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Nonemergency medical transportation benefits, often using smartphone application-based ridesharing services, are increasingly being offered as part of population health management programs. However, the impact of these programs on health care use and costs remains understudied. We conducted a mixed-methods evaluation of a nonemergency medical transportation benefit offered to members of a Medicare accountable care organization (ACO) within a large academic health system, the UNC Health Alliance ACO. Participation in the transportation program was associated with a greater number of per person per year outpatient visits (9.2) and higher outpatient spending ($4,420) than in a comparison group. However, there was no difference in inpatient admissions or emergency department visits, and the program was not cost saving. Qualitative analyses revealed that participants were highly satisfied with the program, reporting that it eased financial burdens and made them feel safer, more empowered, and better able to take control of their health. These findings suggest that although transportation programs are commonly introduced as ways to contain health care spending, it may be better to think of them as programs to improve health care access for people facing difficult circumstances.

A great deal of research has focused on how hospitals influence readmission rates. While hospitals play a vital role in reducing readmissions, a significant portion of the work also falls to primary care practices. Despite this critical role of primary care, little empirical evidence has shown what primary care characteristics or activities are associated with reductions in hospital admissions. To examine the relationship between practices’ readmission reduction activities and their readmission rates. A retrospective study of 1,788 practices who responded to the National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems (fielded 2017–2018) and 415,663 hospital admissions for Medicare beneficiaries attributed to those practices from 2016 100% Medicare claims data. We constructed mixed-effects logistic regression models to estimate practice-level readmission rates and a linear regression model to evaluate the association between practices’ readmission rates with their number of readmission reduction activities. Standardized composite score, ranging from 0 to 1, representing the number of a practice’s readmission reduction capabilities. The composite score was composed of 12 unique capabilities identified in the literature as being significantly associated with lower readmission rates (e.g., presence of care manager, medication reconciliation, shared-decision making, etc.). Practices’ readmission rates for attributed Medicare beneficiaries. Routinely engaging in more readmission reduction activities was significantly associated (P < .05) with lower readmission rates. On average, practices experienced a 0.05 percentage point decrease in readmission rates for each additional activity. Average risk-standardized readmission rates for practices performing 10 or more of the 12 activities in our composite measure were a full percentage point lower than risk-standardized readmission rates for practices engaging in none of the activities. Primary care practices that engaged in more readmission reduction activities had lower readmission rates. These findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that engaging in multiple activities, rather than any single activity, is associated with decreased readmissions.

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity, limited or uncertain access to enough food for an active, healthy life, affected over 37 million Americans in 2018. Food insecurity is likely to be associated with worse health-related quality of life (HRQoL), but this association has not been measured with validated instruments in nationally representative samples. Given growing interest understanding food insecurity’s role in health outcomes, it would be useful to learn what HRQoL measures best capture the experience of those with food insecurity. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between food insecurity and several validated HRQoL instruments in US adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. PARTICIPANTS: US adults (age ≥ 18), weighted to be nationally representative. MAIN MEASURES: Food insecurity was assessed with three items derived from the USDA Household Food Security Survey Module. HRQoL was assessed using PROMIS-Preference (PROPr), which contains 7 PROMIS domains, self-rated health (SRH), Euroqol-5D-5L (EQ-5D), Health Utilities Index (HUI), and Short Form-6D (SF-6D). KEY RESULTS: In December 2017, 4142 individuals completed at least part of the survey (31% response rate), of whom 4060 (98.0%) reported food security information. Of survey respondents, 51.7% were women, 12.5% self-identified as black, 15.8% were Hispanic, and 11.0% did not have a high school diploma. 14.1% of respondents reported food insecurity. In adjusted analyses, food insecurity was associated with worse HRQoL across all instruments and PROMIS domains (p < .0001 for all). The magnitude of the difference between food-insecure and food-secure participants was largest with the SF-6D, EQ-5D, and PROPr; among individual PROMIS domain scores, the largest difference was for ability to participate in social roles. CONCLUSIONS: Food insecurity is strongly associated with worse HRQoL, with differences between food-secure and food-insecure individuals best measured using the SF-6D, EQ-5D, and PROPr. Future work should develop a specific instrument to measure changes in HRQoL in food insecurity interventions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11606-020-06492-9.

BackgroundIt remains unclear how transition readiness is associated with various domains of health in children and young adults. Our objective was to describe the transition readiness of children and young adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and examine its associations with demographic factors, IBD activity, and measures of physical, psychological, and social health.MethodsWe recruited children ages 12 to 17 and young adults ages 18 to 20 from 2 internet-based cohorts sponsored by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. Participants self-reported demographics, IBD activity, transition readiness, health-related quality of life, and Patient-Reported Outcomes Information Systems domains of physical, psychological, and social health.ResultsAmong 361 pediatric and 119 adult participants, age and female sex were associated with transition readiness. The association was greater in the pediatric cohort. Having IBD in remission was associated with worse transition readiness in the pediatric cohort only (beta = 0.3; P = 0.003). Health-related quality of life and Patient-Reported Outcomes Information Systems measures of fatigue, pain interference, and sleep disturbance were not associated with transition readiness in either children or adults. We observed few small associations between psychological or social health and transition readiness. Better transition readiness was associated with greater anxiety in adults (beta = –0.02; P = 0.02) and greater peer relationships among children (beta = 0.01; P = 0.009).ConclusionsIn children and young adults with IBD, transition readiness was associated with older age and female sex. Associations between transition readiness and physical, psychological, and social health were either small, inconsistent across age groups, or nonexistent.

Background Dialysis care often focuses on outcomes that are of lesser importance to patients than to clinicians. There is growing international interest in individualizing care based on patient priorities, but evidence-based approaches are lacking. The objective of this study was to develop a person-centered dialysis care planning program. To achieve this objective we performed qualitative interviews, responsively developed a novel care planning program and then assessed program content and burden. Methods We conducted 25 concept elicitation interviews with US hemodialysis patients, care partners and care providers, using thematic analysis to analyze transcripts. Interview findings and interdisciplinary stakeholder panel input informed the development of a new care planning program, My Dialysis Plan. We then conducted 19 cognitive debriefing interviews with patients, care partners and care providers to assess the program’s content and face validities, comprehensibility and burden. Results We identified five themes in concept elicitation interviews: feeling boxed in by the system, navigating dual lives, acknowledging an evolving identity, respecting the individual as a whole person and increasing individualization to enhance care. We then developed a person-centered care planning program and supporting materials that underwent 32 stakeholder-informed iterations. Data from subsequent cognitive interviews led to program revisions intended to improve contextualization and understanding, decrease burden and facilitate implementation. Conclusions My Dialysis Plan is a content-valid, person-centered dialysis care planning program that aims to promote care individualization. Investigation of the program’s capacity to improve patient experiences and outcomes is needed.

This Viewpoint examines in-depth 5 features of health care systems that may influence quality of care: pooled resources, centralization, standardization, interprovider coordination, and cross-practice learning.

OBJECTIVE: Although exposure to air pollution and pollen is associated with asthma exacerbation and increased healthcare utilization, longitudinal effects of fine particulate matter 2.5 (PM(2.5)), ozone (O(3)), and pollen exposure on asthma control status in pediatric patients are understudied. This study investigated effects of exposure to PM(2.5), O(3), and pollen on asthma control status among pediatric patients with asthma. METHODS: A total of 229 dyads of pediatric patients with asthma and their parents were followed-up for 15 months. The Asthma Control and Communication Instrument was used to measure asthma control, which was reported weekly by parents during a 26-week period. PM(2.5) and O(3) data were collected from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality System. Pollen data were obtained from Intercontinental Marketing Services Health. Mean air pollutant and pollen exposures within 7 days prior to the reporting of asthma control were used to estimate weekly exposures for each participant. Linear mixed-effects models were performed to test associations of PM(2.5), O(3), and pollen exposure with asthma control status. Sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the robustness of findings by different exposure monitoring days per week and distances between monitoring sites and participants’ residences. RESULTS: Elevated PM(2.5) concentration and pollen severity were associated with poorer asthma control status (p

BACKGROUND: The appropriate dose of aspirin to lower the risk of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke and to minimize major bleeding in patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a subject of controversy. METHODS: Using an open-label, pragmatic design, we randomly assigned patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease to a strategy of 81 mg or 325 mg of aspirin per day. The primary effectiveness outcome was a composite of death from any cause, hospitalization for myocardial infarction, or hospitalization for stroke, assessed in a time-to-event analysis. The primary safety outcome was hospitalization for major bleeding, also assessed in a time-to-event analysis. RESULTS: A total of 15,076 patients were followed for a median of 26.2 months (interquartile range [IQR], 19.0 to 34.9). Before randomization, 13,537 (96.0% of those with available information on previous aspirin use) were already taking aspirin, and 85.3% of these patients were previously taking 81 mg of daily aspirin. Death, hospitalization for myocardial infarction, or hospitalization for stroke occurred in 590 patients (estimated percentage, 7.28%) in the 81-mg group and 569 patients (estimated percentage, 7.51%) in the 325-mg group (hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91 to 1.14). Hospitalization for major bleeding occurred in 53 patients (estimated percentage, 0.63%) in the 81-mg group and 44 patients (estimated percentage, 0.60%) in the 325-mg group (hazard ratio, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.77). Patients assigned to 325 mg had a higher incidence of dose switching than those assigned to 81 mg (41.6% vs. 7.1%) and fewer median days of exposure to the assigned dose (434 days [IQR, 139 to 737] vs. 650 days [IQR, 415 to 922]). CONCLUSIONS: In this pragmatic trial involving patients with established cardiovascular disease, there was substantial dose switching to 81 mg of daily aspirin and no significant differences in cardiovascular events or major bleeding between patients assigned to 81 mg and those assigned to 325 mg of aspirin daily. (Funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute; ADAPTABLE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02697916.).

The Social Emotional Behavioral (SEB) Team of the National Children's Study (NCS) was tasked with making recommendations for assessment of important aspects of social-emotional health and function in children. This paper describes the constructs recommended for assessment along with the rationale for their assessment. These constructs, representing aspects of Social Relationships, Social Capital, Temperament, Negative Affect, Externalizing Behavior, Social Competence, Self-efficacy, Self-image, Psychological well-being, Ethnic/racial Socialization, Perceived Discrimination, Sexual Orientation, Religiosity, and Perceived Stress and Resilience were identified as being critical to the understanding of children's health and development from birth to age 21.

Background Unhealthy alcohol use is a leading cause of preventable deaths in the USA and is associated with many societal and health problems. Less than a third of people who visit primary care providers in the USA are asked about or ever discuss alcohol use with a health professional. Methods/design This study is an adaptive, randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the effect of primary care practice facilitation and telehealth services on evidence-based screening, counseling, and pharmacotherapy for unhealthy alcohol use in small-to-medium-sized primary care practices. Study participants will include primary care practices in North Carolina with 10 or fewer providers. All enrolled practices will receive a practice facilitation intervention that includes quality improvement (QI) coaching, electronic health record (EHR) support, training, and expert consultation. After 6 months, practices in the lower 50th percentile (based on performance) will be randomized to continued practice facilitation or provision of telehealth services plus ongoing facilitation for the next 6 months. Practices in the upper 50th percentile after the initial 6 months of intervention will continue to receive practice facilitation alone. The main outcome measures include the number (and %) of patients in the target population who are screened for unhealthy alcohol use, screen positive, and receive brief counseling. Additional measures include the number (and %) of patients who receive pharmacotherapy for AUD or are referred for AUD services. Sample size calculations determined that 35 practices are needed to detect a 10% increase in the main outcome (percent screened for unhealthy alcohol use) over 6 months. Discussion A successful intervention would significantly reduce morbidity among adults from unhealthy alcohol use by increasing counseling and other treatment opportunities. The study will produce important evidence about the effect of practice facilitation on uptake of evidence-based screening, counseling, and pharmacotherapy for unhealthy alcohol use when delivered on a large scale to small and medium-sized practices. It will also generate scientific knowledge about whether embedded telehealth services can improve the use of evidence-based screening and interventions for practices with slower uptake. The results of this rigorously conducted evaluation are expected to have a positive impact by accelerating the dissemination and implementation of evidence related to unhealthy alcohol use into primary care practices. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.govNCT04317989. Registered on March 23, 2020.

Background: ADAPTABLE (Aspirin Dosing: A Patient-centric Trial Assessing Benefits and Long-Term Effectiveness) is a pragmatic clinical trial examining high-dose versus low-dose aspirin among patients with cardiovascular disease. ADAPTABLE is leveraging novel approaches for clinical trial conduct to expedite study completion and reduce costs. One pivotal aspect of the trial conduct is maximizing clinician engagement. Methods/Results: Clinician engagement can be diminished by barriers including time limitations, insufficient research infrastructure, lack of research training, inadequate compensation for research activities, and clinician beliefs. We used several key approaches to boost clinician engagement such as empowering clinician champions, including a variety of clinicians, nurses and advanced practice providers, periodic newsletters and coordinated team celebrations, and deploying novel technological solutions. Specifically, some centers generated electronic health records–based best practice advisories and research dashboards. Future large pragmatic trials will benefit from standardization of the various clinician engagement strategies especially studies leveraging electronic health records–based approaches like research dashboards. Financial or academic “credit” for clinician engagement in clinical research may boost participation rates in clinical studies. Conclusion: Maximizing clinician engagement is important for the success of clinical trials; the strategies employed in the ADAPTABLE trial may serve as a template for future pragmatic studies.

CONTEXT: The Collaborative Care Model improves care processes and outcomes but has never been tested for palliative care. OBJECTIVE: To develop and evaluate a model of collaborative oncology palliative care for Stage IV cancer. METHODS: We conducted a pre-post evaluation of Collaborative Oncology Palliative Care (CO-Pal), enrolling patients with Stage IV lung, breast or genitourinary cancers and acute illness hospitalization. CO-Pal has 4 components: 1) oncologist communication skills training; 2) patient tracking; 3) palliative care needs assessment; and 4) care coordination stratified by high vs. low palliative care need. Health record reviews from hospital admission through 60 days provided data on outcomes - goals-of-care discussions (primary outcome), advance care planning, symptom treatment, specialty palliative care and hospice use, and hospital transfers. RESULTS: We enrolled 256 patients (n=114 pre and n=142 post-intervention); 60-day mortality was 32%. Comparing patients pre vs post-intervention, CO-Pal did not increase overall goals-of-care discussions, but did increase advance care planning (48% vs 63%, p=0.021) and hospice use (19% vs 31%, p=0.034). CO-Pal did not impact symptom treatment, overall treatment plans, or 60-day hospital transfers. During the intervention phase, high-need vs low-need patients had more goals-of-care discussions (60% vs. 15%, p

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of dissemination and implementation of an intervention consisting of practice facilitation and a risk‐stratified, population management dashboard on cardiovascular risk reduction for patients at high risk in small, primary care practices. STUDY SETTING: A total of 219 small primary care practices (≤10 clinicians per site) across North Carolina with primary data collection from electronic health records (EHRs) from the fourth quarter of 2015 through the second quarter of 2018. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a stepped‐wedge, stratified, cluster randomized trial of a one‐year intervention consisting of practice facilitation utilizing quality improvement techniques coupled with a cardiovascular dashboard that included lists of risk‐stratified adults, aged 40‐79 years and their unmet treatment opportunities. The primary outcome was change in 10‐Year ASCVD Risk score among all patients with a baseline score ≥10 percent from baseline to 3 months postintervention. DATA COLLECTION/ EXTRACTION METHODS: Data extracts were securely transferred from practices on a nightly basis from their EHR to the research team registry. PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: ASCVD risk scores were assessed on 437 556 patients and 146 826 had a calculated 10‐year risk ≥10 percent. The mean baseline risk was 23.4 percent (SD ± 12.6 percent). Postintervention, the absolute risk reduction was 6.3 percent (95% CI 6.3, 6.4). Models considering calendar time and stepped‐wedge controls revealed most of the improvement (4.0 of 6.3 percent) was attributable to the intervention and not secular trends. In multivariate analysis, male gender, age >65 years, low‐income (

Background Practice facilitation is a promising strategy to enhance care processes and outcomes in primary care settings. It requires that practices and their facilitators engage as teams to drive improvement. In this analysis, we explored the practice and facilitator factors associated with greater team engagement at the mid-point of a 12-month practice facilitation intervention focused on implementing cardiovascular prevention activities in practice. Understanding factors associated with greater engagement with facilitators in practice-based quality improvement can assist practice facilitation programs with planning and resource allocation. Methods One hundred thirty-six ambulatory care small to medium sized primary care practices that participated in the EvidenceNow initiative’s NC Cooperative, named Heart Health Now (HHN), fit the eligibility criteria for this analysis. We explored the practice and facilitator factors associated with greater team engagement at the mid-point of a 12-month intervention using a retrospective cohort design that included baseline survey data, monthly practice activity implementation data and information about facilitator’s experience. Generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMMs) identified variables associated with greater odds of team engagement using an ordinal scale for level of team engagement. Results Among our practice cohort, over half were clinician-owned and 27% were Federally Qualified Health Centers. The mean number of clinicians was 4.9 (SD 4.2) and approximately 40% of practices were in Medically Underserved Areas (MUA). GLMMs identified a best fit model. The Model presented as odd ratios and 95% confidence intervals suggests greater odds ratios of higher team engagement with greater practice QI leadership 17.31 (5.24–57.19), [0.00], and practice location in a MUA 7.25 (1.8–29.20), [0.005]. No facilitator characteristics were independently associated with greater engagement. Conclusions Our analysis provides information for practice facilitation stakeholders to consider when considering which practices may be more amendable to embracing facilitation services.

Introduction Individuals receiving in-center hemodialysis have high symptom burdens but often do not report their symptoms to care teams. Evidence from other diseases suggest that use of symptom electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROMs) may improve outcomes. We assessed the usability of a symptom ePROM system and then implemented a quality improvement (QI) project with the objective of improving symptom communication at a US hemodialysis clinic. During the project, we assessed the feasibility of ePROM implementation and conducted a substudy exploring the effect of ePROM use on patient-centered care. Methods After conducting usability testing, we used mixed methods, guided by the Quality Implementation Framework, to implement a 16-week symptom ePROM QI project. We performed pre-, intra-, and postproject stakeholder interviews to identify implementation barriers and facilitators. We collected ePROM system-generated data on symptoms, e-mail alerts, and response rates, among other factors, to inform our feasibility assessment. We compared pre- and postproject outcomes. Results There were 62 patient participants (34% black, 16% Spanish-speaking) and 19 care team participants (4 physicians, 15 clinic personnel) at QI project start, and 32 research participants. In total, the symptom ePROM was administered 496 times (completion rate = 84%). The implementation approach and ePROM system were modified to address stakeholder-identified concerns throughout. ePROM implementation was feasible as demonstrated by the program’s acceptability, demand, implementation success, practicality, integration in care, and observed trend toward improved outcomes. Conclusions Symptom ePROM administration during hemodialysis is feasible. Trials investigating the effectiveness of symptom ePROMs and optimal administration strategies are needed., Graphical abstract

Objective: Large practice networks have access to EHR data that can be used to drive important improvements in population health. However, missing data often limit improvement efforts. Our goal was to determine the proportion of patients in a cohort of small primary care practices who lacked cholesterol data to calculate ASCVD risk scores and then gauge the extent that imputation can accurately identify individuals already at high risk. 219 practices enrolled. Patients between the ages of 40 and 79 years qualified for risk calculation. For patients who lacked cholesterol data, we measured the effect of employing a conservative estimation strategy using a total cholesterol of 170 mg/dl and HDL-cholesterol of 50 mg/dl in the ASCVD risk equation to identify patients with ≥ 10%, 10-year ASCVD risk who were eligible for risk reduction interventions then compared this to a rigorous formal imputation methodology. 345 440 patients, average age 58 years, qualified for risk scores. 108 515 patients were missing cholesterol information. Using the “good value” estimation methodology, 40 565 had risk scores ≥ 10% compared to 43 205 using formal imputation. However, the latter strategy yielded a lower specificity and higher false positive rate. Estimates using either strategy achieved ASCVD risk stratification quickly and accurately identified high risk patients who could benefit from intervention.

PURPOSE Our purpose was to assess whether a practice’s adaptive reserve and high leadership capability in quality improvement are associated with population blood pressure control. METHODS We divided practices into quartiles of blood pressure control performance and considered the top quartile as the benchmark for comparison. Using abstracted clinical data from electronic health records, we performed a cross-sectional study to assess the association of top quartile hypertension control and (1) the baseline practice adaptive reserve (PAR) scores and (2) baseline practice leadership scores, using modified Poisson regression models adjusting for practice-level characteristics. RESULTS Among 181 practices, 46 were in the top quartile, which averaged 68% or better blood pressure control. Practices with higher PAR scores compared with lower PAR scores were not more likely to reside in the top quartile of performance (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.92 for highest quartile; 95% CI, 0.9–4.1). Similarly, high quality improvement leadership capability compared with lower capability did not predict better blood pressure control performance (PR = 0.94; 95% CI, 0.57–1.56). Practices with higher proportions of commercially insured patients were more likely than practices with lower proportions of commercially insured patients to have top quartile performance (37% vs 26%, P =.002), whereas lower proportions of the uninsured (8% vs 14%, P =.055) were associated with better performance. CONCLUSIONS Our findings show that adaptive reserve and leadership capability in quality improvement implementation are not statistically associated with achieving top quartile practice-level hypertension control at baseline in the Heart Health NOW project. Our findings, however, may be limited by a lack of patient-related factors and small sample size to preclude strong conclusions.

Context Children in treatment for cancer experience multiple, troubling, and interrelated symptoms. Analyzing the interrelatedness of symptoms and how that changes during treatment could yield clinically relevant patient profiles to guide patient care. Objectives The aims were to identify pediatric profiles with respect to Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System® (PROMIS®; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health) symptom measures, changes in profile status throughout a chemotherapy cycle, and if a baseline single-item fatigue measure could significantly predict symptom profile status and its changes. Methods In a longitudinal, single-site, three data point (T1, T2, and T3) design, children between 8 and 18 years completed the PROMIS Pediatric short form measures for fatigue, depression, anxiety, and pain and one fatigue item from the Symptom Distress Scale. Latent profile analysis and latent transition analysis were conducted. Results About 96 children participated; 58.3% were between 13 and 18 years, and 54.2% were males. Two latent profiles (less severe symptoms and severe symptoms) were identified. The prevalence of the severe symptom profile remained relatively unchanged from T1 to T2 but significantly declined at T3. The baseline single-item fatigue score significantly predicted the child's profile membership and its changes. Conclusion Children experiencing troubling symptoms during cancer treatment are heterogeneous. With respect to the PROMIS symptom measures, two a priori unknown distinct latent profiles of patients were identified in a course of chemotherapy, and the transitions in the profile status were significantly predicted by a baseline single-item fatigue measure.

Objectives To compare Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pediatric Fatigue Short Form measures and legacy patient-reported outcome fatigue measures to capture cancer-related fatigue change in pediatric patients with cancer. . Sample & setting 96 racially diverse children and adolescents with cancer. The study occurred in a 32-bed inpatient unit and three regional outpatient clinics. . Methods & variables The Fatigue Scale-Child, Fatigue Scale-Adolescent, and the PROMIS Pediatric Fatigue Short Form measures were administered at three time points during chemotherapy. Descriptive, correlational, psychometric, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were conducted. The variable was pediatric patient-reported fatigue. . Results All measures were positively correlated at each time point. ROC curves were not statistically different from each other at any data point. . Implications for nursing Nurses have psychometrically strong options for measuring cancer-related fatigue in pediatric patients with cancer, but the PROMIS Pediatric Fatigue Short Form is applicable to more age groups.

Poor asthma control in children is related to impaired patient-reported outcomes (PROs; eg, fatigue, depressive symptoms, anxiety), but less well studied is the effect of PROs on children's school performance and sleep outcomes. In this study we investigated whether the consistency status of PROs over time affected school functioning and daytime sleepiness in children with asthma.Of the 238 children with asthma enrolled in the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pediatric Asthma Study, 169 children who provided survey data for all 4 time points were used in the analysis. The child's PROs, school functioning, and daytime sleepiness were measured 4 times within a 15-month period. PRO domains included asthma impact, pain interference, fatigue, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and mobility. Each child was classified as having poor/fair versus good PROs per meaningful cut points. The consistency status of each domain was classified as consistently poor/fair if poor/fair status was present for at least 3 time points; otherwise, the status was classified as consistently good. Seemingly unrelated regression was performed to test if consistently poor/fair PROs predicted impaired school functioning and daytime sleepiness at the fourth time point.Consistently poor/fair in all PRO domains was significantly associated with impaired school functioning and excessive daytime sleepiness (Ps .01) after controlling for the influence of the child's age, sex, and race/ethnicity.Children with asthma with consistently poor/fair PROs are at risk of poor school functioning and daytime sleepiness. Developing child-friendly PRO assessment systems to track PROs can inform potential problems in the school setting.

Background From 2010 to 2014, pediatricians completed Part 4 Maintenance of Certification (MOC) through practice- or organization-developed quality improvement (QI) activities approved by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). Organization-developed activities were online modules, such as the ABP's Performance Improvement Modules (PIMs), through which pediatricians implemented QI strategies in practice and reported quality measures. Objectives Aim 1 was to assess the proportion of pediatricians who completed practice- vs organization-developed QI activities for Part 4 MOC and to test the relationship between activities and pediatrician demographics. Aim 2 was to assess the relationship between PIM completion and improvement in care processes and outcomes as determined by PIM quality measures. Methods For aim 1, using deidentified demographic data from the ABP, we summarized QI activity completion and performed bivariate testing by pediatrician demographics. For aim 2, using deidentified parent and pediatrician-reported quality measures from the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Asthma, Hand Hygiene, and Influenza PIMs, we used 2-sample tests of proportions to calculate pre–post changes in quality measures. Results For aim 1, of 50,433 pediatricians who completed Part 4 MOC from 2010 to 2014, 22% completed practice-developed and 78% organization-developed activities. More pediatricians completed organization-developed activities, regardless of age, gender, or subspecialty status. The majority (73%) of pediatricians who completed organization-developed activities completed ABP PIMs. For aim 2, PIM completion was associated with improvement on nearly all pediatrician- and parent-reported quality measures. Conclusions At the outset of the Part 4 MOC system, pediatricians most commonly completed online, organization-developed activities. Pediatricians and parents reported improvements in care processes and outcomes associated with PIMs, suggesting PIMs can be an effective means of facilitating practice improvement.

INTRODUCTIONNearly one third of U.S. adults have hypertension (HTN), increasing their risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality (National Center for Health Statistics, 2013). The costs of HTN in the United states have been estimated to be $93.5 billion, including costs of healthcare services, medications, and missed work days (Heidenreich et al., 2011). Patients who adhere to therapeutic regimens can reduce their cardiovascularrelated risk (Estruch et al., 2006, 2013; Keyserling et al., 2014) and use of hospitals and emergency departments, thus positively affecting lives and better controlling these healthcare costs (Pittman, Tao, Chen, & Stettin, 2010). Identifying feasible and fiscally sound interventions to improve blood pressure (BP) control is a key objective for patients, physicians, and payers (Barton, Andronis, Briggs, McPherson, & Capewell, 2011; Keyserling et al., 2014; Kilpatrick et al., 2005) and may be of heightened importance in communities and medical practices with limited financial resources.As primary care practices shift their focus toward managing patient populations and ongoing performance improvement, data-driven quality improvement (QI) approaches to optimize BP control are attractive options to help guide the change process. Practice leaders can review the practice-based QI activities that are effective in improving BP metrics and adapt relevant strategies for their unique settings (Mueller, Purnell, Mensah, & Cooper, 2015; Shojania, McDonald, Wachter, & Owens, 2004; Walsh et al., 2006). However, providers and practice administrators also need to understand the costs their practices may incur in taking on these new endeavors.A limited number of publications describe the costs incurred by practices to implement practice improvement activities. Some authors calculate societal level costs, including patient, health system, and nonmedical costs (Allen, Dennison Himmelfarb, Szanton, & Frick, 2014; Brunenberg et al., 2007; Chung et al., 2014; Reed et al., 2010), whereas others describe practice level costs to finance individual programs such as a self-management support program (Hollenback, Weiner, & Turner, 2014; Schroeder, Fahey, Hollinghurst, & Peters, 2005).With this article, we add to the growing literature by detailing the practice level costs of participating in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded Heart Healthy Lenoir (HHL) HTN multilevel intervention cohort trial that took place in an economically distressed and rural region of North Carolina from 2010 to 2015 (North Carolina Department of Commerce, 2015). As part of the larger study, we performed an activity-based costing analysis for each of the four most engaged practices. We present information about how we engaged with various stakeholders to develop and implement the HHL intervention and describe the practice level costs incurred to cover staff time to perform key tasks.our objectives are twofold: (a) to describe the cost estimates such that primary care practice stakeholders have insights into potential expenses incurred when investing staff time and other resources in HTN QI initiatives and (b) to gain insights into the nature of the key Qi tasks staff members may need to perform.METHODSSettingThe HHL study is a practice-based multilevel QI effort designed to improve HTN control and to narrow racial disparities in HTN control in rural North carolina. We focused on this region because of the elevated rates of HTN, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, noted racial disparities in HTN prevalence, relative economic distress, and existing collaborative community and healthcare infrastructure. Six primary care practices without experience in HTN QI work participated in the trial.Development of the HHL QI InterventionWe engaged with practice stakeholders and patients to develop the QI intervention. Our approach is based on our team's extensive experience in developing QI methods, processes, and tools (DeWalt et al. …

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive chronic disease characterized by airflow obstruction that leads to shortness of breath and substantial negative impacts on health-related quality of life (HRQL). The course of COPD includes periodic acute exacerbations that require changes in treatment and/or hospitalizations. This study was designed to examine the responsiveness of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System® (PROMIS®) measures to changes associated with COPD exacerbation recovery. Methods A longitudinal analysis using mixed-effects models was conducted of people who were enrolled while stable (n = 100) and those who experienced an acute exacerbation (n = 85). PROMIS (physical function, pain interference, pain behavior, fatigue, anxiety, depression, anger, social roles, discretionary social activities, Global Health, dyspnea severity and dyspnea functional limitations) and COPD-targeted HRQL measures were completed at baseline and at 12 weeks. Results We administered PROMIS measures using computer adaptive testing (CAT), followed by administration of any remaining short form (SF) items that had not yet been administered by CAT. Examination of the difference between group differences from baseline to 12 weeks in the stable and exacerbation groups revealed that the exacerbation group changed (improved) significantly more than the stable group in anxiety (p p < .01; f2 effect size [ES] = 0.023/0.021), fatigue (p p p < .05; ES = 0.035/0.024). All effect sizes were small in magnitude and smaller than hypothesized. Depression was also statistically significant (p Conclusions This longitudinal study provides some support for the validity of the PROMIS fatigue, anxiety, and social roles domains in COPD, but further evaluation of responsiveness is warranted.

Objective Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a kidney disease known to adversely impact health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures are commonly used to characterize HRQOL and the patient disease experience. This study aims to improve the interpretability and clinical utility of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System® (PROMIS®) by identifying distinct meaningful HRQOL profiles in children and adults with NS. Method Patients were from 2 prospective NS cohort studies (PROMIS-II®: 121 children; NEPTUNE: 40 children and 219 adults) with data from 6 PROMIS® domains. Latent Profile Analysis was used to identify subgroups of patients based on PROMIS® score patterns. A 3-step analysis of latent profile predictors was used to determine how clinical parameters predicted HRQOL profile membership. Results We identified 3 HRQOL profiles (Good, Average, and Poor) with strong indicators of membership classification (entropy >0.86). Complete proteinuria remission, reduction in symptoms, and shorter disease duration, were significant predictors of better HRQOL profile membership. Conclusions Patients with NS can be classified by HRQOL into clinically meaningful categories. Integrating this approach into clinic may help in the identification of individuals with poor HRQOL will help clinicians better manage their symptoms and researchers study the causes and possible interventions for these patients. PROMIS® HRQOL profiles were reproducible in replication cohorts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Background There is a need for valid self-report measures of core health-related quality of life (HRQoL) domains. Objective To derive brief, reliable and valid health profile measures from the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System® (PROMIS®) item banks. Methods Literature review, investigator consensus process, item response theory (IRT) analysis, and expert review of scaling results from multiple PROMIS data sets. We developed 3 profile measures ranging in length from 29 to 57 questions. These profiles assess important HRQoL domains with highly informative subsets of items from respective item banks and yield reliable information across mild-to-severe levels of HRQoL experiences. Each instrument assesses the domains of pain interference, fatigue, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, physical function, and social function using 4-, 6-, and 8-item short forms for each domain, and an average pain intensity domain score, using a 0-10 numeric rating scale. Results With few exceptions, all domain short forms within the profile measures were highly reliable across at least 3 standard deviation (30 T-score) units and were strongly correlated with the full bank scores. Construct validity with ratings of general health and quality of life was demonstrated. Information to inform statistical power for clinical and general population samples is also provided. Conclusions Although these profile measures have been used widely, with summary scoring routines published, description of their development, reliability, and initial validity has not been published until this article. Further evaluation of these measures and clinical applications are encouraged.

Background Medication nonadherence is prevalent and links to serious outcomes (e.g., rehospitalization/death) in heart failure (HF) patients; therefore, an urgent need exists for an intervention to improve and sustain adherence after intervention completion. Objectives To test the efficacy of a multi-component, family-focused, li t eracy-sensitive (FamLit) intervention on medication adherence in HF patients. Methods Forty-three HF patients and their care partners were enrolled and randomized to receive FamLit or attention-only intervention, including an in-person session at baseline and bi-weekly phone boosters for 3 months. We measured medication adherence from baseline to 3-month post-intervention using the Medication Event Monitoring System. Results After 3-month intervention, intervention patients had significantly better medication adherence than control patients. At 6 months (3-months post-intervention), intervention effect on adherence was sustained in the FamLit intervention group, while adherence decreased in the control group. Conclusion Incorporating care partner support and providing an easy-to-understand intervention to patients-care partners may improve/sustain adherence.

Rationale & Objective Despite growing interest in individualizing care, routine dialysis processes, including the interdisciplinary plan of care, often fail to account for patient-identified priorities. To better align dialysis care with patient priorities and improve care planning experiences, we implemented a person-centered care plan program at a single clinic. We also sought to gain insight into key implementation considerations and areas for program improvement. Study Design 6-month quality improvement project with research substudy. Setting & Participants 49 hemodialysis patients and 14 care team members at a North Carolina dialysis clinic. Quality Improvement Activities Implementation of My Dialysis Plan, a person-centered care plan program. Outcome(s) Participant perspectives and care plan meeting characteristics (quality improvement); pre- to postprogram change in patient-reported autonomy support, patient-centeredness of care, and dialysis care individualization (research). Analytical Approach We used the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to guide implementation and evaluation. We conducted pre-, intra-, and post-project interviews with clinic stakeholders (patients, clinic personnel, and medical providers) to identify implementation barriers, facilitators, and perceptions. We compared pre- and post-project care plan meeting content and patient-reported outcome survey scores. Results We conducted 54 care plans with 49 patients. Overall, care teams successfully used My Dialysis Plan to elicit and link patient priorities to actionable aspects of dialysis care. Participants identified interdisciplinary team commitment, accountability, and the structured yet flexible meeting approach as key implementation elements. Throughout the project, stakeholder input guided program modifications (eg, implementation practices and resources) to better meet clinic needs, but follow-up on care plan–identified action items remained challenging. Among the 28 substudy participants, there was no difference in pre- to post-project patient-reported outcome survey scores. Limitations Single clinic implementation. Conclusions My Dialysis Plan has the potential to enhance dialysis care individualization and care plan experiences. Evaluation of program impact on patient-reported and clinical outcomes is needed., Graphical abstract

Background How the longitudinal asthma control status and other socio-demographic factors influence the changes of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among asthmatic children, especially from low-income families, has not been fully investigated. Objectives This study aimed to describe the trajectories of asthma-specific HRQOL over 15 months, and examine the effect of asthma control status on HRQOL by taking socio-demographic factors into consideration. Methods 229 dyads of asthmatic children and their parents enrolled in public insurance programs were recruited for assessing asthma control status and HRQOL over 4 time points of assessment. Asthma control status was measured using the Asthma Control and Communication Instrument and asthma-specific HRQOL was assessed using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System's Pediatric Asthma Impact Scale. Latent growth models (LGMs) were applied to examine the trajectory of HRQOL and the factors contributing to the changes of HRQOL. Results Unconditional LGM revealed that HRQOL was improved over time. Conditional LGM suggested that accounting for asthma control and participants’ socio-demographic factors, the variation in the initial level of HRQOL was significant, yet the rate of change was not. Conditional LGM also revealed that poorly-controlled asthma status was associated with poor HRQOL at each time point (p's

We examine the cross-sectional association between subjective social status and self-rated physical and mental health functioning in 518 Black and White patients enrolled in a community-based hypertension control research study. We found that (1) subjective social status, measured using both a proximal and distal referent group, was positively associated with physical and mental health functioning scores independent of educational level, household income, or both; (2) the effect of subjective social status on physical and mental health functioning differed significantly by race when using the distal, not the proximal, referent group. When the associations differed, they were stronger for Whites than Blacks.

Objectives To conduct a longitudinal evaluation of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) social function measures (satisfaction with participation in social roles and satisfaction with participation in discretionary social activities) in English-speaking people with chronic health conditions. Study Design and Setting Adults receiving treatment for chronic heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic back pain, or depression completed PROMIS computer-based measures of social health at two time points approximately 3 months apart and global ratings of change. Linear mixed effects models and standardized response means were estimated for the two social function measures. Results A total of 599 people participated: 79 with stable COPD, 46 COPD exacerbation, 60 with CHF, 196 with depression, and 218 with back pain. Four groups experienced improvement over time, one (COPD stable) changed very little. Those who reported better global ratings of change in overall health experienced larger changes in social function than those who reported the same or worse global health. Conclusion This study provided support for responsiveness to change for two PROMIS social function measures. These results provide further evidence of the PROMIS goal to enable comparable measurement of universally relevant symptoms and experiences that apply to people with a variety of diseases.

To examine item-level response shift associated with the change in asthma-related health state (i.e., change in asthma control status and global rating of change (GRC) in breathing problems).Study sample comprised 238 asthmatic children who were between 8 and 17.9 years and completed the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) symptoms, emotion function, and activity limitation domains at baseline and a follow-up assessment. Structural equation modeling was implemented to assess item-level response shift associated with the change in asthma-related health state with the adjustment for the influence of confounding variables. The magnitude of item-level response shift and its influence on the change of domain scores was estimated using Cohen's effect sizes.We found no instances of item-level response shift. However, two items were identified with measurement bias related to GRC due to breathing problems. Specifically, asthmatic children with better/about the same GRC due to breathing problems reported lower scores for one item in the emotional domain at follow-up compared to those with deteriorated GRC due to breathing problems. In addition, asthmatic children with better/about the same GRC due to breathing problems reported better scores for another item in the symptom domain at baseline compared to those with deteriorated GRC due to breathing problems. The impact of measurement bias was small and did not bias the change of domain scores over time.No item-level response shift, but two instances of measurement bias, appears in asthmatic children. However, the impact of these measurement issues is negligible.

Objectives Few studies have investigated the complex relationship among asthma control, sleep problems, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among children with asthma. This study aimed to test the longitudinal effect of asthma control status on asthma-specific HRQOL through the mechanism of nighttime sleep quality and daytime sleepiness. Methods The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS ® ) Pediatric Asthma Study included 229 dyads of asthmatic children and their parents with two years of follow-up for assessing the change in asthma control, sleep problems, and asthma-specific HRQOL. The Asthma Control and Communication Instrument was used to measure asthma control status. Nighttime sleep quality assessment was based on difficulty falling asleep and getting up, and sleep disturbance. The Iowa Pediatric Daytime Sleeping Scale was used to assess daytime sleepiness. The PROMIS Asthma Impact Scale was used to measure asthma-specific HRQOL. Multilevel structural equation modeling was performed to quantify the direct and indirect effects of asthma control status on asthma-specific HRQOL through nighttime sleep quality and daytime sleepiness. Results Poorer asthma control status was directly associated with lower asthma-specific HRQOL at within-subject and between-subject levels ( p 0.05); however, effects of asthma control on asthma-specific HRQOL were indirectly influenced through daytime sleepiness at the within-subject level ( p 0.05), and through nighttime sleep quality and daytime sleepiness at the between-subject level ( p 0.05). Conclusions Asthma control status is associated with asthma-specific HRQOL, and this association is mediated by nighttime sleep quality and daytime sleepiness. Clinicians should address sleep problems related to asthma control to improve HRQOL for asthmatic children.

Background The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System® (PROMIS®) created pediatric self-report scales measuring a variety of health attributes (domains), but their responsiveness to changes in health status has not yet been determined in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). Procedure A convenience cohort of symptomatic SCD children, aged 8–17 years, was asked to complete PROMIS pediatric scales at an initial clinic visit, at the end of a subsequent hospitalization for sickle pain, at a subsequent clinic visit or at home 2–3 weeks after hospitalization, and at a clinic visit 1–2 years after their initial assessment. Results A total of 121 participants (mean age 12.5 ± 3.1 years, 56.2% female) participated in the study. Pain interference and fatigue domain scores were elevated at baseline, increased substantially during hospitalization, and largely returned to baseline by the recovery period, whereas the depressive symptoms, anger, and anxiety domain scores displayed a less pronounced elevation during hospitalizations and a slower return to baseline levels. The two physical functioning scales showed a substantial decline in response to hospitalization, but only modest improvements at the recovery assessment, likely representing incomplete recovery. Conclusions Several PROMIS pediatric measures were responsive to changes in health status associated with occurrence and resolution of acute vaso-occlusive pain requiring hospitalization. The substantial differences in these domains during SCD-related pain exacerbations support their potential usefulness in clinical research or in clinical practice. Further studies to characterize variations in symptom patterns over time may provide insights into strategies for more effective management of sickle pain.

PURPOSE: Having independent versions of the PROMIS® scales (for Pediatric and Adults) is problematic as scores can’t be evaluated longitudinally as individuals move from childhood into adulthood. The primary aim of this research project is to use item response theory (IRT) to develop a transitional scoring link (or “crosswalk”) between the PROMIS adult and pediatric physical health measures. SETTING: Sample 1 was collected at 6 rehabilitation hospitals in the U.S., and participants in Sample 2 were recruited from public health insurance programs and an online research panel. METHODS: PROMIS pediatric and adult physical function, mobility, upper extremity, fatigue, and pain measures were administered to a sample of 874 individuals aged 14–20 years old with special health needs and a sample of 641 individuals aged 14–25 years with a disability. IRT-based scores were linked using a linear approximation to calibrated projection. RESULTS: Estimated latent variable correlations ranged between .84 and .95 for the PROMIS pediatric and adult scores. Root expected mean square difference values were below the .08 threshold in all cases except when comparing genders on the Mobility (.097) and Pain (.10) scales in the special health care needs sample. Sum score conversion tables for the pediatric and adult PROMIS measures are presented. CONCLUSIONS: The linking coefficients can be used to calculate scale scores on PROMIS adult measures from pediatric measure scores and vice-versa. This may lead to more accurate measurement in cross-sectional studies spanning multiple age groups or longitudinal studies that require comparable measurement across distinct developmental stages.