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Background: Understanding the relationship between neighborhood environment and cardiovascular outcomes is important to achieve health equity and implement effective quality strategies. We conducted a population-based cohort study to determine the association of neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and 30-day mortality and readmission rate for patients admitted with common cardiovascular conditions., Methods and Results: We examined claims data from fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years between 2017 and 2019 admitted for heart failure, valvular heart disease, ischemic heart disease, or cardiac arrhythmias. The primary exposure was the Area Deprivation Index; outcomes were 30-day all-cause death and unplanned readmission. More than 2 million admissions were included. After sequential adjustment for patient characteristics (demographics, dual eligibility, comorbidities), area health care resources (primary care clinicians, specialists, and hospital beds per capita), and admitting hospital characteristics (ownership, size, teaching status), there was a dose-dependent association between neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and 30-day mortality rate for all conditions. In the fully adjusted model for death, estimated effect sizes of residence in the most disadvantaged versus least disadvantaged neighborhoods ranged from adjusted odds ratio 1.29 (95% CI, 1.22-1.36) for the heart failure group to adjusted odds ratio 1.63 (95% CI, 1.36-1.95) for the valvular heart disease group. Neighborhood deprivation was associated with increased adjusted 30-day readmission rates, with estimated effect sizes from adjusted odds ratio 1.09 (95% CI, 1.05-1.14) for heart failure to adjusted odds ratio 1.19 (95% CI, 1.13-1.26) for arrhythmia., Conclusions: Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with 30-day mortality rate and readmission for patients admitted with common cardiovascular conditions independent of individual demographics, socioeconomic status, medical risk, care access, or admitting hospital characteristics.

Background: Despite the extensive use of real-world data for retrospective, observational clinical research, our understanding of how real-world data might increase the efficiency of data collection in patient-level randomized clinical trials is largely unknown. The structure of real-world data is inherently heterogeneous, with each source electronic health record and claims database different from the next. Their fitness-for-use as data sources for multisite trials in the United States has not been established., Methods: For a subset of participants in the HARMONY Outcomes Trial, we obtained electronic health record data from recruiting sites or Medicare claims data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. For baseline characteristics and follow-up events, we assessed the level of agreement between these real-world data and data documented in the trial database., Results: Real-world data-derived demographic information tended to agree with trial-reported demographic information, although real-world data were less accurate in identifying medical history. The ability of real-world data to identify baseline medication usage differed by real-world data source, with claims data demonstrating substantially better performance than electronic health record data. The limited number of lab results in the collected electronic health record data matched closely with values in the trial database. There were not enough follow-up events in the ancillary study population to draw meaningful conclusions about the performance of real-world data for identification of events. Based on the conduct of this ancillary study, the challenges and opportunities of using real-world data within clinical trials are discussed., Conclusion: Based on a subset of participants from the HARMONY Outcomes Trial, our results suggest that electronic health record or claims data, as currently available, are unlikely to be a complete substitute for trial data collection of medical history or baseline lab results, but that Medicare claims were able to identify most medications. The limited size of the study population prevents us from drawing strong conclusions based on these results, and other studies are clearly needed to confirm or refute these findings.

Context: Palliative care (PC) programs are typically evaluated using observational data, raising concerns about selection bias., Objectives: To quantify selection bias because of observed and unobserved characteristics in a PC demonstration program., Methods: Program administrative data and 100% Medicare claims data in two states and a 20% sample in eight states (2013-2017). The sample included 2983 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65+ participating in the PC program and three matched cohorts: regional; two states; and eight states. Confounding because of observed factors was measured by comparing patient baseline characteristics. Confounding because of unobserved factors was measured by comparing days of follow-up and six-month and one-year mortality rates., Results: After matching, evidence for observed confounding included differences in observable baseline characteristics, including race, morbidity, and utilization. Evidence for unobserved confounding included significantly longer mean follow-up in the regional, two-state, and eight-state comparison cohorts, with 207 (P < 0.001), 192 (P < 0.001), and 187 (P < 0.001) days, respectively, compared with the 162 days for the PC cohort. The PC cohort had higher six-month and one-year mortality rates of 53.5% and 64.5% compared with 43.5% and 48.0% in the regional comparison, 53.4% and 57.4% in the two-state comparison, and 55.0% and 59.0% in the eight-state comparison., Conclusion: This case study demonstrates that selection of comparison groups impacts the magnitude of measured and unmeasured confounding, which may change effect estimates. The substantial impact of confounding on effect estimates in this study raises concerns about the evaluation of novel serious illness care models in the absence of randomization. We present key lessons learned for improving future evaluations of PC using observational study designs., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Little is known about the impact of accountable care organizations (ACO) on hospitalized heart failure (HF) patients, a high-cost and high-risk population., Objective: We linked Medicare fee-for-service claims from 2013 to 2015 with data from American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines-HF registry to compare HF care, post-discharge outcomes, and total annual Medicare spending by ACO status at discharge., Methods: Using adjusted Cox models and accounting for competing risks of death, we compared all-cause mortality and readmission at 1 year by ACO status with reporting of hazard ratios (HR) and 99% confidence intervals (CI)., Results: The study included 45,259 HF patients from 300 hospitals, with 21.1% assigned to an ACO. Patient characteristics were similar between the two groups with a few exceptions. The ACO patients lived in geographic areas with higher median income ($54400 [IQR $48600-65900] vs $52300 [$45900-61200], P < .0001). Compliance with four HF-specific quality measures was modestly higher in the ACO group (80% vs 76%, P < .0001). In adjusted analysis, ACO status was associated with similar all-cause readmission (HR: 1.03; 99% CI: 0.99, 1.07) but lower risk of 1-year mortality (HR: 0.85; 99% CI: 0.85, 0.90) compared with non-ACO status. Median Medicare spending in the calendar year of hospitalization was similar (ACO $42,737 [IQR $23,011-72,667] vs non-ACO $42,586 [$22,896-72,518], P = 0.06)., Conclusions: Among Medicare patients hospitalized for HF, participation in an ACO was associated with similar rates of all-cause readmission and no associated cost reductions compared with non-ACO status. There was a lower risk of 1-year mortality associated with ACO participation, which warrants further evaluation., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Older adults with cardiometabolic conditions are typically seen by multiple providers. Management by multiple providers may compromise care continuity and increase health expenditures for older adults, which may partly explain the inverse association between continuity and Medicare expenditures found in prior studies. This study sought to examine whether all-cause admission, outpatient expenditures or total expenditures were associated with the number of prescribers of cardiometabolic medications., Methods: Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with diabetes (n = 100,191), hypertension (n = 299,949) or dyslipidemia (n = 243,598) living in 10 states were identified from claims data. The probability of an all-cause hospital admission in 2011 was estimated via logistic regression and Medicare (outpatient, total) expenditures in 2011 were estimated using generalized linear models, both as a function of the number of prescribers in 2010. Regressions were adjusted for demographic characteristics, Medicaid status, number of prescriptions, and 17 chronic conditions., Results: In all three cohorts, older adults with more prescribers in 2010 had modestly higher adjusted odds of all-cause inpatient admission than older adults with a single prescriber. Compared to a single prescriber, outpatient and total expenditures in 2011 were 3-10% higher for older adults with diabetes and multiple prescribers, 2-6% higher for older adults with hypertension and multiple prescribers, and 2-5% higher for older adults with dyslipidemia and multiple prescribers., Conclusions and Implications: These results provide some evidence that older adults with multiple prescribers also have modestly higher Medicare utilization than those with a single prescriber; thus care continuity may impact patient utilization., Level of Evidence: Level III (retrospective cohort analysis)., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Clinical event committees are commonly employed for event validation in clinical studies, but little is known about the comparative performance of administrative claims data versus clinician-triggered event adjudication for ascertainment of adverse events in structural heart disease studies., Methods and Results: Medicare claims were linked to 418 patients >65 years of age who underwent transcatheter mitral valve repair (MitraClip) for severe mitral regurgitation from 2007 to 2013 as part of the EVEREST II (Endovascular Valve Edge-to-Edge Repair Study II) High-Risk Registry or the REALISM (Real World Expanded Multicenter Study of the MitraClip System) Continued-Access Registry. Each registry adjudicated mortality, heart failure hospitalization, renal failure, ventilation, and bleeding/transfusion within 1 year. Concordance of claims-based outcomes with events was assessed in 3 ways: 1-year occurrence, cumulative incidence, and synchrony of first events. For event occurrence, positive predictive value (PPV) of claims versus adjudication was the highest for mortality (PPV=97%) and heart failure hospitalization (PPV=69%) but lower for bleeding (PPV=40%) and renal failure (PPV=19%). Whereas claims-based cumulative incidence for mortality, heart failure hospitalization, and renal failure were consistent with clinician-triggered adjudication, incidence curves for bleeding events and ventilation diverged, with claims identifying a greater number of events. When events were detected by both methods, however, over 75% of event dates matched exactly. Mitral valve reinterventions were identified through claims with perfect sensitivity and specificity relative to physician adjudication., Conclusions: Ascertainment of mortality, heart failure hospitalization, and renal failure was highly concordant between physician adjudication and administrative claims. Further work is necessary to determine the role of administrative claims in event ascertainment in both prospective and retrospective studies of structural heart disease.

Objective: The study's purpose was to describe the cumulative duration of 19 chronic conditions among Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries and examine variation in total expenditures explained by cumulative duration and condition counts., Design, Setting, Study Design, and Data Extraction: In a retrospective cohort of FFS beneficiaries age ≥68, 2015 Medicare enrollment and claims data (N = 20 124 230) were used to identify the presence or absence of 19 diagnosed chronic conditions, and to construct MCC categories (0-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6+) and cumulative duration of each of 19 conditions from the date of first possible occurrence in claims (1/1/1999) to the end of follow-up (date of death or 12/31/2015). Total Medicare expenditures were estimated using linear models adjusted for demographic characteristics., Principal Findings: Multimorbidity was common (71.7 percent with 2+ conditions). The mean cumulative duration of all 19 conditions was 23.6 person-years, which varied greatly by age and number of conditions. Condition counts were more predictive of Medicare expenditures than cumulative duration (R-squared for continuous measures = 0.461 vs 0.272; R-squared for quartiles = 0.408 vs 0.266)., Conclusions: The cumulative duration of chronic conditions varied widely for Medicare beneficiaries, especially for those with 6+ conditions, but was less predictive of total expenditures than condition counts., (© Health Research and Educational Trust.)

Background: Linking clinical registries to administrative claims data enables researchers to capitalize on the specific strengths of each data source with respect to the depth, breadth, and completeness of information. The objectives of this study were to link a health-system-based orthopaedic surgery registry to U.S. Medicare claims data without the use of unique identifiers and to assess the representativeness of the linked records., Methods: The registry included clinical data for patients ≥65 years of age who underwent elective, inpatient total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) in a single health system during the period of 2007 through 2012. Registry participants were identified within the Medicare data by linking registry procedures to TAA procedures within the claims data using a combination of procedure date, patient date of birth, and patient sex. We assessed the representativeness of the linked records by comparing them to both unlinked registry records and unlinked Medicare records for TAA procedures. Additionally, we described the availability of postsurgical data for linked records., Results: Of 360 TAA registry participants ≥65 years of age, 280 (77.8%) were matched to a Medicare record; 250 (89.3%) of those 280 participants were matched on the basis of a linking rule that required an exact match for procedure date, date of birth, and sex. The 280 linked records comprised 5.5% of all Medicare TAA procedures among beneficiaries ≥65 years of age enrolled in the fee-for-service Medicare program (n = 5,070). Compared with linked records, unlinked records were more likely to be for patients 65 to 69 years old, but the 2 groups were similar in terms of sex, body mass index, and availability of clinical measurements. Of the linked records, 214 (76.4%) had ≥3 years of postoperative follow-up claims data., Conclusions: Linkage without unique patient identifiers between an orthopaedic registry and Medicare claims data is feasible, allows for assessment of representativeness, and creates a unique resource of longitudinal data for research.

Background: Despite the persistence of significant disparities, few evaluations examine disparities in laboratory testing by race/ethnicity, age, sex, Medicaid eligibility, and number of chronic conditions for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries' newly prescribed medications. In Medicare beneficiaries initiating diuretics or digoxin, this study examined disparities in guideline-appropriate baseline laboratory testing and abnormal laboratory values., Methods and Results: To evaluate guideline-concordant testing for serum creatinine and serum potassium within 180 days before or 14 days after the index prescription fill date, we constructed retrospective cohorts from 10 states of 99 711 beneficiaries who had heart failure or hypertension initiating diuretic in 2011 and 8683 beneficiaries who had heart failure or atrial fibrillation initiating digoxin. Beneficiaries initiating diuretics were less likely to have testing if they were non-Hispanic Black (relative risk [RR], 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98-0.99) than non-Hispanic White. Beneficiaries initiating diuretics and beneficiaries initiating digoxin were more likely to have testing if they had multiple chronic conditions relative to 0 to 1 conditions. Beneficiaries initiating diuretics with laboratory values were more likely to have an abnormal serum creatinine value at baseline if they were non-Hispanic Black (RR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.91-3.44), other race (RR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.08-4.10), or male (RR, 2.75; 95% CI, 2.14-3.52) or an abnormal serum potassium value if they were aged ≥76 years (RR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.09-1.51) or male (RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.03-1.33)., Conclusions: Testing rates were consistently high, so there were negligible disparities in guideline-concordant testing of creatinine and potassium after the initiation of digoxin or diuretics by Medicare beneficiaries., (© 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Purpose: To determine the relationships between hospital use of treating oncology practices and patient outcomes., Patients and Methods: Retrospective analysis of 397,646 Medicare beneficiaries who received anticancer therapy in 2012. Each beneficiary was associated with a practice; practices were ranked on the basis of risk-adjusted hospital use, that is, inpatient intensity. Outcomes included 30-day readmission, weekend admissions, intensive care unit stays in the last month of life, and hospice stay of ≥ 7 days. Outcomes were measured for each quartile of practice-level inpatient intensity. We fit multivariable logistic regression models to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for each outcome for each quartile of inpatient intensity., Results: Total 30-day readmissions were 22.8% and 31.9% (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.39 to 1.50) for patients in practices with the lowest versus highest quartiles of inpatient intensity, respectively; unplanned readmissions were 19.8% and 27.1% (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.31 to 1.41), respectively. The proportion of admissions that occurred on weekends was similar across quartiles. Patients of practices in the highest quartiles of inpatient intensity had higher rates of death in an ICU stay in the last month of life (25.5% versus 18.0%; OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.19 to 1.49) and a lower rate of hospice stay of at least 7 days (50.9% to 42.5%; OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.74 to 0.86)., Conclusion: Medical oncology practices that seek to reduce hospitalizations should consider focusing initially on processes related to end-of-life care and care transitions.

At the time of this study, guidelines recommended a primary goal of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level less than 100 mg/dL for all patients, an optional goal of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol less than 70 mg/dL for patients with overt cardiovascular disease and statins for patients with diabetes and overt cardiovascular disease and patients 40 years and older with diabetes and at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This study examined statin use and achievement of lipid goals among 111,730 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries 65 years and older in 2011. Three-quarters of patients met the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goal of less than 100 mg/dL. Patients with cardiovascular disease were more likely to meet the goal than those without, not controlling for other differences. Patients on a statin were more likely to meet the goal. There is considerable opportunity for improvement in cholesterol management in high-risk patients with diabetes mellitus., (© The Author(s) 2016.)

Background: In 2009, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began publicly reporting 30-day hospital readmission rates for patients discharged with acute myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure (HF), or pneumonia., Objectives: This study assessed trends of 30-day readmission rates and post-discharge care since the implementation of CMS public reporting., Methods: We analyzed Medicare claims data from 2006 to 2012 for patients discharged after a hospitalization for MI, HF, or pneumonia. For each diagnosis, we estimated trends in 30-day all-cause readmissions and post-discharge care (emergency department visits and observation stays) by using hospitalization-level regression models. We modeled adjusted trends before and after the implementation of public reporting. To assess for a change in trend, we tested the difference between the slope before implementation and the slope after implementation., Results: We analyzed 37,829 hospitalizations for MI, 100,189 for HF, and 79,076 for pneumonia from >4,100 hospitals. When considering only recent trends (i.e., since 2009), we found improvements in adjusted readmission rates for MI (-2.3%), HF (-1.8%), and pneumonia (-2.0%), but when comparing the trend before public reporting with the trend after reporting, there was no difference for MI (p = 0.72), HF (p = 0.19), or pneumonia (p = 0.21). There were no changes in trends for 30-day post-discharge care for MI or pneumonia; however, the trend decreased for HF emergency department visits from 2.3% to -0.8% (p = 0.007) and for observation stays from 15.1% to 4.1% (p = 0.04)., Conclusions: The release of the CMS public reporting of hospital readmission rates was not associated with any measurable change in 30-day readmission trends for MI, HF, or pneumonia, but it was associated with less hospital-based acute care for HF., (Copyright © 2016 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Medicare is the single largest purchaser of laboratory testing in the United States, yet test results associated with Medicare laboratory claims have historically not been available., Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe both the linkage of laboratory results data to Medicare claims and the completeness of these results data. In a subgroup of beneficiaries initiating angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers, we also demonstrate the generalizability of Medicare beneficiaries with laboratory values compared with those without laboratory values. We end with a discussion of the limitations and potential uses of these linked data., Methods: We obtained information about laboratory orders and results for all Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries in 10 eastern states who had outpatient laboratory tests conducted by a large national laboratory services vendor in 2011. Using a combination of direct identifiers and patient demographic characteristics, we linked patients in these laboratory data to Medicare beneficiaries, enabling us to associate test results with existing claims., Results: Nearly all patients in the laboratory data were able to be linked to Medicare beneficiaries. There were over 2 million distinct beneficiaries with nearly 125 million specific test results in the laboratory data. For specific tests ordered in an outpatient or office setting in these 10 states, between 5% and 15% of them had linked laboratory data. Medicare beneficiaries initiating angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers who had laboratory results data had similar patient characteristics to those without results data., Conclusions: This novel linkage of laboratory results data to Medicare claims creates unprecedented opportunities for conducting comparative effectiveness research related to patient safety and quality.

Purpose: To examine the use of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy in clinical practice among patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD)., Design: Retrospective cohort study., Methods: Among 459 237 Medicare beneficiaries, we identified anti-VEGF treatment using claims for intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF medications with a supporting diagnosis of neovascular AMD. We used the cumulative incidence function to calculate the frequency of anti-VEGF treatments and treatment visits for neovascular AMD per treated eye in the first and second year after the initial anti-VEGF injection. We calculated the mean number of treatments and treatment visits per eye using the mean frequency function. Rates of discontinuation were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods., Results: The mean number of injections was 4.3 in the first year, with 58% of patients receiving 1-4 injections, 20% receiving 5-6 injections, and 22% receiving 7 or more injections. Among patients who received 7 or more injections during the first year, 31% received a comparable number during the second year, and 12% received no injections. Of patients who received 1-4 injections during the first year, 70% received no injections and 24% received 1-4 injections during the second year. Rates of anti-VEGF discontinuation were 57% within 12 months and 71% within 24 months., Conclusions: The frequency of anti-VEGF injections for neovascular AMD was lower than that recommended by large-scale clinical trials, and rates of discontinuation were high. National practice patterns in anti-VEGF therapy for patients with neovascular AMD do not reflect optimal treatment strategies suggested by recent clinical trial evidence., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study sought to examine trends in mortality, readmission, and costs among Medicare beneficiaries receiving ventricular assist devices (VADs) and associations between hospital-level procedure volume and outcomes., Background: VADs are an option for patients with advanced heart failure, but temporal changes in outcomes and associations between facility-level volume and outcomes are poorly understood., Methods: This is a population-based, retrospective cohort study of all fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure who received an implantable VAD between 2006 and 2011. We used Cox proportional hazards models to examine temporal changes in mortality, readmission, and hospital-level procedure volume., Results: Among 2,507 patients who received a VAD at 103 centers during the study period, the in-hospital mortality decreased from 30% to 10% (p < 0.001), the 1-year mortality decreased from 42% to 26% (p < 0.001), and the all-cause readmission was frequent (82% and 81%; p = 0.70). After covariate adjustment, in-hospital and 1-year mortality decreased (p < 0.001 for both), but the all-cause readmission did not change (p = 0.82). Hospitals with a low procedure volume had higher risks of in-hospital mortality (risk ratio: 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.28 to 2.33) and 1-year mortality (risk ratio: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.24 to 1.93) than high-volume hospitals. Procedure volume was not associated with risk of readmission. The greatest cost was from the index hospitalization and remained unchanged ($204,020 in 2006 and $201,026 in 2011; p = 0.21)., Conclusions: Short- and long-term mortality after VAD implantation among Medicare beneficiaries improved, but readmission remained similar over time. A higher volume of VAD implants was associated with lower risk of mortality but not readmission. Costs to Medicare have not changed in recent years., (Copyright © 2014 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To assess the extent of immortal time bias in estimating the clinical effectiveness of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and the impact of methods of handling immortal time bias., Study Design and Setting: Retrospective population-based cohort study of patients with heart failure in a national registry linked to Medicare claims (2003-2008). We compared three methods of handling immortal time bias, namely the Mantel-Byar (or time-dependent exposure assignment), the landmark, and the exclusion methods., Results: Of the 5,226 study patients, 1,274 (24.4%) received ICD therapy. Total person-years in the Mantel-Byar method were 2,639, or 490 more than that in the exclusion method, reflecting potential immortal time in the study. The exclusion method yielded a hazard ratio of 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.63-0.80), which was 16% lower than the Mantel-Byar method (0.84; 95% CI: 0.75-0.95). The 120-day landmark method yielded similar results to those produced by the Mantel-Byar method (0.82; 95% CI: 0.72-0.95)., Conclusions: Immortal time bias was detected in the ICD clinical effectiveness study, which might have led to substantial bias overestimating the treatment effect if handled by exclusion. When an appropriate landmark was selected, that method yielded similar hazard ratios to those obtained by the Mantel-Byar method, supporting the validity of the landmark method., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Atrial fibrillation is common among older persons. Catheter ablation is increasingly used in patients for whom medical therapy has failed., Methods and Results: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries ≥65 years of age who underwent catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation between July 1, 2007, and December 31, 2009. The main outcome measures were major complications within 30 days and mortality, heart failure, stroke, hospitalization, and repeat ablation within 1 year. A total of 15 423 patients underwent catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation. Mean age was 72 years; 41% were women; and >95% were white. For every 1000 procedures, there were 17 cases of hemopericardium requiring intervention, 8 cases of stroke, and 8 deaths within 30 days. More than 40% of patients required hospitalization within 1 year; however, atrial fibrillation or flutter was the primary discharge diagnosis in only 38.4% of cases. Eleven percent of patients underwent repeat ablation within 1 year. Renal impairment (hazard ratio, 2.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.66-2.58), age ≥80 years (hazard ratio, 3.09; 95% confidence interval, 2.32-4.11), and heart failure (hazard ratio, 2.54; 95% confidence interval, 2.07-3.13) were major risk factors for 1-year mortality. Advanced age was a major risk factor for all adverse outcomes., Conclusions: Major complications after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation were associated with advanced age but were fairly infrequent. Few patients underwent repeat ablation. Randomized trials are needed to inform risk-benefit calculations for older persons with drug-refractory, symptomatic atrial fibrillation.

Disease management programs that target patients with the highest risk of subsequent costs may help payers and providers control health care costs, but identifying these patients prospectively is challenging. We hypothesized that medical history and clinical data from a heart failure registry could be used to prospectively identify patients with heart failure most likely to incur high costs. We linked Medicare inpatient claims to clinical registry data for patients with heart failure and calculated total Medicare costs during the year after the index heart failure hospitalization. We defined patients as having high costs if they were in the upper 5% (>$76,500) of the distribution. We used logistic regression models to identify patient and clinical characteristics associated with high costs. Costs for 40,317 patients in the study varied widely. Patients in the upper 5% of the cost distribution incurred mean costs of $117,193 ± 55,550 during 1 year of follow-up compared to $17,086 ± 17,792 for the lower-cost group. Demographic and clinical characteristics associated with high costs included younger age and black race; history of anemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, or peripheral vascular disease; serum creatinine level; and systolic blood pressure at admission. Mean 1-year Medicare costs for patients whom the model predicted would exceed the high-cost threshold were >2 times the costs for patients below the threshold. In conclusion, a model based on variables from clinical registries can identify a group of patients with heart failure who on average will incur higher costs in the first year after hospitalization., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common and costly problem among older persons. The frequency of AF increases with age, but representative national data about incidence and prevalence are limited. We examined the annual incidence, prevalence, and mortality associated with AF among older persons., Methods and Results: In a retrospective cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older diagnosed with AF between 1993 and 2007, we measured annual age- and sex-adjusted incidence and prevalence of AF and mortality following an AF diagnosis. Among 433,123 patients with incident AF, the mean age was 80 years, 55% were women, and 92% were white. The incidence of AF remained steady during the 14-year study period, ranging from 27.3 to 28.3 per 1000 person-years. Incidence rates were consistently higher among men and white beneficiaries. The prevalence of AF increased across the study period (mean, 5% per year) and was robust to sensitivity analyses. Among beneficiaries with incident AF in 2007, 36% had heart failure, 84% had hypertension, 30% had cerebrovascular disease, and 8% had dementia. Mortality after AF diagnosis declined slightly over time but remained high. In 2007, the age- and sex-adjusted mortality rates were 11% at 30 days and 25% at 1 year., Conclusions: Among older Medicare beneficiaries, incident AF is common and has remained relatively stable for more than a decade. Incident AF is associated with significant comorbidity and mortality; death occurs in one-quarter of beneficiaries within 1 year.

Early physician follow-up after a heart failure (HF) hospitalization is associated with lower risk of readmission. However, factors associated with early physician follow-up are not well understood. We identified 30,136 patients with HF ≥65 years at 225 hospitals participating in the Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE) registry or the Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure (GWTG-HF) registry from January 1, 2003 through December 31, 2006. We linked these clinical data to Medicare claims data for longitudinal follow-up. Using logistic regression models with site-level random effects, we identified predictors of physician follow-up within 7 days of hospital discharge. Overall 11,420 patients (37.9%) had early physician follow-up. Patients residing in hospital referral regions with higher physician concentration were significantly more likely to have early follow-up (odds ratio 1.29, 95% confidence interval 1.12 to 1.48, for highest vs lowest quartile). Patients in rural areas (0.84, 0.78 to 0.91) and patients with lower socioeconomic status (0.79, 0.74 to 0.85) were less likely to have early follow-up. Women (0.87, 0.83 to 0.91) and black patients (0.84, 0.77 to 0.92) were less likely to receive early follow-up. Patients with greater co-morbidity were less likely to receive early follow-up. In conclusion, physician follow-up within 7 days after discharge from a HF hospitalization varied according to regional physician density, rural location, socioeconomic status, gender, race, and co-morbid conditions. Strategies are needed to ensure access among vulnerable populations to this supply-sensitive resource., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Clinical registries are used increasingly to analyze quality and outcomes, but the generalizability of findings from registries is unclear., Methods: We linked data from the Acute Decompensated Heart Failure National Registry (ADHERE) to 100% fee-for-service Medicare claims data. We compared patient characteristics and inpatient mortality of linked and unlinked ADHERE hospitalizations; patient characteristics, readmission, and postdischarge mortality of linked ADHERE patients to a random 20% sample of Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for heart failure; and characteristics of Medicare sites participating and not participating in ADHERE., Results: Among 135,667 ADHERE records for eligible patients ≥ 65 years, we matched 104,808 (77.3%) records to fee-for-service Medicare claims, representing 82,074 patients. Linked hospitalizations were more likely than unlinked hospitalizations to involve women and white patients; there were no meaningful differences in other patient characteristics. In-hospital mortality was identical for linked and unlinked hospitalizations. In Medicare, ADHERE patients had slightly lower unadjusted mortality (4.4% vs 4.9% in-hospital, 11.2% vs 12.2% at 30 days, 36.0% vs 38.3% at 1 year [P < .001]) and all-cause readmission (22.1% vs 23.7% at 30 days, 65.8% vs 67.9% at 1 year [P < .001]). After risk adjustment, modest but statistically significant differences remained. ADHERE hospitals were more likely than non-ADHERE hospitals to be teaching hospitals, have higher volumes of heart failure discharges, and offer advanced cardiac services., Conclusion: Elderly patients in ADHERE are similar to Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with heart failure. Differences related to selective enrollment in ADHERE hospitals and self-selection of participating hospitals are modest., (Copyright © 2010 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

We examined whether worsening renal function (RF) was associated with long-term mortality, readmission, and inpatient costs in Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with heart failure (HF). Baseline renal insufficiency in patients hospitalized for HF is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. However, the relation between worsening RF and long-term clinical outcomes is unclear. We linked clinical registry data to Medicare inpatient claims to identify 1-year outcomes of patients > or =65 years of age hospitalized with HF. Worsening RF was defined as a change in serum creatinine > or =0.3 mg/dl. Relations between worsening RF and 1-year mortality and readmission were evaluated with multivariable Cox proportional hazards models with robust SEs; associations with inpatient costs were evaluated with generalized linear models with a log-link and Poisson distribution. Of 20,063 patients hospitalized with HF and discharged alive, 3,581 (17.8%) had worsening RF during the index hospitalization. One year after discharge, 35.4% of these patients died, 64.5% were readmitted, and average costs at 1 year were $14,829 (interquartile range 0 to 19,366). After adjustment for patient characteristics, baseline RF, and comorbid conditions, worsening RF was independently associated with 1-year mortality (hazard ratio 1.12, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.20) but not readmission or total inpatient costs. In conclusion, worsening RF in patients hospitalized with HF was independently associated with long-term mortality.

Context: Emerging technologies, changing diagnostic and treatment patterns, and changes in Medicare reimbursement are contributing to increasing use of imaging in cancer. Imaging is the fastest growing expense for Medicare but has not been examined among beneficiaries with cancer., Objective: To examine changes in the use of imaging and how those changes contribute to the overall cost of cancer care., Design, Setting, and Patients: Analysis of a nationally representative 5% sample of claims from the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from 1999 through 2008. Patients were Medicare beneficiaries with incident breast cancer, colorectal cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or prostate cancer., Main Outcome Measures: Use and cost of imaging by modality, year, and cancer type., Results: There were 100,954 incident cases of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and prostate cancer from 1999 through 2006. Significant mean annual increases in imaging use occurred among all cancer types for positron emission tomography (35.9%-53.6%), bone density studies (6.3%-20.0%), echocardiograms (5.0%-7.8%), magnetic resonance imaging (4.4%-11.5%), and ultrasound (0.7%-7.4%). Conventional radiograph rates decreased or stayed the same. As of 2006, beneficiaries with lung cancer and beneficiaries with lymphoma incurred the largest overall imaging costs, exceeding a mean of $3000 per beneficiary within 2 years of diagnosis. By 2005, one-third of beneficiaries with breast cancer underwent bone scans and half of beneficiaries with lung cancer or lymphoma underwent positron emission tomography scans. Mean 2-year imaging costs per beneficiary increased at a rate greater than the increase in mean total costs per beneficiary for all cancer types., Conclusion: Imaging costs among Medicare beneficiaries with cancer increased from 1999 through 2006, outpacing the rate of increase in total costs among Medicare beneficiaries with cancer.

Background: For patients with coronary heart disease, exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation improves survival rate and has beneficial effects on risk factors for coronary artery disease. The relationship between the number of sessions attended and long-term outcomes is unknown., Methods and Results: In a national 5% sample of Medicare beneficiaries, we identified 30 161 elderly patients who attended at least 1 cardiac rehabilitation session between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2005. We used a Cox proportional hazards model to estimate the relationship between the number of sessions attended and death and myocardial infarction (MI) at 4 years. The cumulative number of sessions was a time-dependent covariate. After adjustment for demographic characteristics, comorbid conditions, and subsequent hospitalization, patients who attended 36 sessions had a 14% lower risk of death (hazard ratio [HR], 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77 to 0.97) and a 12% lower risk of MI (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.83 to 0.93) than those who attended 24 sessions; a 22% lower risk of death (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.71 to 0.87) and a 23% lower risk of MI (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.69 to 0.87) than those who attended 12 sessions; and a 47% lower risk of death (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.48 to 0.59) and a 31% lower risk of MI (HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.58 to 0.81) than those who attended 1 session., Conclusions: Among Medicare beneficiaries, a strong dose-response relationship existed between the number of cardiac rehabilitation sessions and long-term outcomes. Attending all 36 sessions reimbursed by Medicare was associated with lower risks of death and MI at 4 years compared with attending fewer sessions.

Background: The Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), a population-based prospective cohort study, has been used to identify major risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and stroke in the elderly., Objective: To assess the external validity of the CHS., Research Design: Comparison of the CHS cohort to a national cohort of Medicare beneficiaries and to Medicare beneficiaries residing in the CHS geographic regions., Subjects: CHS participants and a 5% sample of Medicare beneficiaries., Measures: Demographic and administrative characteristics, comorbid conditions, resource use, and mortality., Results: Compared with both Medicare cohorts, the CHS cohort was older and included more men and African American participants. CHS participants were more likely to be enrolled in Medicare managed care than beneficiaries in the national Medicare cohort. Compared with the Medicare cohorts, mortality in the CHS was more than 40% lower at 1 year, approximately 25% lower at 5 years, and approximately 15% lower at 10 years. There were minimal differences in comorbid conditions and health care resource use., Conclusion: The CHS cohort is comparable with the Medicare population, particularly with regard to comorbid conditions and resource use, but had lower mortality. The difference in mortality may reflect the CHS recruitment strategy or volunteer bias. These findings suggest it may not be appropriate to project absolute rates of disease and outcomes based on CHS data to the entire Medicare population. However, there is no reason to expect that the relative risks associated with physiologic processes identified by CHS data would differ for nonparticipants.

Background: Participation in clinical registries is nonrandom, so participants may differ in important ways from nonparticipants. The extent to which findings from clinical registries can be generalized to broader populations is unclear., Methods and Results: We linked data from the Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE-HF) registry with 100% inpatient Medicare fee-for-service claims to identify matched and unmatched patients with heart failure. We evaluated differences in baseline characteristics and mortality, all-cause readmission, and cardiovascular readmission rates. We used Cox proportional hazards models to examine relationships between registry enrollment and outcomes, controlling for baseline characteristics. There were 25,245 OPTIMIZE-HF patients in the Medicare claims data and 929,161 Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure who were not enrolled in OPTIMIZE-HF. Although hospital characteristics differed, patient demographic characteristics and comorbid conditions were similar. In-hospital mortality for OPTIMIZE-HF and non-OPTIMIZE-HF patients was not significantly different (4.7% versus 4.5%; P=0.37); however, OPTIMIZE-HF patients had slightly higher 30-day (11.9% versus 11.2%; P<0.001) and 1-year unadjusted mortality (37.2% versus 35.7%; P<0.001). Controlling for other variables, OPTIMIZE-HF patients were similar to non-OPTIMIZE-HF patients for the hazard of mortality (hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.98 to 1.06). There were small but significant decreases in all-cause (hazard ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.92 to 0.97) and cardiovascular readmission (hazard ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.91 to 0.98)., Conclusions: Characteristics and outcomes of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in OPTIMIZE-HF are similar to the broader Medicare population with heart failure, suggesting that findings from this clinical registry may be generalized.

Background: Inpatient clinical registries generally have limited ability to provide a longitudinal perspective on care beyond the acute episode. We present a method to link hospitalization records from registries with Medicare inpatient claims data, without using direct identifiers, to create a unique data source that pairs rich clinical data with long-term outcome data., Methods and Results: The method takes advantage of the hospital clustering observed in each database by demonstrating that different combinations of indirect identifiers within hospitals yield a large proportion of unique patient records. This high level of uniqueness also allows linking without advance knowledge of the Medicare provider number of each registry hospital. We applied this method to 2 inpatient databases and were able to identify 81% of 39,178 records in a large clinical registry of patients with heart failure and 91% of 6,581 heart failure records from a hospital inpatient database. The quality of the link is high, and reasons for incomplete linkage are explored. Finally, we discuss the unique opportunities afforded by combining claims and clinical data for specific analyses., Conclusions: In the absence of direct identifiers, it is possible to create a high-quality link between inpatient clinical registry data and Medicare claims data. The method will allow researchers to use existing data to create a linked claims-clinical database that capitalizes on the strengths of both types of data sources.

Background Sacubitril/Valsartan has been highly efficacious in randomized trials of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, the effectiveness of sacubitril/valsartan in older patients hospitalized for HFrEF in real-world US practice is unclear. Methods and Results This study included Medicare beneficiaries age ≥65 years who were hospitalized for HFrEF ≤40% in the Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure registry between October 2015 and December 2018, and eligible for sacubitril/valsartan. Associations between discharge prescription of sacubitril/valsartan and clinical outcomes were assessed after inverse probability of treatment weighting and adjustment for other HFrEF medications. Overall, 1551 (10.9%) patients were discharged on sacubitril/valsartan. Of those not prescribed sacubitril/valsartan, 7857 (62.0%) were prescribed an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor blocker. Over 12-month follow-up, compared with a discharge prescription of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor blocker, sacubitril/valsartan was independently associated with lower all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.82; 95% CI, 0.72-0.94; P=0.004) but not all-cause hospitalization (adjusted HR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.89-1.07; P=0.55) or heart failure hospitalization (adjusted HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.91-1.18; P=0.59). Patients prescribed sacubitril/valsartan versus those without a prescription had lower risk of all-cause mortality (adjusted HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.60-0.79; P

BackgroundPatients hospitalized with acute heart failure may experience worsening symptoms requiring escalation of therapy. In-hospital worsening heart failure is associated with worse in-hospital and postdischarge outcomes, but associations between the timing of worsening heart failure and outcomes are unknown.MethodsUsing data from a large clinical registry linked to Medicare claims, we examined characteristics, outcomes, and costs of patients hospitalized for acute heart failure. We defined in-hospital worsening heart failure by the use of inotropes or intravenous vasodilators or initiation of mechanical circulatory support, hemodialysis, or ventilation. The study groups were early worsening heart failure (n = 1,990), late worsening heart failure (n = 4,223), complicated presentation (n = 15,361), and uncomplicated hospital course (n = 41,334).ResultsAmong 62,908 patients, those with late in-hospital worsening heart failure had higher in-hospital and postdischarge mortality than patients with early worsening heart failure or complicated presentation. Those with early or late worsening heart failure had more frequent all-cause and heart failure readmissions at 30 days and 1 year, with resultant higher costs, compared with patients with an uncomplicated hospital course.ConclusionAlthough late worsening heart failure was associated with the highest mortality, both early and late worsening heart failures were associated with more frequent readmissions and higher health care costs compared to uncomplicated hospital course. Prevention of worsening heart failure may be an important focus in the care of hospitalized patients with acute heart failure.

A subset of patients hospitalized with acute heart failure experiences worsening clinical status and requires escalation of therapy. Worsening heart failure is an end point in many clinical trials, but little is known about its prevalence in clinical practice and its associated outcomes. We analyzed inpatient data from the Acute Decompensated Heart Failure National Registry linked to Medicare claims to examine the prevalence and outcomes of patients with worsening heart failure, defined as the need for escalation of therapy at least 12 hours after hospital presentation. We compared patients with worsening heart failure to patients with an uncomplicated hospital course and patients with a complicated presentation. Of 63 727 patients hospitalized with acute heart failure, 11% developed worsening heart failure. These patients had the highest observed rates of mortality, all-cause readmission, and Medicare payments at 30 days and 1 year after hospitalization (P < 0.001 for all comparisons). The adjusted hazards of 30-day mortality were 2.56 (99% CI, 2.34 to 2.80) compared with an uncomplicated course and 1.29 (99% CI, 1.17 to 1.42) compared with a complicated presentation. The adjusted cost ratios for postdischarge Medicare payments at 30 days were 1.35 (99% CI, 1.24 to 1.46) compared with an uncomplicated course and 1.11 (99% CI, 1.02 to 1.22) compared with a complicated presentation. In-hospital worsening heart failure was common and was associated with higher rates of mortality, all-cause readmission, and postdischarge Medicare payments. Prevention and treatment of in-hospital worsening heart failure represents an important goal for patients hospitalized with acute heart failure.

ImportanceClinical trials of prophylactic implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) have included a minority of patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) between 30% and 35%. Because a large number of ICDs in the United States are implanted in such patients, it is important to study survival associated with this therapy.ObjectiveTo characterize patients with LVEF between 30% and 35% and compare the survival of those with and without ICDs.Design, setting, and participantsRetrospective cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry ICD registry (January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2007) with an LVEF between 30% and 35% who received an ICD during a heart failure hospitalization and similar patients in the Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure (GWTG-HF) database (January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2009) with no ICD. The analysis was repeated in patients with an LVEF less than 30%. There were 3120 patients with an LVEF between 30% and 35% (816 in matched cohorts) and 4578 with an LVEF less than 30% (2176 in matched cohorts). Propensity score matching and Cox models were applied.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was all-cause mortality; data were obtained from Medicare claims through December 31, 2011.ResultsThere were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics of the matched groups (n = 408 for both groups). Among patients with an LVEF between 30% and 35%, there were 248 deaths in the ICD Registry group, within a median follow-up of 4.4 years (interquartile range, 2.7-4.9) and 249 deaths in the GWTG HF group, within a median follow-up of 2.9 years (interquartile range, 2.1-4.4). The risk of all-cause mortality in patients with an LVEF between 30% and 35% and an ICD was significantly lower than that in matched patients without an ICD (3-year mortality rates: 51.4% vs 55.0%; hazard ratio, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.69-0.99]; P = .04). Presence of an ICD also was associated with better survival in patients with an LVEF less than 30% (3-year mortality rates: 45.0% vs 57.6%; 634 and 660 total deaths; hazard ratio, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.65-0.81]; P

ObjectivesThis study sought to examine the long-term outcomes of patients hospitalized with heart failure and atrial fibrillation.BackgroundAtrial fibrillation is common among patients hospitalized with heart failure. Associations of pre-existing and new-onset atrial fibrillation with long-term outcomes are unclear.MethodsWe analyzed 27,829 heart failure admissions between 2006 and 2008 at 281 hospitals in the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure program linked with Medicare claims. Patients were classified as having pre-existing, new-onset, or no atrial fibrillation. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify factors that were independently associated with all-cause mortality, all-cause readmission, and readmission for heart failure, stroke, and other cardiovascular disease at 1 and 3 years.ResultsAfter multivariable adjustment, pre-existing atrial fibrillation was associated with greater 3-year risks of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.14 [99% confidence interval (CI): 1.08 to 1.20]), all-cause readmission (HR: 1.09 [99% CI: 1.05 to 1.14]), heart failure readmission (HR: 1.15 [99% CI: 1.08 to 1.21]), and stroke readmission (HR: 1.20 [99% CI: 1.01 to 1.41]), compared with no atrial fibrillation. There was also a greater hazard of mortality at 1 year among patients with new-onset atrial fibrillation (HR: 1.12 [99% CI: 1.01 to 1.24]). Compared with no atrial fibrillation, new-onset atrial fibrillation was not associated with a greater risk of the readmission outcomes. Stroke readmission rates at 1 year were just as high for patients with preserved ejection fraction as for patients with reduced ejection fraction.ConclusionsBoth pre-existing and new-onset atrial fibrillation were associated with greater long-term mortality among older patients with heart failure. Pre-existing atrial fibrillation was associated with greater risk of readmission.

Rationale: Understanding how systemic forces and environmental exposures impact patient outcomes is critical to advancing health equity and improving population health for patients with pulmonary disease. This relationship has not yet been assessed at the population level nationally. Objectives: To determine whether neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation is independently associated with 30-day mortality and readmission for hospitalized patients with pulmonary conditions, after controlling for demographics, access to healthcare resources, and characteristics of admitting healthcare facilities. Methods: This was a retrospective, population-level cohort study of 100% of United States nationwide Medicare inpatient and outpatient claims from 2016-2019. Patients were admitted for one of four pulmonary conditions (pulmonary infections, chronic lower respiratory disease, pulmonary embolism, and pleural and interstitial lung diseases), defined by diagnosis-related group. The primary exposure was neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation, measured by the area deprivation index. The main outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day unplanned readmission, defined by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services methodologies. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate logistic regression models for the primary outcomes, addressing clustering by hospital. A sequential adjustment strategy was first adjusted for age, legal sex, Medicare-Medicaid dual eligibility, and comorbidity burden, then adjusted formetrics of access to healthcare resources, and finally adjusted for characteristics of the admitting healthcare facility. Results: After full adjustment, patients from low socioeconomic status neighborhoods had greater 30-day mortality after admission for pulmonary embolism (odds ratio [OR], 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-1.40), respiratory infections (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.16-1.25), chronic lower respiratory disease (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.22-1.41), and interstitial lung disease (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.04-1.27) when compared to patients from the highest SES neighborhoods. Low neighborhood socioeconomic status was also associated with 30-day readmission for all groups except the interstitial lung disease group. Conclusions: Neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation may be a key factor driving poor health outcomes for patients with pulmonary diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the association between neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and mortality and readmission for patients admitted for diabetes management after adjusting for age, sex/race/ethnicity, medical comorbidities, and SES. Topics include comparison between patients from the highest SES neighborhoods and those from the lowest SES neighborhood, hypotheses that may explain the link between neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and outcomes, and limitations of the study.

Background: Heart failure guidelines recommend routine monitoring of serum potassium, and renal function in patients treated with a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA). How these recommendations are implemented in high-risk patients or according to setting of drug initiation is poorly characterized.Methods and Results: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries linked to laboratory data in 10 states with prevalent heart failure as of July 1, 2011, and incident MRA use between May 1 and September 30, 2011. Outcomes included laboratory testing before MRA initiation and in the early (days 1-10) and extended (days 11-90) post-initiation periods, based on setting of drug initiation and the presence of renal insufficiency. Additional outcomes included abnormal laboratory results and adverse events proximate to MRA initiation. Of 10 443 Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure started on an MRA, 19.7% were initiated during a hospitalization. Appropriate follow-up laboratory testing across all time periods occurred in 25.2% of patients with inpatient initiation compared with 2.8% of patients begun as an outpatient. Patients with chronic kidney disease had higher rates of both hyperkalemia and acute kidney failure in the early (1.3% and 2.7%, respectively) and extended (5.6% and 9.8%, respectively) post-initiation periods compared with those without chronic kidney disease.Conclusions: Patients initiated on MRA therapy as an outpatient had extremely poor rates of guideline indicated follow-up laboratory monitoring after drug initiation. In particular, patients with chronic kidney disease are at high risk for adverse events after MRA initiation. Quality improvement initiatives focused on systems to improve appropriate laboratory monitoring are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Laboratory testing to identify contraindications and adverse drug reactions is important for safety of patients initiating angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). Rates and predictors of appropriate testing among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries are unknown. Purpose The study's purpose was to examine baseline laboratory testing rates, identify predictors of suboptimal testing, and assess the prevalence of abnormal creatinine and potassium among beneficiaries initiating ACE inhibitors or ARBs. Design and Subjects Retrospective cohort of 101 376 fee-for-service beneficiaries from 10 eastern US states in 1 July to 30 November 2011. Main Measures Appropriate monitoring for serum creatinine or serum potassium was defined as evidence of an outpatient claim within 180 days before or 14 days after the index prescription fill date. Key Results Thirty-eight percent of beneficiaries were men, 78% were White race, 26% had prevalent heart failure, and 89% had prevalent hypertension. Rates of appropriate baseline laboratory testing were 82.7% for potassium, 83.2% for creatinine, and 82.6% for both potassium and creatinine 180 days prior to initiation. In logistic regression, men (odds ratio [OR] = 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11, 1.19), African-Americans (OR = 1.26, 95%CI: 1.20, 1.32), and beneficiaries with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (OR = 1.22, 95%CI: 1.15, 1.28) or stroke (OR = 1.34, 95%CI: 1.26, 1.43) were more likely to experience suboptimal testing. At baseline, hyperkalemia was relatively uncommon (5.8%), and elevated creatinine values were rare (1.4%). Conclusions Appropriate monitoring could be improved for African-American beneficiaries and beneficiaries with a history of stroke or Alzheimer's disease and related disorders initiating ACE inhibitors or ARBs. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which investigated left ventricular function in cohorts of Medicare beneficiaries in the U.S. with newly diagnosed heart failure (HF) in 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007. Logistic regression was used to determine patient characteristics associated with assessment of left ventricular function. Results showed that patients diagnosed with HF during a hospitalization had the highest assessment rates. It concluded that about 40% of Medicare beneficiaries do not undergo assessment when diagnosed with HF.

The article discusses a study which examined the incremental value of adding clinical data in predicting outcomes after heart failure hospitalization. The performance of claims-only and claims-clinical regression models for 30-day mortality and readmission was evaluated. Results showed that the claims-clinical mortality model had better fit than the claims-only mortality model. It concluded that prediction of mortality is improved with the additional of clinical data to claims data for hospitalizations.

Background: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare database complements The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) database by providing information about long-term outcomes and cost. This study demonstrates the feasibility of linking STS data to CMS data and examines the penetration, completeness, and representativeness of the STS database. Methods: Using variables common to both STS and CMS databases, STS operations were linked to CMS data for all CMS coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) hospitalizations discharged between 2000 and 2007, inclusive. For each CMS CABG hospitalization, it was determined whether a matching STS record existed. Results: Center-level penetration (number of CMS sites with at least one matched STS participant divided by the total number of CMS CABG sites) increased from 45% to 78%. In 2007, 854 of 1,101 CMS CABG sites (78%) were linked to an STS site. Patient-level penetration (number of CMS CABG hospitalizations done at STS sites divided by the total number of CMS CABG hospitalizations) increased from 51% to 84%. In 2007, 94,409 of 111,967 CMS CABG hospitalizations (84%) were at an STS site. Completeness of case inclusion at STS sites (number of CMS CABG cases at STS sites linked to STS records divided by the total number of CMS CABG cases at STS sites) increased from 88% to 97%. In 2007, 88,857 of 91,363 CMS CABG hospitalizations at STS sites (97%) were linked to an STS record. Conclusions: The successful linking of STS and CMS databases demonstrates high and increasing penetration and completeness of the STS database. Linking STS and CMS data will facilitate studying long-term outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which examined the effects of the U.S. Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 on patients undergoing chemotherapy either before or after the enactment of the law. The authors compared the time to initiation of chemotherapy for patients undergoing treatment either before or after the enactment of the law. They also compared the location of care for patients undergoing chemotherapy either before or after the enactment of the law.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background: The increase in medical complexity among patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF) may be reflected by an increase in concomitant noncardiovascular comorbidities. Among patients hospitalized with HF, the temporal trends in the prevalence of noncardiovascular comorbidities have not been well described. Methods and Results: We used data from 207 984 patients in the Get With The Guidelines–Heart Failure registry (from 2005 to 2014) to evaluate the prevalence and trends of noncardiovascular comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder/asthma, anemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity [body mass index ≥30 kg/m2], and renal impairment) among patients hospitalized with HF. Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years were used to assess 30-day mortality. The prevalence of 0, 1, 2, and ≥3 noncardiovascular comorbidities was 18%, 30%, 27%, 25%, respectively. From 2005 to 2014, there was a decline in patients with 0 noncardiovascular comorbidities (22%–16%; P<0.0001) and an increase in patients with ≥3 noncardiovascular comorbidities (18%–29%; P<0.0001). Among Medicare beneficiaries, there was an increased 30-day adjusted mortality risk among patients with 1 noncardiovascular comorbidity (hazard ratio, 1.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–1.24; P<0.0001), 2 noncardiovascular comorbidities (hazard ratio, 1.34; 95% confidence interval, 1.25–1.44; P<0.0001), and ≥3 noncardiovascular comorbidities (hazard ratio, 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.51–1.75; P<0.0001). Similar trends were seen for in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: Patients admitted in hospital for HF have an increasing number of noncardiovascular comorbidities over time, which are associated with worse outcomes. Strategies addressing the growing burden of noncardiovascular comorbidities may represent an avenue to improve outcomes and should be included in the delivery of in-hospital HF care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) have repeat hospitalizations for multiple conditions.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) on hospitalizations in severe AS.Methods: Using data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology TVT (Transcatheter Valve Therapy) registry with linkage to Medicare claims, the authors examined rates of all-cause, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular hospitalizations and hospital days, as well as inpatient costs in the year pre-TAVR and post-TAVR. Multivariable modeling was used to determine rate ratios of post-TAVR versus pre-TAVR hospitalizations and costs.Results: Among 15,324 patients at 328 sites with Medicare linkage undergoing TAVR, the median age was 84 years, the median Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality score was 7.0, and 61.1% patients underwent TAVR via transfemoral access. Post-TAVR, heart failure hospitalization rates and hospitalized days were reduced compared with pre-TAVR (rate ratio: 0.87 and 0.95 respectively; p < 0.01 for all). However, all-cause, noncardiovascular, and bleeding hospitalization rates and hospitalized days were increased (p < 0.01 for all). Post-TAVR hospitalizations were reduced the most among those with left ventricular ejection fraction <30%. Mean post-TAVR costs were reduced among all TAVR patients and among 1-year survivors (rate ratio: 0.95, p < 0.01; and 0.90; p < 0.01, respectively).Conclusions: Patients had lower costs and fewer heart failure hospitalizations but more all-cause, noncardiovascular, and bleeding hospitalizations post-TAVR. Reduction in hospitalizations varied by specific patient subgroups, and thus, payors and providers seeking to reduce resource use may consider strategies designed to improve processes of care among patients with increased resource utilization post-TAVR as compared with pre-TAVR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: For end-stage liver disease (ESLD) patients, care focuses on managing the life-threatening complications of portal hypertension, causing high resource utilization.Objectives: To describe the end-of-life trajectory of hospitalized ESLD patients in Medicare.Methods: Using a 5% random sample of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, we performed a retrospective cohort study, identifying hospitalized ESLD and heart failure (HF) patients (2007-2011). Index hospitalization end points included mortality, discharge to hospice, and length of stay. Postdischarge end points included all-cause mortality, rehospitalization, hospice enrollment, and days alive and out of hospital (DAOH). Follow-up was at one and three years after index hospitalization discharge. A reference cohort of decompensated HF patients was used for baseline comparison.Results: At one year, the ESLD cohort (n = 22,311) had 209 DAOH; decompensated HF (n = 85,397) had 252 DAOH. Among ESLD patients, inpatient mortality was 13.5%; all-cause mortality was 64.9%. For these outcomes, rates were higher in those with ESLD than HF. In the ESLD group, rehospitalization rate was 59.1% (slightly lower than the HF group), hospice enrollment rate was 36.1%, and there were higher than expected cancer rates. For hospice-enrolled patients, the median length of time spent in hospice was nine days. The HF cohort had lower hospice enrollment, but more days enrolled.Conclusion: The results of this study show that morbidity and mortality rates associated with end of life in ESLD are substantial. There is an acute need for alternative approaches to manage the care of ESLD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]