Eliciting preferences of the community for out of hours care provided by general practitioners: a stated preference discrete choice experiment

Access to primary care services is a major issue as new models of delivering primary care continue develop in many countries. Major changes to out of hours care provided by general practitioners (GPs) were made in the UK in 1995. These were designed in response to low morale and job dissatisfaction of GPs, rather than in response to patients' preferences. The aim of this study is to elicit the preferences of patients and the community for different models of GP out of hours care. A questionnaire was sent to parents of children in Aberdeen and Glasgow in Scotland who had received a home visit or attended a primary care emergency centre, or were registered with a GP. The questionnaire used a discrete choice experiment that asked parents to imagine their child had respiratory symptoms. Parents were then asked to choose between a series of pairs of scenarios, with each scenario describing a different model of out of hours care. Each model varied by waiting time, who was seen, location, and whether the doctor listened. The response rate was 68% (3,893/5,718). The most important attribute was whether the doctor seemed to listen, suggesting that policies aimed at improving doctor-patient communication will lead to the largest improvements in utility. The most preferred location of care was a hospital accident and emergency department. This suggests that new models of primary care emergency centres may not reduce the demand for accident and emergency visits from this group of patients in urban areas. Preferences also differed across sub-groups of patients. Those who had never used out of hours care before had stronger preferences for waiting time and the doctor listening, suggesting higher expectations of non-users. Further research is required into the demand for out of hours care as new models of care become established.     

An investigation of causes of patient satisfaction/dissatisfaction with physician services

To provide the highest level of satisfaction, health care providers must control patients' expectations and perception of treatment quality. This study is designed to gain insight into the perception and attitudes of consumers toward physician services. It attempts to examine the satisfaction/dissatisfaction of patients in association with the cost and quality of medical care; interpersonal skills, competence and professional recognition of physicians; information provided and attention given by physicians; waiting time, physical facilities, and receptionists and nurses in the physicians office. Data was gathered using telephone interviews from a sample of 245 respondents. Factor analysis techniques in the SPSSX software package were used in data analysis. Findings indicated that there are generally favorable attitudes toward the quality of medical services, and that medical cost has secondary importance.     

Primary care and public emergency department overcrowding.

OBJECTIVES. Our objective was to evaluate whether referral to primary care settings would be clinically appropriate for and acceptable to patients waiting for emergency department care for nonemergency conditions. METHODS. We studied 700 patients waiting for emergency department care at a public hospital. Access to alternative sources of medical care, clinical appropriateness of emergency department use, and patients' willingness to use nonemergency services were measured and compared between patients with and without a regular source of care. RESULTS. Nearly half (45%) of the patients cited access barriers to primary care as their reason for using the emergency department. Only 13% of the patients waiting for care had conditions that were clinically appropriate for emergency department services. Patients with a regular source of care used the emergency department more appropriately than did patients without a regular source of care. Thirty-eight percent of the patients expressed a willingness to trade their emergency department visit for an appointment with a physician within 3 days. CONCLUSIONS. Public emergency departments could refer large numbers of patients to appointments at primary care facilities. This alternative would be viable only if the availability and coordination of primary care services were enhanced for low-income populations.     

An Investigation of Causes of Patient Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction with Physician Services

To provide the highest level of satisfaction, health care providers must control patients' expectations and perception of treatment quality. This study is designed to gain insight into the perception and attitudes of consumers toward physician services. It attempts to examine the satisfaction/dissatisfaction of patients in association with the cost and quality of medical care; interpersonal skills, copmetence and professional recognition of physicians; information provided and attention given by physicians; waiting time, physical facilities, and receptioninsts and nurses in the physicians office. Data was gathered using telephone interviews from a sample of 245 respondents. Factor analysis techniques in the SPSSX software package were used in data analysis. Findings indicated that there are generally favorable attitudes toward the quality of medical services, and that medical cost has secondary importance.     

Emergency department observation units: A clinical and financial benefit for hospitals

INTRODUCTION: There are nearly 120 million visits to emergency departments each year, one for every three people in the United States. Fifty percent of all hospital admissions come from this group, a marked change from the mid-1990s when the emergency department was a source of only a third of admissions. As the population increases and ages, the growth rate for emergency department visits and the resulting admissions will exceed historical trends creating a surge in demand for inpatient beds. BACKGROUND: Current health care reform efforts are highlighting deficiencies in access, cost, and quality of care in the United States. The need for more inpatient capacity brings attention to short-stay admissions and whether they are necessary. Emergency department observation units provide a suitable alternate venue for many such patients at lower cost without adversely affecting access or quality. METHODS: This article serves as a literature synthesis in support of observation units, with special emphasis on the clinical and financial aspects of their use. The observation medicine literature was reviewed using PubMed, and selected sources were used to summarize the current state of practice. In addition, the authors introduce a novel conceptual framework around measures of observation unit efficiency. FINDINGS AND PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Observation units provide high-quality and efficient care to patients with common complaints seen in the emergency department. More frequent use of observation can increase patient safety and satisfaction while decreasing unnecessary inpatient admissions and improving fiscal performance for both emergency departments and the hospitals in which they operate. For institutions with the volume to justify the fixed costs of operating an observation unit, the dominant strategy for all stakeholders is to create one.     

Consumer Satisfaction about Hospital Services: A Study from the Outpatient Department of a Private Medical College Hospital at Mangalore

Background:

Consumer satisfaction is an important parameter for assessing the quality of patient care services. There is a need to assess the health care systems regarding the consumer satisfaction as often as possible.

Objectives:

To assess the consumer satisfaction regarding the services provided in our outpatient department in terms of clinical care, availability of services, waiting time, and cost.

Materials and Methods:

A 27-item pre-tested questionnaire was given to 100 patients (caretakers in pediatric patients) at the end of their O.P.D visit from 3 to 4 pm for 5 days from November 7, 2005 to November 11, 2005. The items in the questionnaire referred to particulars of the patients such as age, sex, occupation, department requested, lab, and medical stores. While analyzing, they were grouped into categories like availability, clinical care, waiting time, and cost. The responses were expressed in proportions.

Results:

The availability of services and clinical care was found to be satisfactory. 81% of the respondents found the communication by the doctor good, 97% of the respondents were satisfied about the explanation of the disease by the doctor The average time required for consulting the doctor was 46.5 ± 20.9 min. But when time spent in pharmacy was considered, it was not significantly satisfactory. The cost of investigation was significantly moderate or high in 97% of the respondents.

Conclusions:

Recommendations are required for reduction of time spent in the pharmacy and the cost of investigations to improve consumer satisfaction.     

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Community and Hospital Medical Record Integration on Management of Behavioral Health in the Emergency Department

This study evaluated the correlation of an emergency department embedded care coordinator with access to community and medical records in decreasing hospital and emergency department use in patients with behavioral health issues. This retrospective cohort study presents a 6-month pre-post analysis on patients seen by the care coordinator (n=524). Looking at all-cause healthcare utilization, care coordination was associated with a significant median decrease of one emergency department visit per patient (p < 0.001) and a decrease of 9.5 h in emergency department length of stay per average visit per patient (p<0.001). There was no significant effect on the number of hospitalizations or hospital length of stay. This intervention demonstrated a correlation with reducing emergency department use in patients with behavioral health issues, but no correlation with reducing hospital utilization. This under-researched approach of integrating medical records at point-of-care could serve as a model for better emergency department management of behavioral health patients.     

Emergency department chart auditing in a family practice residency program

A prospective audit of process on 1,200 consecutive patients seen in the emergency department by family practice residents was performed at the Family Practice Residency Program in Gainesville, Florida. The overall quality of care delivered conformed to the standards of "good medical care" as judged by the author in 85.6 percent of cases. Resident errors were detected in the remaining 14.4 percent of cases, and occurred most frequently among physicians in the earlier years of training (P less than .005). Ultimate patient management was changed by the audit in only 1 percent of cases but potentially had an important impact on the care of these patients. Errors of inadequate documentation were common among residents irrespective of their level of training. An ongoing audit of emergency department charts with regular feedback on medical process and recording appears to be useful both as an educational tool and as a method of improving emergency care.     

What is driving people’s dissatisfaction with their own health care in 17 Latin American countries?

Background A number of expert reports have pointed to serious problems with health care in many Latin American countries and argued the need to reform and improve health‐care systems. In addition, the Ministers of Health of the Americas have stated that health systems should be accountable to citizens. Objective This paper examines, in each of 17 Latin American countries, public dissatisfaction with the health care to which people have access, the proportion of people reporting problems with access to and the cost of health care and the factors that are most important in driving public dissatisfaction. Methods Data are drawn from a 2007 Latinobarómetro survey of 19 212 adults interviewed face‐to‐face in 17 Latin American countries. Results The proportion of people expressing dissatisfaction with their health care varies a great deal by country, as do the proportions reporting problems with access to and the cost of health care. Problems with access to care seem to matter most in trying to explain public dissatisfaction with their health care. More traditional measures of health outcomes and resources seem to matter less as drivers of dissatisfaction. Conclusions For governments trying to improve their citizens’ satisfaction with the health care they receive, the highest priority would be improving people’s basic access to health‐care services. Also, it appears that democratic governments are seen as being more responsive to the public’s needs in health care.     

Overcoming the barriers to implementing patient-focused care

Potential barriers to implementing PFC sometimes seem enormous. Instead of orienting toward problems associated with implementing PFC, we can eliminate some of the barriers simply by focusing on and pursuing the ideal, "the seamless patient care experience." Fundamentally improving our health care delivery systems is not really a strategic option. It is our responsibility. We must do things better, faster, with more compassion, and at less cost. What evidence will demonstrate that your organization is becoming more patient-focused? Patients will not be inconvenienced because of "how the system works." They will consider your organization "best in class." They will know that the hospital's medical care and services will meet or exceed their expectations. Physicians and staff will feel more highly valued by the organization. Management empowers them by improving the systems they must use, providing ongoing training, and decentralizing the authority they need to deliver excellent medical care and satisfy patients' personal needs. Communication improves vertically and horizontally throughout the organization. The hospital becomes increasingly attractive to employers and HMOs. Reengineered processes result in increases in productivity. Better patient outcomes, at less cost, can be demonstrated. Occupancy rates stabilize or grow, utilization is carefully managed, and improvements in the bottom line strengthen the organization. How do we make these visions a reality? By committing to PFC and getting started right away. Just as "quality" is multidimensional, so must be our operating strategy. Patient-focused care is the model that will redefine the future of health care.     

Preliminary Assessment of Appropriateness of Emergency Care Service Use: Actions Taken and Consultations Obtained Before Emergency Care Presentation

Inappropriate use of emergency care services can increase hospital readmissions and related costs. This pilot, cross-sectional survey project determined whether home health care patients who receive emergency care services during a Medicare-approved home care episode sought consultation from health care professionals before they made the emergency care visit. The two research questions were: (a) What actions were taken by the patient before making an emergency care visit?; (b) If prior consultation was obtained, what were the suggestions? Preliminary data were obtained from a Michigan-based, Medicare-certified, not-for-profit home health agency affiliated with a university health system. A two-page questionnaire recorded up to three emergency care visits. Volunteer participants were Medicare patients who had no cognitive deficits and were able to communicate with home health care providers (HHCPs) by themselves. Thirty-five emergency care visits were reported; 31 (88.6%) Medicare patients participated and 4 (11.4%) of them had two emergency care visits. Before the patients made an emergency care visit, they most often called their primary care physicians (PCPs; N = 20, 57.1%), followed by the HHCPs (N = 10, 28.6%). All 20 patients who contacted their PCPs and 7 patients who contacted their HHCPs were advised to seek emergency care services. In 20 emergency care visits the patient was admitted for an acute hospital stay; the other 15 patients went home. Most patients contacted their PCPs or HHCPs before they went to an emergency department or urgent care facility. These results implied that PCPs and HHCPs seemed to perceive that the need for emergency care should be determined at an emergency room or urgent care facility. This study was unable to differentiate the need for emergency care services or the appropriateness of the advice given by PCPs or HHCPs when the home care patients were under the care of a medical team.     

Preliminary assessment of appropriateness of emergency care service use: actions taken and consultations obtained before emergency care presentation

Inappropriate use of emergency care services can increase hospital readmissions and related costs. This pilot, cross-sectional survey project determined whether home health care patients who receive emergency care services during a Medicare-approved home care episode sought consultation from health care professionals before they made the emergency care visit. The two research questions were: (a) What actions were taken by the patient before making an emergency care visit?; (b) If prior consultation was obtained, what were the suggestions? Preliminary data were obtained from a Michigan-based, Medicare-certified, not-for-profit home health agency affiliated with a university health system. A two-page questionnaire recorded up to three emergency care visits. Volunteer participants were Medicare patients who had no cognitive deficits and were able to communicate with home health care providers (HHCPs) by themselves. Thirty-five emergency care visits were reported; 31 (88.6%) Medicare patients participated and 4 (11.4%) of them had two emergency care visits. Before the patients made an emergency care visit, they most often called their primary care physicians (PCPs; N = 20, 57.1%), followed by the HHCPs (N = 10, 28.6%). All 20 patients who contacted their PCPs and 7 patients who contacted their HHCPs were advised to seek emergency care services. In 20 emergency care visits the patient was admitted for an acute hospital stay; the other 15 patients went home. Most patients contacted their PCPs or HHCPs before they went to an emergency department or urgent care facility. These results implied that PCPs and HHCPs seemed to perceive that the need for emergency care should be determined at an emergency room or urgent care facility. This study was unable to differentiate the need for emergency care services or the appropriateness of the advice given by PCPs or HHCPs when the home care patients were under the care of a medical team.     

超声科候诊拥堵分析与对策

目的分析超声科候诊拥堵的原因,缩短候诊时间,提高工作效率,提升服务质量,满足患者就医需求。方法回顾某军队医院超声科2009年和2010年各类超声检查数据,通过对患者来源、检查时间、检查部位等要素进行统计,分析拥堵原因。结果候诊拥堵主要原因是门诊患者与住院患者检查时间冲突,其次是住院患者非空腹检查项目安排在上午检查加重拥堵。结论通过合理安排时间,实行错峰检查、分部位检查,改善候诊环境,缩短候诊时间,提高工作效率,提升服务质量和患者满意率。     

品管圈对缩短精神科急诊患者就诊等待时间的效果探讨

目的探讨品管圈对缩短精神科急诊患者就诊等待时间的效果。方法选取2019年7月至2020年6月于我院精神科急诊就诊的300例患者作为研究对象,150例予以常规就诊指导的患者纳入对照组,150例予以品管圈就诊指导的患者纳入观察组。比较两组的就诊等待时间及护理满意度。结果观察组的就诊等待时间显著短于对照组,护理满意度评分显著高于对照组(P<0.05)。结论品管圈可缩短精神科急诊患者的就诊等待时间,提高患者的护理满意度。     

基于信息管理系统的急性心梗医疗质量改进分析

目的开发JCI-CCPC团队照护与患者信息管理系统,探讨导入CCPC-AMI前后STEMI医疗质量的改进效果。方法运用回顾性对比分析法,选择导入后2017年1月-6月77例患者和导入前2015年1月-6月51例患者为实验组和对照组。以患者到达急诊科至首次心电图接诊时间、到达急诊科至确诊STEMI时间、到达急诊科至采血时间、门球时间、住院天数、均次费用、是否院内AMI复发、是否院内再次PCI和转归等为评价指标。结果与对照组比较,实验组在患者到达急诊科至首次心电图接诊时间、至采血时间、门球时间、住院天数、门球时间90分钟达标率、院内AMI复发率、院内再次PCI率和患者转归等方面均有统计学差异,均次费用、至确诊急性心肌梗死时间无统计学差异。结论基于信息管理系统的CCPC-AMI可显著缩短STEMI门球时间,住院时间、院内AMI复发率、院内再次PCI率和患者病死率均显著下降,但均次费用改善效果不显著。     

The Business Case for Payer Support of a Community-Based Health Information Exchange: A Humana Pilot Evaluating Its Effectiveness in Cost Control for Plan Members Seeking Emergency Department Care

Background

As emergency department utilization continues to increase, health plans must limit their cost exposure, which may be driven by duplicate testing and a lack of medical history at the point of care. Based on previous studies, health information exchanges (HIEs) can potentially provide health plans with the ability to address this need.

Objective

To assess the effectiveness of a community-based HIE in controlling plan costs arising from emergency department care for a health plan''s members.Albert Tzeel

Methods

The study design was observational, with an eligible population (N = 1482) of fully insured plan members who sought emergency department care on at least 2 occasions during the study period, from December 2008 through March 2010. Cost and utilization data, obtained from member claims, were matched to a list of persons utilizing the emergency department where HIE querying could have occurred. Eligible members underwent propensity score matching to create a test group (N = 326) in which the HIE database was queried in all emergency department visits, and a control group (N = 325) in which the HIE database was not queried in any emergency department visit.

Results

Post–propensity matching analysis showed that the test group achieved an average savings of $29 per emergency department visit compared with the control group. Decreased utilization of imaging procedures and diagnostic tests drove this cost-savings.

Conclusions

When clinicians utilize HIE in the care of patients who present to the emergency department, the costs borne by a health plan providing coverage for these patients decrease. Although many factors can play a role in this finding, it is likely that HIEs obviate unnecessary service utilization through provision of historical medical information regarding specific patients at the point of care.

“Information should follow the patient, and artificial obstacles—technical, business related, bureaucratic—should not get in the way.”1—David Blumenthal, MD, MPP

Nowhere is this caveat from David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, the former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, more applicable than in the emergency department setting. Although originally designed as the section of a hospital where only the most acutely ill persons should seek care for their maladies, the emergency department has become much more than that. It now serves as the primary care provider for many who have no such physician outside the emergency department.2,3In addition, the emergency department provides a triage function for nonemergent cases that have no reason to be seen in the emergency department yet continue to increase in number.4,5 Finally, the emergency department coordinates care for individuals who have chronic medical conditions.6–8Such emergency department care results in increased emergency department expenditures and in diminished quality of care.9 Many of the increased expenditures may be directly traced to redundant diagnostic testing.10 Moreover, it is costly for health plans: emergency department care makes up 7% of a health plan''s budget.11 Given that individuals with health insurance drive the increasing use of the emergency department, this issue will continue to be problematic for health plans.12

KEY POINTS

• ▸ The use of the emergency department for nonemergent cases is prevalent, resulting in diminished quality of care and increased expenditures to health plans.
• ▸ Health information exchanges (HIEs) can allow clinicians to access a patient''s medical history to reduce duplicate testing in the emergency department and lower unnecessary expenses.
• ▸ In a previous preliminary study, HIE querying reduced the time spent gathering data and the time to disposition decision.
• ▸ In 2008, Humana in southeast Wisconsin became one of the first health plans in the country to provide a financial incentive to the local HIE for promoting the querying of a clinical database by emergency department clinicians.
• ▸ In this pilot study, the use of HIEs resulted in an average savings to the health plan of $29 per emergency care event.
• ▸ Findings from this study suggest that substantial change in outcomes that matter is clinically important, regardless of statistical significance; improving provider performance has cost-saving implications for a health plan and the community at large.

For these reasons, many tout health information exchanges (HIEs)—where clinical data are exchanged between hospitals, providers, public health administrators, and, potentially, payers—as a method of addressing emergency department overutilization.13 Payer participation in HIEs can promote care coordination and cost control for the end user—the plan''s members—as well as create value for the plan''s customers—the employers. Moreover, because HIEs tend to view payers as receiving the greatest benefit from HIE, many believe that payer support of the exchanges provides a path toward sustainability.14For payers to invest in HIE voluntarily, they must see the business case for doing so.15 Yet, up to now, only scant evaluations of measured HIE benefits can be found.16 Ultimately, assessing the effectiveness of HIE between multiple facilities in a community can show payers the rationale for having such an exchange from the individual health, population health, and financial perspective. A positive evaluation helps to promote the business case for continued support of these exchanges.17 This was the purpose of the present study.     

The Impact of an Emergency Fee Increase on the Composition of Patients Visiting Emergency Departments

Objectives:

This study aimed to test our hypothesis that a raise in the emergency fee implemented on March 1, 2013 has increased the proportion of patients with emergent symptoms by discouraging non-urgent emergency department visits.

Methods:

We conducted an analysis of 728 736 patients registered in the National Emergency Department Information System who visited level 1 and level 2 emergency medical institutes in the two-month time period from February 1, 2013, one month before the raise in the emergency fee, to March 31, 2013, one month after the raise. A difference-in-difference method was used to estimate the net effects of a raise in the emergency fee on the probability that an emergency visit is for urgent conditions.

Results:

The percentage of emergency department visits in urgent or equivalent patients increased by 2.4% points, from 74.2% before to 76.6% after the policy implementation. In a group of patients transferred using public transport or ambulance, who were assumed to be least conscious of cost, the change in the proportion of urgent patients was not statistically significant. On the other hand, the probability that a group of patients directly presenting to the emergency department by private transport, assumed to be most conscious of cost, showed a 2.4% point increase in urgent conditions (p<0.001). This trend appeared to be consistent across the level 1 and level 2 emergency medical institutes.

Conclusions:

A raise in the emergency fee implemented on March 1, 2013 increased the proportion of urgent patients in the total emergency visits by reducing emergency department visits by non-urgent patients.     

Emergency medical care in developing countries: is it worthwhile?

Prevention is a core value of any health system. Nonetheless, many health problems will continue to occur despite preventive services. A significant burden of diseases in developing countries is caused by time-sensitive illnesses and injuries, such as severe infections, hypoxia caused by respiratory infections, dehydration caused by diarrhoea, intentional and unintentional injuries, postpartum bleeding, and acute myocardial infarction. The provision of timely treatment during life-threatening emergencies is not a priority for many health systems in developing countries. This paper reviews evidence indicating the need to develop and/or strengthen emergency medical care systems in these countries. An argument is made for the role of emergency medical care in improving the health of populations and meeting expectations for access to emergency care. We consider emergency medical care in the community, during transportation, and at first-contact and regional referral facilities. Obstacles to developing effective emergency medical care include a lack of structural models, inappropriate training foci, concerns about cost, and sustainability in the face of a high demand for services. A basic but effective level of emergency medical care responds to perceived and actual community needs and improves the health of populations.     

Equity in specialist waiting times by socioeconomic groups: evidence from Spain

In countries with publicly financed health care systems, waiting time—rather than price—is the rationing mechanism for access to health care services. The normative statement underlying such a rationing device is that patients should wait according to need and irrespective of socioeconomic status or other non-need characteristics. The aim of this paper is to test empirically that waiting times for publicly funded specialist care do not depend on patients’ socioeconomic status. Waiting times for specialist care can vary according to the type of medical specialty, type of consultation (review or diagnosis) and the region where patients’ reside. In order to take into account such variability, we use Bayesian random parameter models to explain waiting times for specialist care in terms of need and non-need variables. We find that individuals with lower education and income levels wait significantly more time than their counterparts.