Health center use and hospital‐based care among individuals dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid, 2012–2018

ObjectiveTo examine the relationship between federally qualified health center (FQHC) use and hospital‐based care among individuals dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid.Data SourcesData were obtained from 2012 to 2018 Medicare claims.Study DesignWe modeled hospital‐based care as a function of FQHC use, person‐level factors, a Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) indicator, and ZIP code fixed effects. Outcomes included emergency department (ED) visits (overall and nonemergent), observation stays, hospitalizations (overall and for ambulatory care sensitive conditions), and 30‐day unplanned returns. We stratified all models on the basis of eligibility and rurality.Data Extraction MethodsOur sample included individuals dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid for at least two full consecutive years, residing in a primary care service area with an FQHC. We excluded individuals without primary care visits, who died, or had end‐stage renal disease.Principal FindingsAfter the Medicare PPS was introduced, FQHC use in rural counties was associated with fewer ED and nonemergent ED visits per 100 person‐years among both age‐eligible (−14.8 [−17.5, −12.1]; −6.6 [−7.5, −5.6]) and disability‐eligible duals (−11.3 [−14.4, −8.3]; −6 [−7.4, −4.6]) as well as a lower probability of observation stays (−0.8 pp age‐eligible; −0.4 pp disability‐eligible) and unplanned returns (−2.1 pp age‐eligible; −1.9 pp disability‐eligible). In urban counties, FQHC use was associated with more ED and nonemergent ED visits per 100 person‐years (10.6 [8.4, 12.8]; 4.0 [2.6, 5.4]) among disability‐eligible duals (a decrease of more than 60% compared with the pre‐PPS period) and increases in the probability of hospitalization (1.1 pp age‐eligible; 0.8 pp disability‐eligible) and ACS hospitalization (0.5 pp age‐eligible; 0.3 pp disability‐eligible) (a decrease of roughly 50% compared with the pre‐PPS period).ConclusionsFQHC use is associated with reductions in hospital‐based care among dual enrollees after introduction of the Medicare PPS. Further research is needed to understand how FQHCs can tailor care to best serve this complex population.     

Economic assessment of a high-dose versus a standard-dose influenza vaccine in the US Veteran population: Estimating the impact on hospitalization cost for cardio-respiratory disease

ObjectiveTo compare the economic impact of high-dose trivalent (HD) versus standard-dose trivalent (SD) influenza vaccination on direct medical costs for cardio-respiratory hospitalizations in adults aged 65 years or older enrolled in the United States (US) Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA).MethodsLeveraging a relative vaccine effectiveness study of HD versus SD over five respiratory seasons (2010/11 through 2014/15), we collected cost data for healthcare provided to the same study population both at VHA and through Medicare services. Our economic assessment compared the costs of vaccination and hospital care for patients experiencing acute cardio-vascular or respiratory illness.ResultsWe analyzed 3.5 million SD and 158,636 HD person-seasons. The average cost of HD and SD vaccination was $23.48 (95% CI: $21.29 - $25.85) and $12.21 (95% CI: $11.49 - $13.00) per recipient, respectively, while the hospitalization rates for cardio-respiratory disease in HD and SD recipients were 0.114 (95% CI: 0.108–0.121) and 0.132 (95% CI: 0.132–0.133) per person-season, respectively. Attributing the average cost per hospitalization of $11,796 (95% CI: $11,685 - $11,907) to the difference in hospitalization rates, we estimated savings attributable to HD to be $202 (95% CI: $115 – $280) per vaccinated recipient.ConclusionsFor the five-season period of 2010/11 through 2014/15, HD influenza vaccination was associated with net cost savings due to fewer hospitalizations, and therefore lower direct medical costs, for cardio-respiratory disease as compared to SD influenza vaccination in the senior US VHA population.     

Ambulatory Care Sensitive Hospitalizations among Medicaid Beneficiaries with Chronic Conditions

Objectives: This study examined the relationship between ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations (ACSH) and patient-level and county-level variables. Methods: Utilizing a retrospective cohort approach, multi-state Medicaid claims data from 2007-2008 was used to examine ACSH at baseline and follow-up periods. The study cohort consisted of adult, non-elderly Medicaid beneficiaries with chronic physical conditions, who were continuously enrolled in fee-for-service programs, not enrolled in Medicare, and did not die during the study period (N=7,021). The dependent variable, ACSH, was calculated in the follow-up year using an algorithm from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality algorithm. Patient-level (demographic, health status, continuity of care) and county-level (density of healthcare providers and facilities, socio-economic characteristics, local economic conditions) factors were included as independent variables. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between ACSH and independent variables. Results: In this study population, 8.2% had an ACSH. African-Americans were more likely to have an ACSH [AOR=1.55, 95% CI 1.16, 2.07] than Caucasians. Adults with schizophrenia were more likely to have an ACSH, compared to those without schizophrenia [AOR=1.54, 95% CI 1.16, 2.04]. Residents in counties with a higher number of community mental health centers [AOR=0.88, 95% CI 0.80, 0.97] and rural health centers [AOR=0.98, 95% CI 0.95, 0.99] were less likely to have an ASCH. Conclusions: Programs and interventions designed to reduce the risk of ACSH may be needed to target specific population subgroups and improve healthcare infrastructure.     

Challenging Assumptions of Outcomes and Costs Comparing Peritoneal and Hemodialysis

ObjectivesPolicy makers have suggested increasing peritoneal dialysis (PD) would improve end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) outcomes and reduce Medicare spending compared with hemodialysis (HD). We compared mortality, hospitalizations, and Medicare spending between PD and HD among uninsured adults with incident ESKD.MethodsUsing an instrumental variable design, we exploited a natural experiment encouraging PD among the uninsured. Uninsured patients usually receive Medicare at dialysis month 4. For those initiating PD, Medicare covers the first 3 dialysis months, including predialysis services in the calendar month when dialysis started. Starting dialysis later in a calendar month increases predialysis coverage that is essential for PD catheter placements. The policy encourages PD incrementally when ESKD develops later in the month. Dialysis start day appears to be unrelated to patient characteristics and effectively “randomizes patients” to dialysis modality, mitigating selection bias.ResultsStarting dialysis later in the month was associated with an increased PD uptake: every week later in the month was associated with an absolute increase of 0.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.6%-0.9%) at dialysis day 1 and 0.5% (95% CI 0.3%-0.7%) at dialysis month 12. We observed no significant absolute difference between PD and HD for 12-month mortality (−0.9%, 95% CI −3.3% to 0.8%), hospitalizations during months 7 to 12 (−0.05, 95% CI −0.20 to 0.07), and Medicare spending during months 7 to 12 (−$702, 95% CI −$4004 to $2909).ConclusionsIn an instrumental variable analysis, PD did not result in improved outcomes or lower costs than HD.     

Geographic Variation in Anticoagulant Use and Resident,Nursing Home,and County Characteristics Associated With Treatment Among US Nursing Home Residents

ObjectivesTo quantify geographic variation in anticoagulant use and explore what resident, nursing home, and county characteristics were associated with anticoagulant use in a clinically complex population.DesignA repeated cross-sectional design was used to estimate current oral anticoagulant use on December 31, 2014, 2015, and 2016.Setting and ParticipantsSecondary data for United States nursing home residents during the period 2014-2016 were drawn from the Minimum Data Set 3.0 and Medicare Parts A and D. Nursing home residents (≥65 years) with a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation and ≥6 months of Medicare fee-for-service enrollment were eligible for inclusion. Residents in a coma or on hospice were excluded.MethodsMultilevel logistic models evaluated the extent to which variation in anticoagulant use between counties could be explained by resident, nursing home, and county characteristics and state of residence. Proportional changes in cluster variation (PCVs), intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), and adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were estimated.ResultsAmong 86,736 nursing home residents from 11,860 nursing homes and 1694 counties, 45% used oral anticoagulants. The odds of oral anticoagulant use were 18% higher in 2016 than 2014 (aOR: 1.18; 95% confidence interval: 1.14-1.22). Most states had counties in the highest (51.3-58.9%) and lowest (31.1%-41.4%) deciles of anticoagulant use. Compared with the null model, adjustment for resident characteristics explained one-third of the variation between counties (PCV: 34.8%). The full model explained 65.5% of between-county variation. Within-county correlation was a small proportion (ICC < 2.2%) of total variation.Conclusions and ImplicationsIn this older adult population at high risk for ischemic stroke, less than half of the residents received treatment with anticoagulants. Variation in treatment across counties was partially attributable to the characteristics of residents, nursing homes, and counties. Comparative evidence and refinement of predictive algorithms specific to the nursing home setting may be warranted.     

Factors associated with potentially preventable hospitalization among nursing home residents in New York State with chronic kidney disease

ObjectiveIdentify clinical and organizational factors associated with potentially preventable ambulatory care sensitive (ACS) hospitalization among nursing home residents with chronic kidney disease.MethodsNew York State Nursing home residents (n = 5449) age 60+ with chronic kidney disease and were hospitalized in 2007. Data included residents’ sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, nursing home organizational factors, and ACS hospitalizations. Multivariate logistic regression quantified the association between potential determinants and ACS hospitalizations (yes versus no).ResultsPrevalence of chronic kidney disease among nursing home residents is 24%. Potentially avoidable ACS hospitalization among older nursing home residents with chronic kidney disease is 27%. Three potentially modifiable factors associated with significantly higher odds of ACS hospitalization include the following: presence of congestive heart failure (OR = 1.4; 95% CI 1.24–1.65), excessive medication use (OR = 1.3; 95% CI 1.11–1.48), and the lack of training provided to nursing staff on how to communicate effectively with physician about the resident’s condition. (OR = 1.3; 95% CI 0.59–0.96).ConclusionTo reduce potentially preventable ACS hospitalization among chronic kidney disease patients, congestive heart failure and excessive medication use can be kept stable using relatively simple interventions by periodic multidisciplinary review of medications and assessing appropriate response to therapy; and communication training be provided to nursing staff on how to articulate to the responsible physician important changes in the patients’ condition.     

Preventable hospitalizations in primary care shortage areas. An analysis of vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries

BACKGROUND: Health care outcomes among vulnerable elderly populations (defined in this study as Medicare beneficiaries who rated their overall general health as "fair" or "poor") are a growing concern. Recent studies suggest that potentially preventable hospitalizations may be useful for identifying poor ambulatory health care outcomes among vulnerable populations. OBJECTIVES: To determine if Medicare beneficiaries in fair or poor health are at increased risk of experiencing a preventable hospitalization if they reside in primary care health professional shortage areas. DESIGN: A survey of Medicare beneficiaries from the 1991 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. PATIENTS: Medicare beneficiaries living in the community. RESULTS: Medicare beneficiaries in fair or poor health were 1.82 times more likely to experience a preventable hospitalization if they resided in a primary care shortage area (95% confidence interval, 1.18-2.81). After controlling for educational level, income, and supplemental insurance, Medicare beneficiaries in fair or poor health were 1.70 times more likely to experience a preventable hospitalization if they resided in a primary care shortage area (95% confidence interval, 1.09-2.65). CONCLUSIONS: Medicare beneficiaries in fair or poor health are more likely to experience a potentially preventable hospitalization if they live in a county designated as a primary care shortage area. Provision of Medicare coverage alone may not be enough to prevent poor ambulatory health care outcomes such as preventable hospitalizations. Improving health care outcomes for vulnerable elderly patients may require structural changes to the primary care ambulatory delivery system in the United States, especially in designated shortage areas.     

Medicare fee reductions and the overuse of intensity‐modulated radiotherapy

ObjectiveTo estimate the impact of a large Medicare fee reduction for intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) on its use in prostate and breast cancer patients.Data Sources/Study SettingSEER‐Medicare.Study DesignWe compared trends in the use of IMRT between patients treated in practices directly affected by fee reductions (for prostate cancer, men treated in urology practices that own IMRT equipment; for breast cancer, women treated in freestanding radiotherapy clinics) and patients treated in other types of practices.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsWe identified breast and prostate cancer patients receiving IMRT using outpatient and physician office claims. We classified urology practices based on whether they billed for IMRT and radiotherapy clinics based on whether they were reimbursed under the Physician Fee Schedule.Principal FindingsBetween 2006 and 2015 the payment for IMRT delivered in freestanding clinics and physician offices declined by $367 (−54.7%). However, the use of IMRT increased in physician practices subject to payment cuts, both in absolute terms and relative to use in practices unaffected by the payment cut. Use of IMRT in prostate cancer patients treated at urology practices that own IMRT equipment increased by 9.1 (95% CI: 2.0‐16.2) percentage points between 2005 and 2016 relative to use in patients treated at other urology practices. Use of IMRT in breast cancer patients treated at freestanding radiotherapy centers increased by 7.5 (95% CI: −5.1 to 20.1) percentage points relative to use in patients treated at hospital‐based centers.ConclusionsA steep decline in IMRT fees did not decrease IMRT use over the period from 2006 to 2015, though use has declined since 2010.     

Estimating Changes in Population Size and Behavioral Characteristics in Men Who Have Sex With Men Between 2014 and 2019: Longitudinal Study

BackgroundMen who have sex with men (MSM) are at high risk for HIV infection. Accurate estimation of the population size and monitoring the risk sexual behavioral change of MSM is of great importance to develop targeted HIV prevention and interventions.ObjectiveThe goal of the research was accurate estimation of the population size and monitoring the risk sexual behavioral change of MSM.MethodsStreet interception investigation methods were conducted among males aged 16 years and older in selected sites in Shenzhen in 2014 and 2019. A population survey was used to estimate the population size of MSM. Logistic regression analysis was applied to evaluate the difference in behavioral characteristics in MSM from 2014 to 2019.ResultsIn this study, we surveyed 10,170 participants in 2014, of whom 448 (4.41%, 95% CI 4.01%-4.80%) participants were men who have ever had sex with another man (MSMe) and 229 (2.25%, 95% CI 1.96%-2.54%) were men who had sex with another man in the previous 6 months (MSMa). A total of 10,226 participants were surveyed in 2019, of which 500 (4.90%, 95% CI 4.47%-5.31%) and 208 (2.03%, 95% CI 1.76%-2.31%) participants were MSMe and MSMa, respectively. The results showed that the population size of MSM who are active (MSMa) in Shenzhen was 155,469 (2.29%, 95% CI 2.28%-2.30%) in 2014 and 167,337 (2.05%, 95% CI 2.04%-2.06%) in 2019. It was estimated that there were about 12,005,445 (2.04%, 95% CI 2.04%-2.04%) MSMa in China in 2019. Compared with 2014, the MSMa in 2019 were more likely to seek sex partners through mobile phone apps and less likely to have male and female sex partners in addition to having inconsistent condom use and more than 6 sex partners in the previous 6 months.ConclusionsIn Shenzhen, the proportion of MSMa among the general male population was lower in 2019 than in 2014, and the prevalence of HIV risk behavior was reduced in 2019. Although the preferred platform to find male sex partners among MSM has changed, intervention with high–HIV risk MSM could still help to reduce HIV risk behaviors among the whole MSM group. Because MSM prefer to seek sex partners through mobile phone apps, further study is needed to strengthen internet interventions with high–HIV risk MSM to curb the spread of HIV.     

Functional Status Is Associated With 30-Day Potentially Preventable Readmissions Following Skilled Nursing Facility Discharge Among Medicare Beneficiaries

Objectives

The objectives of this study were to determine the association between patients’ functional status at discharge from skilled nursing facility (SNF) care and 30-day potentially preventable hospital readmissions, and to examine common reasons for potentially preventable readmissions.

Impact of infant pneumococcal conjugate vaccination on community acquired pneumonia hospitalization in all ages in the Netherlands

BackgroundThe long-term impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on pneumonia hospitalizations in all age-groups varies between countries. In the Netherlands, the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was implemented for newborns in 2006 and replaced by PCV10 in 2011. We assessed the impact of PCVs on community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) hospitalization rates in all age-groups.MethodsA time series analysis using Poisson regression was performed on 155,994 CAP hospitalizations. Hospitalization rates were calculated using the total number of hospitalizations as denominator. The time trend in the pre-PCV period (1999–2006) was extrapolated to predict the hospitalization rate in the post-PCV period (2006–2014) if PCV had not been implemented. Rate ratios over time were calculated by comparing observed and predicted time trends.ResultsIn children <5 years of age, the observed hospitalization rates during the post-PCV period were significantly lower than predicted if PCV had not been implemented (0–6 months: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.41–0.96; 6 months – 1 year: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.50–0.90; 2–4 years: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.61–0.97). In all other age-groups, rate ratios declined over time but did not reach statistical significance.ConclusionsAfter introduction of PCV, CAP hospitalizations declined in young children but no clear impact of PCV on CAP hospitalizations was seen in other age-groups.     

Does Medicaid coverage of Medicare cost sharing affect physician care for dual‐eligible Medicare beneficiaries?

ObjectiveTo assess changes in physicians’ provision of care to duals (low‐income individuals with Medicare and Medicaid) in response to a policy that required Medicaid to fully pay Medicare''s cost sharing for office visits with these patients. This policy—a provision of the Affordable Care Act—effectively increased payments for office visits with duals by 0%‐20%, depending on the state, in 2013 and 2014.Data SourcesFee‐for‐service claims for a 5% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries in 2010‐2016.Study DesignWe conducted a difference‐in‐differences analysis to compare changes in office visits among Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries (QMBs)—the largest subpopulation of duals for whom payment rates were affected by this policy—to changes among other low‐income Medicare beneficiaries for whom payment rates were unaffected (pooled across all states). Next, we conducted a triple‐differences analysis that compared changes between QMBs and other low‐income beneficiaries in 33 states with payment rate increases of approximately 20% to analogous changes in 14 states without payment increases.Data CollectionThe study included administrative Medicare enrollment and claims data for QMBs and a comparison group of other low‐income Medicare beneficiaries (1 914 073 beneficiary‐years from 2010 to 2016).Principal FindingsNationally, we did not find a differential increase in office visits among QMBs versus other low‐income beneficiaries that coincided with this payment change. In the triple‐differences analysis, we did not observe a greater increase in visits among QMBs vs other low‐income beneficiaries in states where the policy resulted in large (approximately 20%) increases in payment rates vs states where payment rates were unaffected (triple‐differences estimate: −0.12 annual visits, 95% CI: −0.28, 0.04; P = 0.15).ConclusionsPhysicians’ provision of care to low‐income Medicare beneficiaries may not be responsive to short‐run payment changes.     

Dementia Severity Associated With Increased Risk of Potentially Preventable Readmissions During Home Health Care

ObjectivesApproximately 14% of Medicare beneficiaries are readmitted to a hospital within 30 days of home health care admission. Individuals with dementia account for 30% of all home health care admissions and are at high risk for readmission. Our primary objective was to determine the association between dementia severity at admission to home health care and 30-day potentially preventable readmissions (PPR) during home health care. A secondary objective was to develop a dementia severity scale from Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) items based on the Functional Assessment Staging Tool (FAST).DesignRetrospective cohort study.Setting and participantsHome health care; 126,292 Medicare beneficiaries receiving home health care (July 1, 2013–June 1, 2015) diagnosed with dementia (ICD-9 codes).Measures30-day PPR during home health care. Dementia severity categorized into 6 levels (nonaffected to severe).ResultsThe overall rate of 30-day PPR was 7.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 7.4, 7.7] but varied by patient and health care utilization characteristics. After adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, the odds ratio (OR) for dementia severity category 6 was 1.37 (95% CI 1.29, 1.46) and the OR for category 7 was 1.94 (95% CI 1.64, 2.31) as compared to dementia severity category 1/2.Conclusions and implicationsDementia severity in the later stages is associated with increased risk for potentially preventable readmissions. Our findings suggest that individuals admitted to home health during the later stages of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias may require greater supports and specialized care to minimize negative outcomes such as readmissions. Development of a dementia severity scale based on OASIS items and the FAST is feasible. Future research is needed to determine effective strategies for decreasing potentially preventable readmissions of individuals with severe dementia who receive home health care. Future research is also needed to validate the proposed dementia severity categories used in this study.     

The Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccines to Prevent Severe COVID-19 in Costa Rica: Nationwide,Ecological Study of Hospitalization Prevalence

BackgroundThe Costa Rican COVID-19 vaccination program has used Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines. Real-world estimates of the effectiveness of these vaccines to prevent hospitalizations range from 90%-98% for two doses and from 70%-91% for a single dose. Almost all of these estimates predate the Delta variant.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to estimate the dose-dependent effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines to prevent severe illness in real-world conditions in Costa Rica, after the Delta variant became dominant.MethodsThis observational study is a secondary analysis of hospitalization prevalence. The sample is all 3.67 million adult residents living in Costa Rica by mid-2021. The study is based on public aggregated data of 5978 COVID-19–related hospital records from September 14, 2021, to October 20, 2021, and 6.1 million vaccination doses administered to determine hospitalization prevalence by dose-specific vaccination status. The intervention retrospectively evaluated is vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech (78%) and Oxford-AstraZeneca (22%). The main outcome studied is being hospitalized.ResultsVaccine effectiveness against hospitalization (VEH) was estimated as 93.4% (95% CI 93.0-93.9) for complete vaccination and 76.7% (95% CI 75.0-78.3) for single-dose vaccination among adults of all ages. VEH was lower and more uncertain among older adults aged ≥58 years: 92% (95% CI 91%-93%) for those who had received full vaccination and 64% (95% CI 58%-69%) for those who had received partial vaccination. Single-dose VEH declined over time during the study period, especially in the older age group. Estimates were sensitive to possible errors in the population count used to determine the residual number of unvaccinated people when vaccine coverage is high.ConclusionsThe Costa Rican COVID-19 vaccination program that administered Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines seems to be highly effective at preventing COVID-19–related hospitalization after the Delta variant became dominant. Even a single dose seems to provide some degree of protection, which is good news for people whose second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was postponed several weeks to more rapidly increase the number of people vaccinated with a first dose. Timely monitoring of vaccine effectiveness is important to detect eventual failures and motivate the public to get vaccinated by providing information regarding the effectiveness of the vaccines.     

Atrial fibrillation and risk of stroke in dialysis patients

PurposeBoth stroke and chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) are common in dialysis patients, but uncertainty exists in the incidence of new strokes and the risk conferred by chronic AF.MethodsA cohort of dually eligible (Medicare and Medicaid) incident dialysis patients was constructed. Medicare claims were used to determine the onset of chronic AF, which was specifically treated as a time-dependent covariate. Cox proportional hazards models were used to model time to stroke.ResultsOf 56,734 patients studied, 5629 (9.9%) developed chronic AF. There were 22.8 ischemic and 5.0 hemorrhagic strokes per 1000 patient-years, a ratio of approximately 4.5:1. Chronic AF was independently associated with time to ischemic (hazard ratio [HR], 1.26; 99% confidence interval [CI], 1.06–1.49; P = .0005), but not hemorrhagic, stroke. Race was strongly associated with hemorrhagic stroke: African Americans (HR, 1.46; 99% CI, 1.08–1.96), Hispanics (HR, 1.64; 99% CI, 1.16–2.31), and others (HR, 1.76; 99% CI, 1.16–2.78) had higher rates than did Caucasians (all P < .001).ConclusionsChronic AF has a significant, but modest, association with ischemic stroke. Race/ethnicity is strongly associated with hemorrhagic strokes. The proportion of strokes owing to hemorrhage is much higher than in the general population.     

Hospital ownership and preventable adverse events.

To determine whether hospital ownership was associated with preventable adverse events, the authors reviewed the medical records of a random sample of 15,000 hospitalizations in Utah and Colorado in 1992. Hospitals were categorized as nonprofit, for-profit, major teaching government (e.g., county, state ownership), and minor or nonteaching government. Multivariate analyses adjusting for other patient and hospital characteristics found that, when compared with patients in nonprofit hospitals, patients in minor or nonteaching government hospitals were more likely to suffer a preventable adverse event of any type (odds ratio (OR), 2.46; 95 percent confidence interval (95% CI), 1.45 to 4.20); preventable operative adverse events (OR, 4.85; 95% CI, 2.44 to 9.62); and preventable adverse events due to delayed diagnoses and therapies (OR, 4.27; 95% CI, 1.48 to 12.31). Patients in for-profit hospitals were also more likely to suffer preventable adverse events of any type (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.03 to 2.38); preventable operative adverse events (OR, 2.63; 95% CI, 1.42 to 4.87); and preventable adverse events due to delayed diagnoses and therapies (OR, 4.15; 95% CI, 1.84 to 9.34). Patients in major teaching government hospitals were less likely to suffer preventable adverse drug events (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.89).     

Reducing employee turnover in hospitals: estimating the effects of hypothetical improvements in the psychosocial work environment

Objectives:Poor psychosocial work environments in hospitals are associated with higher employee turnover. In this prospective cohort study, we aimed to identify and quantify which aspects of the psychosocial work environment have the greatest impact on one-year employee turnover rates within a hospital setting, both overall and within occupational groups.Methods:The study population included 24 385 public hospital employees enrolled in the Danish Well-being in Hospital Employees cohort in 2014. We followed the participants for one year and registered if they permanently left their workplace. Using baseline sociodemographic, workplace, and psychosocial work environment characteristics, we applied the parametric g-formula to simulate hypothetical improvements in the psychosocial work environment and estimated turnover rate differences (RD) per 10 000 employees per year and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).Results:Of the 24 385 participants, 2552 (10.5%) left the workplace during the one-year follow-up. Up to 44% of this turnover was potentially preventable through hypothetical improvements in the psychosocial work environment. The specific hypothetical improvements with the largest effects were in satisfaction with work prospects (RD -522 turnovers per 10 000 person-years, 95% CI -536– -508), general job satisfaction (RD -339, 95% CI -353– -325) and bullying (RD -200, 95% CI -214– -186). The potential for preventing turnover was larger for nurses than for physicians and other healthcare employees.Conclusions:Improvements in the psychosocial work environment may have great potential for reducing turnover among hospital staff, particularly among nurses.     

Derivation and Validation of a Model to Predict 30-Day Readmission in Surgical Patients Discharged to Skilled Nursing Facility

ObjectivesTo identify factors associated with 30-day all-cause readmission rates in surgical patients discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and derive and validate a risk score.DesignRetrospective cohort.Setting and participantsPatients admitted to 1 tertiary hospital's surgical services between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2014 and subsequently discharged to 110 SNFs within a 25-mile radius of the hospital. The first 2 years were used for the derivation set and the last 2 for validation.MethodsData were collected on 30-day all cause readmissions, patient demographics, procedure and surgical service, comorbidities, laboratory tests, and prior health care utilization. Multivariate regression was used to identify risk factors for readmission.ResultsDuring the study period, 2405 surgical patients were discharged to 110 SNFs, and 519 (21.6%) of these patients experienced readmission within 30 days. In a multivariable regression model, hospital length of stay [odds ratio (OR) per day: 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.04], number of hospitalizations in past year (OR 1.24 per hospitalization, 95% CI 1.18-1.31), nonelective surgery (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.18-1.65), low-risk service (orthopedic/spine service) (OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.25-0.42), and intermediate-risk service (cardiothoracic surgery/urology/gynecology/ear, nose, throat) (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.53-0.88) were associated with all-cause readmissions. The model had a C index of 0.71 in the validation set. Using the following risk score [0.8 × (hospital length of stay) + 7 × (number of hospitalizations in past year) +10 for nonelective surgery, +36 for high-risk surgery, and +20 for intermediate-risk surgery], a score of >40 identified patients at high risk of 30-day readmission (35.8% vs 12.6%, P < .001).Conclusions/ImplicationsAmong surgical patients discharged to an SNF, a simple risk score with 4 parameters can accurately predict the risk of 30-day readmission.