Leadership and community healthcare reform: a study using the Competing Values Framework (CVF)

PURPOSE

The Health Service Executive in Ireland seeks to further develop healthcare in the community. It has identified that this reform requires developing leadership amongst the staff. This study aims to identify what kind of leadership staff in community healthcare observe in practice and their leadership preferences. The core objective has been to identify the readiness of the organisation to implement the adopted national policy of integrated community care reform in terms of leadership development.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

An online cross-sectional survey was conducted using the Organisational Cultural Assessment Instrument, based on the Competing Values Framework. This tool identifies four overarching leadership types: Clan (Collaborative), Adhocracy (Creative), Market (Competitive) and Hierarchy (Controlling). Participants (n = 445) were a representative sample of regional community health care employees. They were asked to identify presently observed leadership and preferred leadership in practice. The statistical analysis emphasised a comparison of observed and preferred leadership types.

FINDINGS

Participants reported the current prevailing leadership type as Market (M = 34.38, SD = 6.22) and Hierarchical (M = 34.38, SD = 22.62), whilst the preferred or future style was overwhelmingly Clan (M = 40.38, SD = 18.08). Differences were significant (all p's < 0.001). The overall outcome indicates a predominance of controlling and competitive leadership and a lack of collaborative leadership to implement the planned reform.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

During reform in healthcare, leadership in practice must be aligned to the reform strategy, demonstrating collaboration, flexibility and support for innovation. This unique study demonstrates the importance of examining leadership type and competencies to indicate readiness to deliver national community health care reform.

Use of new interactive patient-provider software improves patient satisfaction and outcomes-a retrospective single-center study

Background

While a number of studies have explored patient- and provider-related factors contributing to quality of care, few studies have explored the role of technology in improving quality and optimizing patient-provider communication. This study explores the use of an interactive patient-provider software platform (IPSP) at a single institution. Specifically, we compared: (1) patient satisfaction scores, (2) complication rates, and (3) readmission rates before and after the use of an IPSP on patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty.

Material and Methods

A retrospective review was performed on all total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty patients who completed a Press Ganey survey at a single institution between the years 2014 and 2017. Primary outcomes included Press Ganey patient satisfaction scores and 90-day complication and readmission rates. Mann-Whitney U testing and chi-squared analyses were conducted to assess continuous and categorical variables, respectively.

Results

Analysis revealed an improvement in median Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (89 vs 97) and Hospital for Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems scores (9 vs 10; P < .001) between pre-IPSP and post-IPSP. There was a decrease in 90-day complication rates (17.3 vs 11.2%; P = .035) but no decrease in readmission rates (0.30 vs 0.18%, P = .322) between the 2 time points.

Conclusions

The use of an IPSP proved instrumental in improving patient satisfaction and lowering 90-day complication rates at a single institution. The implementation of an IPSP may prove beneficial to arthroplasty surgeons and health-care institutions alike seeking to optimize the quality of care. Larger multicenter studies are necessary to validate the results of the present study.

The proportion of unmet costs considering inpatients billing of selected hospitals, after 2014 Health System reform implementation in Isfahan Province

INTRODUCTION

Since 2013, in Iran's health care, the contribution of direct payments for health-care services was estimated more than 50 % of all expenditures. In May 2014, Iran's health-care reform was established to improve health services quality and reduce patients' out-of-pocket payments <10% in urban and 5% in rural areas. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate unmet costs (those which are not covered either by the insurance companies nor the recent reform coverage mentioned in Sections 1.2.2 and 1.2.1, Article 6 of the Health Minister Reform Guideline) in the inpatient billings within the first 5 months from the reform implementation.

METHODS

This study was conducted as a cross-sectional research in the second half of 2014 on the selected hospitals in Isfahan Province. Data were collected by investigating 97,000 inpatients' billing records issued by 28 hospitals affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences using census method.

RESULTS

Findings of the study showed that the average of unmet costs paid by the inpatients constituted 21.8% of the total billing costs in 28 hospitals, and the average unmet costs paid by each patient was 1,903,832 Rials.

CONCLUSION

Considering the definition of unmet cost in the context of health-care reform guideline and hospitals' problems in providing some costly services, drugs, and medical equipment (that were not covered by insurance organizations and the reform scheme) within the obligations of the reform, it is necessary to review these obligations and further interact with insurance companies about expanding the coverage to some costly services required by the patients.

Quality care in epilepsy: Women's counseling and its association with folic acid prescription or recommendation

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine if annual counseling about contraception and pregnancy in the setting of treatment for epilepsy is associated with increased recommending or prescribing of folate.

METHODS

This is a retrospective cohort study with medical record abstraction. We selected records from 77 women of childbearing age who had two or more visits for epilepsy at a neurology clinic. The assessment included a review of documentation from the first three visits for epilepsy within a 24-month follow-up window. We defined perfect adherence to annual counseling about the impact of epilepsy treatment on contraception or pregnancy as defect-free care for women (DFCW). A recommendation that the patient take over-the-counter folate or a prescription for folate was independently abstracted from the chart at each visit.

RESULTS

The group of patients who received DFCW (N=28, 36.36%) and the group who did not receive DFCW (N=49, 63.63%) were comparable with respect to age, disease duration, baseline history of drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), presence of concurrent psychiatric disease, epileptologist involvement, number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) prescribed, seizure type, and etiology. Twenty (71.4%) patients in the DFCW group and 42 (85.7%) in the non-DFCW group were not recommended or prescribed folic acid (p=0.12).

CONCLUSIONS

Even with annual documentation of counseling about how epilepsy treatment may affect contraception and pregnancy, the "action" of prescribing or recommending folic acid during the ensuing 24months is frequently omitted.

Adherence to outpatient epilepsy quality indicators at a tertiary epilepsy center

INTRODUCTION

Quality indicators for the treatment of people with epilepsy were published in 2010. This is the first report of adherence to all measures in routine care of people with epilepsy at a level 4 comprehensive epilepsy center in the US.

METHODS

Two hundred patients with epilepsy were randomly selected from the clinics of our comprehensive epilepsy center, and all visits during 2011 were abstracted for documentation of adherence to the eight quality indicators. Alternative measures were constructed to evaluate failure of adherence. Detailed descriptions of all equations are provided.

RESULTS

Objective measures (EEG, imaging) showed higher adherence than counseling measures (safety). Initial visits showed higher adherence. Variations in the interpretation of the quality measure result in different adherence values. Advanced practice providers and physicians had different adherence patterns. No patient-specific patterns of adherence were seen.

DISCUSSION

This is the first report of adherence to all the epilepsy quality indicators for a sample of patients during routine care in a level 4 epilepsy center in the US. Overall adherence was similar to that previously reported on similar measures. Precise definitions of adherence equations are essential for accurate measurement. Complex measures result in lower adherence. Counseling measures showed low adherence, possibly highlighting a difference between practice and documentation. Adherence to the measures as written does not guarantee high quality care.

CONCLUSION

The current quality indicators have value in the process of improving quality of care. Future approaches may be refined to eliminate complex measures and incorporate features linked to outcomes.

A cohort cost analysis of lumbar laminectomy--current trends in surgeon and hospital fees distribution

BACKGROUND CONTEXT

Spine-related health-care expenditures accounted for $86 billion dollars in 2005, a 65% increase from 1997. However, when adjusting for inflation, surgeons have seen decreased reimbursement rates over the last decade.

PURPOSE

To assess contribution of surgeon fees to overall procedure cost, we reviewed the charges and reimbursements for a noninstrumented lumbar laminectomy and compared the amounts reimbursed to the hospital and to the surgeon at a major academic institution.

STUDY DESIGN/SETTING

Retrospective review of costs associated with lumbar laminectomies.

PATIENT SAMPLE

Seventy-seven patients undergoing lumbar laminectomy for spinal stenosis throughout an 18-month period at a single academic medical center were included in this study.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Cost and number of laminectomy levels.

METHODS

The reimbursement schedule of six academic spine surgeons was collected over 18 months for performed noninstrumented lumbar laminectomy procedures. Bills and collections by the hospital and surgeon professional fees were comparatively analyzed and substratified by number of laminectomy levels and patient insurance status. Unpaired two-sample Student t test was used for analysis of significant differences.

RESULTS

During an 18-month period, patients underwent a lumbar laminectomy involving on average three levels and stayed in the hospital on average 3.5 days. Complications were uncommon (13%). Average professional fee billing for the surgeon was $6,889±$2,882, and collection was $1,848±$1,433 (28% overall, 30% for private insurance, and 23% for Medicare/Medicaid insurance). Average hospital billing for the inpatient hospital stay minus professional fees from the surgeon was $14,766±$7,729, and average collection on such bills was $13,391±$7,256 (92% overall, 91% for private insurance, and 85% for Medicare/Medicaid insurance).

CONCLUSION

Based on this analysis, the proportion of overall costs allocated to professional fees for a noninstrumented lumbar laminectomy is small, whereas those allocated to hospital costs are far greater. These findings suggest that the current focus on decreasing physician reimbursement as the principal cost saving strategy will lead to minimal reimbursement for surgeons without a substantial drop in the overall cost of procedures performed.

Utilization management in the changing health-care environment

US health-care costs are growing at an alarming rate. "Value-based" payment models that hold providers accountable for outcomes and costs of care are becoming more prevalent. In these arrangements, provider groups will be accountable for the costs of lab tests, many of which have traditionally been revenue-generating. "Stewardship" programs aimed at newer, high-cost specialized tests, decision support on more routine tests, variation reporting, and incentives are familiar tactics that will need to be deployed in this new context.