Extent, regional variation and impact of gynecologist payment models in routine pelvic examinations: a nationwide cross-sectional study

Mapping Knowledge Structure and Themes Trends of Osteoporosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disabling disease characterized by chronic inflammation, articular cartilage destruction, and reduced bone mass. Multiple studies have revealed that the development of osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA; ORA) patients could be led to a reduced quality of life and increased healthcare costs. Nevertheless, no attempt has been made to analyze the field of ORA research with the bibliometric method. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the knowledge structure and theme trends in the field of ORA research from a bibliometric perspective.

Methods: Articles and reviews regarding ORA from 1998 to 2021 were identified from the Web of Science database. An online bibliometric platform, CiteSpace, and VOSviewer software were used to generate visualization knowledge maps including co-authorship, co-citation, and co-occurrence analysis. SPSS, R, and Microsoft Excel software were used to conduct curve fitting and correlation analysis, and to analyze quantitative indicators, such as publication and citation counts, h-index, and journal citation reports.

Results: A total of 1,081 papers with 28,473 citations were identified. Publications were mainly concentrated in North America, Western Europe, and Eastern Asia. Economic strength is an important factor affecting scientific output. The United States contributed the most publications (213) with the highest h-index value (46) as of September 14, 2021. Diakonhjemmet Hospital and professor Haugeberg G were the most prolific institution and influential authors, respectively. Journal of Rheumatology was the most productive journal concerning ORA research. According to the burst references, “anti-citrullinated protein antibodies” and “preventing joint destruction” have been recognized as the hot research issues in the domain. The keywords co-occurrence analysis identified “teriparatide,” “interleukin-6,” “Wnt,” and “vertebral fractures” as the important future research directions.

Conclusion: This was the first bibliometric study comprehensively summarizing the trends and development of ORA research. Our findings could offer practical sources for scholars to understand the key information in this field, and identify the potential research frontiers and hot directions in the near future.

Impact of Provider Payment Structure on Obstetric Interventions and Outcomes: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis

OBJECTIVE

Traditionally, Canadian physicians provide care on a fee-for-service (FFS) basis; however, this model has been criticized as it incentivizes quantity of care over quality of care. Consequently, all Canadian provinces and territories have implemented some form of alternative payment plan. Evaluation of the impact of these policy changes, however, has typically focused on family physicians as opposed to specialists.

METHODS

On January 1, 2004, obstetricians at the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital (MHRH) transitioned from FFS to salary. A difference-in-differences analysis was used to examine the impact of changes in obstetrician payment structure on the use of obstetric interventions and neonatal outcomes controlling for temporal trends at MHRH (intervention group) and the Chinook Regional Hospital (CRH; comparison group) from 2002 to 2005.

RESULTS

Between the pre-intervention period (2002-2003) and the post-intervention period (2004-2005), the rate of cesarean delivery increased significantly at both sites. Following adjustment for time of day, day of week, and antepartum risk score, the difference-in-difference estimator demonstrated a 5.8% (95% CI 1.5-10.0) increase in cesarean deliveries performed by obstetricians at MHRH compared with cesarean deliveries done at CRH after accounting for baseline differences and temporal trends. No significant differences were observed for family physicians. No significant differences were observed for other obstetric interventions or neonatal outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Under an FFS model, obstetricians are incentivized to cesarean delivery due to the increased reimbursement rate; however, the increase in cesarean deliveries at MHRH following the transition to a salary model was unexpected. This finding suggests that, in Canada, financial incentives are not a factor that explains the increasing rate of cesarean delivery.

Regional variation in hospitalizations and outpatient appointments for diverticular disease in Norway: a nationwide cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the use of specialized health care services for diverticular disease in different hospital referral regions in Norway.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Nationwide cross-sectional study with data from the Norwegian Patient Registry and Statistics Norway. All Norwegian inhabitants aged 40 years and older in the years 2012-16 (2,517,938) were included. We obtained the rates (n/100,000 population) for hospitalizations, outpatient appointments, and surgery for diverticular disease for the population in each hospital referral region. We also quantified the use of lower gastrointestinal (LGI) endoscopy in hospitalizations and outpatient appointments for diverticular disease and the use of LGI endoscopy performed on any indication.

RESULTS

There were 131 hospitalizations and 381 outpatient appointments for diverticular disease per 100,000 population annually. Hospitalization rates varied 1.9-fold across regions from 94 to 175. Outpatient appointment rates varied 2.5-fold across regions from 258 to 655. Outpatient appointments were strongly correlated to hospitalizations (r_s=0.75, p < .001) and outpatient LGI endoscopy for any indication (r_s=0.67, p < .001). Hospitalization and surgery rates remained stable over the study period, while outpatient appointment rates increased by 37%. Concurrently, rates of outpatient LGI endoscopy performed on any indication increased by 35%.

CONCLUSION

There was considerable regional variation in both hospitalizations and outpatient appointments for diverticular disease. The extent of variation and the correlation with diagnostic intensity of LGI endoscopy indicate that the regional variation in health care utilization for diverticular disease to a large extent can be explained by regional differences in clinical practice rather than disease burden.