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Background: We sought to examine the association between primary care physician (PCP) follow-up on readmission following gastrointestinal (GI) cancer surgery., Methods: Patients who underwent surgery for GI cancer were identified using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Multivariable regression was performed to examine the association between early PCP follow-up and hospital readmission., Results: Among 60 957 patients who underwent GI cancer surgery, 19 661 (32.7%) visited a PCP within 30-days after discharge. Of note, patients who visited PCP were less likely to be readmitted within 90 days (PCP visit: 17.4% vs. no PCP visit: 28.2%; p < 0.001). Median postsurgical expenditures were lower among patients who visited a PCP (PCP visit: $4116 [IQR: $670-$13 860] vs. no PCP visit: $6700 [IQR: $870-$21 301]; p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, PCP follow-up was associated with lower odds of 90-day readmission (OR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.50-0.55) (both p < 0.001). Moreover, patients who followed up with a PCP had lower risk of death at 90-days (HR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.40-0.51; p < 0.001)., Conclusion: PCP follow-up was associated with a reduced risk of readmission and mortality following GI cancer surgery. Care coordination across in-hospital and community-based health platforms is critical to achieve optimal outcomes for patients., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Introduction: Innovation in internet connectivity and the Covid 19 pandemic have caused a dramatic change in the management of patients in the medical field, boosting the use of telemedicine. A comparison of clinical outcomes and satisfaction between conventional face-to-face and telemedicine follow-up in general surgery, an economic evaluation is mandatory. The aim of the present study was to compare the differences in economic costs between these two outpatient approaches in a designed randomized controlled trial (RCT)., Methods: A RCT was conducted enrolling 200 patients to compare conventional in-person vs. digital health follow-up using telemedicine in the outpatient clinics in patients of General Surgery Department after their planned discharge. After a demonstration that no differences were found in clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction, we analyzed the medical costs, including staff wages, initial investment, patent's transportation and impact on social costs., Results: After an initial investment of 7527.53€, the costs for the Medical institution of in-person conventional follow-up were higher (8180.4€) than those using telemedicine (4630.06€). In relation to social costs, loss of productivity was also increased in the conventional follow-up., Conclusion: The use of digital Health telemedicine is a cost-effective approach compared to conventional face-to-face follow-up in patients of General Surgery after hospital discharge., (Copyright © 2024 AEC. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: One third of South African children live in households with no employed adult. Telemedicine may save patients and the strained public health sector significant resources. We aimed to determine the safety and benefits of telephonic post-operative follow-up of patients who presented for day case surgery at CHBAH from 1 January-31 March 2023., Methods: A prospective descriptive study on patients undergoing day case surgery was performed. Healthy patients greater than 6 years old whose caregivers spoke English and had access to a smartphone were included. Data on the total number of telephonic follow-ups, operative complications, need for in person review, satisfaction with telephonic follow-up, and savings in transport costs and time by avoiding in person follow-up were collected., Results: A total of 38 telephonic follow-ups were performed. Six (15.8%) patients presented for in person review due to the detection of major complications (2, 5.3%), minor complications (2, 5.3%), and parental concern (2, 5.3%) during telephonic follow-up. All caregivers reported being satisfied with telephonic follow-up. Total savings in transport costs were R4452 (US $ 248.45). The majority of patients (29, 76.3%) had at least one unemployed parent. Seven caregivers (18.4%) avoided taking paid leave and 2 (5.3%) unpaid leave from work due to follow-up being performed telephonically., Conclusions: Innovation is necessary in order to expand access to safe, affordable, and timely care. In this selected group, telephonic follow-up was a safe, acceptable, and cost-effective intervention. The expansion of such a program has the potential for significant savings for patients and the healthcare system., (© 2024 The Authors. World Journal of Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Surgery/Société Internationale de Chirurgie (ISS/SIC).)

Importance: Medicare Advantage health plans covered 37% of beneficiaries in 2018, and coverage increased to 48% in 2022. Whether Medicare Advantage plans provide similar care for patients presenting with specific clinical conditions is unknown., Objective: To compare 30-day mortality and treatment for Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction (MI) from 2009 to 2018., Design, Setting, and Participants: Retrospective cohort study that included 557 309 participants with ST-segment elevation [acute] MI (STEMI) and 1 670 193 with non-ST-segment elevation [acute] MI (NSTEMI) presenting to US hospitals from 2009-2018 (date of final follow up, December 31, 2019)., Exposures: Enrollment in Medicare Advantage vs traditional Medicare., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was adjusted 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included age- and sex-adjusted rates of procedure use (catheterization, revascularization), postdischarge medication prescriptions and adherence, and measures of health system performance (intensive care unit [ICU] admission and 30-day readmissions)., Results: The study included a total of 2 227 502 participants, and the mean age in 2018 ranged from 76.9 years (Medicare Advantage STEMI) to 79.3 years (traditional Medicare NSTEMI), with similar proportions of female patients in Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare (41.4% vs 41.9% for STEMI in 2018). Enrollment in Medicare Advantage vs traditional Medicare was associated with significantly lower adjusted 30-day mortality rates in 2009 (19.1% vs 20.6% for STEMI; difference, -1.5 percentage points [95% CI, -2.2 to -0.7] and 12.0% vs 12.5% for NSTEMI; difference, -0.5 percentage points [95% CI, -0.9% to -0.1%]). By 2018, mortality had declined in all groups, and there were no longer statically significant differences between Medicare Advantage (17.7%) and traditional Medicare (17.8%) for STEMI (difference, 0.0 percentage points [95% CI, -0.7 to 0.6]) or between Medicare Advantage (10.9%) and traditional Medicare (11.1%) for NSTEMI (difference, -0.2 percentage points [95% CI, -0.4 to 0.1]). By 2018, there was no statistically significant difference in standardized 90-day revascularization rates between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare. Rates of guideline-recommended medication prescriptions were significantly higher in Medicare Advantage (91.7%) vs traditional Medicare patients (89.0%) who received a statin prescription (difference, 2.7 percentage points [95% CI, 1.2 to 4.2] for 2018 STEMI). Medicare Advantage patients were significantly less likely to be admitted to an ICU than traditional Medicare patients (for 2018 STEMI, 50.3% vs 51.2%; difference, -0.9 percentage points [95% CI, -1.8 to 0.0]) and significantly more likely to be discharged to home rather than to a postacute facility (for 2018 STEMI, 71.5% vs 70.2%; difference, 1.3 percentage points [95% CI, 0.5 to 2.1]). Adjusted 30-day readmission rates were consistently lower in Medicare Advantage than in traditional Medicare (for 2009 STEMI, 13.8% vs 15.2%; difference, -1.3 percentage points [95% CI, -2.0 to -0.6]; and for 2018 STEMI, 11.2% vs 11.9%; difference, 0.6 percentage points [95% CI, -1.5 to 0.0])., Conclusions and Relevance: Among Medicare beneficiaries with acute MI, enrollment in Medicare Advantage, compared with traditional Medicare, was significantly associated with modestly lower rates of 30-day mortality in 2009, and the difference was no longer statistically significant by 2018. These findings, considered with other outcomes, may provide insight into differences in treatment and outcomes by Medicare insurance type.

Background: One of the most significant challenges of implementing a multi-provider bundled payment contract is to determine an appropriate, casemix-adjusted total bundle price. The most frequently used approach is to leverage historic care utilization based on claims data. However, those claims data may not accurately reflect appropriate care (e.g. due to supplier induced demand and moral hazard effects). This study aims to examine variation in claims-based costs of post-discharge primary care physical therapy (PT) utilization after total knee and hip arthroplasties (TKA/THA) for osteoarthritis patients., Methods: This retrospective cohort study used multilevel linear regression analyses to predict the factors that explain the variation in the utilization of post-discharge PT after TKA or THA for osteoarthritis patients, based on the historic (2015-2018) claims data of a large Dutch health insurer. The factors were structured as predisposing, enabling or need factors according to the behavioral model of Andersen., Results: The 15,309 TKA and 14,325 THA patients included in this study received an average of 20.7 (SD 11.3) and 16.7 (SD 10.1) post-discharge PT sessions, respectively. Results showed that the enabling factor 'presence of supplementary insurance' was the strongest predictor for post-discharge PT utilization in both groups (TKA: β = 7.46, SE = 0.498, p-value< 0.001; THA: β = 5.72, SE = 0.515, p-value< 0.001). There were also some statistically significant predisposing and need factors, but their effects were smaller., Conclusions: This study shows that if enabling factors (such as supplementary insurance coverage or co-payments) are not taken into account in risk-adjustment of the bundle price, they may cause historic claims-based pricing methods to over- or underestimate appropriate post-discharge primary care PT use, which would result in a bundle price that is either too high or too low. Not adjusting bundle prices for all relevant casemix factors is a risk because it can hamper the successful implementation of bundled payment contracts and the desired changes in care delivery it aims to support., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: The incidence of keratinocyte carcinomas is high and rapidly growing. Approximately 80% of keratinocyte carcinomas consist of basal cell carcinomas (BCC) with 50% of these being considered as low-risk tumors. Nevertheless, 83% of the low-risk BCC patients were found to receive more follow-up care than recommended according to the Dutch BCC guideline, which is one visit post-treatment for this group. More efficient management could reduce unnecessary follow-up care and related costs., Objectives: To study the efficacy, cost-utility, and budget impact of a personalized discharge letter for low-risk BCC patients compared with usual care (no personalized letter)., Methods: In a multi-center intervention study, a personalized discharge letter in addition to usual care was compared to usual care in first-time BCC patients. Model-based cost-utility and budget impact analyses were conducted, using individual patient data gathered via surveys. The outcome measures were number of follow-up visits, costs and quality adjusted life years (QALY) per patient., Results: A total of 473 first-time BCC patients were recruited. The personalized discharge letter decreased the number of follow-up visits by 14.8% in the first year. The incremental costs after five years were -€24.45 per patient. The QALYs were 4.12 after five years and very similar in both groups. The national budget impact was -€2,7 million after five years., Conclusions: The distribution of a personalized discharge letter decreases the number of unnecessary follow-up visits and implementing the intervention in a large eligible population would results in substantial cost savings, contributing to restraining the growing BCC costs., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: More than 50% of postoperative wound complications occur after discharge. They are the most common postoperative complication and the most common reason for readmission after a surgical procedure. Little is known about the long-term costs of postdischarge wound complications after surgery., Objective: We sought to understand the differences in costs and characteristics of wound complications identified after hospital discharge for patients undergoing colorectal surgery in comparison with in-hospital complications., Design: This is an observational cohort study using Veterans Health Administration Surgical Quality Improvement Program data., Setting: This study was conducted at a Veterans Affairs medical center., Setting: Patients undergoing colorectal resection between October 1, 2007 and September 30, 2014., Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcomes measured were adjusted costs of care at discharge, 30 days, and 90 days after surgery., Results: Of 20,146 procedures, 11.9% had a wound complication within 30 days of surgery (49.2% index-hospital, 50.8% postdischarge). In comparison with patients with index-hospital complications, patients with postdischarge complications had fewer superficial infections (65.0% vs 72.2%, p < 0.01), more organ/space surgical site infections (14.3% vs 10.1%, p < 0.01), and higher rates of diabetes (29.1% vs 25.0%, p = 0.02), and they were to have had a laparoscopic approach for their surgery (24.7% vs 18.2%, p < 0.01). The average cost including surgery at 30 days was $37,315 (SD = $29,319). Compared with index-hospital wound complications, postdischarge wound complications were $9500 (22%, p < 0.001) less expensive at 30 days and $9736 (15%, p < 0.001) less expensive at 90 days. Patients with an index-hospital wound complication were 40% less likely to require readmission at 30 days, but their readmissions were $12,518 more expensive than readmissions among patients with a newly identified postdischarge wound complication (p < 0.001)., Limitations: This study was limited to patient characteristics and costs accrued only within the Veterans Affairs system., Conclusions: Patients with postdischarge wound complications have lower 30- and 90-day postoperative costs than those with wound complications identified during their index hospitalization and almost half were managed as an outpatient., Tiempo Y Costo De Las Complicaciones La Herida Despus De La Reseccin Colorrectal: ANTECEDENTES:Más del 50% de complicaciones postoperatorias de la herida ocurren después del alta. Es la complicación postoperatoria más común y el motivo más frecuente de reingreso después del procedimiento quirúrgico. Poco se sabe sobre los costos a largo plazo de las complicaciones de la herida después del alta quirúrgica.OBJETIVO:Intentar en comprender las diferencias en los costos y las características de las complicaciones de la herida, identificadas después del alta hospitalaria, en pacientes sometidos a cirugía colorrectal, en comparación con las complicaciones intrahospitalarias.DISEÑO:Estudio de cohorte observacional utilizando datos del Programa de Mejora de la Calidad Quirúrgica de la Administración de Salud de Veteranos.ENTORNO CLÍNICO:Administración de Veteranos.PACIENTES:Pacientes sometidos a resección colorrectal entre el 1/10/2007 y el 30/9/2014.PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE VALORACIÓN:Costos de atención ajustados al alta, 30 días y 90 días después de la cirugía.RESULTADOS:De 20146 procedimientos, el 11,9% tuvo una complicación de la herida dentro de los 30 días de la cirugía. (49,2% índice hospitalario, 50,8% después del alta). En comparación con los pacientes, del índice de complicaciones hospitalarias, los pacientes con complicaciones posteriores al alta, tuvieron menos infecciones superficiales (65,0% frente a 72,2%, p <0,01), más infecciones de órganos/espacios quirúrgicos (14,3% frente a 10,1%, p <0,01), tasas más altas de diabetes (29,1% versus 25,0%, p = 0,02), y deberían de haber tenido un abordaje laparoscópico para su cirugía (24,7% versus 18,2%, p <0,01). El costo promedio, incluida la cirugía a los 30 días, fue de $ 37,315 (desviación estándar = $ 29,319). En comparación con el índice de complicaciones de las herida hospitalaria, las complicaciones de la herida después del alta fueron $ 9,500 (22%, p <0,001) menor costo a los 30 días y $ 9,736 (15%, p<0,001) y menor costo a los 90 días. Los pacientes con índice de complicación de la herida hospitalaria, tenían un 40% menos de probabilidades de requerir reingreso a los 30 días, pero sus reingresos eran $ 12,518 más costosos que los reingresos entre los pacientes presentando complicación de la herida recién identificada después del alta (p <0,001).LIMITACIONES:Limitado a las características del paciente y los costos acumulados solo dentro del sistema VA.CONCLUSIONES:Pacientes con complicaciones de la herida post alta, tienen menores costos postoperatorios a los 30 y 90 días, que aquellos con complicaciones de la herida identificadas durante su índice de hospitalización y aproximadamente la mitad fueron tratados de forma ambulatoria., (Copyright © The ASCRS 2021.)

Background: Although mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke from a large vessel occlusion is now the standard of care, little is known about cost variations in stroke patients following thrombectomy and factors that influence these variations., Methods: We evaluated claims data for 2016 to 2018 for thrombectomy-performing hospitals within Michigan through a registry that includes detailed episode payment information for both Medicare and privately insured patients. We aimed to analyze price-standardized and risk-adjusted 90-day episode payments in patients who underwent thrombectomy. Hospitals were grouped into three payment terciles for comparison. Statistical analysis was carried out using unpaired t -test, Chi-square, and ANOVA tests., Results: 1076 thrombectomy cases treated at 16 centers were analyzed. The average 90-day episode payment by hospital ranged from $53 046 to $81,767, with a mean of $65 357. A $20 467 difference (35.1%) existed between the high and low payment hospital terciles (P<0.0001), highlighting a significant payment variation across hospital terciles. The primary drivers of payment variation were related to post-discharge care which accounted for 38% of the payment variation (P=0.0058, inter-tercile range $11,977-$19,703) and readmissions accounting for 26% (P=0.016, inter-tercile range $3,315-$7,992). This was followed by professional payments representing 20% of the variation (P<0.0001, inter-tercile range $7525-$9,922), while index hospitalization payment was responsible for only 16% of the 90-day episode payment variation (P=0.10, inter-tercile range $35,432-$41,099)., Conclusions: There is a wide variation in 90-day episode payments for patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy across centers. The main drivers of payment variation are related to differences in post-discharge care and readmissions., Competing Interests: Competing interests: MLY and JDS receive salary support from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for their work with the Michigan Value Collaborative., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Importance: Several statistical models for predicting suicide risk have been developed, but how accurate such models must be to warrant implementation in clinical practice is not known., Objective: To identify threshold values of sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value that a suicide risk prediction method must attain to cost-effectively target a suicide risk reduction intervention to high-risk individuals., Design, Setting, and Participants: This economic evaluation incorporated published data on suicide epidemiology, the health care and societal costs of suicide, and the costs and efficacy of suicide risk reduction interventions into a novel decision analytic model. The model projected suicide-related health economic outcomes over a lifetime horizon among a population of US adults with a primary care physician. Data analysis was performed from September 19, 2019, to July 5, 2020., Interventions: Two possible interventions were delivered to individuals at high predicted risk: active contact and follow-up (ACF; relative risk of suicide attempt, 0.83; annual health care cost, $96) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT; relative risk of suicide attempt, 0.47; annual health care cost, $1088)., Main Outcomes and Measures: Fatal and nonfatal suicide attempts, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), health care sector costs and societal costs (in 2016 US dollars), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) (with ICERs ≤$150 000 per QALY designated cost-effective)., Results: With a specificity of 95% and a sensitivity of 25%, primary care-based suicide risk prediction could reduce suicide death rates by 0.5 per 100 000 person-years (if used to target ACF) or 1.6 per 100 000 person-years (if used to target CBT) from a baseline of 15.3 per 100 000 person-years. To be cost-effective from a health care sector perspective at a specificity of 95%, a risk prediction method would need to have a sensitivity of 17.0% or greater (95% CI, 7.4%-37.3%) if used to target ACF and 35.7% or greater (95% CI, 23.1%-60.3%) if used to target CBT. To achieve cost-effectiveness, ACF required positive predictive values of 0.8% for predicting suicide attempt and 0.07% for predicting suicide death; CBT required values of 1.7% for suicide attempt and 0.2% for suicide death., Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that with sufficient accuracy, statistical suicide risk prediction models can provide good health economic value in the US. Several existing suicide risk prediction models exceed the accuracy thresholds identified in this analysis and thus may warrant pilot implementation in US health care systems.

Introduction: In 2016, under its new National Adherence Guidelines (AGL), South Africa formalized an existing model of fast-track HIV treatment initiation counselling (FTIC). Rollout of the AGL included an evaluation study at 24 clinics, with staggered AGL implementation. Using routinely collected data extracted as part of the evaluation study, we estimated and compared the costs of HIV care and treatment from the provider's perspective at the 12 clinics implementing the new, formalized model (AGL-FTIC) to costs at the 12 clinics continuing to implement some earlier, less formalized, model that likely varied across clinics (denoted here as early-FTIC)., Methods: This was a cost-outcome analysis using standard methods and a composite outcome defined as initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) within 30 days of treatment eligibility and retained in care at 9 months. Using patient-level, bottom-up resource-utilization data and local unit costs, we estimated patient-level costs of care and treatment in 2017 U.S. dollars over the 9-month evaluation follow-up period for the two models of care. Resource use and costs, disaggregated by antiretroviral medications, laboratory tests, and clinic visits, are reported by model of care and stratified by the composite outcome., Results: A total of 350/343 patients in the early-FTIC/AGL-FTIC models of care are included in this analysis. Mean/median costs were similar for both models of care ($135/$153 for early-FTIC, $130/$151 for AGL-FTIC). For the subset achieving the composite outcome, resource use and therefore mean/median costs were similar but slightly higher, reflecting care consistent with treatment guidelines ($163/$166 for early-FTIC, $168/$170 for AGL-FTIC). Not surprisingly, costs for patients not achieving the composite outcome were substantially less, mainly because they only had two or fewer follow-up visits and, therefore, received substantially less ART than patients who achieved the composite outcome., Conclusion: The 2016 adherence guidelines clarified expectations for the content and timing of adherence counseling sessions in relation to ART initiation. Because clinics were already initiating patients on ART quickly by 2016, little room existed for the new model of fast-track initiation counseling to reduce the number of pre-ART clinic visits at the study sites and therefore to reduce costs of care and treatment., Trial Registration: Clinical Trial Number: NCT02536768., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Importance: Medicare conditions of participation require hospitals to provide training to family and unpaid caregivers when their support is necessary to enact the postdischarge care plan. However, caregivers often report feeling unprepared for this role., Objective: To describe the characteristics of caregivers who assist with posthospitalization care transitions and assess the prevalence of and factors associated with receipt of adequate transitional care training., Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the 2017 National Health and Aging Trends Study and its linked National Study of Caregiving, surveys of Medicare beneficiaries and their family and unpaid caregivers. The present study included family caregivers for community-living Medicare beneficiaries 65 years or older with disabilities. Data analysis was performed from June to September 2020., Main Outcomes and Measures: Characteristics of family caregivers by whether they assisted during a posthospitalization care transition in the year preceding the survey interview. Unweighted frequencies and weighted percentages, as well as the results of weighted Pearson and Wald tests for differences between groups, are reported. Receipt of the training needed to manage the older adult's posthospitalization care transition (hereafter referred to as adequate transitional care training) as a function of individual caregiver characteristics was modeled using multivariable, weighted logistic regression., Results: Of 1905 family caregivers, 618 (58.9%) were 60 years or older, 1288 (63.8%) were female, and 796 (41.7%) assisted with a posthospitalization care transition. Those who assisted with a posthospitalization care transition were more likely to report experiencing financial (154 [18.3%] vs 123 [10.1%]; P < .001), emotional (344 [41.3%] vs 342 [31.1%]; P < .001), and physical (200 [22.2%] vs 170 [14.6%]; P = .001) difficulty associated with caregiving. Among caregivers who assisted during a posthospitalization care transition, 490 (59.1%) reported receiving adequate transitional care training. Caregivers were less likely to report receiving adequate training if they assisted an older adult who was female (316 [62.3%] vs 227 [73.2%]; P = .02), Black (163 [14.0%] vs 121 [19.8%]; P = .02), or enrolled in Medicaid (127 [21.2%] vs 90 [31.9%]; P = .01). After adjusting for older adult characteristics, caregivers were half as likely to report receiving adequate training if they were Black (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.52; 95% CI, 0.31-0.89) or experienced financial difficulty (aOR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.31-0.81). Caregivers were more than twice as likely to report receiving adequate training if they were female (aOR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.65-3.61) or spoke with the older adult's clinician about his or her care in the past year sometimes or often vs never (aOR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.19-3.12)., Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study, caregivers were less likely to receive adequate transitional care training if they were Black; experienced financial difficulty; or cared for a Black, female, or Medicaid-enrolled older adult. These findings suggest that changes to the discharge process, such as using standardized caregiver assessments, may be necessary to ensure equitable support of family caregivers.

Background: Abundant studies have associated colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment delay with advanced diagnosis and worse mortality. Delay in seeking specialist is a contributor to CRC treatment delay. The goal of this study is to investigate contributing factors to 14-d delay from diagnosis of CRC on colonoscopy to the first specialist visit in the state of Kentucky., Methods: The Kentucky Cancer Registry (KCR) database linked with health administrative claims data was queried to include adult patients diagnosed with stage I-IV CRC from January 2007 to December 2012. The dates of the last colonoscopy and the first specialist visit were identified through the claims. Bivariate and logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with delay to CRC specialist visit., Results: A total of 3927 patients from 100 hospitals in Kentucky were included. Approximately, 19% of patients with CRC visited a specialist more than 14 d after CRC detection on colonoscopy. Delay to specialist (DTS) was found more likely in patients with Medicaid insurance (OR 3.1, P < 0.0001), low and moderate education level (OR 1.4 and 1.3, respectively, P = 0.0127), and stage I CRC (OR 1.5, P < 0.0001). There was a higher percentage of delay to specialist among Medicaid patients (44.0%) than Medicare (18.0%) and privately insured patients (18.8%)., Conclusions: We identified Medicaid insurance, low education attainment, and early stage CRC diagnosis as independent risk factors associated with 14-d delay in seeking specialist care after CRC detection on colonoscopy., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Study Objective: In patients with a distal radius buckle fracture, we determine whether home removal of a splint and physician follow-up as needed (home management) is noninferior to primary care physician follow-up in 1 to 2 weeks with respect to functional recovery. We also compare groups with respect to health care and patient-level costs., Methods: This was a noninferiority randomized controlled trial conducted at a tertiary care children's hospital. Eligible patients were randomized to home management versus primary care physician follow-up and received telephone contact at 3 and 6 weeks after the index ED visit. Functional recovery was measured with the Activities Scale for Kids-performance, and participants reported wrist-injury-related health care interventions and expenses. The primary outcome was a comparison of the performance score between groups at 3 weeks., Results: We enrolled 149 patients with mean age 9.5 years (SD 2.7 years), and 81 (54.4%) were male patients. Of the 133 patients (89.3%) with completed 3-week follow-up, the mean Activities Scale for Kids-performance score was 95.4% in the home management group (n=66) and 95.9% in the primary care physician follow-up group (n=67) (mean difference -0.4%; lower bound of the 95% confidence interval -2.4%). There was a mean costs savings of -$100.10 (95% confidence interval -$130.0 to -$70.20) in health care and -$28.2 (95% confidence interval -$49.6 to -$7.0) in patient costs in the home management versus primary care physician follow-up group., Conclusion: In patients with distal radius buckle fractures, home management is at least as good as primary care physician follow-up with respect to functional recovery. Implementation of the home management strategy also demonstrated significant cost savings., (Copyright © 2020 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background/objective: The cost of a fall among older adults requiring emergency services is unclear, especially beyond the acute care period. We evaluated medical expenditures (costs) to 1 year among community-dwelling older adults who fell and required ambulance transport, including acute versus post-acute periods, the primary drivers of cost, and comparison to baseline expenditures., Design: Retrospective cohort analysis., Setting: Forty-four emergency medical services agencies transporting to 51 emergency department in seven northwest counties from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2011, with follow-up through December 31, 2012., Participants: We included 2,494 community-dwelling adults, 65 years and older, transported by ambulance after a fall with continuous fee-for-service Medicare coverage., Measurements: The primary outcome was total Medicare expenditures to 1 year (2019 U.S. dollars), with separation by acute versus post-acute periods and by cost category. We included 48 variables in a standardized risk-adjustment model to generate adjusted cost estimates., Results: The median age was 83 years, with 74% female, and 41.9% requiring admission during the index visit. The median total cost of a fall to 1 year was $26,143 (interquartile range (IQR) = $9,634-$68,086), including acute care median $1,957 (IQR = $1,298-$12,924) and post-acute median $20,560 (IQR = $5,673-$58,074). Baseline costs for the previous year were median $8,642 (IQR = $479-$10,948). Costs increased across all categories except outpatient, with the largest increase for inpatient costs (baseline median $0 vs postfall median $9,477). In multivariable analysis, the following were associated with higher costs: high baseline costs, older age, comorbidities, extremity fractures (lower extremity, pelvis, and humerus), noninjury diagnoses, and surgical interventions. Compared with baseline, costs increased for 74.6% of patients, with a median increase of $12,682 (IQR = -$185 to $51,189)., Conclusion: Older adults who fall and require emergency services have increased healthcare expenditures compared with baseline, particularly during the post-acute period. Comorbidities, noninjury medical conditions, fracture type, and surgical interventions were independently associated with increased costs., (© 2020 The American Geriatrics Society.)

Objectives: To examine long-term mortality, resource utilization, and healthcare costs in sepsis patients compared to hospitalized nonsepsis controls., Design: Propensity-matched population-based cohort study using administrative data., Setting: Ontario, Canada., Patients: We identified a cohort of adults (≥ 18) admitted to hospitals in Ontario between April 1, 2012, and March 31, 2016, with follow-up to March 31, 2017. Sepsis patients were flagged using a validated International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision-coded algorithm (Sepsis-2 definition), including cases with organ dysfunction (severe sepsis) and without (nonsevere). Remaining hospitalized patients were potential controls. Cases and controls were matched 1:1 on propensity score, age, sex, admission type, and admission date., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: Differences in mortality, rehospitalization, hospital length of stay, and healthcare costs were estimated, adjusting for remaining confounders using Cox regression and generalized estimating equations. Of 270,669 sepsis cases, 196,922 (73%) were successfully matched: 64,204 had severe and 132,718 nonsevere sepsis (infection without organ dysfunction). Over follow-up (median 2.0 yr), severe sepsis patients had higher mortality rates than controls (hazard ratio, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.63-1.68). Both severe and nonsevere sepsis patients had higher rehospitalization rates than controls (hazard ratio, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.50-1.55 and hazard ratio, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.40-1.43, respectively). Incremental costs (Canadian dollar 2018) in sepsis cases versus controls at 1-year were: $29,238 (95% CI, $28,568-$29,913) for severe and $9,475 (95% CI, $9,150-$9,727) for nonsevere sepsis., Conclusions: Severe sepsis was associated with substantially higher long-term risk of death, rehospitalization, and healthcare costs, highlighting the need for effective postdischarge care for sepsis survivors., Competing Interests: Ms. Farrah's and Dr. Thavorn's institution received funding from The Ottawa Hospital Academic Medical Organization. The remaining authors have disclosed that they do not have any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Objective: A program evaluation to demonstrate the feasibility of a recuperative care pilot project to address the needs of unhoused individuals., Design: The study is a descriptive postprogram evaluation., Sample: A total of 73 referrals were made to the project with 23 admissions., Measure: Data regarding number and type of referrals for admission, cost of respite care per guest and per day, hospital costs avoided, referrals to community services, and discharge destination were collected., Intervention: A case management care model was used. The project staff included a public health nurse and an outreach worker., Results: One local hospital accounted for 65% of all admissions. Admitting diagnoses were abscess/wound care (44%) followed by postsurgery recovery (17%). Housing resources (65%) was a common referral with 22% of guests discharged to stable housing. Actual length of stay exceeded the planned length by an average of 24 days. Total cost per guest per day was $157.45 which is an estimated savings to referring acute care facilities of between $18,000 and $48,000 per day., Conclusions: The project demonstrated an ability to provide unhoused individuals a place to recuperate following hospitalization in a cost-effective manner. Challenges and recommendations of the program going forward were identified., (© 2020 The Authors. Public Health Nursing published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Disparities associated with socioeconomic status (SES) and insurance coverage have been shown to affect outcomes in different medical conditions and surgical procedures. We hypothesized that patients insured by Medicaid will be associated with lower follow-up rates and inferior outcomes relative to those with Medicare or private insurance., Methods: Patients undergoing shoulder arthroplasty, including anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty, reverse arthroplasty, and hemiarthroplasty, were enrolled preoperatively in an institutional database. Preoperative demographics, payor (Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance), and baseline American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES) scores were recorded. Postoperatively, patients completed ASES scores at multiple time points. Follow-up completion rate was calculated as the number of follow-up visits completed relative to possible visits. Continuous variables were compared between groups with 1-way analyses of variance, and chi-squared tests were used for categorical variables. Significance was defined as P < .05., Results: There were 491 shoulder replacements performed for 438 patients from 2012-2017. The mean follow-up completed percentage was significantly lower (P < .001) for Medicaid patients (62.6% ± 33.7%) relative to Medicare patients (80.2% ± 26.7%; P < .001) and private insurance patients (77.8% ± 22.1%; P = .001). The ASES Composite score increased significantly for all patients from baseline to final follow-up. At each time point, including before surgery and each postoperative time point, patients with Medicaid insurance had significantly lower ASES Composite scores. The final ASES Composite score was significantly lower in the Medicaid patients (66.1 ± 28.7) relative to private insurance patients (78.3 ± 20.8; P = .023). Medicaid patients had significantly lower preoperative (P < .001) and postoperative (P = .018) ASES Pain subscores. In multivariate regression analysis, Medicaid insurance was associated with both inferior preoperative and postoperative ASES scores relative to patients with Medicare or private insurance., Conclusions: We observed that all patients, regardless of insurance payor, improved by similar magnitudes after shoulder arthroplasty, though patients with Medicaid insurance had significantly lower preoperative and postoperative ASES scores, primarily because of the ASES Pain subscore. Patients with Medicaid insurance also have lower follow-up rates than other payors., (Copyright © 2020 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Prior studies have established that broader incorporation of active surveillance, guided by additional prognostic tools, may mitigate the growing economic burden of localized prostate cancer in the USA. This study sought to further explore the potential of a particular gene expression-based prognostic tool to address this unmet need. Materials & methods: A deterministic, decision-analytic model was developed to estimate the economic impact of the Prolaris ® test on a US commercial health plan. Results & conclusion: When adopted in patients classified by the American Urological Association as low or intermediate risk, the assay was projected to reduce costs by $1894 and $2129 per patient over 3 and 10 years, respectively, largely through the increased use of active surveillance.

Objectives: Deliver a novel interdisciplinary care process for ICU survivor care and their primary family caregivers, and assess mortality, readmission rates, and economic impact compared with usual care., Design: Population health quality improvement comparative study with retrospective data analysis., Setting: A single tertiary care rural hospital with medical/surgical, neuroscience, trauma, and cardiac ICUs., Patients: ICU survivors., Interventions: Reorganization of existing post discharge health care delivery resources to form an ICU survivor clinic care process and compare this new process to post discharge usual care process., Measurements and Main Results: Demographic data, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV scores, and Charlson Comorbidity Index scores were extracted from the electronic health record. Additional data was extracted from the care manager database. Economic data were extracted from the Geisinger Health Plan database and analyzed by a health economist. During 13-month period analyzed, patients in the ICU survivor care had reduced mortality compared with usual care, as determined by the Kaplan-Meier method (ICU survivor care 0.89 vs usual care 0.71; log-rank p = 0.0108) and risk-adjusted stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting (hazard ratio, 0.157; 95% CI, 0.058-0.427). Readmission for ICU survivor care versus usual care: at 30 days (10.4% vs 26.3%; stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting hazard ratio, 0.539; 95% CI, 0.224-1.297) and at 60 days (16.7% vs 34.7%; stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting hazard ratio, 0.525; 95% CI, 0.240-1.145). Financial data analysis indicates estimated annual cost savings to Geisinger Health Plan ranges from $247,052 to $424,846 during the time period analyzed., Conclusions: Our ICU survivor care process results in decreased mortality and a net annual cost savings to the insurer compared with usual care processes. There was no statistically significant difference in readmission rates.

Background: Live kidney donors (LKDs) account for nearly a third of kidney transplants in the United States. While donor nephrectomy poses minimal post-surgical risk, LKDs face an elevated adjusted risk of developing chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and end-stage renal disease. Routine screening presents an opportunity for the early detection and management of chronic conditions. Transplant hospital reporting requirements mandate the submission of laboratory and clinical data at 6-months, 1-year, and 2-years after kidney donation, but less than 50% of hospitals are able to comply. Strategies to increase patient engagement in follow-up efforts while minimizing administrative burden are needed. We seek to evaluate the effectiveness of using small financial incentives to promote patient compliance with LKD follow-up., Methods/design: We are conducting a two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) of patients who undergo live donor nephrectomy at The Johns Hopkins Hospital Comprehensive Transplant Center (MDJH) and the University of Maryland Medical Center Transplant Center (MDUM). Eligible donors will be recruited in-person at their first post-surgical clinic visit or over the phone. We will use block randomization to assign LKDs to the intervention ($25 gift card at each follow-up visit) or control arm (current standard of care). Follow-up compliance will be tracked over time. The primary outcome will be complete (all components addressed) and timely (60 days before or after expected visit date), submission of LKD follow-up data at required 6-month, 1-year, and 2-year time points. The secondary outcome will be transplant hospital-level compliance with federal reporting requirements at each visit. Rates will be compared between the two arms following the intention-to-treat principle., Discussion: Small financial incentivization might increase patient compliance in the context of LKD follow-up, without placing undue administrative burden on transplant providers. The findings of this RCT will inform potential center- and national-level initiatives to provide all LKDs with small financial incentives to promote engagement with post-donation monitoring efforts., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT03090646 Date of registration: March 2, 2017 Sponsors: Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland Medical Center Funding: The Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland.

Objective: The suggested high costs of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) hamper the choice of insurance companies and financial regulators for EVAR as the primary option for elective abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. However, arguments used in this debate are impeded by time related aspects such as effect modification and the introduction of confounding by indication, and by asymmetric evaluation of outcomes. Therefore, a re-evaluation minimising the impact of these interferences was considered., Methods: A comparative analysis was performed evaluating a period of exclusive open repair (OR; 1998-2000) and a period of established EVAR (2010-2012). Data from four hospitals in The Netherlands were collected to estimate resource use. Actual costs were estimated by benchmark cost prices and a literature review. Costs are reported at 2019 prices. A break even approach, defining the costs for an endovascular device at which cost equivalence for EVAR and OR is achieved, was applied to cope with the large variation in endovascular device costs., Results: One hundred and eighty-six patients who underwent elective AAA repair between 1998 and 2000 (OR period) and 195 patients between 2010 and 2012 (EVAR period) were compared. Cost equivalence for OR and EVAR was reached at a break even price for an endovascular device of €13 190. The main cost difference reflected the longer duration of hospital stay (ward and Intensive Care Unit) of OR (€11 644). Re-intervention rates were similar for OR (24.2%) and EVAR (24.6%) (p = .92)., Conclusion: Cost equivalence for EVAR and OR occurs at a device cost of €13 000 for EVAR. Hence, for most routine repairs, EVAR is not costlier than OR until at least the five year follow up., (Copyright © 2020 European Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of different follow-up strategies for non-obese and obese women who had incomplete fetal cardiac screening for major congenital heart disease (CHD)., Methods: Three decision-analytic models, one each for non-obese, obese and Class-III-obese women, were developed to compare five follow-up strategies for initial suboptimal fetal cardiac screening. The five strategies were: (1) no follow-up ultrasound (US) examination but direct referral to fetal echocardiography (FE); (2) one follow-up US, then FE if fetal cardiac views were still suboptimal; (3) up to two follow-up US, then FE if fetal cardiac views were still suboptimal; (4) one follow-up US and no FE; and (5) up to two follow-up US and no FE. The models were designed to identify fetuses with major CHD in a theoretical cohort of 4 000 000 births in the USA. Outcomes related to neonatal mortality and neurodevelopmental disability were evaluated. A cost-effectiveness willingness-to-pay threshold was set at US$100 000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Base-case and sensitivity analysis and Monte-Carlo simulation were performed., Results: In our base-case models for all body mass index (BMI) groups, no follow-up US, but direct referral to FE led to the best outcomes, detecting 7%, 25% and 82% more fetuses with CHD in non-obese, obese and Class-III-obese women, respectively, compared with the baseline strategy of one follow-up US and no FE. However, no follow-up US, but direct referral to FE was above the US$100 000/QALY threshold and therefore not cost-effective. The cost-effective strategy for all BMI groups was one follow-up US and no FE. Both up to two follow-up US with no FE and up to two follow-up US with FE were dominated (being more costly and less effective), while one follow-up US with FE was over the cost-effectiveness threshold. One follow-up US and no FE was the optimal strategy in 97%, 93% and 86% of trials in Monte-Carlo simulation for non-obese, obese and Class-III-obese models, respectively., Conclusion: For both non-obese and obese women with incomplete fetal cardiac screening, the optimal CHD follow-up screening strategy is no further US and immediate referral to FE; however, this strategy is not cost-effective. Considering costs, one follow-up US and no FE is the preferred strategy. For both obese and non-obese women, Monte-Carlo simulations showed clearly that one follow-up US and no FE was the optimal strategy. Both non-obese and obese women with initial incomplete cardiac screening examination should therefore be offered one follow-up US. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd., (Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of a collaborative intervention by pharmacists and primary care clinicians on total cost of care, including costs of inpatient readmissions, emergency department visits, and outpatient care, at 30, 60, and 180 days after hospital discharge in a population of patients at high risk for readmission due to polypharmacy., Methods: A retrospective study of cost outcomes in a cohort of adult patients discharged from a single institution from July 1, 2013 to March 25, 2016, was conducted. All patients had at least 10 medications listed on their discharge list, including at least 1 drug frequently associated with adverse events leading to hospital readmission. About half of the cohort (n = 496) attended a postdischarge visit involving both a pharmacist and a primary care clinician (a physician, physician assistant, or licensed nurse practitioner); this was designated the pharmacist/clinician collaborative (PCC) group. The remainder of the cohort (n = 500) attended a visit without pharmacist involvement; this was designated as the usual care (UC) group. Costs were compared using a quantile regression to assess the potential heterogeneous impacts of the PCC intervention across different parts of the cost distribution. All outcomes were adjusted for differences in baseline characteristics., Results: At 30 days post index discharge, there was a significant decrease in total costs in the 10th and 90th cost quantiles in the PCC cohort vs the UC cohort, without a statistically significant decrease in the 25th, 50th or 75th quantiles. The difference was significant in the 75th and 90th quantiles at 60 days and in the 25th, 50th, and 75th quantiles at 180 days. There was a nonsignificant cost reduction in all other quantiles., Conclusion: Medically complex patients had a significantly lower total cost of care in approximately half of the adjusted cost quantiles at 30, 60, and 180 days after hospital discharge when they had a PCC visit. PCC visits can improve patient clinical outcomes while improving cost metrics., (© American Society of Health-System Pharmacists 2020. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objectives: Our goal was to assess the postoperative 90-day hospital costs of patients with prolonged air leak (PAL) including costs incurred after discharge from the initial index hospitalization., Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 982 patients undergoing lobectomy (898) or segmentectomy (78) (April 2014-August 2018). A total of 167 operations were open, 780 were video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and 28 were robotic. A PAL was defined as an air leak >5 days. The 90-day postoperative costs included all fixed and variable costs incurred during the 90 days following surgery. The postoperative costs of patients with and without PAL were compared. The independent association of PAL with postoperative 90-day costs was tested after adjustment for patient-related factors and other complications by a multivariable regression analysis., Results: PAL occurred in 261 patients (27%). Their postoperative stay was 4 days longer than that of those without PAL (9.6 vs 5.7; P < 0.0001). Compared to patients without PAL, those with PAL had 27% higher index postoperative costs [7354€, standard deviation (SD) 7646 vs 5759€, SD 7183, P < 0.0001] and 40% higher 90-day postoperative costs (18 340€, SD 23 312 vs 13 102€, SD 10 264; P < 0.0001). The relative postoperative costs (the difference between 90-day and index postoperative costs) were 50% higher in PAL patients compared to non-PAL patients (P < 0.0001) and accounted for 60% of the total 90-day costs. Multivariable regression analysis showed that PAL remained an independent factor associated with 90-day costs (P < 0.0001) along with the occurrence of other cardiopulmonary complications (P < 0.0001), male gender (P = 0.018), low carbon monoxide lung diffusion capacity (P = 0.043) and thoracotomy approach (P = 0.022)., Conclusions: PAL is associated not only with increased index hospitalization costs but also with increased costs after discharge. Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of measures to prevent air leaks should also include post-discharge costs., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Background: Hospitals are facing incentives to manage the total cost of care for episodes of illness, including the costs of inpatient care as well as the cost of care provided by physicians and postacute care (PAC) providers. PAC is an especially important component of the overall cost of care. One strategy hospitals employ in managing this cost is to own PAC providers. Prior work on the relationship between PAC ownership and cost has reached mixed conclusions., Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the associations between the episodic costs of care and hospital ownership of PAC providers, including skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), home health agencies (HHAs), and inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF)., Methodology: We examine panel data on hospital ownership of PAC providers from the American Hospital Association for 2013-2015 and cost of care data from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Value-Based Purchasing Program. Using ordinary least squares, we quantify the association between a hospital's PAC ownership choice (both ownership of any PAC provider and ownership of particular types of providers) and the episodic cost of care., Results: In 2015, 80% of hospitals owned some type of PAC provider. We find that ownership of SNFs and HHAs is associated with a lower episodic cost of care, whereas ownership of inpatient rehabilitation facilities is associated with higher episodic costs of care. The effects of ownership do not differ for hospitals that participate in a voluntary shared saving program (Bundled Payment for Care Improvement)., Conclusion: The effects of PAC ownership vary by the type of PAC provider owned. Our results suggest that ownership of SNFs and HHAs may be a viable strategy for success in reimbursement programs that reward hospitals for managing the total costs for episodes of care.

We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of test-and-treat scenarios for vaginitis, scenarios based on clinical and microscopic examination (CME), nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), or nonamplified nucleic acid probe (probe) testing. The symptom resolution outcome and the payer cost of diagnosis and treatment were estimated in decision analytical models in a hypothetical patient population. Compared with probe testing, NAAT resulted in symptom resolution in more patients (615 versus 475 per 1000 tested) at a cost of $210 per incremental symptom resolution, a cost lower than the willingness to pay for symptom resolution ($871) implied by payer coverage for probe testing. Following a negative CME, the NAAT scenario resulted in symptom resolution in more patients (650 per 1000 patients tested) than did either CME (525) or the CME probe testing-based scenario (602) at incremental cost-effectiveness ratios lower than the willingness to pay implied by coverage for CME. Therefore, NAAT is likely to cost-effectively improve health outcomes for patients with vaginitis., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors are employees of Quest Diagnostics., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In settings of high tuberculosis incidence, previously treated individuals remain at high risk of recurrent tuberculosis and contribute substantially to overall disease burden. Whether tuberculosis case finding and preventive interventions among previously treated people are cost-effective has not been established. We aimed to estimate costs and health benefits of annual post-treatment follow-up examinations and secondary preventive therapy for tuberculosis in a tuberculosis-endemic setting., Methods: We developed a transmission-dynamic mathematical model and calibrated it to data from two high-incidence communities of approximately 40 000 people in suburban Cape Town, South Africa. We used the model to estimate overall cost and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) associated with annual follow-up examinations and secondary isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), alone and in combination, among individuals completing tuberculosis treatment. We investigated scenarios under which these interventions were restricted to the first year after treatment completion, or extended indefinitely. For each intervention scenario, we projected health system costs and DALYs averted with respect to the current status quo of tuberculosis control. All estimates represent mean values derived from 1000 epidemic trajectories simulated over a 10-year period (2019-28), with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) calculated as the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile values., Findings: We estimated that a single follow-up examination at the end of the first year after treatment completion combined with 12 months of secondary IPT would avert 2472 DALYs (95% UI -888 to 7801) over a 10-year period and is expected to be cost-saving compared with current control efforts. Sustained annual follow-up and continuous secondary IPT beyond the first year after treatment would avert an additional 1179 DALYs (-1769 to 4377) over 10 years at an expected additional cost of US$18·2 per DALY averted. Strategies of follow-up without secondary IPT were dominated (ie, expected to result in lower health impact at higher costs) by strategies that included secondary IPT., Interpretation: In this high-incidence setting, post-treatment follow-up and secondary preventive therapy can accelerate declines in tuberculosis incidence and potentially save resources for tuberculosis control. Empirical trials to assess the feasibility of these interventions in settings most severely affected by tuberculosis are needed., Funding: National Institutes of Health, Günther Labes Foundation, Oskar Helene Heim Foundation., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Recurrence of low-risk endometrioid endometrial cancer is rare, and traditional hospital follow-up has a cost to both the patient and the healthcare system, without evidence of benefit. We examined the uptake of patient-initiated follow-up, pattern of recurrences, and survival for women following surgical treatment of low-risk endometrial cancer and compared estimated costs with hospital follow-up., Methods: This study was a prospective audit of outcomes following implementation of a patient-initiated follow-up policy in a UK-based gynecological cancer center for women with low-risk endometrial cancer treated surgically (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage 1A, G1-2) from January 2010 to December 2015. Women were identified following multidisciplinary team meetings and data were collected from the electronic cancer register, paper, and electronic clinical records. Health service costs were calculated based on standard tariffs for follow-up appointments; patient costs were estimated from mileage traveled from home postcode and parking charges. Progression-free survival and overall survival were assessed. Estimated financial costs to the health service and patients of hospital follow-up were compared with actual patient-initiated follow-up costs., Results: A total of 129 women were offered patient-initiated follow-up (declined by four; accepted by another 11 after hospital follow-up for 6 months to 3.5 years) with median follow-up of 60.7 months (range 1.4-109.1 months). Ten women recurred: four vaginal vault recurrences (all salvaged), three pelvic recurrences (all salvaged), and three distant metastatic disease (all died). Five-year disease-specific survival was 97.3%. Ten women in the cohort died: three from endometrial cancer and seven from unrelated causes. The cost saving to the health service of patient-initiated follow-up compared with a traditional hospital follow-up regimen was £116 403 (median £988.60 per patient,range £0-£1071). Patients saved an estimated £7122 in transport and parking costs (median £57.22 per patient,range £4.98-£147.70)., Conclusion: Patient-initiated follow-up for low risk endometrial cancer has cost benefits to both health service and patients. Those with pelvic or vault recurrence had salvageable disease, despite patient-initiated follow-up., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© IGCS and ESGO 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: In its 2006 report, From cancer patient to cancer survivor: lost in transition, the U.S. Institute of Medicine raised the need for a more coordinated and comprehensive care model for cancer survivors. Given the ever increasing number of cancer survivors, in general, and prostate cancer survivors, in particular, there is a need for a more sustainable model of follow-up care. Currently, patients who have completed primary treatment for localized prostate cancer are often included in a specialist-based follow-up care program. General practitioners already play a key role in providing continuous and comprehensive health care. Studies in breast and colorectal cancer suggest that general practitioners could also consider to provide survivorship care in prostate cancer. However, empirical data are needed to determine whether follow-up care of localized prostate cancer survivors by the general practitioner is a feasible alternative., Methods: This multicenter, randomized, non-inferiority study will compare specialist-based (usual care) versus general practitioner-based (intervention) follow-up care of prostate cancer survivors who have completed primary treatment (prostatectomy or radiotherapy) for localized prostate cancer. Patients are being recruited from hospitals in the Netherlands, and randomly (1:1) allocated to specialist-based (N = 195) or general practitioner-based (N = 195) follow-up care. This trial will evaluate the effectiveness of primary care-based follow-up, in comparison to usual care, in terms of adherence to the prostate cancer surveillance guideline for the timing and frequency of prostate-specific antigen assessments, the time from a biochemical recurrence to retreatment decision-making, the management of treatment-related side effects, health-related quality of life, prostate cancer-related anxiety, continuity of care, and cost-effectiveness. The outcome measures will be assessed at randomization (≤6 months after treatment), and 12, 18, and 24 months after treatment., Discussion: This multicenter, prospective, randomized study will provide empirical evidence regarding the (cost-) effectiveness of specialist-based follow-up care compared to general practitioner-based follow-up care for localized prostate cancer survivors., Trial Registration: Netherlands Trial Registry, Trial NL7068 (NTR7266). Prospectively registered on 11 June 2018.

Background: Episode-based bundled payments were introduced by Medicare in 2013 as the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) in order to improve care coordination and cost efficiency. BPCI has not yet been applied to cranial neurosurgical procedures., Objective: To determine projected values of episode-based bundled payments when applied to common cranial neurosurgical procedures using retrospective data from a large database., Methods: We performed a large retrospective observational study using the MarketScan administrative database to project bundled payment payments for 4 groups of common cranial neurosurgical procedures., Results: We identified 15 276 procedures that met our inclusion criteria. We observed significant variability between groups, with 90-d bundle projected payments ranging from $ 58,200 for craniotomy for meningioma to $ 102,073 for craniotomy for malignant glioma. We also found significant variability in projected bundled payments within each class of operation. On average, payment for the index hospitalization accounted for 85% of projected payments for a 30-d bundle and 70.5% of projected payments for a 90-d bundle. Multivariable analysis showed that hospital readmission, discharge to postacute care facilities, venous-thrombo-embolism, medical comorbidities, adjuvant therapies, and payer status significantly contributed to projected cranial bundle payments., Conclusion: For the first time, to our knowledge, we project the values of episode-based bundled payments for common vascular and tumor cranial operations. As previously identified in orthopedic procedures, there is significant variability in total bundle payments within each cranial procedure. Compared to spine and orthopedic procedures, postdischarge care significantly impacts total bundle payments in cranial neurosurgery., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Congress of Neurological Surgeons 2019.)

Context: Unsafe abortion is common in Senegal, but postabortion care (PAC) is not accessible to some women who need it, and the cost to the health care system of providing PAC is unknown., Methods: The cost to Senegal's health system of providing PAC in 2016-at existing service levels and if access were hypothetically expanded-was estimated using the Post-Abortion Care Costing Methodology, a bottom-up, ingredients-based approach. From September 2016 to January 2017, face-to-face interviews were conducted with PAC providers and facility administrators at a national sample of 41 health facilities to collect data on the direct and indirect costs of care provision, as well as the fees charged to patients. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to examine the precision of the results., Results: In total, 1,642 women received PAC at study facilities in 2016, which translates to 18,806 women receiving PAC nationally. Public facilities provided nearly all services. The average cost per patient at study facilities was US$26.68; nationally, the estimated cost was US$24.72. The estimated total national cost of providing PAC at existing levels was US$464,928; direct costs accounted for more than three-quarters of the cost. Charges to PAC patients amounted to 20% of all incurred costs. If service provision had been expanded to meet all PAC needs, estimated total costs to the health system would have been US$804,518., Conclusion: The annual costs of PAC are substantial in Senegal. Greater investment in ensuring access to contraceptives could lower these costs by reducing the number of unintended pregnancies that often lead to unsafe abortion.

Background: Being homeless entails higher mortality, morbidity, and prevalence of psychiatric diseases. This leads to more frequent and expensive use of health care services. Medical respite care enables an opportunity to recuperate after a hospitalization and has shown a positive effect on readmissions, but little is known about the cost-effectiveness of medical respite care for homeless people discharged from acute hospitalization. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the cost-effectiveness of a 2-week stay in post-hospital medical respite care., Methods: A randomized controlled trial and cost-utility analysis, from a societal perspective, was conducted between April 2014 and March 2016. Homeless people aged > 18 years with an acute admission were included from 10 different hospitals in the Capital Region of Denmark. The intervention group (n = 53) was offered a 2-week medical respite care stay at a Red Cross facility and the control group (n = 43) was discharged without any extra help (usual care), but with the opportunity to seek help in shelters and from street nurses and doctors in the municipalities. The primary outcome was the difference in health care costs 3 months following inclusion in the study. Secondary outcomes were change in health-related quality of life and health care costs 6 months following inclusion in the study. Data were collected through Danish registries, financial management systems in the municipalities and at the Red Cross, and by using the EQ-5D questionnaire., Results: After 3 and 6 months, the intervention group had €4761 (p = 0.10) and €8515 (p = 0.04) lower costs than the control group, respectively. Crude costs at 3 months were €8448 and €13,553 for the intervention and control group respectively. The higher costs in the control group were mainly related to acute admissions. Both groups had minor quality-adjusted life year gains., Conclusions: This is the first randomized controlled trial to investigate the cost-effectiveness of a 2-week medical respite care stay for homeless people after hospitalization. The study showed that the intervention is cost-effective. Furthermore, this study illustrates that it is possible to perform research with satisfying follow-up with a target group that is hard to reach., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02649595.

A new model of community health delivery has utilized emergency medical services (EMS) to manage care transitions and provide chronic care services in patients' homes. The authors performed a retrospective, case-controlled analysis of a quality improvement project that examined whether an EMS home visit to recently discharged inpatients from the zip code where EMS provides services can reduce 30-day unscheduled ED visits and hospital readmissions. Additionally, the financial impact from the perspective of the community-based EMS provider and the community hospital from which patients were discharged was examined. A total of 53 patients and 53 controls were matched on the following variables: readmission risk score, age, sex, insurance status, and case management intervention. Patients who received the intervention had a 44% relative reduction of 30-day ED visits (17% vs 24.5%, P  = 0.3381) and a 28.4% relative reduction in 30-day readmissions (18.9% vs 26.4%, P  = 0.3532) but neither achieved statistical significance. The intervention cost to EMS was $1937; the intervention led to a $3626 profit for the hospital compared to a loss of $9915 for the control group. Use of local EMS providers may lead to enhanced health care and financial outcomes for community hospitals but the study was underpowered to make a definitive conclusion. However, the results may allow health systems to assess whether collaboration with local EMS providers can improve outcomes at a lower cost.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to validate patient's primary caregiver and their nurse's perception of patient discharge readiness assessment and their association with postdischarge medical consumption., Design: The study employed a descriptive research, prospective longitudinal study design., Method: The study was performed in a ward of a medical centre in Taipei, Taiwan, from June 2017-May 2018. Obtained data were analysed using an independent t test, one-way ANOVA and logistic regression approach., Results/findings: The number of comorbidities and the number of days of hospital stay were positively associated with post discharge emergency room visits. Caregiver readiness for hospital discharge had significant negative correlation with patient's 30-day readmission. Both caregiver and nurse readiness for the hospital discharge scale score were not factors associated with the patients' 30-day emergency room visit., Conclusion: Based on the research findings, to assess the discharge readiness as perceived by caregivers at patients' discharge is recommended., Impact: Caregiver and nurse scores on readiness for hospital discharge showed a significant positive correlation. The higher the score of a caregiver's readiness for a patient's hospital discharge, the lower the 30-day readmission rate. Family-centred care enables patients to safely pass though the transition phase from hospital to community and reduces the postrelease consumption of medical resources. The discharge readiness perceived by caregivers should be included in any decision-making., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an innovative and effective treatment in high-surgical-risk (HR) and inoperable patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis., Objectives: This cost-effectiveness analysis of transfemoral TAVI (TF-TAVI) compared with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) conforms with the methodological guidelines for cost-effectiveness evaluation by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare in Japan., Methods: The cost-effectiveness of TF-TAVI using SAPIEN XT was evaluated using a lifetime Markov simulation from the national payer perspective. Comparators were SAVR for HR patients and standard of care (SOC) for inoperable patients. A systematic literature review for clinical evidence of TF-TAVI and comparators was conducted. The evidence for TF-TAVI was derived from the SOURCE XT registry and Japanese post marketing surveillance. Because there was no literature directly or indirectly comparing TF-TAVI using SAPIEN XT with comparators, the comparator data were selected from relevant published studies, considering the similarity of study eligibility criteria and patient backgrounds (eg, age and surgical risk scores). Sensitivity analyses were used to validate the robustness of results., Results: The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of TF-TAVI versus SAVR for HR patients was ¥1.3 million/quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of TF-TAVI versus SOC for inoperable patients was ¥3.5 million/QALY., Conclusions: TF-TAVI was cost-effective when compared with SAVR for HR patients and when compared with SOC for inoperable patients, using a threshold of ¥5 million/QALY., (Copyright © 2019 ISPOR--The professional society for health economics and outcomes research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Emergency Medical Service (EMS) alternative destination programs may lead to improved care quality among those experiencing mental health crises but the association with cost and emergency department (ED) recidivism remains unexamined. We compare rates of post-discharge health services use and Medicaid spending among patients transported to an ED or community mental health center (CMHC) finding higher ED recidivism for patient treated in the ED, compared to those treated in a CMHC (68% vs 34%, p < 0.001). There were no differences in Medicaid spending or health services use post-discharge suggesting EMS-operated alternative destination programs may be cost-neutral for Medicaid programs.

Background: This study compares well-being, recurrences, and deaths of early-stage cutaneous melanoma patients in follow-up, as recommended in the Dutch guideline, with that of patients in a stage-adjusted reduced follow-up schedule, 3 years after diagnosis, as well as costs., Methods: Overall, 180 eligible pathological American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage IB-IIC, sentinel node staged, melanoma patients (response rate = 87%, 48% male, median age 57 years), randomized into a conventional (CSG, n = 93) or experimental (ESG, n = 87) follow-up schedule group, completed patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) at diagnosis (T1): State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State version (STAI-S), Cancer Worry Scale (CWS), Impact of Event Scale (IES), and RAND-36 (Mental and Physical Component scales [PCS/MCS]). Three years later (T3), 110 patients (CSG, n = 56; ESG, n = 54) completed PROMs, while 42 declined (23%)., Results: Repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) showed a significant group effect on the IES (p = 0.001) in favor of the ESG, and on the RAND-36 PCS (p = 0.02) favoring the CSG. Mean IES and CWS scores decreased significantly over time, while those on the RAND-36 MCS and PCS increased. Effect sizes were small. Twenty-five patients developed a recurrence or second primary melanoma, of whom 13 patients died within 3 years. Cox proportional hazards models showed no differences between groups in recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio [HR] 0.71 [0.32-1.58]; p = 0.400) and disease-free survival (HR 1.24 [0.42-3.71]; p = 0.690). Costs per patient after 3 years (computed for 77.3% of patients) were 39% lower in the ESG., Conclusion: These results seemingly support the notion that a stage-adjusted reduced follow-up schedule forms an appropriate, safe, and cost-effective alternative for pathological AJCC stage IB-IIC melanoma patients to the follow-up regimen as advised in the current melanoma guideline.

Background: Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma is a subtype of thyroid cancer that may be managed with active surveillance rather than immediate surgery. Active surveillance decreases complication rates and may decrease health care costs. This study aims to analyze complication rates of thyroid surgery, papillary thyroid microcarcinoma recurrence, and survival rates. Additionally, the costs of surgery versus hypothetic active surveillance for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma are compared in an Australian cohort., Methods: Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma patients were included from a prospectively collected surgical cohort of patients treated for papillary thyroid cancer between 1985 and 2017. The primary outcomes were the complications of thyroid surgery, recurrence-free survival, overall survival, and cost of surgical treatment and active surveillance., Results: In a total of 349 patients with papillary microcarcinoma with a median age of 48 years (range, 18-90 years), the permanent operative complications rate was 3.7%. Postoperative radioactive iodine did not decrease recurrence-free survival (P = .3). The total cost of surgical treatment was $10,226 Australian dollars, whereas hypothetic active surveillance was at a yearly cost of $756 Australian dollars. Estimated cost of surgical papillary thyroid microcarcinoma treatment was equivalent to the cost of 16.2 years of active surveillance., Conclusion: Surgery may have a long-term economic advantage for younger Australian patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma who are likely to require more than 16.2 years of follow-up in an active surveillance scheme., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus, first detected in the Western Hemisphere in 1999 and spread across North America over the next decade. Though endemic in the most populous areas of North America, few studies have estimated the healthcare costs associated with WNV. The objective of this study was to determine direct healthcare costs attributable to WNV illness in Ontario, Canada., Methods: We conducted a cost-of-illness study on incident laboratory confirmed and probable WNV infected subjects identified from the provincial laboratory database from Jan 1, 2002 through Dec 31, 2012. Infected subjects were linked to health administrative data and matched to uninfected subjects. We used phase-of-care methods to calculate costs for 3 phases of illness: acute infection, continuing care, and final care prior to death. Mean 10-day attributable costs were reported in 2014 Canadian dollars, per capita. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the impact of WNV neurologic syndromes on healthcare costs., Results: One thousand five hundred fifty-one laboratory confirmed and probable WNV infected subjects were ascertained; 1540 (99.3%) were matched to uninfected subjects. Mean age of WNV infected subjects was 49.1 ± 18.4 years, 50.5% were female. Mean costs attributable to WNV were $1177 (95% CI: $1001, $1352) for acute infection, $180 (95% CI: $122, $238) for continuing care, $11,614 (95% CI: $5916, $17,313) for final care - acute death, and $3199 (95% CI: $1770, $4627) for final care - late death. Expected 1-year costs were $13,648, adjusted for survival. Three hundred seventeen infected subjects were diagnosed with at least one neurologic syndrome and greatest healthcare costs in acute infection were associated with encephalitis ($4710, 95% CI: $3770, $5650)., Conclusions: WNV is associated with increased healthcare resource utilization across all phases of care. High-quality studies are needed to understand the health system impact of vector-borne diseases and evaluate the cost effectiveness of novel WNV interventions.

Background: Limited data exist on health outcomes during pregnancy and childbirth in low- and middle-income countries. This is a pilot of an innovative data collection tool using mobile technology to collect patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) selected from the International Consortium of Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) Pregnancy and Childbirth Standard Set in Nairobi, Kenya., Methods: Pregnant women in the third trimester were recruited at three primary care facilities in Nairobi and followed prospectively throughout delivery and until six weeks postpartum. PROMs were collected via mobile surveys at three antenatal and two postnatal time points. Outcomes included incontinence, dyspareunia, mental health, breastfeeding and satisfaction with care. Hospitals reported morbidity and mortality. Descriptive statistics on maternal and child outcomes, survey completion and follow-up rates were calculated., Results: In six months, 204 women were recruited: 50% of women returned for a second ante-natal care visit, 50% delivered at referral hospitals and 51% completed the postnatal visit. The completion rates for the five PROM surveys were highest at the first antenatal care visit (92%) and lowest in the postnatal care visit (38%). Data on depression, dyspareunia, fecal and urinary incontinence were successfully collected during the antenatal and postnatal period. At six weeks postpartum, 86% of women breastfeed exclusively. Most women that completed the survey were very satisfied with antenatal care (66%), delivery care (51%), and post-natal care (60%)., Conclusion: We have demonstrated that it is feasible to use mobile technology to follow women throughout pregnancy, track their attendance to pre-natal and post-natal care visits and obtain data on PROM. This study demonstrates the potential of mobile technology to collect PROM in a low-resource setting. The data provide insight into the quality of maternal care services provided and will be used to identify and address gaps in access and provision of high quality care to pregnant women., Competing Interests: IA, CA and TK worked for the International Consortium of Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM). The feasibility of implementing one of the ICHOM Standard Set was piloted in this study. The financers also do not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Objectives: This study examined ninety-day and one-year postoperative healthcare utilization and costs following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) from the health sector and patient perspectives., Design: This study relied on: 1) patient-reported medical resource utilization data from diaries in the Knee Arthroplasty Pain Coping Skills Training (KASTPain) trial; and 2) Medicare fee schedules. Medicare payments, patient cost-sharing, and patient time costs were estimated. Generalized linear mixed models were used to identify baseline predictors of costs., Results: In the first ninety days following TKA, patients had an average of 29.7 outpatient visits and 6% were hospitalized. Mean total costs during this period summed to $3,720, the majority attributed to outpatient visit costs (84%). Over the year following TKA, patients had an average of 48.9 outpatient visits, including 33.2 for physical therapy. About a quarter (24%) of patients were hospitalized. Medical costs were incurred at a decreasing rate, from $2,428 in the first six weeks to $648 in the last six weeks. Mean total medical costs across all patients over the year were $8,930, including $5,328 in outpatient costs. Total costs were positively associated with baseline Charlson comorbidity score (P < 0.01). Outpatient costs were positively associated with baseline Charlson comorbidity score (P = 0.03) and a bodily pain burden summary score (P < 0.01). Mean patient cost-sharing summed to $1,342 and time costs summed to $1,346., Conclusions: Costs in the ninety days and year after TKA can be substantial for both healthcare payers and patients. These costs should be considered as payers continue to explore alternative payment models., (Copyright © 2019 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Based on research conducted in 2017, we estimated the cost to the Tanzanian health care system of providing postabortion care (PAC). PAC is an integrated service package that addresses the curative and preventive needs of women experiencing complications from abortion. PAC services include treating complications of miscarriage and incomplete abortion, providing voluntary family planning counseling and services, and engaging the community to reduce future unintended pregnancies and repeat abortions., Methods: Thirty-one public and private health facilities, representing 3 levels of health care, were selected for data collection from key care providers and administrators in 3 regions. We gathered data on the direct costs of PAC startup (i.e., training and capital costs), as well as the recurrent costs of medicines, supplies, hospitalization, and personnel, and the indirect costs of PAC provision. We also gathered data to estimate PAC clients' out-of-pocket expenses. Estimates of the average cost per client (i.e., unit cost) were calculated for treatment of routine and severe abortion complications, treatment at different levels of health care, postabortion contraception, and various available treatment methods., Results: We found that the unit cost of PAC training per provider was US$163.43. The total unit cost was $72.91. The unit recurrent cost of treating routine complications, which included 81% of the cases in our sample, was $36.23. The cost of treating incomplete abortion through manual vacuum aspiration was $22.63, while the cost of treatment with misoprostol was $18.74. The average cost of providing voluntary postabortion family planning was $11.56. We estimated an average client out-of-pocket expenditure on PAC of $22.96., Conclusion: We applied our unit cost estimates to those on PAC utilization and provision and unmet need for PAC that were derived from research conducted in Tanzania in 2013-2016, and we estimated an annual national cost of PAC of $4,170,476. We estimated the cost of providing PAC for all women who have abortion complications, including those who do not access PAC, at $10,426,299. Investing more resources in voluntary family planning and PAC treatment of routine complications at the primary level would likely reduce health system costs., (© Baynes et al.)

Objective: To compare costs and efficacy of reflex and recall prenatal DNA screening for trisomy 21, 18 and 13 (affected pregnancies). In both methods women have Combined test markers measured. With recall screening, women with a high Combined test risk are recalled for counselling and offered a DNA blood test or invasive diagnostic testing. With reflex screening, a DNA analysis is automatically performed on plasma collected when blood was collected for measurement of the Combined test markers., Methods: Published data were used to estimate, for each method, using various unit costs and risk cut-offs, the cost per woman screened, cost per affected pregnancy diagnosed, and for a given number of women screened, numbers of affected pregnancies diagnosed, unaffected pregnancies with positive results, and women with unaffected pregnancies having invasive diagnostic testing., Results: Cost per woman screened is lower with reflex v recall screening: £37 v £38, and £11,043 v £11,178 per affected pregnancy diagnosed (DNA £250, Combined test markers risk cut-off 1 in 150). Reflex screening results in similar numbers of affected pregnancies diagnosed, with 100-fold fewer false-positives and 20-fold fewer women with unaffected pregnancies having invasive diagnostic testing., Conclusions: Reflex DNA screening is less expensive, more cost-effective, and safer than recall screening., Competing Interests: Nicholas J. Wald is director of Logical Medical Systems, which produces software for the interpretation of prenatal screening tests.This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Purpose: The impact of psychiatric comorbidities on the cost of cancer care in radiation oncology practices is not well studied. We assessed the acute and 24-month follow-up costs for patients with and without pre-existing psychiatric comorbidities undergoing radiation therapy., Methods and Materials: Patients with cancer undergoing radiation therapy at our institution from 2009 to 2014 were denoted as having pre-existing psychiatric conditions (Psych group) if they had associated billing codes for any of the 422 International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision psychiatric conditions during the 12 months before their cancer diagnosis. The Elixhauser comorbidity index was calculated, excluding psychiatric categories. Medicare reimbursement was assigned to professional services, and Medicare departmental cost-to-charge ratios were applied to service line hospital charges and adjusted for inflation to create 2017 standardized costs. Acute (0-6 month) and follow-up (6-24 month) costs were subcategorized into clinic, emergency department, hospital inpatient, and outpatient costs., Results: Among 1275 patients, 126 (9.9%) had at least 1 pre-existing psychiatric diagnosis. On univariate analysis, both acute and long-term costs were higher in the Psych group. The largest significant differences in costs were follow-up hospital inpatient costs ($5861 higher; 95% confidence interval [CI], $687-$11,035; P = .002), follow-up hospital outpatient costs ($2086 higher; 95% CI, -$142 to $4,314; P = .040), and follow-up emergency department costs ($396 higher; 95% CI, $149-$643; P < .001). Age, race, sex, and treatment modalities were comparable, but the Psych group patients had more median comorbidities (2 vs 1) and had more respiratory cancer diagnoses than the nonpsychiatric group (31% vs 17%). On multivariate analysis adjusted for age, sex, cancer diagnosis, and comorbidities, global follow-up costs remained 150% higher in the Psych group (P < .001). Acute costs were similar after adjustment (P = .63)., Conclusions: Psychiatric comorbidities independently predict elevated healthcare costs in patients treated for cancer. Radiation oncology payment models should consider adjustments to account for psychiatric comorbidities because addressing these may mitigate cost differential., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Patients with pancreatic cystic neoplasms (PCN), without surgical indication at the time of diagnosis according to current guidelines, require lifetime image-based surveillance follow-up. In these patients, the current European evidenced-based guidelines advise magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning every 6 mo in the first year, then annually for the next five years, without reference to any role for trans-abdominal ultrasound (US). In this study, we report on our clinical experience of a follow-up strategy of image-based surveillance with US, and restricted use of MRI every two years and for urgent evaluation whenever suspicious changes are detected by US., Aim: To report the results and cost-efficacy of a US-based surveillance follow-up for known PCNs, with restricted use of MRI., Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the records of all the patients treated in our institution with non-surgical PCN who received follow-up abdominal US and restricted MRI from the time of diagnosis, between January 2012 and January 2017. After US diagnosis and MRI confirmation, all patients underwent US surveillance every 6 mo for the first year, and then annually. A MRI scan was routinely performed every 2 years, or at any stage for all suspicious US findings. In this communication, we reported the clinical results of this alternative follow-up, and the results of a comparative cost-analysis between our surveillance protocol (abdominal US and restricted MRI) and the same patient cohort that has been followed-up in strict accordance with the European guidelines recommended for an exclusive MRI-based surveillance protocol., Results: In the 5-year period, 200 patients entered the prescribed US-restricted MRI surveillance follow-up. Mean follow-up period was 25.1 ± 18.2 mo. Surgery was required in two patients (1%) because of the appearance of suspicious features at imaging (with complete concordance between the US scan and the on-demand MRI). During the follow-up, US revealed changes in PCN appearance in 28 patients (14%). These comprised main pancreatic duct dilatation ( n = 1), increased size of the main cyst ( n = 14) and increased number of PNC ( n = 13). In all of these patients, MRI confirmed US findings, without adding more information. The bi-annual MRI identified evolution of the lesions not identified by US in only 11 patients with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (5.5%), largely consisting of an increased number of very small PCN ( P = 0.14). The overall mean cost of surveillance, based on a theoretical use of the European evidenced-based exclusive MRI surveillance in the same group of patients, would have been 1158.9 ± 798.6 € per patient, in contrast with a significantly lower cost of 366.4 ± 348.7 € ( P < 0.0001) incurred by the US-restricted MRI surveillance used at our institution., Conclusion: In patients with non-surgical PCN at the time of diagnosis, US surveillance could be a safe complementary approach to MRI, delaying and reducing the numbers of second level examinations and therefore reducing the costs., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: No conflict of interest.

Background: Many follow-up guidelines for patients with high-risk melanoma include expensive imaging studies, serum biomarkers and regular visits to the dermatologist, with little attention to cost-effectiveness., Objectives: To establish the cost-effectiveness of chest-abdomen-pelvis computed tomography (CT) and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a follow-up protocol for patients at high risk of relapse., Methods: This was a prospective single-centre cohort study of 290 patients with clinicopathological American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage IIB, IIC and III melanoma. Patients had a body CT scan and brain MRI every 6 months and were withdrawn from the study after completing a 5-year follow-up or when metastases were detected. A cost-effectiveness analysis for each follow-up radiological procedure was performed., Results: Patients underwent 1805 body CT scans and 1683 brain MRIs. Seventy-six metastases (26·2%) were identified by CT or MRI. CT scan was cost-effective in the first 4 years (cost-effectiveness ratio €4710·70-€14 437·10/patient with metastasis); brain MRI was cost-effective during the first year (cost-effectiveness ratio €14 090·60/patient with metastasis). Limitations included lack of survival analysis and comparisons with willingness-to-pay thresholds., Conclusions: Six-monthly CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis is a cost-effective technique for the early detection of metastases in the first 4 years of follow-up in patients with AJCC stage IIC and III melanoma, and in the first 3 years in patients with AJCC stage IIB melanoma. In addition, brain MRI has been shown to be cost-effective only in the first year of follow-up in patients with AJCC stage IIC and III melanoma., (© 2018 British Association of Dermatologists.)

The growth in the number of cancer survivors in the face of projected health-care workforce shortages will challenge the US health-care system in delivering follow-up care. New methods of delivering follow-up care are needed that address the ongoing needs of survivors without overwhelming already overflowing oncology clinics or shuttling all follow-up patients to primary care providers. One potential solution, proposed for over a decade, lies in adopting a personalized approach to care in which survivors are triaged or risk-stratified to distinct care pathways based on the complexity of their needs and the types of providers their care requires. Although other approaches may emerge, we advocate for development, testing, and implementation of a risk-stratified approach as a means to address this problem. This commentary reviews what is needed to shift to a risk-stratified approach in delivering survivorship care in the United States., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Aim: This study compared follow-up protocols for paediatric celiac disease (CD) led by either paediatricians or dietitians at Swedish university hospitals., Methods: We followed 363 CD patients under 18 years at the university hospitals in Malmö (n = 140) and Lund (n = 79) between 2011 and 2013 and after they merged to become Skåne (n = 144) between 2014 and 2016. Both Lund and Malmö provided regular paediatrician follow-up visits, whereas Skåne provided mainly dietitian-led visits., Results: Children at Lund were followed for a mean of 1.0 ± 0.5 visits per year, compared to 0.7 ± 0.6 at Malmö (p < 0.0001) and 0.9 ± 0.6 at Skåne (p = 0.11). The ratio of annual paediatrician to dietitian annual visits was 1.4:1.0 at Lund, which was higher than Malmö (0.9:1.0; p = 0.0017) and Skåne (0.6:1.0; p < 0.0001). There was no difference in the prevalence of non-compliant patients between the clinics (p = 0.26, Malmö 13.6%, Lund 10.1%, Skåne 7.6%). Tissue transglutaminase autoantibody levels reversed equally over time at all three clinics after the subjects started a gluten-free diet (r = -0.55, p < 0.0001). The total mean annual cost per patient was lowest at Malmö and highest at Lund (p < 0.0001)., Conclusion: Dietary compliance was similar regardless of whether care was provided by a dietitian or paediatrician. Dietitian-led follow-up visits may provide lower long-term costs., (©2018 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: The National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) in England opportunistically screens eligible individuals for chlamydia infection. Retesting is recommended three3 months after treatment following a positive test result, but no guidance is given on how local areas should recall individuals for retesting. Here , we compare cost estimates for different recall methods to inform the optimal delivery of retesting programmes., Design: Economic evaluation., Setting: England., Methods: We estimated the cost of chlamydia retesting for each of the six most commonly used recall methods in 2014 based on existing cost estimates of a chlamydia screen. Proportions accepting retesting, opting for retesting by post, returning postal testing kits and retesting positive were informed by 2014 NCSP audit data. Health professionals 'sense-checked' the costs., Primary and Secondary Outcomes: Cost and adjusted cost per chlamydia retest; cost and adjusted cost per chlamydia retest positive., Results: We estimated the cost of the chlamydia retest pathway, including treatment/follow-up call, to be between £45 and £70 per completed test. At the lower end, this compared favourably to the cost of a clinic-based screen. Cost per retest positive was £389-£607. After adjusting for incomplete uptake, and non-return of postal kits, the cost rose to £109-£289 per completed test (cost per retest positive: £946-£2,506). The most economical method in terms of adjusted cost per retest was no active recall as gains in retest rates with active recall did not outweigh the higher cost. Nurse-led client contact by phone was particularly uneconomical, as was sending out postal testing kits automatically., Conclusions: Retesting without active recall is more economical than more intensive methods such as recalling by phone and automatically sending out postal kits. If sending a short message service (SMS) could be automated, this could be the most economical way of delivering retesting. However, patient choice and local accessibility of services should be taken into consideration in planning., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)