1
|
Koru G, Zhang Y, Felix H. Identifying the process and agency characteristics associated with poor utilization outcomes in home healthcare. Home Health Care Serv Q 2024; 43:205-219. [PMID: 38230702 DOI: 10.1080/01621424.2024.2305933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
This study identified the process and agency characteristics associated with poor utilization outcomes - higher percentages of patients (i) admitted to an acute care organization and (ii) visited an emergency room (ER) unplanned without hospitalization - for home health agencies (HHAs) in the United States. We conducted a secondary analysis of data about HHAs' various characteristics, process adherence levels, and utilization outcomes collected from disparate public repositories for 2010-2022. We developed descriptive tree-based models using HHAs' hospital admission or ER visit percentages as response variables. Across the board, hospital admission percentages have steadily improved while ER percentages deteriorated for an extended period. Recently, checking for fall risks and depression was associated with improved outcomes for urban agencies. In general, rural HHAs had worse utilization outcomes than urban HHAs. Targeted investments and improvement initiatives can help rural HHAs close the urban-rural gap in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Güneş Koru
- Health Policy and Management, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Springdale, USA
| | - Yili Zhang
- Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University, Washington, USA
| | - Holly Felix
- Health Policy and Management, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Springdale, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zolnoori M, Sridharan S, Zolnour A, Vergez S, McDonald MV, Kostic Z, Bowles KH, Topaz M. Utilizing patient-nurse verbal communication in building risk identification models: the missing critical data stream in home healthcare. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2024; 31:435-444. [PMID: 37847651 PMCID: PMC10797261 DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocad195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the United States, over 12 000 home healthcare agencies annually serve 6+ million patients, mostly aged 65+ years with chronic conditions. One in three of these patients end up visiting emergency department (ED) or being hospitalized. Existing risk identification models based on electronic health record (EHR) data have suboptimal performance in detecting these high-risk patients. OBJECTIVES To measure the added value of integrating audio-recorded home healthcare patient-nurse verbal communication into a risk identification model built on home healthcare EHR data and clinical notes. METHODS This pilot study was conducted at one of the largest not-for-profit home healthcare agencies in the United States. We audio-recorded 126 patient-nurse encounters for 47 patients, out of which 8 patients experienced ED visits and hospitalization. The risk model was developed and tested iteratively using: (1) structured data from the Outcome and Assessment Information Set, (2) clinical notes, and (3) verbal communication features. We used various natural language processing methods to model the communication between patients and nurses. RESULTS Using a Support Vector Machine classifier, trained on the most informative features from OASIS, clinical notes, and verbal communication, we achieved an AUC-ROC = 99.68 and an F1-score = 94.12. By integrating verbal communication into the risk models, the F-1 score improved by 26%. The analysis revealed patients at high risk tended to interact more with risk-associated cues, exhibit more "sadness" and "anxiety," and have extended periods of silence during conversation. CONCLUSION This innovative study underscores the immense value of incorporating patient-nurse verbal communication in enhancing risk prediction models for hospitalizations and ED visits, suggesting the need for an evolved clinical workflow that integrates routine patient-nurse verbal communication recording into the medical record.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Zolnoori
- School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, United States
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, VNS Health, New York, NY 10017, United States
| | | | - Ali Zolnour
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran 14395-515, Iran
| | - Sasha Vergez
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, VNS Health, New York, NY 10017, United States
| | - Margaret V McDonald
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, VNS Health, New York, NY 10017, United States
| | - Zoran Kostic
- Electrical Engineering Department, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States
| | - Kathryn H Bowles
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, VNS Health, New York, NY 10017, United States
- School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Maxim Topaz
- School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, United States
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, VNS Health, New York, NY 10017, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Bankole AO, Girdwood T, Leeman J, Womack J, Toles M. Identifying unmet needs of older adults transitioning from home health care to independence at home: A qualitative study. Geriatr Nurs 2023; 51:293-302. [PMID: 37031581 PMCID: PMC10247499 DOI: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2023.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023]
Abstract
Health care practices to prepare older adults and their family caregivers for transitions from home health care (HHC) to independence at home are rarely studied. The objective of this multiple case study was to describe HHC patient and clinician perceptions of unmet needs after HHC discharge and recommendations to address them in future research. In this qualitative study, data were collected using chart-reviews and semi-structured interviews with paired patients (or caregivers as proxy) and HHC clinicians (N=17 pairs). We identified three themes: (1) low patient and caregiver engagement in care planning increased risk for preventable health events after HHC discharge, (2) limited continuity of care restricted patient and caregiver access to community-based services, and (3) gaps in patient and caregiver education influenced independent care of chronic illnesses after discharge. Findings suggest opportunities to improve care practices to prepare older adults and their caregivers for transitions from HHC to independence at home.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayomide Okanlawon Bankole
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Nursing, Carrington Hall, Campus Box #7460, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7460, USA.
| | | | - Jennifer Leeman
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Nursing, Carrington Hall, Campus Box #7460, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7460, USA
| | - Jennifer Womack
- Appalachian State University, Beaver College of Health Sciences, Boone, NC, USA
| | - Mark Toles
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Nursing, Carrington Hall, Campus Box #7460, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7460, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Topaz M, Barrón Y, Song J, Onorato N, Sockolow P, Zolnoori M, Cato K, Sridharan S, Bowles KH, McDonald MV. Risk of Rehospitalization or Emergency Department Visit Is Significantly Higher for Patients Who Receive Their First Home Health Care Nursing Visit Later Than 2 Days After Hospital Discharge. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2022; 23:1642-1647. [PMID: 35931136 DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2022.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study explored the association between the timing of the first home health care nursing visits (start-of-care visit) and 30-day rehospitalization or emergency department (ED) visits among patients discharged from hospitals. DESIGN Our cross-sectional study used data from 1 large, urban home health care agency in the northeastern United States. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS We analyzed data for 49,141 home health care episodes pertaining to 45,390 unique patients who were admitted to the agency following hospital discharge during 2019. METHODS We conducted multivariate logistic regression analyses to examine the association between start-of-care delays and 30-day hospitalizations and ED visits, adjusting for patients' age, race/ethnicity, gender, insurance type, and clinical and functional status. We defined delays in start-of-care as a first nursing home health care visit that occurred more than 2 full days after the hospital discharge date. RESULTS During the study period, we identified 16,251 start-of-care delays (34% of home health care episodes), with 14% of episodes resulting in 30-day rehospitalization and ED visits. Delayed episodes had 12% higher odds of rehospitalization or ED visit (OR 1.12; 95% CI: 1.06-1.18) compared with episodes with timely care. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The findings suggest that timely start-of-care home health care nursing visit is associated with reduced rehospitalization and ED use among patients discharged from hospitals. With more than 6 million patients who receive home health care services across the United States, there are significant opportunities to improve timely care delivery to patients and improve clinical outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maxim Topaz
- Columbia University School of Nursing, New York City, NY, USA; Data Science Institute, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA; Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York City, NY, USA.
| | - Yolanda Barrón
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Jiyoun Song
- Columbia University School of Nursing, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Nicole Onorato
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Paulina Sockolow
- Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Maryam Zolnoori
- Columbia University School of Nursing, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Kenrick Cato
- Columbia University School of Nursing, New York City, NY, USA; Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sridevi Sridharan
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Kathryn H Bowles
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York City, NY, USA; University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Margaret V McDonald
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York City, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Zolnoori M, Song J, McDonald MV, Barrón Y, Cato K, Sockolow P, Sridharan S, Onorato N, Bowles KH, Topaz M. Exploring Reasons for Delayed Start-of-Care Nursing Visits in Home Health Care: Algorithm Development and Data Science Study. JMIR Nurs 2021; 4:e31038. [PMID: 34967749 PMCID: PMC8759020 DOI: 10.2196/31038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Delayed start-of-care nursing visits in home health care (HHC) can result in negative outcomes, such as hospitalization. No previous studies have investigated why start-of-care HHC nursing visits are delayed, in part because most reasons for delayed visits are documented in free-text HHC nursing notes. OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were to (1) develop and test a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm that automatically identifies reasons for delayed visits in HHC free-text clinical notes and (2) describe reasons for delayed visits in a large patient sample. METHODS This study was conducted at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY). We examined data available at the VNSNY on all new episodes of care started in 2019 (N=48,497). An NLP algorithm was developed and tested to automatically identify and classify reasons for delayed visits. RESULTS The performance of the NLP algorithm was 0.8, 0.75, and 0.77 for precision, recall, and F-score, respectively. A total of one-third of HHC episodes (n=16,244) had delayed start-of-care HHC nursing visits. The most prevalent identified category of reasons for delayed start-of-care nursing visits was no answer at the door or phone (3728/8051, 46.3%), followed by patient/family request to postpone or refuse some HHC services (n=2858, 35.5%), and administrative or scheduling issues (n=1465, 18.2%). In 40% (n=16,244) of HHC episodes, 2 or more reasons were documented. CONCLUSIONS To avoid critical delays in start-of-care nursing visits, HHC organizations might examine and improve ways to effectively address the reasons for delayed visits, using effective interventions, such as educating patients or caregivers on the importance of a timely nursing visit and improving patients' intake procedures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Zolnoori
- School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Jiyoun Song
- School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Margaret V McDonald
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Yolanda Barrón
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kenrick Cato
- School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Paulina Sockolow
- College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Sridevi Sridharan
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Nicole Onorato
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kathryn H Bowles
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, United States.,Center for Transitions and Health, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Maxim Topaz
- School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Akbar S, Lyell D, Magrabi F. Automation in nursing decision support systems: A systematic review of effects on decision making, care delivery, and patient outcomes. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2021; 28:2502-2513. [PMID: 34498063 PMCID: PMC8510331 DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocab123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The study sought to summarize research literature on nursing decision support systems (DSSs ); understand which steps of the nursing care process (NCP) are supported by DSSs, and analyze effects of automated information processing on decision making, care delivery, and patient outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a systematic review in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched from January 2014 to April 2020 for studies focusing on DSSs used exclusively by nurses and their effects. Information about the stages of automation (information acquisition, information analysis, decision and action selection, and action implementation), NCP, and effects was assessed. RESULTS Of 1019 articles retrieved, 28 met the inclusion criteria, each studying a unique DSS. Most DSSs were concerned with two NCP steps: assessment (82%) and intervention (86%). In terms of automation, all included DSSs automated information analysis and decision selection. Five DSSs automated information acquisition and only one automated action implementation. Effects on decision making, care delivery, and patient outcome were mixed. DSSs improved compliance with recommendations and reduced decision time, but impacts were not always sustainable. There were improvements in evidence-based practice, but impact on patient outcomes was mixed. CONCLUSIONS Current nursing DSSs do not adequately support the NCP and have limited automation. There remain many opportunities to enhance automation, especially at the stage of information acquisition. Further research is needed to understand how automation within the NCP can improve nurses' decision making, care delivery, and patient outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Saba Akbar
- Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - David Lyell
- Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Farah Magrabi
- Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Prolonged hospital length of stay in pediatric trauma: a model for targeted interventions. Pediatr Res 2021; 90:464-471. [PMID: 33184499 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-020-01237-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In this study, trauma-specific risk factors of prolonged length of stay (LOS) in pediatric trauma were examined. Statistical and machine learning models were used to proffer ways to improve the quality of care of patients at risk of prolonged length of stay and reduce cost. METHODS Data from 27 hospitals were retrieved on 81,929 hospitalizations of pediatric patients with a primary diagnosis of trauma, and for which the LOS was >24 h. Nested mixed effects model was used for simplified statistical inference, while a stochastic gradient boosting model, considering high-order statistical interactions, was built for prediction. RESULTS Over 18.7% of the encounters had LOS >1 week. Burns and corrosion and suspected and confirmed child abuse are the strongest drivers of prolonged LOS. Several other trauma-specific and general pediatric clinical variables were also predictors of prolonged LOS. The stochastic gradient model obtained an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of 0.912 (0.907, 0.917). CONCLUSIONS The high performance of the machine learning model coupled with statistical inference from the mixed effects model provide an opportunity for targeted interventions to improve quality of care of trauma patients likely to require long length of stay. IMPACT Targeted interventions on high-risk patients would improve the quality of care of pediatric trauma patients and reduce the length of stay. This comprehensive study includes data from multiple hospitals analyzed with advanced statistical and machine learning models. The statistical and machine learning models provide opportunities for targeted interventions and reduction in prolonged length of stay reducing the burden of hospitalization on families.
Collapse
|
8
|
Smith JM, Lin H, Thomas-Hawkins C, Tsui J, Jarrín OF. Timing of Home Health Care Initiation and 30-Day Rehospitalizations among Medicare Beneficiaries with Diabetes by Race and Ethnicity. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:5623. [PMID: 34070282 PMCID: PMC8197411 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18115623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Older adults with diabetes are at elevated risk of complications following hospitalization. Home health care services mitigate the risk of adverse events and facilitate a safe transition home. In the United States, when home health care services are prescribed, federal guidelines require they begin within two days of hospital discharge. This study examined the association between timing of home health care initiation and 30-day rehospitalization outcomes in a cohort of 786,734 Medicare beneficiaries following a diabetes-related index hospitalization admission during 2015. Of these patients, 26.6% were discharged to home health care. To evaluate the association between timing of home health care initiation and 30-day rehospitalizations, multivariate logistic regression models including patient demographics, clinical and geographic variables, and neighborhood socioeconomic variables were used. Inverse probability-weighted propensity scores were incorporated into the analysis to account for potential confounding between the timing of home health care initiation and the outcome in the cohort. Compared to the patients who received home health care within the recommended first two days, the patients who received delayed services (3-7 days after discharge) had higher odds of rehospitalization (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.25-1.32). Among the patients who received late services (8-14 days after discharge), the odds of rehospitalization were four times greater than among the patients receiving services within two days (OR, 4.12; 95% CI, 3.97-4.28). Timely initiation of home health care following diabetes-related hospitalizations is one strategy to improve outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jamie M. Smith
- College of Nursing, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA;
- School of Nursing, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07108, USA; (H.L.); (C.T.-H.)
| | - Haiqun Lin
- School of Nursing, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07108, USA; (H.L.); (C.T.-H.)
- School of Public Health, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Charlotte Thomas-Hawkins
- School of Nursing, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07108, USA; (H.L.); (C.T.-H.)
| | - Jennifer Tsui
- Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA;
| | - Olga F. Jarrín
- School of Nursing, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07108, USA; (H.L.); (C.T.-H.)
- Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Factors Associated with Timing of the Start-of-Care Nursing Visits in Home Health Care. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2021; 22:2358-2365.e3. [PMID: 33844990 DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2021.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Home health care patients have critical needs requiring timely care following hospital discharge. Although Medicare requires timely start-of-care nursing visits, a significant portion of home health care patients wait longer than 2 days for the first visit. No previous studies investigated the pattern of start-of-care visits or factors associated with their timing. This study's purpose was to examine variation in timing of start-of-care visits and characterize patients with visits later than 2 days postdischarge. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS Patients admitted to a large, Northeastern US, urban home health care organization during 2019. The study included 48,497 home care episodes for 45,390 individual patients. MEASUREMENT We calculated time to start of care from hospital discharge for 2 patient groups: those seen within 2 days vs those seen >2 days postdischarge. We examined patient factors, hospital discharge factors, and timing of start of care using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS Of 48,497 episodes, 16,251 (33.5%) had a start-of-care nursing visit >2 days after discharge. Increased odds of this time frame were associated with being black or Hispanic and having solely Medicaid insurance. Odds were highest for patients discharged on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays. Factors associated with visits within 2 days included surgical wound presence, urinary catheter, pain, 5 or more medications, and intravenous or infusion therapies at home. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Findings provide the first publication of clinical and demographic characteristics associated with home health care start-of-care timing and its variation. Further examination is needed, and adjustments to staff scheduling and improved information transfer are 2 suggested interventions to decrease variation.
Collapse
|
10
|
Racial Disparities in Post-Acute Home Health Care Referral and Utilization among Older Adults with Diabetes. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18063196. [PMID: 33808769 PMCID: PMC8003472 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18063196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Racial and ethnic disparities exist in diabetes prevalence, health services utilization, and outcomes including disabling and life-threatening complications among patients with diabetes. Home health care may especially benefit older adults with diabetes through individualized education, advocacy, care coordination, and psychosocial support for patients and their caregivers. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between race/ethnicity and hospital discharge to home health care and subsequent utilization of home health care among a cohort of adults (age 50 and older) who experienced a diabetes-related hospitalization. The study was limited to patients who were continuously enrolled in Medicare for at least 12 months and in the United States. The cohort (n = 786,758) was followed for 14 days after their diabetes-related index hospitalization, using linked Medicare administrative, claims, and assessment data (2014–2016). Multivariate logistic regression models included patient demographics, comorbidities, hospital length of stay, geographic region, neighborhood deprivation, and rural/urban setting. In fully adjusted models, hospital discharge to home health care was significantly less likely among Hispanic (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.8–0.8) and American Indian (OR 0.8, CI 0.8–0.8) patients compared to White patients. Among those discharged to home health care, all non-white racial/ethnic minority patients were less likely to receive services within 14-days. Future efforts to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in post-acute care outcomes among patients with a diabetes-related hospitalization should include policies and practice guidelines that address structural racism and systemic barriers to accessing home health care services.
Collapse
|
11
|
Sockolow PS, Bowles KH, Pankok C, Zhou Y, Potashnik S, Bass EJ. Planning the Episode: Home Care Admission Nurse Decision-Making Regarding the Patient Visit Pattern. HOME HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT AND PRACTICE 2021; 33:193-201. [PMID: 34267494 PMCID: PMC8239998 DOI: 10.1177/1084822321990775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
During home health care (HHC) admissions, nurses provide input into decisions regarding the skilled nursing visit frequency and episode duration. This important clinical decision can impact patient outcomes including hospitalization. Episode duration has recently gained greater importance due to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) decrease in reimbursable episode length from 60 to 30 days. We examined admissions nurses’ visit pattern decision-making and whether it is influenced by documentation available before and during the first home visit, agency standards, other disciplines being scheduled, and electronic health record (EHR) use. This observational mixed-methods study included admission document analysis, structured interviews, and a think-aloud protocol with 18 nurses from 3 diverse HHC agencies (6 at each) admitting 2 patients each (36 patients). Findings show that prior to entering the home, nurses had an information deficit; they either did not predict the patient’s visit frequency and episode duration or stated them based on experience with similar patients. Following patient interaction in the home, nurses were able to make this decision. Completion of documentation using the EHR did not appear to influence visit pattern decisions. Patient condition and insurance restrictions were influential on both frequency and duration. Given the information deficit at admission, and the delay in visit pattern decision making, we offer health information technology recommendations on electronic communication of structured information, and EHR documentation and decision support.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kathryn H Bowles
- University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Yingjie Zhou
- University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Ellen J Bass
- Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Zolnoori M, McDonald MV, Barrón Y, Cato K, Sockolow P, Sridharan S, Onorato N, Bowles K, Topaz M. Improving Patient Prioritization During Hospital-Homecare Transition: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study of a Clinical Decision Support Tool Implementation. JMIR Res Protoc 2021; 10:e20184. [PMID: 33480855 PMCID: PMC7864770 DOI: 10.2196/20184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 07/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Homecare settings across the United States provide care to more than 5 million patients every year. About one in five homecare patients are rehospitalized during the homecare episode, with up to two-thirds of these rehospitalizations occurring within the first 2 weeks of services. Timely allocation of homecare services might prevent a significant portion of these rehospitalizations. The first homecare nursing visit is one of the most critical steps of the homecare episode. This visit includes an assessment of the patient’s capacity for self-care, medication reconciliation, an examination of the home environment, and a discussion regarding whether a caregiver is present. Hence, appropriate timing of the first visit is crucial, especially for patients with urgent health care needs. However, nurses often have limited and inaccurate information about incoming patients, and patient priority decisions vary significantly between nurses. We developed an innovative decision support tool called Priority for the First Nursing Visit Tool (PREVENT) to assist nurses in prioritizing patients in need of immediate first homecare nursing visits. Objective This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the PREVENT tool on process and patient outcomes and to examine the reach, adoption, and implementation of PREVENT. Methods Employing a pre-post design, survival analysis, and logistic regression with propensity score matching analysis, we will test the following hypotheses: compared with not using the tool in the preintervention phase, when homecare clinicians use the PREVENT tool, high-risk patients in the intervention phase will (1) receive more timely first homecare visits and (2) have decreased incidence of rehospitalization and have decreased emergency department use within 60 days. Reach, adoption, and implementation will be assessed using mixed methods including homecare admission staff interviews, think-aloud observations, and analysis of staffing and other relevant data. Results The study research protocol was approved by the institutional review board in October 2019. PREVENT is currently being integrated into the electronic health records at the participating study sites. Data collection is planned to start in early 2021. Conclusions Mixed methods will enable us to gain an in-depth understanding of the complex socio-technological aspects of the hospital to homecare transition. The results have the potential to (1) influence the standardization and individualization of nurse decision making through the use of cutting-edge technology and (2) improve patient outcomes in the understudied homecare setting. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04136951; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04136951 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/20184
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Zolnoori
- School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Margaret V McDonald
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Yolanda Barrón
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kenrick Cato
- School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Paulina Sockolow
- College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University, Drexel, NY, United States
| | - Sridevi Sridharan
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Nicole Onorato
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kathryn Bowles
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, United States.,School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, NY, United States
| | - Maxim Topaz
- School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.,Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, United States
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
O'Connor M, Moriarty H, Schneider A, Dowdell EB, Bowles KH. Patients' and caregivers' perspectives in determining discharge readiness from home health. Geriatr Nurs 2021; 42:151-158. [PMID: 33444923 DOI: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2020.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
There are no national, empirically derived clinical decision support tools to assist the interprofessional home health team in determining readiness for discharge from skilled home health. Eliciting patient and family caregiver perspectives around readiness for home health discharge is integral to developing tools that address their needs in this decision-making process. The purpose of this study was to describe the factors home health patients and their family caregivers perceive as critical when determining readiness for discharge from services. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted among skilled home health recipients and their family caregivers who were either recently discharged or recertified for additional care from two different Medicare-certified skilled home health agencies. Nine themes emerged: self-care ability, functional status, status of condition(s) and symptoms, presence of a caregiver, support for the caregiver, connection to community resources/support, safety needs of the home environment addressed, adherence to the prescribed regimen, and care coordination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa O'Connor
- M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Driscoll Hall #316, Villanova PA 19085, United States; Gerontology Interest Group, Villanova University, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, United States; NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, United States; Fellow, Betty Irene Moore Fellowships for Nurse Leaders and Innovators, United States.
| | - Helene Moriarty
- M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Driscoll Hall #316, Villanova PA 19085, United States; Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, United States; NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Anne Schneider
- M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Driscoll Hall #316, Villanova PA 19085, United States
| | - Elizabeth B Dowdell
- M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Driscoll Hall #316, Villanova PA 19085, United States
| | - Kathryn H Bowles
- NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, United States; Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, United States
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Woo K, Adams V, Wilson P, Fu LH, Cato K, Rossetti SC, McDonald M, Shang J, Topaz M. Identifying Urinary Tract Infection-Related Information in Home Care Nursing Notes. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2021; 22:1015-1021.e2. [PMID: 33434568 PMCID: PMC8106637 DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2020.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Objectives: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is common in home care but not easily captured with standard assessment. This study aimed to examine the value of nursing notes in detecting UTI signs and symptoms in home care. Design: The study developed a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm to automatically identify UTI-related information in nursing notes. Setting and Participants: Home care visit notes (n = 1,149,586) and care coordination notes (n = 1,461,171) for 89,459 patients treated in the largest nonprofit home care agency in the United States during 2014. Measures: We generated 6 categories of UTI-related information from literature and used the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) to identify a preliminary list of terms. The NLP algorithm was tested on a gold standard set of 300 clinical notes annotated by clinical experts. We used structured Outcome and Assessment Information Set data to extract the frequency of UTI-related emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations and explored time-patterns in documentation of UTI-related information. Results: The NLP system achieved very good overall performance (F measure = 0.9, 95% CI: 0.87–0.93) based on the test results obtained by using the notes for patients admitted to the ED or hospital due to UTI. UTI-related information was significantly more prevalent (P < .01 for all the tests) in home care episodes with UTI-related ED admission or hospitalization vs the general patient population; 81% of home care episodes with UTI-related hospitalization or ED admission had at least 1 category of UTI-related information vs 21.6% among episodes without UTI-related hospitalization or ED admission. Frequency of UTI-related information documentation increased in advance of UTI-related hospitalization or ED admission, peaking within a few days before the event. Conclusions and Implications: Information in nursing notes is often overlooked by stakeholders and not integrated into predictive modeling for decision-making support, but our findings highlight their value in early risk identification and care guidance. Health care administrators should consider using NLP to extract clinical data from nursing notes to improve early detection and treatment, which may lead to quality improvement and cost reduction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyungmi Woo
- College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Victoria Adams
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Paula Wilson
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Li-Heng Fu
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kenrick Cato
- College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sarah Collins Rossetti
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Margaret McDonald
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jingjing Shang
- School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Maxim Topaz
- Center for Home Care Policy & Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, USA; School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Data Science Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Sockolow PS, Bowles KH, Topaz M, Koru G, Hellesø R, O'Connor M, Bass EJ. The Time is Now: Informatics Research Opportunities in Home Health Care. Appl Clin Inform 2021; 12:100-106. [PMID: 33598906 PMCID: PMC7889426 DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1722222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Paulina S. Sockolow
- College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Kathryn H. Bowles
- Department of Biobehavioral Health Science, NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Center for Home Care Policy and Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, United States
| | - Maxim Topaz
- Columbia University School of Nursing, Columbia University Data Science Institute, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, United States
| | - Gunes Koru
- Department of Information Systems, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
| | - Ragnhild Hellesø
- Department of Nursing Science, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Melissa O'Connor
- M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Ellen J. Bass
- College of Nursing and Health Professions, College of Computing and Informatics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| |
Collapse
|