Cost, quality, and value in coronary artery bypass grafting

Quality measurement for cardiovascular diseases and cancer in hospital value-based healthcare: a systematic review of the literature

BACKGROUND

This systematic literature review identifies hospital value-based healthcare quality measures, measurement practices, and tools, as well as potential strategies for improving cardiovascular diseases and cancer care.

METHODS

A systematic search was carried out in the PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and MEDLINE (OvidSP) databases. We included studies on quality measures in hospital value-based healthcare for cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, conducted a full-text review of potentially relevant articles, assessed the quality of included studies, and extracted data thematically. This review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, and four validated tools were used for methodological quality assessment.

RESULTS

The search yielded 2860 publications. After screening the titles and abstracts, 60 articles were retrieved for full-text review. A total of 37 studies met our inclusion criteria. We found that standardized outcome sets with patient involvement were developed for some cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Despite the heterogeneity in outcome measures, there was consensus to include clinical outcomes on survival rate and disease control, disutility of care, and patient-reported outcome measures such as long-term quality of life.

CONCLUSION

Hospitals that developed value-based healthcare or are planning to do so can choose whether they prefer to implement the standardized outcomes step-by-step, collect additional measures, or develop their own set of measures. However, they need to ensure that their performance can be consistently compared to that of their peers and that they measure what prioritizes and maximizes value for their patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO ID: CRD42021229763 .

Defining value in cardiac surgery: A contemporary analysis of cost variation across the United States

Objective

Isolated coronary artery bypass grafting and aortic valve replacement are common cardiac operations performed in the United States and serve as platforms for benchmarking. The present national study characterized hospital-level variation in costs and value for coronary artery bypass grafting and aortic valve replacement.

Methods

Adults undergoing elective, isolated coronary artery bypass grafting or aortic valve replacement were identified in the 2016-2018 Nationwide Readmissions Database. Center quality was defined by the proportion of patients without an adverse outcome (death, stroke, respiratory failure, pneumonia, sepsis, acute kidney injury, and reoperation). High-value hospitals were defined as those with observed-to-expected ratios less than 1 for costs and greater than 1 for quality, whereas the converse defined low-value centers.

Results

Of 318,194 patients meeting study criteria, 71.9% underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting and 28.1% underwent aortic valve replacement. Variation in hospital-level costs was evident, with median center-level cost of $36,400 (interquartile range, 29,500-46,700) for isolated coronary artery bypass grafting and $38,400 (interquartile range, 32,300-47,700) for aortic valve replacement. Observed-to-expected ratios for quality ranged from 0.2 to 10.9 for isolated coronary artery bypass grafting and 0.1 to 11.7 for isolated aortic valve replacement. Hospital factors, including volume and quality, contributed to approximately 9.9% and 11.2% of initial cost variation for isolated coronary artery bypass grafting and aortic valve replacement. High-value centers had greater cardiac surgery operative volume and were more commonly teaching hospitals compared to low-value centers, but had similar patient risk profiles.

Conclusions

Significant variation in hospital costs, quality, and value exists for 2 common cardiac operations. Center volume was associated with value and partly accounts for variation in costs. Our findings suggest the need for value-based care paradigms to reduce expenditures and optimize outcomes.

Determinants of Value in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Background Over 180 000 coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures are performed annually, accounting for $7 to $10 billion in episode expenditures. Assessing tradeoffs between spending and quality contributing to value during 90-day episodes has not been conducted but is essential for success in bundled reimbursement models. We, therefore, identified determinants of variability in hospital 90-day episode value for CABG. Methods Medicare and private payor admissions for isolated CABG from 2014 to 2016 were retrospectively linked to clinical registry data for 33 nonfederal hospitals in Michigan. Hospital composite risk-adjusted complication rates (≥1 National Quality Forum-endorsed, Society of Thoracic Surgeons measure: deep sternal wound infection, renal failure, prolonged ventilation >24 hours, stroke, re-exploration, and operative mortality) and 90-day risk-adjusted, price-standardized episode payments were used to categorize hospitals by value by defining the intersection between complications and spending. Results Among 2573 total patients, those at low- versus high-value hospitals had a higher percentage of prolonged length of stay >14 days (9.3% versus 2.4%, P=0.006), prolonged ventilation (17.6% versus 4.8%, P<0.001), and operative mortality (4.8% versus 0.6%, P=0.001). Mean total episode payments were $51 509 at low-compared with $45 526 at high-value hospitals (P<0.001), driven by higher readmission ($3675 versus $2177, P=0.005), professional ($7462 versus $6090, P<0.001), postacute care ($7315 versus $5947, P=0.031), and index hospitalization payments ($33 474 versus $30 800, P<0.001). Among patients not experiencing a complication or 30-day readmission (1923/2573, 74.7%), low-value hospitals had higher inpatient evaluation and management payments ($1405 versus $752, P<0.001) and higher utilization of inpatient rehabilitation (7% versus 2%, P<0.001), but lower utilization of home health (66% versus 73%, P=0.016) and emergency department services (13% versus 17%, P=0.034). Conclusions To succeed in emerging bundled reimbursement programs for CABG, hospitals and physicians should identify strategies to minimize complications while optimizing inpatient evaluation and management spending and use of inpatient rehabilitation, home health, and emergency department services.

The effect of donor human milk on the length of hospital stay in very low birthweight infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Donor human milk (DHM) is an alternative to preterm infant formula if the mother's own milk is not available. Since the lactation period and preservation treatment of DHM are different from those of mother's own milk, we aimed to determine the reduction in the length of hospital stay by DHM compared to preterm infant formula.

METHODS

In this systematic review, we searched PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library to retrieve studies on the impact of DHM on the clinical outcomes of preterm infants published before 1 November 2019. The study included very low birthweight (VLBW) infants taking either DHM or infant formula with data on the length of hospital stay. Data were analysed using Review Manager 5.3 software.

RESULTS

The literature search yielded 136 articles, and four randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and eight observational studies met the inclusion criteria. A meta-analysis of the RCTs (N = 725) showed no reduction in the length of hospital stay in both the DHM and infant formula groups (- 0.22 days; 95% CI -6.38, 5.95 days), whereas that of the eight observational studies (N = 2496) showed a significant reduction in the length of hospital stay in the DHM group (- 11.72 days; 95% CI -22.07, - 1.37 days). A subgroup analysis of the RCTs revealed that the incidence of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) was significantly lower in the DHM group when the analysis included high-quality RCTs (RR = 0.32; 95% CI 0.15, 0.69).

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review of RCTs showed that DHM neither prolonged nor shortened the length of hospital stay in VLBW infants compared to preterm infant formula; however, it reduced the incidence of NEC, further validating the protective role of DHM in the health and safety of VLBW infants.

A Systematic Review of the Association Between Hospital Cost/price and the Quality of Care

BACKGROUND

Limited empirical evidence exists regarding the effect of price changes on hospital behavior and, ultimately, the quality of care. Additionally, an overview of the results of prior literature is lacking.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to provide a synthesis of existing research concerning the relationship between hospital cost/price and the quality of care.

METHODS

Searches for literature related to the effect of hospital cost and price on the quality of care, including studies published between 1990 and March 2019, were carried out using four electronic databases. In total, 47 studies were identified, and the data were extracted and summarized in different tables to identify the patterns of the relationships between hospital costs/prices and the quality of care.

RESULTS

The study findings are highly heterogenous. The proportion of studies detecting a significant positive association between price/cost and the quality of care is higher when (a) price/reimbursement is used (instead of cost); (b) process measures are used (instead of outcome measures); (c) the focus is on acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and stroke patients (instead of patients with other clinical conditions or all patients); and (d) the methodological approach used to address confounding is more sophisticated.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that there is no general relationship between cost/price and the quality of care. However, the relationship seems to depend on the condition and specific resource utilization. Policy makers should be prudent with the measures used to reduce hospital costs to avoid endangering the quality of care, especially in resource-sensitive settings.

Effects of Preoperative Risk Stratification on Direct In-hospital Costs for Chinese Patients with Coronary Artery Bypass Graft: A Single Center Analysis

The purpose of this study was to analyze the components of inpatient costs for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) according to preoperative risk stratification and to provide evidence for improvement of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) payment. All patients (n=458) receiving an isolated CABG between January 2014 and December 2016 in a tertiary referral center, in southwest China, were analyzed. Hospital mortality was predicted by the EuroSCORE II for each patient. The patients were subdivided into two groups according to the observed mortality (1.97%, 9/458): a high-risk group (group H, predicted mortality ≥1.97%) and a low-risk group (group L, predicted mortality <1.97%). Clinical outcomes, resource use, in-hospital direct costs, and reimbursement expenses were compared between the two groups. Significant differences existed between group L and group H in postoperative mortality (0.4% vs. 3.4%; P=0.02), postoperative complications (10.6% vs. 45.7%; P<0.001), postoperative length of hospital stay (17.5±4.9 days vs. 18.8±6.5 days, P=0.01), in-hospital costs ($20 256±3096 vs. $23 334±6332; P<0.001), and reimbursement expenses ($7775±2627 vs. $9639±3917; P<0.001). In general, a higher EuroSCORE II was significantly associated with a worse clinical outcome and increased costs. The CABG cost data provide evidence for improvement of DRGs payment.

Physiologic assessment of moderate coronary lesions: a step towards complete revascularization in coronary artery bypass grafting

Background

An accurate diagnostic assessment of coronary artery disease is crucial for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Fractional flow reserve (FFR) and instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) to guide complete revascularization have not been adequately studied in patients prior to CABG. We compared an anatomic to a physiologic assessment of moderate coronary lesions (40-70% stenosis) in patients referred for CABG.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 109 medical records of patients who underwent CABG at Tulane Medical Center from 2014 to 2016. Patients were divided into an FFR/iFR-guided and an angiography-guided group. Clinical characteristics, procedural outcomes, and clinical outcomes for the two groups were compared over an 18-month follow-up period.

Results

There were significantly higher rates of three-vessel anastomoses (85.7% vs. 74.7%, P<0.05) and venous grafting (85.7% vs. 76.8%, P<0.05) in the FFR/iFR group. The FFR/iFR group had a lower rate of grafts placed to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) distribution than the angiography group (7.1% vs. 29.5%, P<0.05). The FFR/iFR group had a higher rate of grafts placed to the left circumflex (LCx) artery distribution than the angiography group (28.6% vs. 9.5%, P<0.05). We observed a trend toward reduction in major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) (7.1% vs. 11.6%, P=0.369) and angina (0.0% vs. 6.3%, P=0.429) in the FFR/iFR group compared to the angiography group over 18 months.

Conclusions

Physiologic assessment of coronary lesions can effectively guide complete revascularization in patients undergoing CABG. Moreover, FFR/iFR-guided CABG was associated with significantly higher rates of three-vessel anastomoses, venous grafting, and graft distribution to the circumflex system.

Value-driven cardiac surgery: Achieving "perfect care" after coronary artery bypass grafting

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to determine if the implementation of a value-driven outcomes tool comprising modifiable quality and utilization metrics lowers cost and improves value of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) postoperative care.

METHODS

Ten metrics were defined for CABG patients in 2 temporally separated phases. Clinical care protocols were designed and implemented to increase compliance with these metrics. Clinical outcomes and cost data were harvested from the electronic medical record using a proprietary value-driven outcomes tool and verified by a data management team. "Perfect care" was defined as achieving all 10 metrics per patient episode.

RESULTS

Over a 45-month period, data of 467 consecutive patients who underwent isolated CABG were analyzed. "Perfect care" was successfully achieved in 304 patients (65.1%). There were no observed differences in mortality between patient groups. Linear regression analysis showed a negative correlation between percent compliance with "perfect care" and mean cost. When multivariate analysis was used to adjust for preoperative risk score, mean cost for patients with "perfect care" was 37.0% less than for those without "perfect care."

CONCLUSIONS

In the context of focused institution-specific interventions to target quality and utilization metrics for CABG care, clinical care pathways and protocols informed by innovative tools that link automated tracking of these metrics to cost data might simultaneously promote quality and decrease costs, thereby enhancing value. This descriptive study provides preliminary support for a systematic approach to define, measure, and modulate the drivers of value for cardiothoracic surgery patients.

Psoas Muscle Size Predicts Risk-Adjusted Outcomes After Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement

BACKGROUND

Frailty is an important predictor of outcomes after cardiac surgery, but utility is limited by difficult assessment and quantification. We hypothesize that sarcopenia defined as psoas muscle cross-sectional area is a useful predictor of surgical aortic valve replacement outcomes in moderate to high-risk patients.

METHODS

Moderate to high risk patients (predicted risk of mortality greater than 3%) who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement with or without coronary artery bypass were extracted from an institutional database (2009 to 2016). Psoas index was calculated as the cross-sectional area of the psoas muscle at the L4 vertebral level normalized to body surface area. Patients were stratified by sarcopenia status, defined as less than 25th sex-specific percentile. Multivariable regression analysis identified risk-adjusted associations with psoas index using The Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk scores.

RESULTS

Of the 240 patients included, the median predicted risk of mortality was 6%, median age 80 years, and 40% were female. Patients with (33.3%) and without (66.7%) sarcopenia had equivalent baseline risk (median predicted risk of mortality 5.7% versus 6.0%, p = 0.29). Patients with sarcopenia had higher 1-year mortality (31.9% versus 16.9% p = 0.03). Psoas index significantly predicted risk-adjusted 1-year mortality (odds ratio 0.84, p = 0.02) and long-term mortality (hazard ratio 0.92, p = 0.04), as well as risk-adjusted major morbidity, prolonged ventilation, length of stay, discharge to a facility, and hospital cost. Finally, psoas index measurements were highly reproducible (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.944).

CONCLUSIONS

Psoas index is an easily obtained and reproducible measure of frailty that predicts risk-adjusted resource utilization, morbidity, and long-term mortality. Psoas index may improve procedural selection and risk adjustment in high-risk patients with aortic valve disease.

Preoperative Scale to Determine All-Cause Readmission After Coronary Artery Bypass Operations

BACKGROUND

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) operations are associated with all-cause readmission rates of approximately 15%. In attempts to reduce readmission rates, the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program expanded to include CABG operations in 2015. The aim of this study was therefore to develop a predictive readmission scale that would identify patients at higher risk of readmission after CABG using commonly available administrative data.

METHODS

Data of 126,519 patients from California and New York (derivation cohort) and 94,318 patients from Florida and Washington (validation cohort) were abstracted from the State Inpatient Database (2006 to 2011). The readmission after CABG scale was developed to predict 30-day readmission risk and was validated against a separate cohort.

RESULTS

Thirty-day CABG readmission rates were 23% in the derivation cohort and 21% in the validation cohort. Predictive factors included older age, female gender (odds ratio [OR], 1.34), African American ethnicity (OR, 1.13), Medicare or Medicaid insurance, and comorbidities, including renal failure (OR, 1.56) and congestive heart failure (OR, 2.82). These were independently predictive of increased readmission rates (p < 0.01). The readmission scale was then created with these preoperative factors. When applied to the validation cohort, it explained 98% of the readmission variability.

CONCLUSIONS

The readmission after CABG scale reliably predicts a patient's 30-day CABG readmission risk. By identifying patients at high-risk for readmission before their procedure, risk reduction strategies can be implemented to reduce readmissions and healthcare expenditures.

Cardiothoracic Critical Care

High-value CCC is rapidly evolving to meet the demands of increased patient acuity and to incorporate advances in technology. The high-performing CCC system and culture should aim to learn quickly and continuously improve. CCC demands a proactive, interactive, precise, an expert team, and continuity.

Demonstrating the relationships of length of stay, cost and clinical outcomes in a simulated NICU

OBJECTIVE

Health-care leaders place significant focus on reducing the average length of stay (ALOS). We examined the relationships among ALOS, cost and clinical outcomes using a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) simulation model.

STUDY DESIGN

A discrete-event NICU simulation model based on the Duke NICU was created. To identify the relationships among ALOS, cost and clinical outcomes, we replaced the standard probability distributions with composite distributions representing the best and worst outcomes published by the National Institutes of Health Neonatal Research Network.

RESULT

Both average cost per patient and average cost per ⩽28 week patient were lower in the best NICU ($16,400 vs $19,700 and $56,800 vs $76,700, respectively), while LOS remained higher (27 vs 24 days).

CONCLUSION

Our model demonstrates that reducing LOS does not uniformly reduce hospital resource utilization. These results suggest that health-care leaders should not simply rely on initiatives to reduce LOS without clear line-of-sight on clinical outcomes as well.