted into presentation styles that can be presented flexibly depending on patient need.

Monitoring adverse events in Norwegian hospitals from 2010 to 2013

OBJECTIVES

To describe how adverse event (AE) rates were monitored and estimated nationally across all Norwegian hospitals from 2010 to 2013, and how they developed during the monitoring period. Monitoring was based on medical record review with Global Trigger Tool (GTT).

SETTING

All publicly and privately owned hospitals were mandated to review randomly selected medical records to monitor AE rates. The initiative was part of the Norwegian patient safety campaign, launched by the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services. It started in January 2011 and lasted until December 2013. 2010 was the baseline for the review. One of the main aims of the campaign was to reduce patient harm.

METHOD

To standardise the medical record reviews in all hospitals, GTT was chosen as a standard method. GTT teams from all hospitals reviewed 40,851 medical records randomly selected from 2,249,957 discharges from 2010 to 2013. Data were plotted in time series for local measurement and national AE rates were estimated, plotted and monitored.

RESULTS

AE rates were estimated and published nationally from 2010 to 2013. Estimated AE rates in severity categories E-I decreased significantly from 16.1% in 2011 to 13.0% in 2013 (-3.1% (95% CI -5.2% to -1.1%)).

CONCLUSIONS

Monitoring estimated AE rates emerges as a potential element in national systems for patient safety. Estimated AE rates in the category of least severity decreased significantly during the first 2 years of the monitoring.

The Contemporary Safety and Effectiveness of Lower Extremity Bypass Surgery and Peripheral Endovascular Interventions in the Treatment of Symptomatic Peripheral Arterial Disease

BACKGROUND

Treatment for symptomatic peripheral artery disease includes lower extremity bypass surgery (LEB) and peripheral endovascular interventions (PVIs); however, limited comparative effectiveness data exist between the 2 therapies. We assessed the safety and effectiveness of LEB and PVI in patients with symptomatic claudication and critical limb ischemia.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In a community-based clinical registry at 2 large integrated healthcare delivery systems, we compared 883 patients undergoing PVI and 975 patients undergoing LEB between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2011. Rates of target lesion revascularization were greater for PVI than for LEB in patients presenting with claudication (12.3±2.7% and 19.0±3.5% at 1 and 3 years versus 5.2±2.4% and 8.3±3.1%, log-rank P<0.001) and critical limb ischemia (19.1±4.8% and 31.6±6.3% at 1 and 3 years versus 10.8±2.5% and 16.0±3.2%, log-rank P<0.001). However, in comparison with PVI, LEB was associated with increased rates of complications up to 30 days following the procedure (37.1% versus 11.9%, P<0.001). There were no differences in amputation rates between the 2 groups. Findings remained consistent in sensitivity analyses by using propensity methods to account for treatment selection.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease, in comparison with LEB, PVI was associated with fewer 30-day procedural complications, higher revascularization rates at 1 and 3 years, and no difference in subsequent amputations.

Association between secure patient-clinician email and clinical services utilisation in a US integrated health system: a retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To assess associations between secure patient-clinician email use and clinical services utilisation over time.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study between July 2010 and December 2013. Controlling for a utilisation surge around first secure email use, we analysed difference of differences between propensity score-matched groups of secure patient-clinician email users and non-users for utilisation 1-12 months before and 7-18 months after first email (users) or a randomly assigned index date (non-users).

SETTING

US integrated healthcare delivery system.

PARTICIPANTS

9345 adults with first secure email use between July 2011 and July 2012 and continuous enrolment for ≥30 months and 9345 adults without secure email use between July 2010 and July 2012 matched to users on demographics, health status, and baseline utilisation.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Rates of office visits, patient-initiated phone calls, scheduled telephone visits, after-hours clinic visits, emergency department visits, and hospitalisations.

RESULTS

After controlling for multiple factors, no statistically significant differences in utilisation between secure email users and non-users occurred. Utilisation transiently increased by 88-237% around first email use. Annual rates of patient-initiated phone calls decreased among secure email users, 0.2 fewer calls per person (95% CI -0.3 to -0.1), from a mean of 4.1 calls per person 1-12 months before first use to a mean of 3.8 calls per person 7-18 months after first use. Rates of patient-initiated phone calls also decreased among non-users, 0.1 fewer calls per person (95% CI -0.2 to 0.0), from a mean of 4.2 calls per person 1-12 months before the index date to mean of 4.1 calls per person 7-18 months after the index date.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with non-users, patient use of secure email with clinicians was not associated with statistically significant differences in clinical services utilisation 7-18 months after first use.

Trans-Sector Integrated Treatment in Psychosis and Addiction

BACKGROUND

Patients with psychosis often develop comorbid addiction, with a lifetime prevalence of ca. 50%. Dual diagnoses are considered hard to treat. Long-term integrated treatment programs might improve such patients' outcomes, at least to a moderate extent, but they have not yet been adequately studied or implemented in Germany to date.

METHODS

100 dual diagnosis patients participated in a single-center, randomized, controlled trial under standard hospital treatment conditions. They were randomly allotted to two groups. Patients in the intervention group were admitted to a specialized open hospital ward, where they were given integrated treatment, including disorder-specific group therapy. Their treatment was continued with further disorder-specific group therapy in the outpatient setting. Patients in the control group were admitted to an open general psychiatric ward and received treatment as usual, but no disorder-specific treatment either during their hospitalization or in the subsequent outpatient phase. Follow-up examinations were performed three, six, and twelve months after inclusion. The primary outcome was defined as the changes in substance use and abstinence motivation. The secondary outcome consisted of the patients' satisfaction with treatment and with life in general, retention rate, psychopathology, rehospitalizations, and global level of functioning.

RESULTS

The patients in the intervention group developed higher abstinence motivation than those in the control group (p = 0.009) and transiently reduced their substance use to a greater extent (p = 0.039 at three months). They were also more satisfied with their treatment (group effect: p = 0.011). Their global level of functioning and their retention rate were also higher, but these differences did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSION

Low-threshold, motivational, integrated treatment programs with psycho-educative and behavioral therapeutic elements may be helpful in the treatment of dual diagnosis patients and should be more extensively implemented as part of standard hospital treatment. Larger-scale, methodologically more complex studies will be needed to identify subgroups of patients that respond to such treatments in different ways.

Measuring Implementation Strength for Integrated Community Case Management in Malawi: Results from a National Cell Phone Census

Program managers, investors, and evaluators need real-time information on how program strategies are being scaled up and implemented. Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) of childhood illnesses is a strategy for increasing access to diagnosis and treatment of malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea through community-based health workers. We collected real-time data on iCCM implementation strength through cell phone interviews with community-based health workers in Malawi and calculated indicators of implementation strength and utilization at district level using consensus definitions from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and iCCM partners. All of the iCCM implementation strength indicators varied widely within and across districts. Results show that Malawi has made substantial progress in the scale-up of iCCM since the 2008 program launch. However, there are wide differences in iCCM implementation strength by district. Districts that performed well according to the survey measures demonstrate that MOH implementation strength targets are achievable with the right combination of supportive structures. Using the survey results, specific districts can now be targeted with additional support.

Evaluation of Integrated Community Case Management in Eight Districts of Central Uganda

Objective

Evidence is limited on whether Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) improves treatment coverage of the top causes of childhood mortality (acute respiratory illnesses (ARI), diarrhoea and malaria). The coverage impact of iCCM in Central Uganda was evaluated.

Methods

Between July 2010 and December 2012 a pre-post quasi-experimental study in eight districts with iCCM was conducted; 3 districts without iCCM served as controls. A two-stage household cluster survey at baseline (n = 1036 and 1042) and end line (n = 3890 and 3844) was done in the intervention and comparison groups respectively. Changes in treatment coverage and timeliness were assessed using difference in differences analysis (DID). Mortality impact was modelled using the Lives Saved Tool.

Findings

5,586 Village Health Team members delivered 1,907,746 treatments to children under age five. Use of oral rehydration solution (ORS) and zinc treatment of diarrhoea increased in the intervention area, while there was a decrease in the comparison area (DID = 22.9, p = 0.001). Due to national stock-outs of amoxicillin, there was a decrease in antibiotic treatment for ARI in both areas; however, the decrease was significantly greater in the comparison area (DID = 5.18; p<0.001). There was a greater increase in Artemisinin Combination Therapy treatment for fever in the intervention areas than in the comparison area but this was not significant (DID = 1.57, p = 0.105). In the intervention area, timeliness of treatments for fever and ARI increased significantly higher in the intervention area than in the comparison area (DID = 2.12, p = 0.029 and 7.95, p<0.001, respectively). An estimated 106 lives were saved in the intervention area while 611 lives were lost in the comparison area.

Conclusion

iCCM significantly increased treatment coverage for diarrhoea and fever, mitigated the effect of national stock outs of amoxicillin on ARI treatment, improved timeliness of treatments for fever and ARI and saved lives.

Accountable Care Organizations in California: Market Forces at Work?

Accountable care organizations (ACOs), one of the most recent and promising health care delivery innovations, encourage care coordination among providers. While ACOs hold promise for decreasing costs by reducing unnecessary procedures, improving resource use as a result of economies of scale and scope, ACOs also raise concerns about provider market power. This study examines the market-level competition factors that are associated with ACO participation and the number of ACOs. Using data from California, we find that higher levels of preexisting managed care leads to higher ACO entry and enrollment growth, while hospital concentration leads to fewer ACOs and lower enrollment. We find interesting results for physician market power - markets with concentrated physician markets have a smaller share of individuals in commercial ACOs but a larger number of commercial ACO organizations. This finding implies smaller ACOs in these markets.

Population-representative incidence of drug-induced acute liver failure based on an analysis of an integrated health care system

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Medications are a major cause of acute liver failure (ALF) in the United States, but no population-based studies have evaluated the incidence of ALF from drug-induced liver injury. We aimed to determine the incidence and outcomes of drug-induced ALF in an integrated health care system that approximates a population-based cohort.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) health care system between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2010. We included all KPNC members age 18 years and older with 6 months or more of membership and hospitalization for potential ALF. The primary outcome was drug-induced ALF (defined as coagulopathy and hepatic encephalopathy without underlying chronic liver disease), determined by hepatologists who reviewed medical records of all KPNC members with inpatient diagnostic and laboratory criteria suggesting potential ALF.

RESULTS

Among 5,484,224 KPNC members between 2004 and 2010, 669 had inpatient diagnostic and laboratory criteria indicating potential ALF. After medical record review, 62 (9.3%) were categorized as having definite or possible ALF, and 32 (51.6%) had a drug-induced etiology (27 definite, 5 possible). Acetaminophen was implicated in 18 events (56.3%), dietary/herbal supplements in 6 events (18.8%), antimicrobials in 2 events (6.3%), and miscellaneous medications in 6 events (18.8%). One patient with acetaminophen-induced ALF died (5.6%; 0.06 events/1,000,000 person-years) compared with 3 patients with non-acetaminophen-induced ALF (21.4%; 0.18/1,000,000 person-years). Overall, 6 patients (18.8%) underwent liver transplantation, and 22 patients (68.8%) were discharged without transplantation. The incidence rates of any definite drug-induced ALF and acetaminophen-induced ALF were 1.61 events/1,000,000 person-years (95% confidence interval, 1.06-2.35) and 1.02 events/1,000,000 person-years (95% confidence interval, 0.59-1.63), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Drug-induced ALF is uncommon, but over-the-counter products and dietary/herbal supplements are its most common causes.

Do existing mechanisms contribute to improvements in care coordination across levels of care in health services networks? Opinions of the health personnel in Colombia and Brazil

BACKGROUND

The fragmentation of healthcare provision has given rise to a wide range of interventions within organizations to improve coordination across levels of care, primarily in high income countries but also in some middle and low-income countries. The aim is to analyze the use of coordination mechanisms in healthcare networks and its implications for the delivery of health care. This is studied from the perspective of health personnel in two countries with different health systems, Colombia and Brazil.

METHODS

A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive-interpretative study was conducted, based on a case study of healthcare networks in two municipalities in each country. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with a three stage theoretical sample of a) health (112) and administrative (66) professionals of different care levels, and b) managers of providers (42) and insurers (14). A thematic content analysis was conducted, segmented by cases, informant groups and themes.

RESULTS

The results show that care coordination mechanisms are poorly implemented in general. However, the results are marginally better in certain segments of the Colombian networks analyzed (ambulatory centres with primary and secondary care co-location owned by or tied to the contributory scheme insurers, and public providers of the subsidized scheme); and in the network of the state capital in Brazil. Professionals point to numerous problems in the use of existing mechanisms, such as the insufficient recording of information in referral forms, low frequency and level of participation in shared clinical sessions, low adherence to the few available clinical guidelines and the lack of or inadequate referral of patients by the patient referral centres, particularly in the Brazilian networks. The absence or limited use of care coordination mechanisms leads, according to informants, to the inadequate follow-up of patients, interruptions in care and duplication of tests. Professionals use informal strategies to try to overcome these limitations.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate not only the limited implementation of mechanisms for coordination across care levels, but also a limited use of existing mechanisms in the healthcare networks analyzed. This has a negative impact on coordination, efficiency and quality of care. Organizational changes are required in the networks and healthcare systems to address these problems.

Cost-effectiveness of integrated care in frail elderly using the ICECAP-O and EQ-5D: does choice of instrument matter?

Economic evaluations likely undervalue the benefits of interventions in populations receiving both health and social services, such as frail elderly, by measuring only health-related quality of life. For this reason, alternative preference-based instruments have been developed for economic evaluations in the elderly, such as the ICECAP-O. The aim of this paper is twofold: (1) to evaluate the cost-effectiveness using a short run time frame for an integrated care model for frail elderly, and (2) to investigate whether using a broader measure of (capability) wellbeing in an economic evaluation leads to a different outcome in terms of cost-effectiveness. We performed univariate and multivariate analyses on costs and outcomes separately. We also performed incremental net monetary benefit regressions using quality adjusted life years (QALYs) based on the ICECAP-O and EQ-5D. In terms of QALYs as measured with the EQ-5D and the ICECAP-O, there were small and insignificant differences between the instruments, due to negligible effect size. Therefore, widespread implementation of the Walcheren integrated care model would be premature based on these results. All results suggest that, using the ICECAP-O, the intervention has a higher probability of cost-effectiveness than with the EQ-5D at the same level of WTP. In case an intervention's health and wellbeing effects are not significant, as in this study, using the ICECAP-O will not lead to a false claim of cost-effectiveness of the intervention. On the other hand, if differences in capability QALYs are meaningful and significant, the ICECAP-O may have the potential to measure broader outcomes and be more sensitive to differences between intervention and comparators.

The state of Veterans Affairs sleep medicine programs: 2012 inventory results

PURPOSE

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) represents one of the largest integrated health-care systems in the country. In 2012, the Veterans Affairs Sleep Network (VASN) sought to identify available sleep resources at VA medical centers (VAMCs) across the country through a national sleep inventory.

METHODS

The sleep inventory was administered at the annual 2012 VA Sleep Practitioners meeting and by email to sleep contacts at each VAMC. National prosthetics contacts were used to identify personnel at VAMCs without established sleep programs. Follow-up emails and telephone calls were made through March 2013.

RESULTS

One hundred eleven VA medical centers were included for analysis. Thirty-nine programs did not respond, and 10 were considered "satellites," referring all sleep services to a larger neighboring VAMC. Sleep programs were stratified based on extent of services offered (i.e., in-lab and home testing, sleep specialty clinics, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-i)): 28 % were complex sleep programs (CSPs), 46 % were intermediate (ISPs), 9 % were standard (SSPs), and 17 % offered no formal sleep services. Overall, 138,175 clinic visits and 90,904 sleep testing encounters were provided in fiscal year 2011 by 112.1 physicians and clinical psychologists, 100.4 sleep technologists, and 115.3 respiratory therapists. More than half of all programs had home testing and CBT-i programs, and 26 % utilized sleep telehealth.

CONCLUSIONS

The 2012 VA sleep inventory suggests considerable variability in sleep services within the VA. Demand for sleep services is high, with programs using home testing, sleep telehealth, and a growing number of mid-level providers to improve access to care.

Multimorbidity and healthcare utilisation among high-cost patients in the US Veterans Affairs Health Care System

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the relationship between multimorbidity and healthcare utilisation patterns among the highest cost patients in a large, integrated healthcare system.

DESIGN

In this retrospective cross-sectional study of all patients in the U.S. Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System, we aggregated costs of individuals' outpatient and inpatient care, pharmacy services and VA-sponsored contract care received in 2010. We assessed chronic condition prevalence, multimorbidity as measured by comorbidity count, and multisystem multimorbidity (number of body systems affected by chronic conditions) among the 5% highest cost patients. Using multivariate regression, we examined the association between multimorbidity and healthcare utilisation and costs, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, homelessness and health insurance status.

SETTING

USA VA Health Care System.

PARTICIPANTS

5.2 million VA patients.

MEASURES

Annual total costs; absolute and share of costs generated through outpatient, inpatient, pharmacy and VA-sponsored contract care; number of visits to primary, specialty and mental healthcare; number of emergency department visits and hospitalisations.

RESULTS

The 5% highest cost patients (n=261,699) accounted for 47% of total VA costs. Approximately two-thirds of these patients had chronic conditions affecting ≥3 body systems. Patients with cancer and schizophrenia were less likely to have documented comorbid conditions than other high-cost patients. Multimorbidity was generally associated with greater outpatient and inpatient utilisation. However, increased multisystem multimorbidity was associated with a higher outpatient share of total costs (1.6 percentage points per affected body system, p<0.01) but a lower inpatient share of total costs (-0.6 percentage points per affected body system, p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Multisystem multimorbidity is common among high-cost VA patients. While some patients might benefit from disease-specific programmes, for most patients with multimorbidity there is a need for interventions that coordinate and maximise efficiency of outpatient services across multiple conditions.

Assessment of health status and program performance in patients on long-term oxygen therapy

BACKGROUND

Despite well established clinical guidelines, performance of long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) programs shows marked variability among territories. The current study assessed the LTOT program and the health status of patients on LTOT prior to the deployment of community-based integrated care in an urban health district of Barcelona (Spain).

AIMS

To assess: i) the LTOT program and health status of the patients on LTOT in the health district; ii) their frailty profile; and, iii) the requirements for effective deployment of integrated care services for these patients.

METHODS

Cross-sectional observational study design including all patients (n = 406) on LTOT living in the health district. Health status, frailty, arterial blood gases, forced spirometry and hand-grip muscle strength were measured. Network analysis of frailty was carried out.

RESULTS

Adequacy of LTOT prescription (n = 362): 47% and 31% of the patients had PaO2 ≤ 60 mmHg and ≤55 mmHg, respectively. Adherence to LTOT: 31% of all patients used LTOT ≥15 h/d; this figure increased to 67% in those with PaO2≤60 mmHg. Assessment of frailty: Overall, LTOT patients presented moderate to severe frailty. Care complexity was observed in 42% of the patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Adequacy and adherence to LTOT was poor and many patients were frail and complex. The outcomes of the network analysis may contribute to enhance assessment of frailty in LTOT patients. These observations suggest that an integrated care strategy has the potential to improve the health outcomes of these patients.

Snapshot of an integrated psychosocial gastroenterology service

AIM: To characterize the patients utilizing a gastroenterology behavioral medicine service and examine the effect of treatment on health care utilization.

METHODS: Patients were referred by their gastroenterologists for psychological treatment during a 15 mo period. Patients seen for an intake with a psychologist completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and a checklist of psychosocial concerns. A subset of patients with functional bowel disorders also completed a disease specific quality of life measure. Chart review was conducted to obtain information on type and frequency of sessions with the psychologist, the number of outpatient gastroenterology visits, and number of gastroenterology-related medical procedures during the 6 mo following psychological intake.

RESULTS: Of 259 patients referred for treatment, 118 (46%) completed an intake with a psychologist. Diagnoses included: irritable bowel syndrome (42%), functional dyspepsia (20%), inflammatory bowel diseases (20%), esophageal symptoms (10%), and “other” (8%). Demographic variables and disease type did not differentiate between those who did and did not schedule an intake. Mean t-scores for the BSI global score index and the depression, anxiety, and somatization subscales fell below the cutoff for clinical significance (t = 63). Treatments were predominantly gut-directed hypnosis (48%) and cognitive behavioral therapy (44%). Average length of treatment was 4 sessions. Among functional gastrointestinal (GI) patients, those patients who initiated treatment received significantly fewer GI-related medical procedures during the 6 mo following the referral than patients who did not schedule an intake [t (197) = 2.69, P < 0.01].

CONCLUSION: Patients are receptive to psychological interventions for GI conditions and there is preliminary evidence that treatment can decrease health-care utilization among patients with functional GI conditions.

[Evaluation and socio-economic relevance of an integrated osteoporosis health care network]

During the last 6 to 7 years, integrated health care has become more and more important in Germany. In August 2005 we initiated a collaborative project involving two orthopaedic clinics in Hanover and one rehabilitation clinic in Bad Pyrmont specialising in the treatment of osteoporosis. Here, we report the results of 633 women (83 ± 7 years) and 162 men (75 ± 10 years) who participated in this programme between August 2005 and August 2012. All participants gave informed consent. All patients were supplemented with 1200 mg of calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D. Intravenous bisphosphonates were given to 91% and parathyroid hormone to 7% of the patients. Two per cent received miscellanous therapeutic agents. Follow-up visits were attended by 89% of the patients after one year and 78% after two years. During this time, a significant improvement was observed in vitamin D, parathyroid hormone and the bone marker desoxypyridinoline. DXA measurements were falsified by degenerative disease or fractures. In the men, however, a significant increase was observed in the total hip. Over the two-year period, 16 vertebral and 3 non-vertebral fractures occurred in the women. In the men, one non-vertebral and 5 vertebral fractures were noted. Among the women, 18 died and 6 were admitted to a nursing home. The corresponding figures among the men were 7 and 4, respectively. According to the figures provided by the central German institute for statistics, the death rates among the women were significantly lower than expected, whereas a tendency toward lower death rates was seen in the men. In addition, the number of new hip fractures in the women was lower than the epidemiological data suggest. This was also noted in the men. Even among the very old, a musculoskeletal rehabilitation programme combined with adequate pharmaceutical therapy may prove very successful when it comes to death rates and nursing home admissions. The latter in particular may be very expensive in the long run and our longitudinal follow-up study may demonstrate cost-effectiveness if the rehabilitation programme is commenced as early as possible.

Characterization of adverse events detected in a large health care delivery system using an enhanced global trigger tool over a five-year interval

OBJECTIVE

To report 5 years of adverse events (AEs) identified using an enhanced Global Trigger Tool (GTT) in a large health care system.

STUDY SETTING

Records from monthly random samples of adults admitted to eight acute care hospitals from 2007 to 2011 with lengths of stay ≥3 days were reviewed.

STUDY DESIGN

We examined AE incidence overall and by presence on admission, severity, stemming from care provided versus omitted, preventability, and category; and the overlap with commonly used AE-detection systems.

DATA COLLECTION

Professional nurse reviewers abstracted 9,017 records using the enhanced GTT, recording triggers and AEs. Medical record/account numbers were matched to identify overlapping voluntary reports or AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs).

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Estimated AE rates were as follows: 61.4 AEs/1,000 patient-days, 38.1 AEs/100 discharges, and 32.1 percent of patients with ≥1 AE. Of 1,300 present-on-admission AEs (37.9 percent of total), 78.5 percent showed NCC-MERP level F harm and 87.6 percent were "preventable/possibly preventable." Of 2,129 hospital-acquired AEs, 63.3 percent had level E harm, 70.8 percent were "preventable/possibly preventable"; the most common category was "surgical/procedural" (40.5 percent). Voluntary reports and PSIs captured <5 percent of encounters with hospital-acquired AEs.

CONCLUSIONS

AEs are common and potentially amenable to prevention. GTT-identified AEs are seldom caught by commonly used AE-detection systems.

Health-related information exchange experiences of Jordanian women at breast cancer diagnosis

The aim of this study was to explore Jordanian women's experiences of information exchange following diagnosis of early stage breast cancer. A purposive sample of 28 women who had surgery for early stage breast cancer within 6 months prior to the interview and had treatment at three hospitals in Central and Northern Jordan was recruited for the study. Data were collected using semi-structured individual interviews focused on women's communication experiences at diagnosis and during cancer treatment. Interviews were audio taped, transcribed verbatim in Arabic, and analyzed using conventional content analysis. Three main themes associated with information exchange were revealed as follows: (1) knowledge about breast cancer and its treatment, (2) communication of cancer diagnosis and treatment, and (3) educating on treatment side effects. Misconceptions about breast cancer risk factors, consequences of breast cancer treatment, and breast cancer-related symptoms were common among participants. Women made important health-related decisions based on misconceptions. Physician's information giving, availability, and responses to women's questions varied by their level of education and the type and location of treatment facility. Informational exchange experiences vary among Jordanian women diagnosed with breast cancer and raise concern over opportunities offered these women to engage in informed decision making. Findings suggest a need for nurses to assess the information needs of Jordanian women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and provide education tailored to individual needs. There is also a need to develop Arabic educational materials and make these available for patients at treatment facilities in all regions of Jordan.

Costs of care for persons with opioid dependence in commercial integrated health systems

BACKGROUND

When used in general medical practices, buprenorphine is an effective treatment for opioid dependence, yet little is known about how use of buprenorphine affects the utilization and cost of health care in commercial health systems.

METHODS

The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to examine how buprenorphine affects patterns of medical care, addiction medicine services, and costs from the health system perspective. Individuals with two or more opioid-dependence diagnoses per year, in two large health systems (System A: n = 1836; System B: n = 4204) over the time span 2007-2008 were included. Propensity scores were used to help adjust for group differences.

RESULTS

Patients receiving buprenorphine plus addiction counseling had significantly lower total health care costs than patients with little or no addiction treatment (mean health care costs with buprenorphine treatment = $13,578; vs. mean health care costs with no addiction treatment = $31,055; p < .0001), while those receiving buprenorphine plus addiction counseling and those with addiction counseling only did not differ significantly in total health care costs (mean costs with counseling only: $17,017; p = .5897). In comparison to patients receiving buprenorphine plus counseling, those with little or no addiction treatment had significantly greater use of primary care (p < .001), other medical visits (p = .001), and emergency services (p = .020). Patients with counseling only (compared to patients with buprenorphine plus counseling) used less inpatient detoxification (p < .001), and had significantly more PC visits (p = .001), other medical visits (p = .005), and mental health visits (p = .002).

CONCLUSIONS

Buprenorphine is a viable alternative to other treatment approaches for opioid dependence in commercial integrated health systems, with total costs of health care similar to abstinence-based counseling. Patients with buprenorphine plus counseling had reduced use of general medical services compared to the alternatives.