Search

Objective: To examine the association between medical home enrollment and receipt of recommended care for Medicaid beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions (MCC).Data Sources/study Setting: Secondary claims data from fiscal years 2008-2010. The sample included nonelderly Medicaid beneficiaries with at least two of eight target conditions (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, seizure disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia).Study Design: We used linear probability models with person- and year-level fixed effects to examine the association between patient-centered medical home (PCMH) enrollment and nine disease-specific quality-of-care metrics, controlling for selection bias and time-invariant differences between enrollees.Data Collection Methods: This study uses a dataset that links Medicaid claims with other administrative data sources.Principal Findings: Patient-centered medical home enrollment was associated with an increased likelihood of receiving eight recommended mental and physical health services, including A1C testing for persons with diabetes, lipid profiles for persons with diabetes and/or hyperlipidemia, and psychotherapy for persons with major depression and persons with schizophrenia. PCMH enrollment was associated with overuse of short-acting β-agonists among beneficiaries with asthma.Conclusions: The PCMH model can improve quality of care for patients with multiple chronic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine associations between clinics' extent of patient-centered medical home (PCMH) implementation and improvements in chronic illness care quality.Data Source: Data from 808 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) primary care clinics nationwide implementing the Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACT) PCMH initiative, begun in 2010.Design: Clinic-level longitudinal observational study of clinics that received training and resources to implement PACT. Clinics varied in the extent they had PACT components in place by 2012.Data Collection: Clinical care quality measures reflecting intermediate outcomes and care processes related to coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes, and hypertension care were collected by manual chart review at each VHA facility from 2009 to 2013.Findings: In adjusted models containing 808 clinics, the 77 clinics with the most PACT components in place had significantly larger improvements in five of seven chronic disease intermediate outcome measures (e.g., BP < 160/100 in diabetes), ranging from 1.3 percent to 5.2 percent of the patient population meeting measures, and two of eight process measures (HbA1c measurement, LDL measurement in CAD) than the 69 clinics with the least PACT components. Clinics with moderate levels of PACT components showed few significantly larger improvements than the lowest PACT clinics.Conclusions: Veterans Health Administration primary care clinics with the most PCMH components in place in 2012 had greater improvements in several chronic disease quality measures in 2009-2013 than the lowest PCMH clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To understand the process of practice transformation by identifying pathways for attaining patient-centered medical home (PCMH) recognition.Data Sources/study Setting: The CMS Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration was designed to help FQHCs achieve NCQA Level 3 PCMH recognition and improve patient outcomes. We used a stratified random sample of 20 (out of 503) participating sites for this analysis.Study Design: We developed a conceptual model of structural, cultural, and implementation factors affecting PCMH transformation based on literature and initial qualitative interview themes. We then used conventional cross-case analysis, followed by qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), a cross-case method based on Boolean logic algorithms, to systematically identify pathways (i.e., combinations of factors) associated with attaining-or not attaining-Level 3 recognition.Data Collection Methods: Site-level indicators were derived from semistructured interviews with site leaders at two points in time (mid- and late-implementation) and administrative data collected prior to and during the demonstration period.Principal Findings: The QCA results identified five distinct pathways to attaining PCMH recognition and four distinct pathways to not attaining recognition by the end of the demonstration. Across these pathways, one condition (change leader capacity) was common to all pathways for attaining recognition, and another (previous improvement or recognition experience) was absent in all pathways for not attaining recognition. In general, sites could compensate for deficiencies in one factor with capacity in others, but they needed a threshold of strengths in cultural and implementation factors to attain PCMH recognition.Conclusions: Future efforts at primary care transformation should take into account multiple pathways sites may pursue. Sites should be assessed on key cultural and implementation factors, in addition to structural components, in order to differentiate interventions and technical assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (ETPU) bead foams were fabricated by batch foaming with supercritical CO2 as blowing agent. On the basis of single factor investigation, the response surface methodology based on Box‐Behnken Design was used to investigate the influences of saturation pressure, temperature, and soaking time and their interactions on foaming behavior of ETPU. The results showed that saturation temperature was the most significant parameter affecting the expansion ratio, shrinkage ratio, and cell morphology of ETPU. Moreover, there was an interaction effect between saturation temperature and soaking time, wherein the expansion ratio of ETPU was more sensitive to change of soaking time at higher temperature. As the soaking time increased, the shrinkage of ETPU increased firstly and then leveled off, and the cell diameter decreased significantly. By applying the response surface methodology optimization, ETPU bead foams with final expansion ratio of 8.04, mean cell diameter of 74.2 μm, and average cell density of 1.46 × 107cell/cm3 can be obtained while the optimum conditions at saturation pressure of 15 MPa, saturation temperature of 100 °C and soaking time for 60 min. In addition, the dual melting peak of ETPU characteristics demonstrated that it is suitable for steam‐chest molding technology. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46327. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To examine: (1) what elements of patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) are typically provided to low-income populations, (2) whether PCMHs improve health behaviors, experiences, and outcomes for low-income groups.Data Sources/study Setting: Existing literature on PCMH utilization among health care organizations serving low-income populations.Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.Data Collection/extraction Methods: We obtained papers through existing systematic and literature reviews and via PubMed, Web of Science, and the TRIP databases, which examined PCMHs serving low-income populations. A total of 434 studies were reviewed. Thirty-three articles met eligibility criteria.Principal Findings: Patient-centered medical home interventions usually were composed of five of the six recommended components. Overall positive effect of PCMH interventions was d = 0.247 (range -0.965 to 1.42). PCMH patients had better clinical outcomes (d = 0.395), higher adherence (0.392), and lower utilization of emergency rooms (d = -0.248), but there were apparent limitations in study quality.Conclusions: Evidence shows that the PCMH model can increase health outcomes among low-income populations. However, limitations to quality include no assessment for confounding variables. Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether observed patterns of physician interaction around shared patients are associated with higher levels of teamwork as perceived by physicians.Data Sources/study Setting: Michigan Medicare beneficiaries who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures at 24 hospitals in the state between 2008 and 2011.Study Design: We assessed hospital teamwork using the teamwork climate scale in the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. After aggregating across CABG discharges at these hospitals, we mapped the physician referral networks (including both surgeons and nonsurgeons) that served them and measured three network properties: (1) reinforcement, (2) clustering, and (3) density. We then used multilevel regression models to identify associations between network properties and teamwork at the hospitals on which the networks were anchored.Principal Findings: In hospitals where physicians repeatedly cared for patients with the same colleagues, physicians perceived better teamwork (β-reinforcement = 3.28, p = .003). When physicians who worked together also had other colleagues in common, the reported teamwork was stronger (β clustering = 1.71, p = .001). Reported teamwork did not change when physicians worked with a higher proportion of other physicians at the hospital (β density = -0.58, p = .64).Conclusion: In networks with higher levels of reinforcement and clustering, physicians perceive stronger teamwork, perhaps because the strong ties between them create a shared understanding; however, sharing patients with more physicians overall (i.e., density) did not lead to stronger teamwork. Clinical and organizational leaders may consider designing the structure of clinical teams to increase interactions with known colleagues and repeated interactions between providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) transformation reduces hospital and ED utilization, and whether the effect is specific to chronic conditions targeted for management by the PCMH in our setting.Data Sources and Study Setting: All patients aged 18 years and older in 2,218 primary care practices participating in a statewide PCMH incentive program sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) in 2009-2012.Study Design: Quantitative observational study, jointly modeling PCMH-targeted versus other hospital admissions and ED visits on PCMH score, patient, and practice characteristics in a hierarchical multivariate model using the generalized gamma distribution.Data Collection: Claims data and PCMH scores held by BCBSM.Principal Findings: Both hospital and ED utilization were reduced proportionately to PCMH score. Hospital utilization was reduced by 13.9 percent for PCMH-targeted conditions versus only 3.8 percent for other conditions (p = .003), and ED utilization by 11.2 percent versus 3.7 percent (p = .010). Hospital PMPM cost was reduced by 17.2 percent for PCMH-targeted conditions versus only 3.1 percent for other conditions (p < .001), and ED PMPM cost by 9.4 percent versus 3.6 percent (p < .001).Conclusions: PCMH transformation reduces hospital and ED use, and the majority of the effect is specific to PCMH-targeted conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the relationship between medical home transformation and patient experience of chronic illness care.Study Setting: Thirteen safety net clinics located in five states enrolled in the Safety Net Medical Home Initiative.Study Design: Repeated cross-sectional surveys of randomly selected adult patients were completed at baseline (n = 303) and postintervention (n = 271).Data Collection Methods: Questions from the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) (100-point scale) were used to capture patient experience of chronic illness care. Generalized estimating equation methods were used to (i) estimate how differential improvement in patient-centered medical home (PCMH) capability affected differences in modified PACIC scores between baseline and postintervention, and (ii) to examine cross-sectional associations between PCMH capability and modified PACIC scores for patients at completion of the intervention.Principal Findings: In adjusted analyses, high PCMH improvement (above median) was only marginally associated with a larger increase in total modified PACIC score (adjusted β = 7.7, 95 percent confidence interval [CI]: -1.1 to 16.5). At completion of the intervention, a 10-point higher PCMH capability score was associated with an 8.9-point higher total modified PACIC score (95 percent CI: 3.1-14.7) and higher scores in four of five subdomains (patient activation, delivery system design, contextual care, and follow-up/coordination).Conclusions: We report that sustained, 5-year medical home transformation may be associated with modest improvement in patient experience of chronic illness care for vulnerable populations in safety net clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess whether provider organizations exhibit distinct profiles of low-value service provision.Data Sources: 2007-2011 Medicare fee-for-service claims and enrollment data.Study Design: Use of 31 services that provide minimal clinical benefit was measured for 4,039,733 beneficiaries served by 3,137 provider organizations. Variation across organizations, persistence within organizations over time, and correlations in use of different types of low-value services within organizations were estimated via multilevel modeling, with adjustment for beneficiary sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.Principal Findings: Organizations provided 45.6 low-value services per 100 beneficiaries on average, with considerable variation across organizations (90th/10th percentile ratio, 1.78; 95 percent CI, 1.72-1.84), including substantial between-organization variation within hospital referral regions (90th/10th percentile ratio, 1.66; 95 percent CI, 1.60-1.71). Low-value service use within organizations was highly correlated over time (r, 0.98; 95 percent CI, 0.97-0.99) and positively correlated between 13 of 15 pairs of service categories (average r, 0.26; 95 percent CI, 0.24-0.28), with the greatest correlation between low-value imaging and low-value cardiovascular testing and procedures (r, 0.54).Conclusions: Use of low-value services in provider organizations exhibited substantial variation, high persistence, and modest consistency across service types. These findings are consistent with organizations shaping the practice patterns of affiliated physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the effects of the parent-reported medical home status on health care utilization, expenditures, and quality for children.Data Sources: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) during 2004-2012, including a total of 9,153 children who were followed up for 2 years in the survey.Study Design: We took a causal difference-in-differences approach using inverse probability weighting and doubly robust estimators to study how changes in medical home status over a 2-year period affected children's health care outcomes. Our analysis adjusted for children's sociodemographic, health, and insurance statuses. We conducted sensitivity analyses using alternative statistical methods, different approaches to outliers and missing data, and accounting for possible common-method biases.Principal Findings: Compared with children whose parents reported having medical homes in both years 1 and 2, those who had medical homes in year 1 but lost them in year 2 had significantly lower parent-reported ratings of health care quality and higher utilization of emergency care. Compared with children whose parents reported having no medical homes in both years, those who did not have medical homes in year 1 but gained them in year 2 had significantly higher ratings of health care quality, but no significant differences in health care expenditures and utilization.Conclusions: Having a medical home may help improve health care quality for children; losing a medical home may lead to higher utilization of emergency care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To assess whether adoption of the patient-centered medical home ( PCMH) reduces emergency department ( ED) utilization among patients with and without chronic illness. Data Sources Data from approximately 460,000 Independence Blue Cross patients enrolled in 280 primary care practices, all converting to PCMH status between 2008 and 2012. Research Design We estimate the effect of a practice becoming PCMH-certified on ED visits and costs using a difference-in-differences approach which exploits variation in the timing of PCMH certification, employing either practice or patient fixed effects. We analyzed patients with and without chronic illness across six chronic illness categories. Principal Findings Among chronically ill patients, transition to PCMH status was associated with 5-8 percent reductions in ED utilization. This finding was robust to a number of specifications, including analyzing avoidable and weekend ED visits alone. The largest reductions in ED visits are concentrated among chronic patients with diabetes and hypertension. Conclusions Adoption of the PCMH model was associated with lower ED utilization for chronically ill patients, but not for those without chronic illness. The effectiveness of the PCMH model varies by chronic condition. Analysis of weekend and avoidable ED visits suggests that reductions in ED utilization stem from better management of chronic illness rather than expanding access to primary care clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To compare health care utilization and payments between NCQA-recognized patient-centered medical home ( PCMH) practices and practices without such recognition. Data Sources Medicare Part A and B claims files from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2010, 2009 Census, 2007 Health Resources and Services Administration and CMS Utilization file, Medicare's Enrollment Data Base, and the 2005 American Medical Association Physician Workforce file. Study Design This study used a longitudinal, nonexperimental design. Three annual observations (July 1, 2008-June 30, 2010) were available for each practice. We compared selected outcomes between practices with and those without NCQA PCMH recognition. Data Collection Methods Individual Medicare fee-for-service ( FFS) beneficiaries and their claims and utilization data were assigned to PCMH or comparison practices based on where they received the plurality of evaluation and management services between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008. Principal Findings Relative to the comparison group, total Medicare payments, acute care payments, and the number of emergency room visits declined after practices received NCQA PCMH recognition. The decline was larger for practices with sicker than average patients, primary care practices, and solo practices. Conclusions This study provides additional evidence about the potential of the PCMH model for reducing health care utilization and the cost of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the effect of medical home implementation on primary care delivery in the Veterans Health Administration ( VHA). Data Sources/Study Setting/Study Design We link interview-based qualitative data on medical home implementation to quantitative outcomes from VHA clinical encounter data. We use a longitudinal analysis with provider fixed effects (taking advantage of variation in timing of implementation and allowing each provider to serve as a control for him or herself) to test whether patient-aligned care team ( PACT) implementation was associated with changes in organizational processes and patient outcomes. Principal Findings Among 683 PCPs, caring for 321,295 patients, the uptake of eight of nine PACT structural changes significantly increased from July 2010 to June 2012 as did the percentage of primary care appointments occurring by telephone and hospital discharges contacted within 2 days of discharge. We found that PACT implementation was associated with significant improvements in 2-day post-hospital discharge contact, but not primary care visits occurring by telephone or within 3 days of the requested date. We found no association between medical home implementation and rates of emergency department use by patients. Conclusions Medical home implementation at the VHA resulted in large changes in the structure of care but few changes in patient-level outcomes. These results highlight both the complexity of studying the effect of the medical home as well as implementing this model to change primary care delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]