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There is evidence that high surgical volume and team consistency improve outcomes. Mortality of 4%-12% for aortic root surgery has been reported in the United States and UK. We aim to assess outcomes of patients undergoing aortic root surgery by a consistent, high-volume team. Data on patients undergoing elective or urgent aortic root replacement (ARR) were collected prospectively. Patients undergoing emergency surgery were excluded. A standardized perioperative approach was maintained and was achieved by delivering training to team members, including surgical trainees, anesthetic, nursing, and perfusion staff, whenever there was a change of team. Between 2005 and 2014, 344 patients underwent ARR. Median age was 59 years (18-86) and 74% were men. Procedures included ARR (biological [186; 54%] or mechanical [101; 29.4%]) and valve sparing root replacement, remodeling technique (57; 16.6%). A total of 42 patients (12.2%) underwent concomitant procedures. There were 4 (1.2%) in-hospital deaths and no incidence of stroke. In total, 3 (0.9%) required resternotomy for bleeding and 8 (2.3%) required hemofiltration. Follow-up was complete for 94% of patients with median intensive care unit and hospital stays of 1 and 6 days, respectively. Follow-up was complete for 94% of patients at a median of 5.6 years with 98% freedom from reoperation and prosthetic valve dysfunction. There was 90% freedom from aortic insufficiency at 7 years in the valve sparing root replacement, remodeling technique cohort. We have demonstrated that high surgical volume and standardized care improves outcomes in aortic root surgery. Maintaining a consistent perioperative approach ensures team members are aware and well rehearsed in their roles, thereby improving outcomes., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Context: The quality of case conceptualization differs across clinicians. It is unclear which case conceptualization quality assessment measure researchers, clinicians, and trainers might use for their specific purpose., Objective: We evaluated measures that purport to assess the quality of case conceptualizations., Method: We searched EMBASE, PubMed, Medline, and PsycINFO databases with the terms case formulation* OR case conceptuali*ation*. Further specific terms were then used to narrow the search., Results: Of all the articles reviewed, 8 measures of case conceptualization met inclusion criteria. There is no single measure that has been validated across a range of different settings. However, the Case Conceptualisation Coding Rating Scale, Case Formulation Content Coding Method, and Case Formulation Quality Checklist have been most robustly tested., Conclusion: Further research is required to test the psychometric properties of measures so that robust quality measures can be used across different settings/client groups., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Personalizing medical care is becoming increasingly popular, particularly mental health care. There is growing interest in formalizing medical decision making based on evolving patient symptoms in an evidence-based manner. To determine optimal sequencing of treatments, the sequences themselves must be studied; this may be accomplished by using a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART). It has been hypothesized that SMART studies may improve participant retention and generalizability., Methods: We examine the hypotheses that SMART studies are more generalizable and have better retention than traditional randomized clinical trials via a case study of a SMART study of antipsychotic medications. We considered the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) schizophrenia study, comparing the trial participant characteristics and overall retention to those of comparable trials found via a review of all related trials conducted from 2000 onwards., Results: A MEDLINE search returned 6435 results for primary screening; ultimately, 48 distinct trials were retained for analysis. The study population in CATIE was similar to, although perhaps less symptomatic than, the study populations of traditional randomized clinical trials (RCTs), suggesting no large gains in generalizability despite the pragmatic nature of the trial. However, CATIE did see good month-by-month retention., Conclusions: SMARTs offer the possibility of studying treatment sequences in a way that a series of traditional RCTs cannot. SMARTs may offer improved retention; however, this case study did not find evidence to suggest greater generalizability using this trial design., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00014001 . Registered on 6 April 2001.

Background: The World Bank and Lancet Commission in 2015 have prioritized surgery in Low-Income Countries (LIC) and Lower-Middle Income Countries (LMICs). This is consistent with the shift in the global burden of disease from communicable to noncommunicable diseases over the past 20 years. Essential surgery must be performed safely, with adequate anesthesia monitoring and intervention. Unfortunately, a huge barrier to providing safe surgery includes the paucity of an anesthesia workforce. In this study, we qualitatively evaluated the anesthesia capacity of Mozambique, a LIC in Africa with limited access to anesthesia and safe surgical care. Country-based solutions are suggested that can expand to other LIC and LMICs., Methods: A comprehensive review of the Mozambique anesthesia system was conducted through interviews with personnel in the Ministry of Health (MOH), a school of medicine, a public central referral hospital, a general first referral hospital, a private care hospital, and leaders in the physician anesthesia community. Personnel databases were acquired from the MOH and Maputo Central Hospital., Results: Quantitative results reveal minimal anesthesia capacity (290 anesthesia providers for a population of >25 million or 0.01:10,000). The majority of physician anesthesiologists practice in urban settings, and many work in the private sector. There is minimal capacity for growth given only 1 Mozambique anesthesia residency with inadequate resources. The most commonly perceived barriers to safe anesthesia in this critical shortage are lack of teachers, lack of medical student interest in and exposure to anesthesia, need for more schools, low allocation to anesthesia from the list of available specialist prospects by MOH, and low public payments to anesthesiologists. Qualitative results show assets of a good health system design, a supportive environment for learning in the residency, improvement in anesthetic care in past decades, and a desire for more educational opportunities and teachers., Conclusions: Mozambique has a strong health system design but few resources for surgery and safe anesthesia. At present, similar to other LICs, human resources, access to essential medicines, and safety monitoring limit safe anesthesia in Mozambique.

Background: In creating the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, Congress has mandated pay-for-performance (P4P) for all physicians, including anesthesiologists. There are currently no National Quality Forum-endorsed risk-adjusted outcome metrics for anesthesiologists to use as the basis for P4P., Methods: Using clinical data from the New York State Cardiac Surgery Reporting System, we conducted a retrospective observational study of 55,436 patients undergoing cardiac surgery between 2009 and 2012. Hierarchical logistic regression modeling was used to examine the variation in in-hospital mortality or major complications (Q-wave myocardial infarction, renal failure, stroke, and respiratory failure) among anesthesiologists, controlling for patient demographics, severity of disease, comorbidities, and hospital quality., Results: Although the variation in performance among anesthesiologists was statistically significant (P = 0.025), none of the anesthesiologists in the sample was classified as a high- or low-performance outliers. The contribution of anesthesiologists to outcomes represented 0.51% of the overall variability in patient outcomes (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.0051; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.002-0.014), whereas the contribution of hospitals to patient outcomes was 2.90% (ICC = 0.029; 95% CI, 0.017-0.050). The anesthesiologist median odds ratio (MOR) was 1.13 (95% CI, 1.08-1.24), suggesting that the variation between anesthesiologist was modest, whereas the hospital MOR was 1.35 (95% CI, 1.25-1.48). In a separate analysis, the contribution of surgeons to overall outcomes represented 1.76% of the overall variability in patient outcomes (ICC = 0.018, 95% CI, 0.010-0.031), and the surgeon MOR was 1.26 (95% CI, 1.19-1.37). Twelve of the surgeons were identified as performance outliers., Conclusions: The impact of anesthesiologists on the total variability in cardiac surgical outcomes was probably about one-fourth as large as the surgeons' contribution. None of the anesthesiologists caring for cardiac surgical patients in New York State over a 3+ year period were identified as performance outliers. The use of a performance metric based on death or major complications for P4P may not be feasible for cardiac anesthesiologists.

Objective: To determine whether implementation of a standardized clinical practice guideline (CPG) for the evaluation of syncope would decrease practice variability and resource utilization., Design: A retrospective review of medical records of patients presenting to our practice for outpatient evaluation of syncope before and after implementation of the CPG. The guideline included elements of history, physical exam, electrocardiogram, and "red flags" for further testing., Setting: Outpatient pediatric cardiology offices of a large pediatric cardiology practice., Patients: All new patients between 3 and 21 years old, who presented to cardiology clinic with a chief complaint of syncope., Interventions: The CPG for the evaluation of pediatric syncope was presented to the providers., Outcome Measures: Resource utilization was determined by the tests ordered by individual physicians before and after initiation of the CPG. Patient final diagnoses were recorded and the medical records were subsequently reviewed to determine if any patients, who presented again to the system, were ultimately diagnosed with cardiac disease., Results: Of the 1496 patients with an initial visit for syncope, there was no significant difference in the diagnosis of cardiac disease before or after initiation of the CPG: (0.6% vs. 0.4%, P = .55). Electrocardiography provides the highest yield in the evaluation of pediatric syncope. Despite high compliance (86.9%), there were no overall changes in costs ($346.31 vs. $348.53, P = .85) or in resource utilization. There was, however, a decrease in the variability of ordering of echocardiograms among physicians, particularly among those at the extremes of utilization., Conclusions: Although the CPG did not decrease already low costs, it did decrease the wide variability in echo utilization. Evaluation beyond detailed history, physical exam, and electrocardiography provides no additional benefit in the evaluations of pediatric patients presenting with syncope., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: As the adult congenital heart disease population increases, poor transition from pediatric to adult care can lead to suboptimal quality of care and an increase in individual and institutional costs. In 2008, the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association updated the adult congenital heart disease practice guidelines and in 2011, the American Heart Association recommended transition guidelines to standardize and encourage appropriate timing of transition to adult cardiac services. The objective of this study was to evaluate if patient age or complexity of congenital heart disease influences pediatric cardiologists' decision to transfer care to adult providers and to evaluate the compliance of different types of cardiology providers with current adult congenital heart disease treatment guidelines., Design: A single-center retrospective review of 991 adult congenital heart disease patients identified by ICD-9 code from 2010 to 2012., Setting: Academic and community outpatient cardiology clinics., Patients: Nine hundred ninety-one patients who are 18 years and older with congenital heart disease., Intervention: None., Outcomes Measures: The compliance with health maintenance and transfer of care recommendations in the outpatient setting., Results: For patients seen by pediatric cardiologists, only 20% had transfer of care discussions documented, most often in younger simple patients. Significant differences in compliance with preventative health guidelines were found between cardiology provider types., Conclusion: Even though a significant number of adults with congenital heart disease are lost to appropriate follow-up in their third and fourth decades of life, pediatric cardiologists discussed transfer of care with moderate and complex congenital heart disease patients less frequently. Appropriate transfer of adults with congenital heart disease to an adult congenital cardiologist provides an opportunity to reinforce the importance of regular follow-up in adulthood and may improve outcomes as adult congenital cardiologists followed the adult congenital heart disease guidelines more consistently than pediatric or adult cardiologists., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: According to current guidelines, pancreatic cancer patients should be strictly selected for surgery, either palliative or resective., Methods: Population-based study, including all patients undergoing surgery for pancreatic cancer in Italy between 2010 and 2012. Hospitals were divided into five volume groups (quintiles), to search for differences among volume categories., Results: There were 544 hospitals performing 10 936 pancreatic cancer operations. The probability of undergoing palliative/explorative surgery was inversely related to volume, being 24.4% in very high-volume hospitals and 62.5% in very low-volume centres (adjusted OR 5.175). Contrarily, the resection rate in patients without metastases decreased from 86.9% to 46.1% (adjusted OR 7.429). As for resections, the mortality of non-resective surgery was inversely related to volume (p < 0.001). Surprisingly, mortality of non-resective surgery was higher than that for resections (8.2% vs. 6.7%; p < 0.01). Approximately 9% of all resections were performed on patients with distant metastases, irrespective of hospital volume group. The excess cost for the National Health System from surgery overuse was estimated at 12.5 million euro., Discussion: Discrepancies between guidelines on pancreatic cancer treatment and surgical practice were observed. An overuse of surgery was detected, with serious clinical and economic consequences., (Copyright © 2016 International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Several groups have defined pancreatic surgery quality metrics that identify centers delivering quality care. Although these metrics are perceived to be associated with good outcomes, their relationship with actual outcomes has not been established., Methods: A national cadre of pancreatic surgeons was surveyed regarding perceived quality metrics, which were evaluated against the Central Pancreas Consortium (CPC) database to determine actual performance and relationships with long-term outcomes., Results: The most important metrics were perceived to be participation in clinical trials, appropriate clinical staging, perioperative mortality, and documentation of receipt of adjuvant therapy. Subsequent analysis of 1399 patients in the CPC dataset demonstrated that a R0 retroperitoneal and neck margin was obtained in 79% (n = 1109) and 91.4% (n = 1278) of cases, respectively. 74% of patients (n = 1041) had >10 lymph nodes harvested, and LN positivity was 65% (n = 903). 76% (n = 960) of eligible patients (surgery first approach) received adjuvant therapy within 60 days of surgery. Multivariate analysis demonstrated margin status, identification of >10 lymph nodes, nodal status, tumor grade and delivery of adjuvant therapy within 60 days to be associated with improved overall survival., Conclusions: These analyses demonstrate that systematic monitoring of surgeons' perceived quality metrics provides critical prognostic information, which is associated with patient survival., (Copyright © 2016 International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The senior author (JCG) has described the vertical sculpted pillar breast reduction., Objectives: This manuscript aimed to compare this technique's safety profile to other established techniques via complication rate reporting. Few studies have utilized the BREAST-Q for long-term outcomes reporting in bilateral reduction mammaplasty patients. BREAST-Q outcome comparisons, between cosmetic and insurance-based breast reduction cohorts, have not been previously reported., Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on patients who underwent reduction mammaplasty using the vertical sculpted pillar technique. The BREAST-Q postoperative reduction mammaplasty module was administered. Complication rates and outcomes data were compared among patient cohorts distinguished by pedicle, scar pattern, and payor population. Statistically significant differences were set at P < .05., Results: Compared to the superior pedicle, use of the superomedial pedicle statistically increased rates of postoperative fat necrosis in this series. Complication rates did not differ among scar patterns, but use of a J, L-shaped, or short-T scar decreased the need for secondary/revisional surgery. Cosmetic and insurance-based outcomes did not differ in any domain of the postoperative reduction mammaplasty BREAST-Q module., Conclusions: Complications data for the vertical sculpted pillar reduction mammaplasty were comparable to published results for other techniques. Complication rates are unaffected by scar pattern. Superomedial pedicle selection and larger insurance-based reductions may predispose to statistically significant increases in fat necrosis compared to use of the superior pedicle. Payor source neither affects the majority of complication rates, nor BREAST-Q satisfaction and quality of life domains. This information can be used to improve management of expectations during the preoperative consultation process., Level of Evidence: 4 Therapeutic., (© 2016 The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Inc. Reprints and permission: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center is a multidisciplinary cancer center that delivers chemotherapy to 150 to 200 patients daily and adheres to the Oncology Nursing Society and ASCO guidelines for safe chemotherapy administration. An error that occurred at MGH in the summer of 2012 prompted a review of all safety events, the process of classification, and the monitoring of safety events. This article reviews safety monitoring in the oncology setting, details the oncology safety-event reporting program at MGH, summarizes all chemotherapy-related safety events that have occurred over the past 5 years, and concludes with summary recommendations and potential steps to standardize safety reporting and analysis in chemotherapy administration., (Copyright © 2016 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.)

Background: Significant intercenter variation exists in mortality and death-censored graft loss (DCGL) after transplantation. Failure to rescue (FTR, death after a major complication) is an emerging tool in quality improvement and may underlie this variation. This study is the first effort to investigate the relationship between FTR and outcomes in transplantation to assess its utility in care improvement., Methods: Using the Studies of Pediatric Liver Transplantation database, we identified 2330 children undergoing primary liver transplants at 21 centers. Centers were ranked by risk-adjusted mortality and sorted into tertiles. We then compared mortality, complications, and FTR across tertiles., Results: Overall mortality was 4.9%, ranging from 1.4% to 8.1% in the low and high mortality tertiles (P < 0.01). The low mortality tertile had significantly lower rates of complications (30.9% vs 38.5% and 40.4%, P < 0.01) as well as FTR (4.6% vs 9.9% and 14.3%, P < 0.01). A similar trend was seen in the DCGL analysis., Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that although centers with higher mortality and DCGL have more frequent major complications, they exhibit 3-fold the rate of FTR. Efforts to standardize perioperative care, and thus minimize FTR, will have value to pediatric liver transplantation recipients. This preliminary study indicates that FTR may provide a useful quality improvement tool for the field of transplantation and warrants further investigation.

Endoscopy has become an essential tool for effective management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The endoscopic management of inflammatory bowel disease ranges from diagnosing the disease, assessing the disease's extent, and activity to monitor the responses to various medical therapies with assessment of mucosal healing, serving as a predictor of disease course and response to therapy to finally treating the disease's complications. In general, the use of endoscopic scoring systems has been recommended for assessing the activity of the disease, and the prognosis and efficacy of medical treatment. However, many of currently available endoscopic scoring systems are often too complicated for their routine use in clinical practice, lacking adequate interobserver agreement and formal validation. In this review, we will discuss how we should be assessing and documenting endoscopies in inflammatory bowel disease patients and incorporating standard scoring systems into patients' care.

Between 2013 and 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the National Cardiovascular Data Registry publically reported risk-adjusted 30-day readmission rates after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as a pilot project. A key strength of this public reporting effort included risk adjustment with clinical rather than administrative data. Furthermore, because readmission after PCI is common, expensive, and preventable, this metric has substantial potential to improve quality and value in American cardiology care. Despite this, concerns about the metric exist. For example, few PCI readmissions are caused by procedural complications, limiting the extent to which improved procedural technique can reduce readmissions. Also, similar to other readmission measures, PCI readmission is associated with socioeconomic status and race. Accordingly, the metric may unfairly penalize hospitals that care for underserved patients. Perhaps in the context of these limitations, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has not yet included PCI readmission among metrics that determine Medicare financial penalties. Nevertheless, provider organizations may still wish to focus on this metric to improve value for cardiology patients. PCI readmission is associated with low-risk chest discomfort and patient anxiety. Therefore, patient education, improved triage mechanisms, and improved care coordination offer opportunities to minimize PCI readmissions. Because PCI readmission is common and costly, reducing PCI readmission offers provider organizations a compelling target to improve the quality of care, and also performance in contracts involve shared financial risk., (© 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.)

We describe our process for quality improvement (QI) for a 3-year accreditation cycle in echocardiography by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) for a large group practice. Echocardiographic laboratory accreditation by the IAC was introduced in 1996, which is not required but could impact reimbursement. To ensure high-quality patient care and community recognition as a facility committed to providing high-quality echocardiographic services, we applied for IAC accreditation in 2010. Currently, there is little published data regarding the IAC process to meet echocardiography standards. We describe our approach for developing a multicampus QI process for echocardiographic laboratory accreditation during the 3-year cycle of accreditation by the IAC. We developed a quarterly review assessing (1) the variability of the interpretations, (2) the quality of the examinations, (3) a correlation of echocardiographic studies with other imaging modalities, (4) the timely completion of reports, (5) procedure volume, (6) maintenance of Continuing Medical Education credits by faculty, and (7) meeting Appropriate Use Criteria. We developed and implemented a multicampus process for QI during the 3-year accreditation cycle by the IAC for Echocardiography. We documented both the process and the achievement of those metrics by the Echocardiography Laboratories at the Ochsner Medical Institutions. We found the QI process using IAC standards to be a continuous educational experience for our Echocardiography Laboratory physicians and staff. We offer our process as an example and guide for other echocardiography laboratories who wish to apply for such accreditation or reaccreditation., (© 2016, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Recent federal legislation establishes a merit-based incentive payment system for physicians, with a scorecard for each professional. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services evaluate quality of care with clinical performance measures and have used these metrics for public reporting and payment to dialysis facilities. Similar metrics may be used for the future merit-based incentive payment system. In nephrology, most clinical performance measures measure processes and intermediate outcomes of care. These metrics were developed from population studies of best practice and do not identify opportunities for individualizing care on the basis of patient characteristics and individual goals of treatment. The In-Center Hemodialysis (ICH) Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey examines patients' perception of care and has entered the arena to evaluate quality of care. A balanced scorecard of quality performance should include three elements: population-based best clinical practice, patient perceptions, and individually crafted patient goals of care., (Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Nephrology.)

A program to collect and analyze cardiac catheterization, electrophysiologic studies and cardiac operations in children was initiated in 1982. The purpose was to help centers compare their experience and outcomes with a group of centers to determine areas where their performance might improve. Cardiac centers became members of the Pediatric Cardiac Care Consortium and submitted demographic data and copies of procedure reports regularly to a central office. Data were extracted from the reports, coded by trained coders and entered into a computer database. Annually, the data were analyzed to compare the experience of an individual center with that of the entire group of centers. The annual data were adjusted for severity on the basis of eight factors selected after discussion with participants in the Consortium. Adjustment was by multivariate analysis. Reports were prepared for each center and distributed at an annual meeting. The data were used by centers to review operations where the mortality rate exceeded +2 standard deviations of the group. With discussion, the center staff often initiated changes to improve outcome. The outcome could then be monitored by the annual reports. Our data were also utilized in the creation of the Risk Adjustment for Surgery for Congenital Heart Disease (RACHS)-1 categories of disease severity. The mortality rates of our centers were comparable with the combined hospital discharge data from New York, Massachusetts, and California. From 1982 through 2007, the mortality rates of our centers dropped for each RACHS-1 category, falling to less than 1% for categories 1 and 2 for the last 5-year period. During the 25 years, we received data from 52 centers about 137 654 patients who underwent 117 756 cardiac operations., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: We tested a very brief version of the 23-item Therapeutic Factors Inventory-Short Form (TFI-S), and describe the use of Item Response Theory (IRT) for the purpose of developing short and reliable scales for group psychotherapy., Method: Group therapy patients (N = 578) completed the TFI-S on one occasion, and their data were used for the IRT analysis. Of those, 304 completed the TFI-S and other measures on more than one occasion to assess sensitivity to change, concurrent, and predictive validity of the brief version., Results: Results suggest that the new TFI-8 is a brief, reliable, and valid measure of a higher-order group therapeutic factor., Conclusion: The TFI-8 may be used for continuous process measurement and feedback to improve the functioning of therapy groups.

Background: admission to orthogeriatric units improves clinical outcomes for patients with hip fracture; however, little is known about the underlying mechanisms., Objective: to compare quality of in-hospital care, 30-day mortality, time to surgery (TTS) and length of hospital stay (LOS) among patients with hip fracture admitted to orthogeriatric and ordinary orthopaedic units, respectively., Design: population-based cohort study., Measures: using prospectively collected data from the Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry, we identified 11,461 patients aged ≥65 years admitted with a hip fracture between 1 March 2010 and 30 November 2011. The patients were divided into two groups: (i) those treated at an orthogeriatric unit, where the geriatrician is an integrated part of the multidisciplinary team, and (ii) those treated at an ordinary orthopaedic unit, where geriatric or medical consultant service are available on request. Outcome measures were the quality of care as reflected by six process performance measures, 30-day mortality, the TTS and the LOS. Data were analysed using log-binomial, linear and logistic regression controlling for potential confounders., Results: admittance to orthogeriatric units was associated with a higher chance for fulfilling five out of six process performance measures. Patients who were admitted to an orthogeriatric unit experienced a lower 30-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.69; 95% CI 0.54-0.88), whereas the LOS (adjusted relative time (aRT) of 1.18; 95% CI 0.92-1.52) and the TTS (aRT 1.06; 95% CI 0.89-1.26) were similar., Conclusions: admittance to an orthogeriatric unit was associated with improved quality of care and lower 30-day mortality among patients with hip fracture., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Aim: To examine health-care leaders' initial response to the implementation of orthopaedic quality based procedures (QBPs) in hospitals across Ontario, Canada., Background: In 2012, Ontario, Canada shifted 91 hospitals to a patient-based funding (PBF) approach. This approach funds health-care organisations based on the number of patients treated with select procedures known as QBPs., Methods: An exploratory descriptive design was employed to better understand health-care leaders' early implementation experiences. Seventy organisational leaders from 20 hospitals participated in six focus groups and four interviews to discuss their initial responses to the implementation of two QBPs (primary unilateral hip replacement and primary unilateral knee replacement). Qualitative data underwent content analysis., Findings: Three key major themes emerged; (1) responding to change, (2) leading the change and (3) managing the change. Within each of these themes, barriers and benefits were identified., Conclusion: Leaders are accepting of PBF and QBPs. However, challenges exist that require further exploration including the need for a strong infrastructure, accurate and timely clinical and financial data, and policies to prevent unintended consequences., Implications for Nursing Management: Implementing QBPs requires careful planning, adequate and appropriate resources, vertical and horizontal communication strategies, and policies to ensure that unintended consequences are avoided and positive outcomes achieved., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Cellulitis is a common infection with wide variation of clinical care., Objective: To implement an evidence-based care pathway and evaluate changes in process metrics, clinical outcomes, and cost for cellulitis., Design: A retrospective observational pre-/postintervention study was performed., Setting: University of Utah Health Care, a 500-bed academic medical center in Salt Lake City, Utah., Patients: All patients 18 years or older admitted to the emergency department observation unit or hospital with a primary diagnosis of cellulitis., Intervention: Development of an evidence-based care pathway for cellulitis embedded into the electronic medical record with education for all emergency and internal medicine physicians., Measurements: Primary outcome of broad-spectrum antibiotic use. Secondary outcomes of computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging orders, length of stay (LOS), 30-day readmission, and pharmacy, lab, imaging, and total facility costs., Results: A total of 677 visits occurred, including 370 visits where order sets were used. Among all patients, there was a 59% decrease in the odds of ordering broad-spectrum antibiotics (P < 0.001), 23% decrease in pharmacy cost (P = 0.002), and 13% decrease in total facility cost (P = 0.006). Compared to patients for whom order sets were not used, patients for whom order sets were used had a 75%, 13%, and 25% greater decrease in the odds of ordering broad-spectrum antibiotics (P < 0.001), clinical LOS (P = 0.041), and pharmacy costs (P = 0.074), respectively., Conclusion: The evidence-based care pathway for cellulitis improved care at an academic medical center by reducing broad-spectrum antibiotic use, pharmacy costs, and total facility costs without an adverse change in LOS or 30-day readmissions., (© 2015 Society of Hospital Medicine.)

Background: Payers and regulatory bodies are increasingly placing emphasis on cost containment, quality/outcome measurement and transparent reporting. Significant cost variation occurs in many operative procedures without a clear relationship with outcomes. Clear cost-benefit associations will be necessary to justify expenditures in the era of bundled payment structures., Methods: All laparoscopic cholecystectomies (LCCKs) performed within a single health system over a 1-year period were analysed for operating room (OR) supply cost. The cost was correlated with American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) outcomes., Results: From July 2013 to June 2014, 2178 LCCKs were performed by 55 surgeons at seven hospitals. The median case OR supply cost was $513 ± 156. There was variation in cost between individual surgeons and within an individual surgeon's practice. There was no correlation between cost and ACS NSQIP outcomes. The majority of cost variation was explained by selection of trocar and clip applier constructs., Conclusions: Significant case OR cost variation is present in LCCK across a single health system, and there is no clear association between increased cost and NSQIP outcomes. Placed within the larger context of overall cost, the opportunity exists for improved resource utilization with no obvious risk for a reduction in the quality of care., (© 2015 International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association.)

Background: COPD is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The prevalence rate of COPD in the general Saudi population is estimated to be 2.4% and 14.2% among smokers. Not much is known about current health care services for patients with COPD in Saudi Arabia. The objective of this study was to determine the current care services for patients with COPD provided by government hospitals in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Directors of the Department of Internal Medicine from all 22 general government hospitals that are under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Higher Education in this region were asked to participate. Data were collected using a questionnaire., Results: The study results indicated that there are limited hospital facilities for patients with COPD: no respiratory departments in any of the included hospitals, no spirometry in 77.3% of the hospitals, no intensive care units in 63.7% of the hospitals, and no pulmonary rehabilitation program in any of the hospitals. Among the included 22 hospitals, 24 respiratory physicians, 29 respiratory therapists, and three physiotherapists were involved in COPD care., Conclusion: In conclusion, current care services provided by government hospitals in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia for patients with COPD do not meet international recommendations for COPD management. Increased awareness, knowledge, and implementation of COPD guidelines by health care providers will most probably improve COPD management in Saudi Arabia. In addition, the government could improve dissemination of information about COPD management through national programs and by offering specific education regarding respiratory diseases.

Objective: This study sought to identify the temporal trends of presenting diagnoses and vascular procedures performed for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) along with the rates of procedures and in-hospital outcomes by payer status., Background: Previous studies suggest that patients with Medicare, Medicaid, or lack of insurance receive poorer quality of care leading to worse outcomes., Methods: We analyzed 196,461,055 discharge records to identify all hospitalized patients with PAD records (n=1,687,724) from January 2007 through December 2011 in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database., Results: The annual frequency of vascular procedures remained unchanged during the study period. Patients with Medicaid were more likely to present with gangrenes, whereas patients with Medicare were more likely to present with ulcers. After adjustment, patients with Medicare and Medicaid were more likely to undergo amputations when compared with private insurance/HMO (OR=1.13, 95% CI=1.10-1.16 and OR=1.24, 95% CI=1.20-1.29, respectively). Patients with both Medicare and Medicaid were less likely to undergo bypass surgery (OR=0.82, 95% CI=0.81-0.84 and OR=0.87, 95% CI=0.85-0.90, respectively), but more likely to undergo endovascular procedures (OR=1.18, 95% CI=1.17-1.20 and OR=1.03, 95% CI=1.01-1.06, respectively). Medicare and Medicaid status versus private insurance/HMO was associated with worse adjusted odds of in-hospital outcomes, including mortality after amputations, endovascular procedures, and bypass surgeries., Conclusions: In this analysis, patients with Medicare and Medicaid had more comorbid conditions at baseline when compared with private insurance/HMO cohorts, were more likely to present with advanced stages of PAD, undergo amputations, and develop in-hospital complications. These data unveil a critical gap and an opportunity for quality improvement in the elderly and those with poor socioeconomic status., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: In 2009, national legislation promoted wide-spread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) across US hospitals; however, the association of EHR use with quality of care and outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains unclear., Methods and Results: Data on EHR use were collected from the American Hospital Association Annual Surveys (2007-2010) and data on AMI care and outcomes from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry Acute Coronary Treatment and Interventions Outcomes Network Registry-Get With The Guidelines. Comparisons were made between patients treated at hospitals with fully implemented EHR (n=43 527), partially implemented EHR (n=72 029), and no EHR (n=9270). Overall EHR use increased from 82.1% (183/223) hospitals in 2007 to 99.3% (275/277) hospitals in 2010. Patients treated at hospitals with fully implemented EHRs had fewer heparin overdosing errors (45.7% versus 72.8%; P<0.01) and a higher likelihood of guideline-recommended care (adjusted odds ratio, 1.40 [confidence interval, 1.07-1.84]) compared with patients treated at hospitals with no EHR. In non-ST-segment-elevation AMI, fully implemented EHR use was associated with lower risk of major bleeding (adjusted odds ratio, 0.78 [confidence interval, 0.67-0.91]) and mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 0.82 [confidence interval, 0.69-0.97]) compared with no EHR. In ST-segment-elevation MI, outcomes did not significantly differ by EHR status., Conclusions: EHR use has risen to high levels among hospitals in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry. EHR use was associated with less frequent heparin overdosing and modestly greater adherence to acute MI guideline-recommended therapies. In non-ST-segment-elevation MI, slightly lower adjusted risk of major bleeding and mortality were seen in hospitals implemented with full EHRs; however, in ST-segment-elevation MI, differences in outcomes were not seen., (© 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Objectives: The study objectives were to (1) compare the safety of high-risk surgical aortic valve replacement in the Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valves (PARTNER) I trial with Society of Thoracic Surgeons national benchmarks; (2) reference intermediate-term survival to that of the US population; and (3) identify subsets of patients for whom aortic valve replacement may be futile, with no survival benefit compared with therapy without aortic valve replacement., Methods: From May 2007 to October 2009, 699 patients with high surgical risk, aged 84 ± 6.3 years, were randomized in PARTNER-IA; 313 patients underwent surgical aortic valve replacement. Median follow-up was 2.8 years. Survival for therapy without aortic valve replacement used 181 PARTNER-IB patients., Results: Operative mortality was 10.5% (expected 9.3%), stroke 2.6% (expected 3.5%), renal failure 5.8% (expected 12%), sternal wound infection 0.64% (expected 0.33%), and prolonged length of stay 26% (expected 18%). However, calibration of observed events in this relatively small sample was poor. Survival at 1, 2, 3, and 4 years was 75%, 68%, 57%, and 44%, respectively, lower than 90%, 81%, 73%, and 65%, respectively, in the US population, but higher than 53%, 32%, 21%, and 14%, respectively, in patients without aortic valve replacement. Risk factors for death included smaller body mass index, lower albumin, history of cancer, and prosthesis-patient mismatch. Within this high-risk aortic valve replacement group, only the 8% of patients with the poorest risk profiles had estimated 1-year survival less than that of similar patients treated without aortic valve replacement., Conclusions: PARTNER selection criteria for surgical aortic valve replacement, with a few caveats, may be more appropriate, realistic indications for surgery than those of the past, reflecting contemporary surgical management of severe aortic stenosis in high-risk patients at experienced sites., (Copyright © 2015 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

An outcome assessment, the patient assessment used in an endpoint, is the measuring instrument that provides a rating or score (categorical or continuous) that is intended to represent some aspect of the patient's health status. Outcome assessments are used to define efficacy endpoints when developing a therapy for a disease or condition. Most efficacy endpoints are based on specified clinical assessments of patients. When clinical assessments are used as clinical trial outcomes, they are called clinical outcome assessments (COAs). COAs include any assessment that may be influenced by human choices, judgment, or motivation. COAs must be well-defined and possess adequate measurement properties to demonstrate (directly or indirectly) the benefits of a treatment. In contrast, a biomarker assessment is one that is subject to little, if any, patient motivational or rater judgmental influence. This is the first of two reports by the ISPOR Clinical Outcomes Assessment - Emerging Good Practices for Outcomes Research Task Force. This report provides foundational definitions important for an understanding of COA measurement principles. The foundation provided in this report includes what it means to demonstrate a beneficial effect, how assessments of patients relate to the objective of showing a treatment's benefit, and how these assessments are used in clinical trial endpoints. In addition, this report describes intrinsic attributes of patient assessments and clinical trial factors that can affect the properties of the measurements. These factors should be considered when developing or refining assessments. These considerations will aid investigators designing trials in their choice of using an existing assessment or developing a new outcome assessment. Although the focus of this report is on the development of a new COA to define endpoints in a clinical trial, these principles may be applied more generally. A critical element in appraising or developing a COA is to describe the treatment's intended benefit as an effect on a clearly identified aspect of how a patient feels or functions. This aspect must have importance to the patient and be part of the patient's typical life. This meaningful health aspect can be measured directly or measured indirectly when it is impractical to evaluate it directly or when it is difficult to measure. For indirect measurement, a concept of interest (COI) can be identified. The COI must be related to how a patient feels or functions. Procedures are then developed to measure the COI. The relationship of these measurements with how a patient feels or functions in the intended setting and manner of use of the COA (the context of use) could then be defined. A COA has identifiable attributes or characteristics that affect the measurement properties of the COA when used in endpoints. One of these features is whether judgment can influence the measurement, and if so, whose judgment. This attribute defines four categories of COAs: patient reported outcomes, clinician reported outcomes, observer reported outcomes, and performance outcomes. A full description as well as explanation of other important COA features is included in this report. The information in this report should aid in the development, refinement, and standardization of COAs, and, ultimately, improve their measurement properties., (Copyright © 2015 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although there is increasing knowledge regarding the association between generational status on diabetes risk, less is known about the effects of generational status on diabetes management among Mexicans., Objectives: We test whether generational status is associated with variations in diabetes processes of care among Mexican adults to optimize disease management., Research Design: Weighted multivariate logistic regression was used to test the association between generational status on the quality of diabetes care processes and health care utilization adjusting for socioeconomic/demographic factors. Four generational cohorts were constructed: first generation immigrant; second generation; generation 2.5; and third generation., Subjects: We conducted analyses of 3072 self-identified foreign and US-born Mexican adults with diabetes who participated in the 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011/2012 California Health Interview Surveys., Measures: Three diabetes process outcomes were measured, including receipt of at least 1 eye examination, 1 foot examination, or 1 hemoglobin A1C test (HbA1c) in the past year. One secondary prevention outcome was measured, receipt of an annual influenza vaccine. Finally, we measured whether an individual with diabetes received an annual doctor visit., Results: A gradient of progressively decreased odds of receiving an eye examination and HbA1c test were observed and significant for most of the higher generations. Higher generations also had significantly decreased odds of receiving an annual flu vaccine., Conclusions: Data collection on generational granularity and a specific focus on mixed acculturation status can vitally inform health system improvements in diabetes care among Mexicans in the United States.

Background: Both product innovation (e.g., more sensitive tests) and process innovation (e.g., a point-of-care [POC] testing programme) could improve patient outcomes., Objective: To study the respective contributions of product and process innovation in improving patient outcomes., Design: We implemented a POC programme using Xpert(®) MTB/RIF in an out-patient clinic of a tertiary care hospital in India. We measured the impact of process innovation by comparing time to diagnosis with routine testing vs. POC testing. We measured the impact of product innovation by comparing accuracy and time to diagnosis using smear microscopy vs. POC Xpert., Results: We enrolled 1012 patients over a 15-month period. Xpert had high accuracy, but the incremental value of one Xpert over two smears was only 6% (95%CI 3-12). Implementing Xpert as a routine laboratory test did not reduce the time to diagnosis compared to smear-based diagnosis. In contrast, the POC programme reduced the time to diagnosis by 5.5 days (95%CI 4.3-6.7), but required dedicated staff and substantial adaptation of clinic workflow., Conclusion: Process innovation by way of a POC Xpert programme had a greater impact on time to diagnosis than the product per se, and can yield important improvements in patient care that are complementary to those achieved by introducing innovative technologies.

Aim: To compare adherence to Swedish guidelines for diabetes care between elderly people living at home with or without home health care, and residents of nursing homes., Methods: Medical records of 277 elderly people aged 80 and older, with known diabetes in a Swedish municipality, were monitored using quality indicators to evaluate processes and outcomes., Results: Monitoring, in accordance to diabetes guidelines, of HbA1c, lipids, blood pressure and foot examinations was lower among residents of nursing homes (p < 0.001). The HbA1c value of ≤ 6.9% (52 mmol/mol) was achieved for 48% of those in nursing homes with medication, 35% and 39%, for those living at home with or without home health care, respectively. Insulin was used to a greater extent in nursing homes. Metformin was frequently used, even at reduced e-GFR. Systolic BP ≤ 140 mmHg was achieved by 71% vs 80% and 85% of those living at home, those with home health care and residents of nursing homes in the respective groups., Conclusions: Adherence to guidelines was deficient particularly in nursing homes. Clearer guidelines and interventions aimed at the improvement of quality in diabetes care in elderly people and sustainable coordination between health care providers is needed., (Copyright © 2015 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC) was developed as a self-administered questionnaire for parents to report on behaviours of healthcare providers. The original (MPOC-56) and the 20-item version (MPOC-20) have established reliability and validity, but the instrument must be rechecked whenever translated and applied in a different social and cultural setting. The aim of our study was to evaluate validity, internal consistency reliability and 1-year stability of the Slovene translation of MPOC-20., Methods: Parents of children who were admitted as inpatients or outpatients of several hospitals and health centres were invited to participate. MPOC-20, the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) and a separate question on stress and worries were sent by mail. Descriptive item analysis was performed. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and corrected item-total correlations were used to assess internal consistency for each of the five MPOC-20 subscales. To evaluate validity, we correlated the MPOC-20 subscale scores with CSQ-8 scores and a stress alleviation rating. Assessment with MPOC-20 was performed again 1 year later and we used paired-samples tests to compare mean scores of both assessments., Results: Parents of 235 children participated in the study (80% mothers). They reported high general satisfaction as 15 out of the 20 MPOC-20 mean item scores were above 5 (out of 7) and none was below 4. The mean MPOC-20 mean subscale scores were 5.83 (SD 1.10) for Coordinated and Comprehensive Care for Child and Family, 5.62 (SD 1.12) for Respectful and Supportive Care, 5.45 (SD 1.23) for Enabling and Partnership, 5.33 (SD 1.61) for Providing Specific Information about the Child and 4.59 (SD 1.65) for Providing General Information. The ranking order of the mean rating of the MPOC-20 subscales was similar to previous studies. The parents reported that they felt their stress and worries had been notably or slightly reduced through the process of care in the last year in more than two-thirds of the cases. All the MPOC-20 subscales (as well as the CSQ-8 scale) showed high internal consistency: the corrected item-total correlations were far above the lower limit for item's acceptance of 0.3. After 1 year (66 returned questionnaires) none of the mean subscale scores changed statistically significantly (P-values 0.159-0.910)., Conclusion: The Slovene translation of the MPOC-20 can be considered as a valid and reliable instrument that shows good stability over a period of 1 year, and as such it can be adopted in clinical practice., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aims: We investigated whether a continuous quality improvement programme in primary care for people with type 2 diabetes led to better care and outcomes in hard to reach groups., Methods: GEDAPS was implemented in Catalonia, Spain between 1993 (n=2239) and 2002 (n=5819). Process (e.g., education), intermediate (e.g., HbA1c) and final (e.g. retinopathy) outcomes were compared between urban and rural areas, and between younger (≤74 years) and older (≥75 years) individuals as examples of harder to reach groups., Results: In 1993, people in urban areas had significantly better or similar outcomes to rural areas; by 2002, most outcomes improved in urban and rural areas. For all outcomes, the improvement in rural areas was similar to or better than urban areas. Similarly, for most outcomes, the younger and older group improved, with the older group experiencing similar or better improvements than the younger group for all indicators, except coronary artery disease., Conclusions: A quality improvement programme was associated with equivalent or better outcomes in hard to reach groups, regardless of whether they were specifically targeted. The ability to apply one programme to all populations could save time and money., (Copyright © 2014 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The preoperative workup is a necessary and crucial evaluation for patients undergoing major vascular surgery. It is important to assess for likelihood of perioperative adverse events and then implement evidence-based measures to reduce identified medical comorbidities and improve the quality of patient care and outcomes after surgery. Although there are numerous opportunities to implement evidence-based processes during the preoperative period, there are many barriers that can prevent vascular surgeons from achieving these goals. This review will discuss how an implementation science-based approach can be used by members of the vascular surgery team to identify appropriate preoperative evidence-based interventions for diverse practice settings and to overcome barriers and allow integration of these interventions as part of the routine preoperative workup., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Quality care of vascular surgery patients extends to the postoperative coordination of care and long-term surveillance, including the medical management of vascular disease. This is particularly highlighted in contemporary modern vascular surgery practice, as tremendous focus is being placed on postoperative adverse events and hospital readmissions. The purpose of this review is to provide a contemporary perspective of transitions of care at discharge and long-term surveillance recommendations after vascular surgery interventions., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Increasingly, there is a wealth of data available to aid patients in determining where to seek care for quality vascular disease. At times, these data may be difficult for the public to comprehend. Hospital rating organizations, frequently motivated by profit, are marketing directly to consumers with increasingly granular data. In this report, we examine the most popular ratings for hospitals that perform vascular surgical procedures and describe the methodology of each rating system, as well as the validity of the data underscoring these ratings. Understanding how hospital quality is being evaluated and what outcomes measures are being collated allows vascular surgeons to take appropriate actions to ensure the validity of their own hospital ratings., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The intensity and quality of medical care provided to patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) varies by geography, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Although vascular surgery societal performance goals have been set forth, no consensus criteria exist by which to benchmark the quality of health care delivery specifically for CLI patients. We review existing broad performance measures for patients with peripheral vascular disease and suggest those with optimal care delivery suited for CLI (eg, ankle-brachial index, optimal medical therapy, smoking cessation, and duplex surveillance). Further, we propose that diabetic management, degree of wound healing, and quality of life measures be considered as additional quality measures for CLI management. In combination, these criteria provide a simple yet powerful metric that might allow for standardization of CLI care and comparisons across institutions, with the potential for diminishing the disparity that exists in current treatment practices., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)