The association between care co-ordination and emergency department use in older managed care enrollees

A Systematic Review of Primary Care and Payment Models on Emergency Department Use in Patients Classified as High Need, High Cost

INTRODUCTION

Reducing costly and harmful ED use by patients classified as high need, high cost is a priority across health care systems. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the impact of various primary care and payment models on ED use and overall costs in patients classified as high need, high cost.

METHODS

Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a search was performed from January 2000 to March 2020 in 3 databases. Two reviewers independently appraised articles for quality. Studies were eligible if they evaluated models implemented in the primary care setting and in patients classified as high need, high cost in the United States. Outcomes included all-cause and preventable ED use and overall health care costs.

RESULTS

In the 21 articles included, 4 models were evaluated: care coordination (n = 8), care management (n = 7), intensive primary care (n = 4), and alternative payment models (n = 2). Statistically significant reductions in all-cause ED use were reported in 10 studies through care coordination, alternative payment models, and intensive primary care. Significant reductions in overall costs were reported in 5 studies, and 1 reported a significant increase. Care management and care coordination models had mixed effects on ED use and overall costs.

DISCUSSION

Studies that significantly reduced ED use had shared features, including frequent follow-up, multidisciplinary team-based care, enhanced access, and care coordination. Identifying primary care models that effectively enhance access to care and improve ongoing chronic disease management is imperative to reduce costly and harmful ED use in patients classified as high need, high cost.

Experiences and preferences of patients visiting a head and neck oncology outpatient clinic: a qualitative study

The objective of this study is to report on an in-depth evaluation of patient experiences and preferences at a Head and Neck Oncology outpatient clinic. A qualitative research design was used to determine the experiences and preferences of Head and Neck Cancer patients in an Oncology Outpatient Clinic, Maastricht University Medical Center, The Netherlands. Head and Neck Cancer Patients, treated for at least 6 months at the Oncology Clinic, were included. A qualitative research design with patient interviews was used. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim to increase validity. Analysis was done with use of the template approach and qualitative data analysis software. Three of the six dimensions predominated in the interview: (1) respect for patients' values, preferences and expressed need, (2) information, communication and education and (3) involvement of family and friends. The dimensions physical comfort; emotional support; coordination and integration of care were considered to be of less significance. The findings from this study resulted in a deeper understanding of patients' experiences and preferences and can be useful in the transition towards a more patient-centered approach of health care.

Emergency Department Visits after Kidney Transplantation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

In 2011, there were approximately 131 million visits to an emergency department in the United States. Emergency department visits have increased over time, far outpacing growth of the general population. There is a paucity of data evaluating emergency department visits among kidney transplant recipients. We sought to evaluate the incidence and risk factors for emergency department visits after initial hospital discharge after transplantation in the United States.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS

We identified 10,533 kidney transplant recipients from California, New York, and Florida between 2009 and 2012 using the State Inpatient and Emergency Department Databases included in the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. We used multivariable Poisson and Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate adjusted incidence rates and time to emergency department visits after transplantation.

RESULTS

There were 17,575 emergency department visits over 13,845 follow-up years (overall rate =126.9/100 patient-years; 95% confidence interval, 125.1 to 128.8). The cumulative incidences of emergency department visits at 1, 12, and 24 months were 12%, 40%, and 57%, respectively, with median time =19 months; 48% of emergency department visits led to hospital admission. Risk factors for higher emergency department rates included younger age, women, black and Hispanic race/ethnicity, public insurance, depression, diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and emergency department use before transplant. There was wide variation in emergency department visits by individual transplant center (10th percentile =70.0/100 patient-years; median =124.6/100 patient-years; and 90th percentile =187.4/100 patient-years).

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of kidney transplant recipients will visit an emergency department in the first 2 years post-transplantation, with significant variation by patient characteristics and individual centers. As such, coordination of care through the emergency department is a critical component of post-transplant management, and specific acumen of transplant-related care is needed among emergency department providers. Additional research assessing best processes of care for post-transplant management and health care expenditures and outcomes associated with emergency department visits for transplant recipients are warranted.

Development and testing of indicators to measure coordination of clinical information and management across levels of care

BACKGROUND

Coordination across levels of care is becoming increasingly important due to rapid advances in technology, high specialisation and changes in the organization of healthcare services; to date, however, the development of indicators to evaluate coordination has been limited. The aim of this study is to develop and test a set of indicators to comprehensively evaluate clinical coordination across levels of care.

METHODS

A systematic review of literature was conducted to identify indicators of clinical coordination across levels of care. These indicators were analysed to identify attributes of coordination and classified accordingly. They were then discussed within an expert team and adapted or newly developed, and their relevance, scientific soundness and feasibility were examined. The indicators were tested in three healthcare areas of the Catalan health system.

RESULTS

52 indicators were identified addressing 11 attributes of clinical coordination across levels of care. The final set consisted of 21 output indicators. Clinical information transfer is evaluated based on information flow (4) and the adequacy of shared information (3). Clinical management coordination indicators evaluate care coherence through diagnostic testing (2) and medication (1), provision of care at the most appropriate level (2), completion of diagnostic process (1), follow-up after hospital discharge (4) and accessibility across levels of care (4). The application of indicators showed differences in the degree of clinical coordination depending on the attribute and area.

CONCLUSION

A set of rigorous and scientifically sound measures of clinical coordination across levels of care were developed based on a literature review and discussion with experts. This set of indicators comprehensively address the different attributes of clinical coordination in main transitions across levels of care. It could be employed to identify areas in which health services can be improved, as well as to measure the effect of efforts to improve clinical coordination in healthcare organizations.

Transcriptomics and Metabonomics Identify Essential Metabolic Signatures in Calorie Restriction (CR) Regulation across Multiple Mouse Strains

Calorie restriction (CR) has long been used to study lifespan effects and oppose the development of a broad array of age-related biological and pathological changes (increase healthspan). Yet, a comprehensive comparison of the metabolic phenotype across different genetic backgrounds to identify common metabolic markers affected by CR is still lacking. Using a system biology approach comprising metabonomics and liver transcriptomics we revealed the effect of CR across multiple mouse strains (129S1/SvlmJ, C57BL6/J, C3H/HeJ, CBA/J, DBA/2J, JC3F1/J). Oligonucleotide microarrays identified 76 genes as differentially expressed in all six strains confirmed. These genes were subjected to quantitative RT-PCR analysis in the C57BL/6J mouse strain, and a CR-induced change expression was confirmed for 14 genes. To fully depict the metabolic pathways affected by CR and complement the changes observed through differential gene expression, the metabolome of C57BL6/J was further characterized in liver tissues, urine and plasma levels using a combination or targeted mass spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Overall, our integrated approach commonly confirms that energy metabolism, stress response, lipids regulators and the insulin/IGF-1 are key determinants factors involved in CR regulation.

Emergency department visits for nonurgent conditions: systematic literature review

BACKGROUND

A large proportion of all emergency department (ED) visits in the United States are for nonurgent conditions. Use of the ED for nonurgent conditions may lead to excessive healthcare spending, unnecessary testing and treatment, and weaker patient-primary care provider relationships.

OBJECTIVES

To understand the factors influencing an individual's decision to visit an ED for a nonurgent condition.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic literature review of the US literature. Multiple databases were searched for US studies published after 1990 that assessed factors associated with nonurgent ED use. Based on those results we developed a conceptual framework.

RESULTS

A total of 26 articles met inclusion criteria. No 2 articles used the same exact definition of nonurgent visits. Across the relevant articles, the average fraction of all ED visits that were judged to be nonurgent (whether prospectively at triage or retrospectively following ED evaluation) was 37% (range 8%-62%). Articles were heterogeneous with respect to study design, population, comparison group, and nonurgent definition. The limited evidence suggests that younger age, convenience of the ED compared with alternatives, referral to the ED by a physician, and negative perceptions about alternatives such as primary care providers all play a role in driving nonurgent ED use.

CONCLUSIONS

Our structured overview of the literature and conceptual framework can help to inform future research and the development of evidence-based interventions to reduce nonurgent ED use.

Advanced lung cancer patients' experience with continuity of care and supportive care needs

As cancer care becomes increasingly complex, the ability to coordinate this care is more difficult for health care providers, patients and their caregivers alike. Despite the widely recognized need for improving continuity and coordination of care, the relationship of continuity of care with patient outcomes has yet to be elucidated. Our study's main finding is that the Continuity and Coordination subscale of the widely used Picker System of Ambulatory Cancer Care Survey is able to distinguish between lung cancer patients with unmet supportive care needs and those without. Specifically, this study shows a new association between this widely implemented continuity and coordination survey and the 'psychological needs' domain, as well as the 'health system and information' domains of supportive care needs. The finding provides support for the idea that interventions to improve continuity may impact tangible indicators of patient care such as supportive care needs being met. The study focuses attention on continuity of care as an important aspect of optimizing outcomes in cancer care.