A utilization management intervention to reduce unnecessary testing in the coronary care unit

BACKGROUND: There have been no studies of interventions to reduce test utilization in the coronary care unit. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a 3-part intervention in a coronary care unit could decrease utilization without affecting clinical outcomes. METHODS: Practice guidelines for routine laboratory and chest radiographic testing were developed by a multidisciplinary team, using evidence-based recommendations when possible and expert opinion otherwise. These guidelines were incorporated into the computer admission orders for the coronary care unit at a large teaching hospital, and educational efforts were targeted at the house staff and nurses. Utilization during the 3-month intervention period was compared with utilization during the same 3 months in the prior year. The hospital's medical intensive care unit, which did not receive the specific intervention, provided control data. RESULTS: During the intervention period, there were significant reductions in utilization of all chemistry tests (from 7% to 40%). Reductions in ordering of complete blood counts, arterial blood gas tests, and chest radiographs were not statistically significant. After controlling for trends in the control intensive care unit, however, the reductions in arterial blood gas tests (P =.04) and chest radiographs (P<.001) became significant. The reductions in potassium, glucose, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus testing, but not other chemistries, remained significant. The estimated reduction in expenditures for "routine" blood tests and chest radiographs was 17% (P<.001). There were no significant changes in length of stay, readmission to intensive care, hospital mortality, or ventilator days. CONCLUSION: The utilization management intervention was associated with significant reductions in test ordering without a measurable change in clinical outcomes.     

The use of follow-up chest roentgenograms among hospitalized patients

Follow-up chest roentgenograms are a commonly performed test. We prospectively evaluated their diagnostic and therapeutic influence at a tertiary care teaching hospital. When a follow-up chest roentgenogram was ordered, physicians indicated their reason for ordering the test, the likelihood that the roentgenogram would show changes, and expected alterations in therapy. After the roentgenogram was obtained, physicians described the help provided by the roentgenogram and what changes in therapy were performed. Using receiver operating characteristic curves, we have shown that physicians have difficulty in predicting which roentgenograms will show important changes. Unexpected findings are frequent (25.4%) and highly valued by the physician. Fifty-seven percent of these roentgenograms had a definite or possible influence on patient treatment. Further studies are indicated to define when follow-up chest roentgenograms are likely to be of benefit.     

A computer based intervention to reduce unnecessary serologic testing

OBJECTIVE: Laboratory testing is important in the evaluation of patients with possible systemic rheumatic disease, but uncritical use of any test may result in misleading information and unnecessary costs. We attempted to reduce the number of unnecessary antinuclear antibody, rheumatoid factor, and complement level tests ordered by house officers at a large teaching hospital, where inpatient orders are written through a computer based order entry system. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of an interactive test ordering program. The intervention consisted of displaying post-test probability estimates during the usual physician order entry session. These estimates were based on pretest probabilities entered by the ordering physician and sensitivities and specificities derived from a literature review. Another group of test orders did not prompt the intervention and were considered controls. The outcome of interest was the percentage of tests canceled in the intervention group versus the control group. RESULTS: Eleven percent (11/99) of intervention orders were canceled, versus only one order among 236 controls (p = 0.001). However, there was no association between the physicians' pretest probability estimates and whether test orders were canceled (p = 0.59). Additionally, 43 of the 335 orders (13%) yielded positive tests, but only 4 patients (1%) were given new diagnoses of rheumatic disease. CONCLUSION: The computer based intervention significantly reduced orders for antinuclear antibody and rheumatoid factor levels by 10%. Further reductions without clinical harm are probably possible, since the yield of testing for new rheumatic diseases was low.     

Evaluation of an intervention aimed at reducing inappropriate use of preoperative blood coagulation tests

A multiphase intervention trial based on education, implementation of criteria, and restriction, aimed at modifying the established clinical policy of mandatory preoperative screening for coagulation abnormalities, was carried out on five surgical wards of a general hospital. The education period did not influence the ordering of partial thromboplastin time tests, despite a significant posteducational change in surgeons' attitudes. In contrast, administrative restriction of coagulation test orders led to a 50% decline on four of the five study wards. We conclude that an educational intervention followed by administrative restriction may be considered an acceptable means of overcoming clinician reluctance to change well-established but redundant clinical policy.     

The nonutility of chest roentgenographic examination in asymptomatic patients with positive tuberculin test results

To determine the value of chest roentgenograms in the management of asymptomatic persons with positive tuberculin skin test results, we undertook a retrospective review of all tests administered by our Employee Health Service, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, NY, between July 1, 1983 and November 1, 1987. Of 5200 tests, 247 results were positive. Two hundred twenty-one of these charts were reviewed for roentgenographic results and the presence of symptoms. All persons were asymptomatic. Chest roentgenograms revealed the following: normal, 188; unrelated abnormalities, 24; apical pleural thickening, 5; granulomas, 2; calcified hilar node, 1; and calcified node plus granuloma, 1. We noted no active tuberculosis, nor did the chest roentgenographic results influence recommendations for isoniazid prophylaxis. We conclude that chest roentgenograms are of value in 0% to 1.3% of asymptomatic people with positive tuberculin test results. A larger study should be undertaken to further define the usefulness of chest roentgenograms in this population.     

Laparoscopic versus open cholecystectomy: effect on pulmonary function tests

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Operations often cause impairment in respiration due to pain. This study was designed to compare the changes in pulmonary function tests after open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODOLOGY: Two groups of 35 patients were randomly set up. Each patient had 3 pulmonary function tests performed and 2 postero-anterior grid chest roentgenograms taken. All of these data were evaluated by the same group of investigators. RESULTS: After taking into consideration the difference between pulmonary function tests, values were not significant (P < or = 0.05). All pulmonary function test values decreased significantly on the 1st postoperative day (P < or = 0.05). When postero-anterior chest roentgenograms were compared no clinically evident atelectasis except 3 lineary was seen in the laparoscopic cholecystectomy group, whereas 5 lineary, 7 focal, and 3 segmentary atelectasia were encountered in the open cholecystectomy group (P < or = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We believe that laparoscopic cholecystectomy has more advantages when speaking of postoperative pulmonary function tests and atelectasia.     

Computerized display of past test results. Effect on outpatient testing

Study Objective: To determine the effect of displaying previous results of diagnostic tests on the ordering of selected outpatient tests. Design: Sixteen-week controlled trial with a 13-week pre-intervention and 8-week post-intervention observation periods. Patients were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups so that each physician was his or her own control. Only scheduled visits were included. Randomization occurred before the pre-intervention observation period. Setting: Academic primary care general medicine clinic affiliated with an urban general hospital. Subjects: Pre-intervention period: 111 physicians (97 internal medicine residents, 14 faculty internists), 4683 patients, 5942 scheduled visits. Intervention period: same 111 physicians, 5946 patients, 8148 visits. Post-intervention period: 76 physicians (62 residents, 14 faculty), 2571 patients, 2858 scheduled visits. Intervention: With an order for one of eight selected diagnostic tests through microcomputer workstations, a window was opened on the screen and previous test results were displayed along with the time interval between the first and last result. Tests were ordered for control patients into the same workstations without previous results displayed. Measurements and Main Results: Previous results of one or more study tests were available for display for 96% of scheduled patients. Significantly lower results (p less than 0.05 by paired t-test) for the selected tests were found for intervention patient visits than for control visits: charges per visit (mean +/- SE) for intervention patients $12.17 +/- 0.62, compared with $13.99 +/- 0.77 for controls, a 13.0% difference; tests per visit were 0.51 +/- 0.03, compared with 0.56 +/- 0.03, an 8.5% difference. The number of study tests ordered decreased significantly for intervention patients (16.8%) and for controls (10.9%). During the post-intervention period, ordering of study tests increased for both groups, but the increase from the intervention period was not significant. Conclusions: Presenting physicians with previous test results reduced the ordering of those tests. The actual effect may have been greater than 13%, because there were reductions in study tests ordered for both intervention and control patients during the intervention period when compared with the pre-intervention period, and both tended to rise after the intervention, or display, was turned off.     

Effect of Social Comparison Feedback on Laboratory Test Ordering for Hospitalized Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Social comparison feedback is an increasingly popular strategy that uses performance report cards to modify physician behavior. Our objective was to test the effect of such feedback on the ordering of routine laboratory tests for hospitalized patients, a practice considered overused.

Methods

This was a single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Between January and June 2016, physicians on six general medicine teams at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania were cluster randomized with equal allocation to two arms: (1) those e-mailed a summary of their routine laboratory test ordering vs. the service average for the prior week, linked to a continuously updated personalized dashboard containing patient-level details, and snapshot of the dashboard and (2) those who did not receive the intervention. The primary outcome was the count of routine laboratory test orders placed by a physician per patient-day. We modeled the count of orders by each physician per patient-day after the intervention as a function of trial arm and the physician’s order count before the intervention. The count outcome was modeled using negative binomial models with adjustment for clustering within teams.

Results

One hundred and fourteen interns and residents participated. We did not observe a statistically significant difference in adjusted reduction in routine laboratory ordering between the intervention and control physicians (physicians in the intervention group ordered 0.14 fewer tests per patient-day than physicians in the control group, 95% CI ??0.56 to 0.27, p?=?0.50). Physicians whose absolute ordering rate deviated from the peer rate by more than 1.0 laboratory test per patient-day reduced their laboratory ordering by 0.80 orders per patient-day (95% CI ??1.58 to ??0.02, p?=?0.04).

Conclusions

Personalized social comparison feedback on routine laboratory ordering did not change targeted behavior among physicians, although there was a significant decrease in orders among participants who deviated more from the peer rate.

Trial registration

Clinicaltrials.gov registration: #NCT02330289.

     

The need for chest roentgenograms in adults with acute respiratory illness. Clinical predictors

The predictive values of several clinical variables for the presence or absence of pneumonia in adults with acute respiratory complaints were studied. Patients with congestive heart failure were excluded. Of 464 patients who received a chest roentgenogram, 129 (27.8%) had pneumonia. None of the symptoms, signs, or laboratory findings evaluated could reliably predict the presence of pneumonia. The absence of abnormal auscultatory findings on lung examination, however, excluded pneumonia with greater than 95% certainty. Among the 106 patients who presented with acute asthma, only two (1.9%) had pneumonia. Among the 33 patients with underlying organic brain syndrome, 25 (75.8%) had pneumonia. Incorporating these findings into a diagnostic strategy for ordering chest roentgenograms could have reduced the number of roentgenograms obtained by 54% and spared 72% of patients without pneumonia unnecessary radiation exposure.     

A randomized trial of a computer-based intervention to reduce utilization of redundant laboratory tests

PURPOSE: To determine the impact of giving physicians computerized reminders about apparently redundant clinical laboratory tests. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We performed a prospective randomized controlled trial that included all inpatients at a large teaching hospital during a 15-week period. The intervention consisted of computerized reminders at the time a test was ordered that appeared to be redundant. Main outcome measures were the proportions of clinical laboratory orders that were canceled and the proportion of the tests that were actually performed. RESULTS: During the study period, there were 939 apparently redundant laboratory tests among the 77,609 study tests that were ordered among the intervention (n = 5,700 patients) and control (n = 5,886 patients) groups. In the intervention group, 69% (300 of 437) of tests were canceled in response to reminders. Of 137 overrides, 41% appeared to be justified based on chart review. In the control group, 51% of ordered redundant tests were performed, whereas in the intervention group only 27% of ordered redundant tests were performed (P <0.001). However, the estimated annual savings in laboratory charges was only $35,000. This occurred because only 44% of redundant tests performed had computer orders, because only half the computer orders were screened for redundancy, and because almost one-third of the reminders were overridden. CONCLUSIONS: Reminders about orders for apparently redundant laboratory tests were effective when delivered. However, the overall effect was limited because many tests were performed without corresponding computer orders, and many orders were not screened for redundancy.     

The effect of physician disclosure of financial incentives on trust

BACKGROUND: Many physicians receive financial incentives to limit their ordering of expensive tests and procedures. While Medicare mandates disclosure of incentives, it is not clear how to inform patients without undermining trust. METHODS: Our objective was to determine public opinion about physician disclosure of financial incentives and how this might be best communicated to patients. The 2002 General Social Survey included 2765 interviews from a probability sample of English-speaking US households. The interview included questions about financial incentives and an audiotaped scenario of a physician discussing the impact of financial incentives on ordering a magnetic resonance image. Respondents heard 1 of 6 randomly selected disclosure strategies. The measurements included ratings of trust, satisfaction, agreement with the physician's decision, and likelihood of remaining with the physician/health plan or seeking a second opinion. RESULTS: Nearly half (48.8%) of respondents had previously heard of financial incentives to limit test ordering. Of the respondents, 94.8% wanted to be told about incentives, at the time of enrollment in a health plan (80.5%), by a health plan representative (44.8%), their physician (17.1%), or both (38.1%). Of the 6 different disclosure strategies, "addressing emotions" and "negotiation" were associated with the best outcomes, while "common enemy" and "denying influences" were most negatively perceived. Black and Hispanic subjects were less likely to express satisfaction or trust and more likely to disenroll or seek a second opinion. CONCLUSIONS: The public wants information about physician financial incentives. Specific communication styles enhance how this information is conveyed to patients, increasing trust and supporting the physician-patient relationship.     

Thyroid hormone determination at the Public Assistance Hospital of Paris: ordering, costs and opinions of physicians qualified in endocrinology]

OBJECTIVES: To determine the distribution of orders for hormonal tests assessing thyroid function in a hospital setting. To collect the opinion of physicians specialized in endocrinology concerning free triodothyronine (FT3) assessment. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional survey numbers of free thyroxine (FT4), total T4 (TT4), FT3, total T3 (TT3), and TSH tests were collected from the heads of laboratory assessing thyroid function in June 95 at the Assistance Publique-H?pitaux de Paris (AP-HP). Cost for these tests was estimated. The physicians of the AP-HP specialized in endocrinology were asked through a questionnaire for circumstances justifying FT3 test ordering. RESULTS: Twenty-eight laboratories (93%) responded: 28455 measurements (TSH: 43%, FT4: 33%, TT4: 2%, FT3: 20%, TT3: 2%) were performed and were valued at 3.4 million French Francs. Proportions of T4 (36%) and T3 (20%) tests were lower in hospitals with an inpatient department of endocrinology than in hospitals with an outpatient clinic with specialists in endocrinology (T4: 36%; T3: 27%) or with no endocrinology unit (T4: 33%, T3: 27%); proportion of TSH tests was higher in hospitals with an inpatient endocrinology unit (respectively 44%, 40%, 32%). Forty-two endocrinologists (76%) from 21 departments answered. Follow-up of treatment with amiodarone and euthyroid sick syndrome were considered the only conditions justifying FT3 test ordering. CONCLUSION: Though the opinion of physicians specialized in endocrinology was not uniform regarding recommendations for TT3 or FT3 tests as a first-line measurement, the cost of these tests has been estimated at 650 thousand Francs for a month at the AP-HP.     

The role of the chest roentgenogram in febrile neutropenic patients

In a retrospective review of patients with neutropenia and fever, we sought to determine how often roentgenograms detected pulmonary disease, especially pneumonia, not suggested by signs and symptoms. Further, we sought to determine how often therapy was changed as a result of roentgenographic findings. Overall, 41 (22%) of 187 chest roentgenograms obtained during initial febrile episodes, recurrent fevers, or persistent fevers were abnormal. While most patients had signs and symptoms suggesting the presence of pulmonary disease, 17% had roentgenographic abnormalities detected in the absence of such findings. During initial febrile episodes, therapy was not changed in response to findings on the chest roentgenogram. However, during episodes of persistent or recurrent fever, findings on chest roentgenograms led to changes in therapy in eight (61%) of 13 episodes of which six (40%) resulted in clinical improvement. Chest roentgenograms were therefore found to be an important diagnostic tool in evaluating recurrent or persistent fever in the neutropenic patient but of little use during initial febrile episodes.     

High-resolution ultrafast chest CT in the clinical management of febrile bone marrow transplant patients with normal or nonspecific chest roentgenograms

Plain chest roentgenograms may be normal or show nonspecific abnormalities during the frequent febrile episodes that occur in patients after bone marrow transplantation. In this group, ultrafast 10-mm and 3-mm high-resolution CT scans were prospectively performed in 33 patients to determine if useful information was provided that either changed the patient's clinical management or added confidence to the clinical diagnosis. The 36 symptomatic episodes that occurred in 33 patients included fever in 20 episodes and fever combined with cough, dyspnea, chest pain, or rales in 16. Fourteen chest roentgenograms were interpreted as normal, and 22 were interpreted as demonstrating nonspecific changes; however, none of the roentgenograms was considered helpful in that they did not provide sufficient information for further management. In 2 of 14 episodes in patients with normal chest roentgenograms and in 9 of 22 episodes in patients with nonspecific chest roentgenograms, CT scanning resulted in a change in clinical management that included performing bronchoscopy, increasing or changing antibiotic coverage, starting white blood cell transfusions, requesting surgical biopsy, or a combination of these. In 1 of 14 episodes in patients with normal chest roentgenograms and in 8 of 22 episodes in patients with nonspecific roentgenograms, CT added confidence to the diagnosis. In the remaining 16 episodes, CT scans provided no additional information. We conclude that in many instances, noncontrast ultrafast chest CT scans can provide information that may either change a patient's clinical management or more clearly establish the extent of pulmonary disease.     

Tuberculosis in physicians. Compliance with preventive measures

Compliance with public health recommendations for tuberculosis control was evaluated by a survey of 4,417 physicians who had not contracted tuberculosis during medical school nor during the 4 decades after graduation through 1981. Thirty-one percent of the cohort had been vaccinated with bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and 47% considered themselves tuberculin-positive. Thirty-two percent of 1,088 physicians who graduated after 1974 had been exposed to 3 or more patients with infectious tuberculosis in the previous year. Fifty-eight percent of 738 unimmunized, tuberculin-negative physicians who had been exposed to one or more patients with infectious tuberculosis in the previous year had tuberculin tests every 1 to 2 yr. Forty-nine percent of 597 unimmunized tuberculin reactors with similar occupational exposure had chest roentgenograms every 1 to 2 yr. The BCG-vaccinated physicians were less likely to have frequent tuberculin tests but no different frequency of chest roentgenograms. Eight percent of 1,460 unimmunized tuberculin reactors received isoniazid chemoprophylaxis, including 39% of 128 tuberculin reactors who graduated after 1974 (the majority of the latter were younger than 35 yr of age). Of 66 physicians who had active tuberculosis during medical school or after graduation, 20 (30%) had not received any antituberculosis chemotherapy, whereas 2 of 46 who did, received chemotherapy only after a second episode of tuberculosis. In summary, our study documents poor compliance by physicians with recommended policies for the prevention of tuberculosis in health care workers.     

Pneumothorax following transbronchial biopsy. Low diagnostic yield with routine chest roentgenograms

A chest roentgenogram is commonly obtained after a transbronchial biopsy to exclude a pneumothorax. We hypothesized that these routine chest roentgenograms rarely demonstrate a pneumothorax in patients who have neither symptoms nor fluoroscopic findings of lung collapse. To test this hypothesis, we studied 305 consecutive patients undergoing bronchoscopy with fluoroscopically guided TBB. No patient without symptoms and fluoroscopic findings suggesting lung collapse had a pneumothorax demonstrated on the post-biopsy chest roentgenogram. At the University of Virginia, routine chest roentgenograms failed to demonstrate a single unsuspected pneumothorax among all patients undergoing TBB during a period of nearly six years. Given this low incidence of unsuspected pneumothorax, we conclude that routine chest roentgenograms have a low diagnostic yield and may not be necessary in all patients after fluoroscopically guided TBB.     

The Impact of Cost Displays on Primary Care Physician Laboratory Test Ordering

BACKGROUND

Physicians are under increased pressure to help control rising health care costs, though they lack information regarding cost implications of patient care decisions.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of real-time display of laboratory costs on primary care physician ordering of common laboratory tests in the outpatient setting.

DESIGN

Interrupted time series analysis with a parallel control group.

PARTICIPANTS

Two hundred and fifteen primary care physicians (153 intervention and 62 control) using a common electronic health record between April 2010 and November 2011. The setting was an alliance of five multispecialty group practices in Massachusetts.

INTERVENTION

The average Medicare reimbursement rate for 27 laboratory tests was displayed within an electronic health record at the time of ordering, including 21 lower cost tests (< $40.00) and six higher cost tests (> $40.00).

MAIN MEASURES

We compared the change-in-slope of the monthly laboratory ordering rate between intervention and control physicians for 12 months pre-intervention and 6 months post-intervention. We surveyed all intervention and control physicians at 6 months post-intervention to assess attitudes regarding costs and cost displays.

KEY RESULTS

Among 27 laboratory tests, intervention physicians demonstrated a significant decrease in ordering rates compared to control physicians for five (19 %) tests. This included a significant relative decrease in ordering rates for four of 21 (19 %) lower cost laboratory tests and one of six (17 %) higher cost laboratory tests. A majority (81 %) of physicians reported that the intervention improved their knowledge of the relative costs of laboratory tests.

CONCLUSIONS

Real-time display of cost information in an electronic health record can lead to a modest reduction in ordering of laboratory tests, and is well received. Our study demonstrates that electronic health records can serve as a tool to promote cost transparency and reduce laboratory test use.     

Reduction in Unnecessary Red Blood Cell Folate Testing by Restricting Computerized Physician Order Entry in the Electronic Health Record

Purpose

The red blood cell (RBC) folate test is a laboratory test with limited clinical utility. Previous attempts to reduce physician ordering of unnecessary laboratory tests, including folate levels, have resulted in only modest success. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and impacts of restricting RBC folate ordering in the electronic health record (EHR).

Decision rules and clinical prediction of pneumonia: evaluation of low-yield criteria

Prediction rules have been recommended for guiding the ordering of diagnostic tests. Such rules can be used to define low-yield criteria (LYC) for the purpose of identifying patients with an extremely low probability of disease and hence discouraging test ordering by the physician on patients meeting LYC. In this study, community hospital emergency department populations of adults (n = 255) and children (n = 78) were evaluated prospectively for the presence of predictive clinical parameters and the physician's estimate of pneumonia prior to obtaining a chest film. We developed LYC and analyzed published LYC for obtaining chest films on patients considered at risk for pneumonia by means of logistic regression, receiver operating characteristics curve, and negative predictive value analyses. We were unable to derive or validate clinically useful LYC to improve on the seasoned clinician's probability estimate of pneumonia. We discuss the inherent limitations in the development and application of LYC that must be understood by those who seek to limit the ordering of chest films by the application of guidelines developed from decision rules.