Relationship of POLST to Hospitalization and ICU Care Among Nursing Home Residents in California

BACKGROUND

Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) document instructions for intensity of care based upon patient care preferences. POLST forms generally reflect patients' wishes and dictate subsequent medical care, but it is not known how POLST use and content among nursing home residents is associated with inpatient utilization across a large population.

OBJECTIVE

Evaluate the relationship between POLST use and content with hospital utilization among nursing home residents in California.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study using the Minimum Data Set linked to California Section S (POLST documentation), the Medicare Beneficiary Summary File, and Medicare line item claims.

PATIENTS

California nursing home residents with Medicare fee-for-service insurance, 2011-2016.

MAIN MEASURES

Hospitalization, days in the hospital, and days in the intensive care unit (ICU) after adjustment for resident and nursing home characteristics.

KEY RESULTS

The 1,112,834 residents had a completed and signed (valid) POLST containing orders for CPR with Full treatment 29.6% of resident-time (in person-years) and a DNR order with Selective treatment or Comfort care 27.1% of resident-time. Unsigned POLSTs accounted for 11.3% of resident-time. Residents experienced 14 hospitalizations and a mean of 120 hospital days and 37 ICU days per 100 person-years. Residents with a POLST indicating CPR Full treatment had utilization nearly identical to residents without a POLST. A gradient of decreased utilization was related to lower intensity of care orders. Compared to residents without a POLST, residents with a POLST indicating DNR Comfort care spent 56 fewer days in the hospital and 22 fewer days in the ICU per 100 person-years. Unsigned POLST had a weaker and less consistent relationship with hospital utilization.

CONCLUSIONS

Among California NH residents, there is a direct relationship between intensity of care preferences in POLST and hospital utilization. These findings emphasize the importance of a valid POLST capturing informed preferences for nursing home residents.

Identifying vulnerable populations with symptomatic cholelithiasis at risk for increased health care utilization

BACKGROUND

Gallstones are a common problem in the United States with many patients suffering from symptomatic cholelithiasis (SC). Patients with SC may first present to the emergency department ED) and are often discharged for elective follow-up; however, it is unknown what system and patient factors are associated with increased risk for ED revisits. This study aimed to assess longitudinal ED utilization and cholecystectomy for patients with SC and identify patient, geographic, and hospital characteristics associated with ED revisits, specifically race/ethnicity and insurance status.

METHODS

Patients discharged from the ED with SC between July 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017, were identified from California administrative databases and followed for 1 year. Emergency department revisits and cholecystectomy after discharge were examined using logistic regression, clustering standard errors by hospital. Models adjusted for patient, geographic, and hospital variables using census and hospital administrative data.

RESULTS

Cohort included 34,427 patients who presented to the ED with SC and were discharged. There were 18.8% of the patients that had one or more biliary-related ED revisits within 1 year. In fully adjusted models, non-Hispanic Black patients had higher odds for any ED revisit (adjusted odds ratio 1.23; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-1.39) and for two more ED revisits (adjusted odds ratio 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-1.82). Insurance type was also associated with ED revisits.

CONCLUSION

Non-Hispanic Black patients experienced higher utilization of health care resources for SC after adjusting for other patient, geographic and hospital variables. Strategies to mitigate these disparities may include the development of standardized protocols regarding the follow-up and education for SC. Implementation of such strategies can ensure equitable treatment for all patients.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic and Epidemiological; Level III.

Care preferences in physician orders for life sustaining treatment in California nursing homes

BACKGROUND

Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) facilitates documentation and transition of patients' life-sustaining treatment orders across care settings. Little is known about patient and facility factors related to care preferences within POLST across a large, diverse nursing home population. We describe the orders within POLST among all nursing home (NH) residents in California from 2011 to 2016.

METHODS

California requires NHs to document in the Minimum Data Set whether residents complete a POLST and orders within POLST. Using a serial cross-sectional design for each year, we describe POLST completion and orders for all California NH residents from 2011 to 2016 (N = 1,112,668). We used logistic mixed-effects regression models to estimate POLST completion and resuscitation orders to understand the relationship with resident and facility characteristics, including Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Nursing Home Compare overall five-star quality rating.

RESULTS

POLST completion significantly increased from 2011 to 2016 with most residents having a POLST in 2016 (short-stay:68%; long-stay:81%). Among those with a POLST in 2016, 54% of long-stay and 41% of short-stay residents had a DNR order. Among residents with DNR, >90% had orders for limited medical interventions or comfort measures. Few residents (<6%) had a POLST with contradictory orders. In regression analyses, POLST completion was greater among residents with more functional dependence, but was lower among those with more cognitive impairment. Greater functional and cognitive impairment were associated with DNR orders. Racial and ethnic minorities indicated more aggressive care preferences. Higher CMS five-star facility quality rating was associated with greater POLST completion.

CONCLUSIONS

Six years after a state mandate to document POLST completion in NHs, most California NH residents have a POLST, and about half of long-stay residents have orders to limit life-sustaining treatment. Future work should focus on determining the quality of care preference decisions documented in POLST.

Public Reporting of Hospital-Level Cancer Surgical Volumes in California: An Opportunity to Inform Decision Making and Improve Quality

Purpose:

Most patients, providers, and payers make decisions about cancer hospitals without any objective data regarding quality or outcomes. We developed two online resources allowing users to search and compare timely data regarding hospital cancer surgery volumes.

Methods:

Hospital cancer surgery volumes for all California hospitals were calculated using ICD-9 coded hospital discharge summary data. Cancer surgeries included (bladder, brain, breast, colon, esophagus, liver, lung, pancreas, prostate, rectum, and stomach) were selected on the basis of a rigorous literature review to confirm sufficient evidence of a positive association between volume and mortality. The literature could not identify threshold numbers of surgeries associated with better or worse outcomes. A multidisciplinary working group oversaw the project and ensured sound methodology.

Results:

In California in 2014, about 60% of surgeries were performed at top-quintile–volume hospitals, but the per-hospital median numbers of surgeries for esophageal, pancreatic, stomach, liver, or bladder cancer surgeries were four or fewer. At least 670 patients received cancer surgery at hospitals that performed only one or two surgeries for a particular cancer type; 72% of those patients lived within 50 miles of a top-quintile–volume hospital.

Conclusion:

There is clear potential for more readily available information about hospital volumes to help patient, providers, and payers choose cancer surgery hospitals. Our successful public reporting of hospital volumes in California represents an important first step toward making publicly available even more provider-specific data regarding cancer care quality, costs, and outcomes, so those data can inform decision-making and encourage quality improvement.

Geographic clustering of diabetic lower-extremity amputations in low-income regions of California

For patients suffering from diabetes and other chronic conditions, a large body of work demonstrates income-related disparities in access to coordinated preventive care. Much less is known about associations between poverty and consequential negative health outcomes. Few studies have assessed geographic patterns that link household incomes to major preventable complications of chronic diseases. Using statewide facility discharge data for California in 2009, we identified 7,973 lower-extremity amputations in 6,828 adults with diabetes. We mapped amputations based on residential ZIP codes and used data from the Census Bureau to produce corresponding maps of poverty rates. Comparisons of the maps show amputation "hot spots" in lower-income urban and rural regions of California. Prevalence-adjusted amputation rates varied tenfold between high-income and low-income regions. Our analysis does not support detailed causal inferences. However, our method for mapping complication hot spots using public data sources may help target interventions to the communities most in need.

Hospital practices in the collection of patient race, ethnicity, and language data: a statewide survey, California, 2011

California mandates hospitals to collect and report patient race, ethnicity, and primary spoken language (REL). A lack of specific guidelines and standardized practices on how data should be collected has contributed to inconsistent and incomplete data.General acute care hospitals in California completed a survey to elucidate practices regarding collection and auditing of patient REL. Nearly all hospitals reported collecting race and/or ethnicity (97%). The majority of hospitals used standardized forms for collection, and 75% audited patient information for completeness. Popular accepted strategies to improve the quality and completeness of REL included collecting data at the first encounter, routine staff training, incorporating REL questions into existing admissions forms, and developing and enforcing hospital policies regarding data collection.California hospitals are collecting information on patient REL as mandated, but variation in data collection exists. Hospitals endorse many reasonable approaches for standardization, and may benefit from standardized data collection and auditing practices.

Disproportionate-share hospital payment reductions may threaten the financial stability of safety-net hospitals

Safety-net hospitals rely on disproportionate-share hospital (DSH) payments to help cover uncompensated care costs and underpayments by Medicaid (known as Medicaid shortfalls). The Affordable Care Act (ACA) anticipates that insurance expansion will increase safety-net hospitals' revenues and will reduce DSH payments accordingly. We examined the impact of the ACA's Medicaid DSH reductions on California public hospitals' financial stability by estimating how total DSH costs (uncompensated care costs and Medicaid shortfalls) will change as a result of insurance expansion and the offsetting DSH reductions. Decreases in uncompensated care costs resulting from the ACA insurance expansion may not match the act's DSH reductions because of the high number of people who will remain uninsured, low Medicaid reimbursement rates, and medical cost inflation. Taking these three factors into account, we estimate that California public hospitals' total DSH costs will increase from $2.044 billion in 2010 to $2.363-$2.503 billion in 2019, with unmet DSH costs of $1.381-$1.537 billion.

Abstract W P307: Utilization of Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator for Ischemic Stroke in California -Evidence From Ischemic Stroke Outcomes Validation Study

Background and Purpose: A recent ischemic stroke data validation study using California (CA) patient discharge data (PDD) was conducted as part of a public reporting program for the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD). This validation study demonstrated that use of tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) is well-coded in the PDD. Supported by this evidence, we sought to measure tPA usage for ischemic stroke in CA acute care hospitals and to determine whether some hospital or patient characteristics are associated with greater or lower tPA utilization.

Methods: Using the OSHPD PDD, we selected adult patients with a primary diagnosis of ischemic stroke admitted to CA acute care hospitals between January 2010 and November 2011. Using bivariate analysis, we explored the association between rates of tPA use and patient age, gender, race, and expected payer, as well as hospital teaching status, location, and size.

Results: Among the 74,586 patients hospitalized with acute ischemic stroke in CA, 4,488 patients (6.02%) received tPA. The observed rate of tPA usage among hospitals ranged from 0% to 22.13%.There were no significant gender differences. Younger patients had a higher rate of tPA usage than older patient groups (7.4% vs. 5.8% and 6.1%, P=0.0029). White patients had a higher rate of tPA utilization than Black and Hispanic patients (6.8% vs. 4.2% and 4.4%, P< 0.0001). Those with Medicare (5.9%) and Medi-Cal (5.1%) had a lower rate of tPA utilization than those with private insurance (7.5%), but higher than self-pay patients (4.4%) (P< 0.0001). There was a significantly higher rate of tPA usage in teaching hospitals than non-teaching hospitals (8.6% vs. 5.7%, P< 0.0001) and tPA utilization was significantly greater at urban versus rural hospitals (6.3% vs. 3.3%,P<0.0001). Higher rates of tPA utilization were associated with increased hospital bed size (P< 0.0001).

Conclusions: Rates of tPA utilization in CA acute care hospitals varied significantly by hospital teaching status, location, licensed bed size and patient demographic characteristics.

Is emergency department crowding associated with increased "bounceback" admissions?

OBJECTIVE

Emergency department (ED) crowding is linked with poor quality of care and worse outcomes, including higher mortality. With the growing emphasis on hospital performance measures, there is additional concern whether inadequate care during crowded periods increases a patient's likelihood of subsequent inpatient admission. We sought to determine if ED crowding during the index visit was associated with these "bounceback" admissions.

METHODS

We used comprehensive, nonpublic, statewide ED and inpatient discharge data from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development from 2007 to identify index outpatient ED visits and bounceback admissions within 7 days. We further used ambulance diversion data collected from California local emergency medical services agencies to identify crowded days using intrahospital daily diversion hour quartiles. Using a hierarchical logistic regression model, we then determined if patients visiting on crowded days were more likely to have a subsequent bounceback admission.

RESULTS

We analyzed 3,368,527 index visits across 202 hospitals, of which 596,471 (17.7%) observations were on crowded days. We found no association between ED crowding and bounceback admissions. This lack of relationship persisted in both a discrete (high/low) model (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.99, 1.02) and a secondary model using ambulance diversion hours as a continuous predictor (OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 1.00, 1.00).

CONCLUSIONS

Crowding as measured by ambulance diversion does not have an association with hospitalization within 7 days of an ED visit discharge. Therefore, bounceback admission may be a poor measure of delayed or worsened quality of care due to crowding.

Factors associated with short-term bounce-back admissions after emergency department discharge

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Hospitalizations that occur shortly after emergency department (ED) discharge may reveal opportunities to improve ED or follow-up care. There currently is limited, population-level information about such events. We identify hospital- and visit-level predictors of bounce-back admissions, defined as 7-day unscheduled hospital admissions after ED discharge.

METHODS

Using the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development files, we conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of adult (aged >18 years) ED visits resulting in discharge in 2007. Candidate predictors included index hospital structural characteristics such as ownership, teaching affiliation, trauma status, and index ED size, along with index visit patient characteristics of demographic information, day of service, against medical advice or eloped disposition, insurance, and ED primary discharge diagnosis. We fit a multivariable, hierarchic logistic regression to account for clustering of ED visits by hospitals.

RESULTS

The study cohort contained a total of 5,035,833 visits to 288 facilities in 2007. Bounce-back admission within 7 days occurred in 130,526 (2.6%) visits and was associated with Medicaid (odds ratio [OR] 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.40 to 1.45) or Medicare insurance (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.50 to 1.55) and a disposition of leaving against medical advice or before the evaluation was complete (OR 1.90; 95% CI 1.89 to 2.0). The 3 most common age-adjusted index ED discharge diagnoses associated with a bounce-back admission were chronic renal disease, not end stage (OR 3.3; 95% CI 2.8 to 3.8), end-stage renal disease (OR 2.9; 95% CI 2.4 to 3.6), and congestive heart failure (OR 2.5; 95% CI 2.3 to 2.6). Hospital characteristics associated with a higher bounce-back admission rate were for-profit status (OR 1.2; 95% CI 1.1 to 1.3) and teaching affiliation (OR 1.2; 95% CI 1.0 to 1.3).

CONCLUSION

We found 2.6% of discharged patients from California EDs to have a bounce-back admission within 7 days. We identified vulnerable populations, such as the very old and the use of Medicaid insurance, and chronic or end-stage renal disease as being especially at risk. Our findings suggest that quality improvement efforts focus on high-risk individuals and that the disposition plan of patients consider vulnerable populations.

California hospitals serving large minority populations were more likely than others to employ ambulance diversion

It is well documented that racial and ethnic minority populations disproportionately use hospital emergency departments for safety-net care. But what is not known is whether emergency department crowding is disproportionately affecting minority populations and potentially aggravating existing health care disparities, including poorer outcomes for minorities. We examined ambulance diversion, a proxy measure for crowding, at 202 California hospitals. We found that hospitals serving large minority populations were more likely to divert ambulances than were hospitals with a lower proportion of minorities, even when controlling for hospital ownership, emergency department capacity, and other hospital demographic and structural factors. These findings suggest that establishing more-uniform criteria to regulate diversion may help reduce disparities in access to emergency care.

Effect of emergency department crowding on outcomes of admitted patients

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Emergency department (ED) crowding is a prevalent health delivery problem and may adversely affect the outcomes of patients requiring admission. We assess the association of ED crowding with subsequent outcomes in a general population of hospitalized patients.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of patients admitted in 2007 through the EDs of nonfederal, acute care hospitals in California. The primary outcome was inpatient mortality. Secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay and costs. ED crowding was established by the proxy measure of ambulance diversion hours on the day of admission. To control for hospital-level confounders of ambulance diversion, we defined periods of high ED crowding as those days within the top quartile of diversion hours for a specific facility. Hierarchic regression models controlled for demographics, time variables, patient comorbidities, primary diagnosis, and hospital fixed effects. We used bootstrap sampling to estimate excess outcomes attributable to ED crowding.

RESULTS

We studied 995,379 ED visits resulting in admission to 187 hospitals. Patients who were admitted on days with high ED crowding experienced 5% greater odds of inpatient death (95% confidence interval [CI] 2% to 8%), 0.8% longer hospital length of stay (95% CI 0.5% to 1%), and 1% increased costs per admission (95% CI 0.7% to 2%). Excess outcomes attributable to periods of high ED crowding included 300 inpatient deaths (95% CI 200 to 500 inpatient deaths), 6,200 hospital days (95% CI 2,800 to 8,900 hospital days), and $17 million (95% CI $11 to $23 million) in costs.

CONCLUSION

Periods of high ED crowding were associated with increased inpatient mortality and modest increases in length of stay and costs for admitted patients.

Factors predicting complication rates after primary shoulder arthroplasty

HYPOTHESIS

Shoulder arthroplasty is an effective treatment for arthritic conditions and intraarticular fractures of the proximal humerus. Treatment options include total and hemiarthroplasty of the shoulder. They hypothesis of this study was that a mandatory statewide discharge database could identify the epidemiology of primary shoulder arthroplasty, 90 day complication rates, implant survival rates, and patient and hospital characteristics associated with complications.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We identified patients undergoing primary total shoulder replacement and hemiarthroplasty between 1995 and 2005. We report rates of complications within 90 days of surgery and performed survival analysis using revision surgery as the endpoint. Logistic and proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the effect of patient and provider factors in predicting the rates of adverse outcomes.

RESULTS

During the study period, 15,288 patients underwent shoulder arthroplasty. Patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty and hemiarthroplasty had no statistically significant difference in the aggregate risk of 90-day complications or the risk of implant failure within the study period. Fracture patients were shown to have a higher risk of short-term complications (odds ratio, 3.2; P < .001). Implant failure rates were lower in patients with fracture, rheumatoid arthritis, increased comorbidity, and advanced age.

CONCLUSION

This study reports similar rates of short-term complications and implant failure in patients undergoing total or hemiarthroplasty, an overall mortality rate of 1.3%, and a pulmonary embolism rate of 0.6%. The findings of our study indicate that the risk of short-term complications is highest in patients undergoing total or hemiarthroplasty for a fracture compared with nonfracture indications. Our results also indicate that longer-term, implant survival is largely driven by factors associated with increased activity, such as age. In patients undergoing surgery for arthritis of the shoulder, we found no difference in implant survival rates between total and hemiarthroplasty of the shoulder.

Hospital determinants of emergency department left without being seen rates

STUDY OBJECTIVE

The proportion of patients who leave without being seen in the emergency department (ED) is an outcome-oriented measure of impaired access to emergency care and represents the failure of an emergency care delivery system to meet its goals of providing care to those most in need. Little is known about variation in the amount of left without being seen or about hospital-level determinants. Such knowledge is necessary to target hospital-level interventions to improve access to emergency care. We seek to determine whether hospital-level socioeconomic status case mix or hospital structural characteristics are predictive of ED left without being seen rates.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional study of all acute-care, nonfederal hospitals in California that operated an ED in 2007, using data from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development database and the US census. Our outcome of interest was whether a visit to a given hospital ED resulted in left without being seen. The proportion of left without being seen was measured by the number of left without being seen cases out of the total number of visits.

RESULTS

We studied 9.2 million ED visits to 262 hospitals in California. The percentage of left without being seen varied greatly over hospitals, ranging from 0% to 20.3%, with a median percentage of 2.6%. In multivariable analyses adjusting for hospital-level socioeconomic status case mix, visitors to EDs with a higher proportion of low-income and poorly insured patients experienced a higher risk of left without being seen. We found that the odds of an ED visit resulting in left without being seen increased by a factor of 1.15 for each 10-percentage-point increase in poorly insured patients, and odds of left without being seen decreased by a factor of 0.86 for each $10,000 increase in household income. When hospital structural characteristics were added to the model, county ownership, trauma center designation, and teaching program affiliation were positively associated with increased probability of left without being seen (odds ratio 2.09; 1.62, and 2.14, respectively), and these factors attenuated the association with insurance status.

CONCLUSION

Visitors to different EDs experience a large variation in their probability of left without being seen, and visitors to hospitals serving a high proportion of low-income and poorly insured patients are at disproportionately higher risk of leaving without being seen. Our findings suggest that there is room for substantial improvement in this outcome, and regional interventions can be targeted toward certain at-risk hospitals to improve access to emergency care.

Complication and revision rates following total elbow arthroplasty

PURPOSE

To determine the complication rates after total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) in a large and diverse patient population.

METHODS

We identified patients undergoing TEA as inpatients in the years 1995 to 2005 using California's Discharge Database. Short-term outcomes of interest included rates of infection or wound complications, revision, reoperation, and pulmonary embolism that were diagnosed during an inpatient hospital admission and mortality within 90 days of index surgery. Longer-term outcomes analyzed included rates of revision, amputation, and conversion to fusion. We used regression models to estimate the role of patient and provider characteristics in predicting the rates of adverse outcomes.

RESULTS

We identified 1,625 patients undergoing TEA. Early complications, defined as those requiring inpatient re-admission within the first 90 days after index surgery, were identified in 170 patients, and 132 patients required reoperation. Eighty one patients required revision in 90 days, and 48 underwent revision within one year. Early infections and wound complications requiring readmission occurred in 88 patients. In the 90 days after surgery, 4 patients had a pulmonary embolism and 10 patients died. One-hundred and twenty-one patients required revision, amputation, or fusion during the observation period, with a mean follow-up of 4 years. Hospital volume was not associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

We analyzed a large and diverse patient population undergoing TEA. The overall rate of short-term complications requiring inpatient treatment was high, at over 10% (170 patients), with almost 8% (132 patients) requiring reoperation within the first 90 days. Although population-based studies have shortcomings, they can add to the body of knowledge of less frequent procedures such as TEA.

TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic IV.

Quality of care in advanced ovarian cancer: the importance of provider specialty

BACKGROUND

One of the cornerstones of ovarian cancer therapy is cytoreductive surgery, which can be performed by surgeons with different specialty training. We examined whether surgeon specialty impacts quality of life (as proxied by presence of ostomy) and overall survival for women with advanced ovarian cancer.

METHODS

Stage IIIC/IV ovarian cancer patients were identified using 4 state cancer registries: California, Washington, New York, and Florida and linked records to the corresponding inpatient-hospital discharge file, AMA Masterfile, and 2000 U.S. Census SF4 File. Predictors of receipt of care by a general surgeon and creation of fecal ostomy were analyzed. Multivariate modeling was performed to assess the association of hospital volume (low volume (LV) [0-4 cases], middle volume (MV) [5-9], high volume (HV) [10-19], and very high volume (VHV) [20+]) and surgeon specialty training (gynecologic oncologists/gynecologists, general surgeons, and other specialty) on survival.

RESULTS

We identified 31,897 Stage IIIC/IV patients; mean age was 64 years. Treatment of patients by a general surgeon was predicted by LV, rural patient residence, poverty, and high level of comorbidity. Patients had lower hazard of death when treated in higher volume hospitals as compared to LV [VHV hazard ratio (HR)=0.79, P<.0001; HV HR=0.89, P<0.001]. Patients treated by a general surgeon had higher likelihood of an ostomy (OR=4.46, P<.0001) and hazard of death (HR=1.63, P<.0001) compared to gynecologic oncologist/gynecologist.

CONCLUSIONS

Advanced stage ovarian cancer patients have better survival when treated by gynecologic oncology/gynecology trained surgeons. Data suggest that referral to these specialists may optimize surgical debulking and minimize the creation of a fecal ostomy.

Quality of care in advanced ovarian cancer: How important is provider specialty?

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Background: Ovarian cancer is one of the most aggressive and deadly cancers in women. While the mainstay of therapy is surgery, ovarian cancer surgical procedures are performed by surgeons with different specialty training, including gynecology, gynecologic oncology, general surgery, and others. We examine the degree to which surgeon specialty impacts survival and other quality of life-related outcomes in advanced ovarian cancer patients. Methods: Analyses of Stage 3c/4 ovarian cancer patients were performed from 4 states (California, Washington, New York, Florida). Four databases were linked for each state: cancer registry, inpatient-hospital discharge, AMA masterfile, and 2000 U.S. Census SF4 File. Multivariate modeling was performed to identify predictors of survival as well as proxy quality of life-related outcomes, as measured by creation of a fecal ostomy. Hospital case volume was defined as low volume (LV) [0–4 cases], middle volume (MV) [5–9], high volume (HV) [10–19], and very high volume (VHV) [20+]. Results: 60,405 ovarian cancer patients were identified; 53% were Stage 3c/4. Mean age was 64 years. Patients had lower hazard of death when treated in higher volume hospitals as compared to LV [HV (Hazard Ratio) HR = 0.89, p < 0.0001; VHV HR = 0.79, p < 0.001]. Patients treated by gynecologists/gynecologic-oncologists had lower hazard of death (HR = 0.61, p < 0.0001) as compared to other surgeons (non-gynecologist), controlling for hospital type, case volume, comorbidity, and demographics. Also, patients treated by a trained gynecologist had the lowest chance of having an ostomy performed as compared to those of other specialties (HR = 0.22, p < 0.0001). Factors associated with receiving treatment from a non-gynecologist included low volume, rural patient residence, poverty, and high comorbidity. Conclusions: Stage 3c/4 ovarian cancer patients have better survival when treated by gynecology-trained surgeons. Our data suggest that gynecology-trained specialists optimize quality of life-related outcomes, specifically minimizing the creation of a fecal ostomy. Surgeon specialty was more important than procedure volume for these outcomes. Referral to gynecology-trained surgeons would improve survival and quality of life outcomes in advanced ovarian cancer patients.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

What proportion of patients with an ostomy (for diverticulitis) get reversed?

A common operation for patients with complicated sigmoid diverticulitis is resection and placement of an ostomy (Hartmann procedure). This population-based study examines that proportion of ostomates who undergo reversal. In the California inpatient file, patients admitted for acute diverticulitis in 1995 were identified, including a subset that had surgical resection. Data regarding receipt of ostomy were obtained (4-year follow-up). Demographics and clinical data (procedure, ostomy reversal, time to reversal, comorbidity score, and complications) were collected. In 1995, 11,582 admissions for diverticulitis occurred in California. Of these, 24.2 per cent (n = 2808) underwent surgery at admission; 88.9 per cent were sigmoid/left colectomies; and 41.7 per cent had a Hartmann procedure. Patients with ostomies were older (P = 0.0004) and male (P = 0.03). Median comobidity score was the same for patients with or without an ostomy. Of the 1176 patients who had the Hartmann procedure, 65 per cent underwent reversal (mean 143 days). A larger proportion of men than women had their ostomies reversed (74.5% vs 55.9%, respectively, P < 0.0001). Median comorbidity scores for both groups were low, 0 for those reversed and 1 for nonreversed. Our study shows that although the majority of patients had their ostomies reversed, over 35 per cent did not at 4-year follow-up. Further studies are required to evaluate how this rate may be improved.

What Proportion of Patients with an Ostomy (for Diverticulitis) Get Reversed?

A common operation for patients with complicated sigmoid diverticulitis is resection and placement of an ostomy (Hartmann procedure). This population-based study examines that proportion of ostomates who undergo reversal. In the California inpatient file, patients admitted for acute diverticulitis in 1995 were identified, including a subset that had surgical resection. Data regarding receipt of ostomy were obtained (4-year follow-up). Demographics and clinical data (procedure, ostomy reversal, time to reversal, comorbidity score, and complications) were collected. In 1995, 11,582 admissions for diverticulitis occurred in California. Of these, 24.2 per cent (n = 2808) underwent surgery at admission; 88.9 per cent were sigmoid/left colectomies; and 41.7 per cent had a Hartmann procedure. Patients with ostomies were older ( P = 0.0004) and male ( P = 0.03). Median comobidity score was the same for patients with or without an ostomy. Of the 1176 patients who had the Hartmann procedure, 65 per cent underwent reversal (mean 143 days). A larger proportion of men than women had their ostomies reversed (74.5% vs 55.9%, respectively, P < 0.0001). Median comorbidity scores for both groups were low, 0 for those reversed and 1 for nonreversed. Our study shows that although the majority of patients had their ostomies reversed, over 35 per cent did not at 4-year follow-up. Further studies are required to evaluate how this rate may be improved.

What predicts serious complications in colorectal cancer resection?

Virtually all volume-outcome studies use mortality as their outcome measure, yet most general surgical procedures have low in-patient death rates. We examined whether hospital surgical volume impacts other colorectal cancer resection outcomes and complications. Colorectal cancer (CRC) resections from 1996 to 2000 were identified using the California hospital discharge database. Comorbidity was graded using a modified Charlson index. Hospital CRC resection volume was calculated. Serious medical complications were defined as life-threatening cardiac or respiratory events, renal failure, or shock. Serious surgical complications were defined as vascular events, need for reoperation, or bleeding. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the impact of predictors on complications. We identified 56,621 resections. Median age was 70 to 74 years. Eighty-one per cent of patients were white. Most had localized (57%) versus distant (22%) disease. Serious medical (17.5%) and surgical (9.8%) complications were not infrequent. In multivariate analyses, greater annual CRC surgical volume predicted lower odds of serious complication, but patient characteristics (age, comorbidity, and acuity of surgery) were more important. Although patients receiving CRC resection at lower-volume hospitals have greater odds of complication than patients treated at higher-volume institutions, patient factors remain the most important determinants of complication.

What Predicts Serious Complications in Colorectal Cancer Resection?

Virtually all volume-outcome studies use mortality as their outcome measure, yet most general surgical procedures have low in-patient death rates. We examined whether hospital surgical volume impacts other colorectal cancer resection outcomes and complications. Colorectal cancer (CRC) resections from 1996 to 2000 were identified using the California hospital discharge database. Comorbidity was graded using a modified Charlson index. Hospital CRC resection volume was calculated. Serious medical complications were defined as life-threatening cardiac or respiratory events, renal failure, or shock. Serious surgical complications were defined as vascular events, need for reoperation, or bleeding. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the impact of predictors on complications. We identified 56,621 resections. Median age was 70 to 74 years. Eighty-one per cent of patients were white. Most had localized (57%) versus distant (22%) disease. Serious medical (17.5%) and surgical (9.8%) complications were not infrequent. In multivariate analyses, greater annual CRC surgical volume predicted lower odds of serious complication, but patient characteristics (age, comorbidity, and acuity of surgery) were more important. Although patients receiving CRC resection at lower-volume hospitals have greater odds of complication than patients treated at higher-volume institutions, patient factors remain the most important determinants of complication.

Characterizing the performance and outcomes of obesity surgery in California

Between 1991 and 2000, the prevalence of obesity increased 65 per cent. As a result, increasing research is being directed at gastric bypass (GB) surgery, an operation that appears to achieve long-term weight reduction. Despite the rapid proliferation of this surgery, the quality of care at a population level is largely unknown. This study examines longitudinal trends in quality and identifies significant predictors of adverse outcomes. Using the California inpatient discharge database, all GB operations from 1996 to 2000 were identified. Demographic, comorbidity, complication, and volume data were obtained. Complications were defined as life-threatening cardiac, respiratory, or medical (renal failure or shock) events. Comorbidity was graded on a modified Charlson score. Annual hospital volume was categorized into four groups: < 50, 50-99, 100-199, and 200+ cases. Based on these data, we calculated longitudinal trends in complication rate and performed logistic regression to identify predictors of complications. A total of 16,232 patients were included. The average age was 41 years; 84 per cent were female, and 83.5 per cent were white. The complication rate was 10.4 per cent. Between 1996 and 2000, rates of cardiac and respiratory complications decreased while rates of medical complications remained unchanged. Complications were more likely in men [odd ratio (OR) = 1.69 compared to women] and in patients with comorbidities (OR = 1.60 for each additional comorbid disease). Furthermore, when examining the effect of volume, patients at very low (< 50) and low (50-99) volume hospitals were much more likely to have complications (OR = 2.72 and 2.70, respectively) compared to patients at high-volume hospitals (200+), even after controlling for differences in case-mix. The quality of care for obesity surgery has improved between 1996 and 2000. Despite operating on patients with more comorbidity, rates of cardiac and respiratory complications have decreased. Furthermore, this study identifies three independent predictors of complications: gender, comorbidity, and hospital volume. These findings are important initial steps toward improving quality in obesity surgery.

Characterizing the Performance and Outcomes of Obesity Surgery in California

Between 1991 and 2000, the prevalence of obesity increased 65 per cent. As a result, increasing research is being directed at gastric bypass (GB) surgery, an operation that appears to achieve long-term weight reduction. Despite the rapid proliferation of this surgery, the quality of care at a population level is largely unknown. This study examines longitudinal trends in quality and identifies significant predictors of adverse outcomes. Using the California inpatient discharge database, all GB operations from 1996 to 2000 were identified. Demographic, comorbidity, complication, and volume data were obtained. Complications were defined as life-threatening cardiac, respiratory, or medical (renal failure or shock) events. Comorbidity was graded on a modified Charlson score. Annual hospital volume was categorized into four groups: <50, 50–99, 100–199, and 200+ cases. Based on these data, we calculated longitudinal trends in complication rate and performed logistic regression to identify predictors of complications. A total of 16,232 patients were included. The average age was 41 years; 84 per cent were female, and 83.5 per cent were white. The complication rate was 10.4 per cent. Between 1996 and 2000, rates of cardiac and respiratory complications decreased while rates of medical complications remained unchanged. Complications were more likely in men [odd ratio (OR) = 1.69 compared to women] and in patients with comorbidities (OR = 1.60 for each additional comorbid disease). Furthermore, when examining the effect of volume, patients at very low (<50) and low (50–99) volume hospitals were much more likely to have complications (OR = 2.72 and 2.70, respectively) compared to patients at high-volume hospitals (200+), even after controlling for differences in case-mix. The quality of care for obesity surgery has improved between 1996 and 2000. Despite operating on patients with more comorbidity, rates of cardiac and respiratory complications have decreased. Furthermore, this study identifies three independent predictors of complications: gender, comorbidity, and hospital volume. These findings are important initial steps toward improving quality in obesity surgery.

Monitoring free-text data using medical language processing

In this paper, we describe a software system for automated monitoring of free-text data in a medical information system that we call RadTRAC (Radiology Text Report Analyzer and Classifier). RadTRAC uses a medical language processing tool and rules derived from statistical analysis of a database to process free-text chest X-ray (CXR) reports and identify reports that describe new or expanding neoplasms for the purpose of monitoring the follow-up of these patients. To evaluate the RadTRAC system, we examined a set of 470 consecutive radiology reports at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA. We compared RadTRAC classification of CXR reports with retrospective expert classification of the reports and with clinical classification from CXR films as recorded in a logbook while the films were being read. The RadTRAC system had a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 82% using the logbook as the gold standard. This was similar to the performance of expert radiologists (sensitivity, 92%; specificity, 90%). We then reviewed the charts, appointment schedule, and subsequent X-ray reports of cases either in the logbook or that were identified by RadTRAC as needing follow-up. Two cases in the logbook could have potentially benefited from an automatic monitoring system to ensure follow-up. RadTRAC identified six confirmed new tumors or new metastatic lesions that were not in the logbook. Six other cases were identified by the RadTRAC system with suspicious X-ray findings that had either no follow-up or no further mention of the X-ray lesion in medical records. This suggests that a reminder system based on the RadTRAC technology would be potentially useful.