Same-Day Surgery Clinic: A model for improving access to care at academic medical centers

BACKGROUND

Best-practice models delivering surgical care in the preoperative setting are unknown. In April 2018, we established a Same-Day Clinic (SDC) to increase the access and efficiency of general surgical care delivery.

METHODS

This is a single-institution retrospective cohort study. We included patients who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy, inguinal or umbilical hernia repair. 112 patients were seen in the year prior to clinic creation; 84 were seen in the year following clinic creation.

RESULTS

After clinic creation, the percentage of patients referred following an emergency department encounter decreased from 33.4 to 17.9%. Patients referred from primary care encounters increased from 28.6 to 44%. Patients who underwent pre-referral imaging decreased from 58.9% to 44%. The SDC cohort was seen 11 days sooner (40 vs. 29d).

CONCLUSION

The SDC increases access and decreases wait times to surgical treatment. It strengthens referral networks for traditionally underserved populations and reduces the burden of non-necessary preoperative imaging.

Perspectives on long-acting injectable HIV antiretroviral therapy at an alternative care site: a qualitative study of people with HIV experiencing substance use and/or housing instability

INTRODUCTION

Adherence to daily oral antiretroviral therapy (ART) and regular clinic appointments can be challenging for individuals who experience adverse social determinants of health. Long-acting injectable ART administered outside of traditional clinic settings may be a promising solution to adherence barriers, but additional research is needed to assess patients' perspectives. This study assessed perspectives of people living with HIV (PLWH) who had difficulty with adherence to traditional HIV care models and evaluated feasibility and acceptability of receiving a long-acting ART injection at a location outside of a traditional HIV clinic to address barriers to HIV care.

METHODS

Qualitative interviews (n = 26) were conducted with PLWH who had experienced barriers to adherence. Participants were referred to the study by staff from Project Trust, a drop in harm reduction and sexually transmitted infection/HIV clinic. The interviews were conducted between May and November 2021. Interviews were recorded, professionally transcribed, coded, and analyzed qualitatively using the integrated-Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services framework.

RESULTS

We identified 6 main themes regarding the acceptability of receiving a long-acting injection to treat HIV, and the acceptability and feasibility of receiving injections at an alternative care site. Participants specified that they: (1) have a general understanding about their HIV care and the importance of ART adherence, (2) prefer a long-acting injection over a daily pill regimen, (3) expressed concerns about injection safety and efficacy, (4) had specific logistical aspects around the delivery of long-acting injections, including location of injection administration, that they believed would improve their ability to adhere, (5) have confidence that they can become undetectable and then complete the oral lead-in required to begin receiving the injection, and (6) see potential barriers that remain a concern for successful adherence to long-acting injections.

CONCLUSION

To better treat HIV among people who are living with challenging social determinants of health, interventions that include a long-acting injection in a non-traditional care setting may prove to be a promising treatment option.

Implementation of Cardiometabolic Centers and Training Programs

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Type 2 diabetes is frequently accompanied by obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease, which collectively contribute to the high burden of cardiometabolic disease. This review discusses cardiometabolic disease management, strategies to implement cardiometabolic centers to deliver care, and dedicated programs to train the next generation of cardiometabolic experts.

RECENT FINDINGS

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists, and a nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist have demonstrated beneficial effects across cardiometabolic conditions. However, utilization of effective pharmacotherapies is low in clinical practice, in part due to clinical inertia and traditional sharp delineation in clinical responsibilities of specialists. Multidisciplinary clinics and population-health models can provide comprehensive care but require investment in physical and information technology infrastructure as well as in training and accreditation. Post-internal medicine residency cardiometabolic health training programs have been proposed. Implementing cardiometabolic centers in health systems involves reshaping current practices. Training programs focused on cardiometabolic health are needed to address the growing burden of disease and specific training needs in this ever-expanding area.

National Institutes of Health Blood and Marrow Transplant Late Effects Initiative: The Healthcare Delivery Working Group Report

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) survivors are at risk for development of late complications and require lifelong monitoring for screening and prevention of late effects. There is an increasing appreciation of the issues related to healthcare delivery and coverage faced by HCT survivors. The 2016 National Institutes of Health Blood and Marrow Transplant Late Effects Initiative included an international and broadly representative Healthcare Delivery Working Group that was tasked with identifying research gaps pertaining to healthcare delivery and to identify initiatives that may yield a better understanding of the long-term value and costs of care for HCT survivors. There is a paucity of literature in this area. Critical areas in need of research include pilot studies of novel and information technology supported models of care delivery and coverage for HCT survivors along with development and validation of instruments that capture patient-reported outcomes. Investment in infrastructure to support this research, such as linkage of databases including electronic health records and routine inclusion of endpoints that will inform analyses focused around care delivery and coverage, is required.

Are Split Flow and Provider in Triage Models in the Emergency Department Effective in Reducing Discharge Length of Stay?

A quality improvement (QI) project was completed early in 2015 to evaluate the split flow model of care delivery and a provider in triage model within a newly constructed emergency department. The QI project compared 2 emergency departments of similar volumes, one that splits the patient flow and employs a provider in triage model and the other that blends the patient flow and employs a traditional nurse triage model. A total of 68,603 patients were included in this project. The purpose of the split flow model is to create a second flow stream of patients through the emergency department, parallel to the regular acute/critical care flow stream, for patients with problems that are not complex. Specific patient outcomes that were evaluated for the purpose of this QI project were door to discharge or discharge length of stay (DLOS) for all ED patients. The provider in triage model enhances patient triage assessment, as well as patient flow within the emergency department, by allowing patients to be evaluated by an ED provider immediately at the point of triage when the patient first presents to the emergency department. The QI project demonstrated that the split flow model alone reduced DLOS for all ED patients, and when coupled with the provider in triage model, a greater reduction in DLOS, as well as an improvement in front-end throughput metrics, was realized.

National Survey of Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Center Personnel, Infrastructure, and Models of Care Delivery

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a complex procedure that requires availability of adequate infrastructure, personnel, and resources at transplantation centers. We conducted a national survey of transplantation centers in the United States to obtain data on their personnel, infrastructure, and care delivery models. A 42-item web-based survey was administered to medical directors of transplantation centers in the United States that reported any allogeneic HCT to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research in 2011. The response rate for the survey was 79% for adult programs (85 of 108 centers) and 82% for pediatric programs (54 of 66 centers). For describing results, we categorized centers into groups with similar volumes based on 2010 total HCT activity (adult centers, 9 categories; pediatric centers, 6 categories). We observed considerable variation in available resources, infrastructure, personnel, and care delivery models among adult and pediatric transplantation centers. Characteristics varied substantially among centers with comparable transplantation volumes. Transplantation centers may find these data helpful in assessing their present capacity and use them to evaluate potential resource needs for personnel, infrastructure, and care delivery and in planning for growth.