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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) improves outcomes for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to large vessel occlusion, but is time sensitive and requires specialized infrastructure. Professional organizations and certification bodies have promulgated minimum procedural volume standards for centers and for individual proceduralists but it is unclear whether enforcing these requirements would decrease geographic access to MT. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the potential impact of applying a minimum procedural volume threshold on geographic access to MT. METHODS: We identified all hospital discharges for stroke where an MT procedure was performed at any nonfederal hospital in Florida in 2019 using statewide hospital discharge data. We then generated geographic service area maps based on prespecified ground transport distances for the subset of hospitals that performed at least 1 MT and for those that performed at least 15 MTs that year, the minimum volume threshold required for thrombectomy capable and comprehensive stroke centers by the Joint Commission. Then, using zip code centroids and patient-level discharge hospital data, we computed the proportion of patients with AIS who lived within each of the generated service areas. RESULTS: A total of 105 of 297 hospitals performed MT; of those, 51 (17%) were low-volume centers (1-14 MTs/year) and 54 (18%) were high-volume centers (≥15 MTs/year). High-volume centers accounted for nearly 95% of all MTs performed in the state. Most patients hospitalized with AIS (87%) lived within 20 miles (or an estimated as a 1-hour driving time) of a hospital that performed at least 1 MT, and all (100%) lived within 115 miles (or estimated as 3-hour driving time). Setting a minimum MT volume threshold of 15 would decrease the proportion of stroke patients living within 1-hour driving time of an MT center from 87% to 77%. DISCUSSION: In 2019, most Florida stroke patients lived within a 1-hour ground transport time to a center that performed at least 1 MT and all lived within 3-hour driving time of an MT center, irrespective of whether a minimum procedural volume threshold of 15 cases per year was applied or not.

OBJECTIVE: To use more precise measures of which hospitals are electronically connected to determine whether health information exchange (HIE) is associated with lower emergency department (ED)-related utilization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We combined 2018 Medicare fee-for-service claims to identify beneficiaries with 2 ED encounters within 30 days, and Definitive Healthcare and AHA IT Supplement data to identify hospital participation in HIE networks (HIOs and EHR vendor networks). We determined whether the 2 encounters for the same beneficiary occurred at: the same organization, different organizations connected by HIE, or different organizations not connected by HIE. Outcomes were: (1) whether any repeat imaging occurred during the second ED visit; (2) for beneficiaries with a treat-and-release ED visit followed by a second ED visit, whether they were admitted to the hospital after the second visit; (3) for beneficiaries discharged from the hospital followed by an ED visit, whether they were admitted to the hospital. RESULTS: In adjusted mixed effects models, for all outcomes, beneficiaries returning to the same organization had significantly lower utilization compared to those going to different organizations. Comparing only those going to different organizations, HIE was not associated with lower levels of repeat imaging. HIE was associated with lower likelihood of hospital admission following a treat-and-release ED visit (1.83 percentage points [-3.44 to -0.21]) but higher likelihood of admission following hospital discharge (2.78 percentage points [0.48-5.08]). DISCUSSION: Lower utilization for beneficiaries returning to the same organization could reflect better access to information or other factors such as aligned incentives. CONCLUSION: HIE is not consistently associated with utilization outcomes reflecting more coordinated care in the ED setting.

BACKGROUND: Our objectives were to determine whether there is an association between ischemic stroke patient insurance and likelihood of transfer overall and to a stroke center and whether hospital cluster modified the association between insurance and likelihood of stroke center transfer. METHODS: This retrospective network analysis of California data included every nonfederal hospital ischemic stroke admission from 2010 to 2017. Transfers from an emergency department to another hospital were categorized based on whether the patient was discharged from a stroke center (primary or comprehensive). We used logistic regression models to examine the relationship between insurance (private, Medicare, Medicaid, uninsured) and odds of (1) any transfer among patients initially presenting to nonstroke center hospital emergency departments and (2) transfer to a stroke center among transferred patients. We used a network clustering method to identify clusters of hospitals closely connected through transfers. Within each cluster, we quantified the difference between insurance groups with the highest and lowest proportion of transfers discharged from a stroke center. RESULTS: Of 332 995 total ischemic stroke encounters, 51% were female, 70% were ≥65 years, and 3.5% were transferred from the initial emergency department. Of 52 316 presenting to a nonstroke center, 3466 (7.1%) were transferred. Relative to privately insured patients, there were lower odds of transfer and of transfer to a stroke center among all groups (Medicare odds ratio, 0.24 [95% CI, 0.22-0.26] and 0.59 [95% CI, 0.50-0.71], Medicaid odds ratio, 0.26 [95% CI, 0.23-0.29] and odds ratio, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.38-0.62], uninsured odds ratio, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.63-0.89], and 0.72 [95% CI, 0.6-0.8], respectively). Among the 14 identified hospital clusters, insurance-based disparities in transfer varied and the lowest performing cluster (also the largest; n=2364 transfers) fully explained the insurance-based disparity in odds of stroke center transfer. CONCLUSIONS: Uninsured patients had less stroke center access through transfer than patients with insurance. This difference was largely explained by patterns in 1 particular hospital cluster.

Background Racially and ethnically minoritized groups, people with lower income, and rural communities have worse access to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) than their counterparts, but PCI hospitals have preferentially opened in wealthier areas. Our study analyzed disparities in PCI access, treatment, and outcomes for patients with acute myocardial infarction based on the census-derived Area Deprivation Index. Methods and Results We obtained patient-level data on 629 419 patients with acute myocardial infarction in California between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2020. We linked patient data with population characteristics and geographic coordinates, and categorized communities into 5 groups based on the share of the population in low or high Area Deprivation Index neighborhoods to identify differences in PCI access, treatment, and outcomes based on community status. Risk-adjusted models showed that patients in the most advantaged communities had 20% and 15% greater likelihoods of receiving same-day PCI and PCI during the hospitalization, respectively, compared with patients in the most disadvantaged communities. Patients in the most advantaged communities also had 19% and 16% lower 30-day and 1-year mortality rates, respectively, compared with the most disadvantaged, and a 15% lower 30-day readmission rate. No statistically significant differences in admission to a PCI hospital were observed between communities. Conclusions Patients in disadvantaged communities had lower chances of receiving timely PCI and a greater risk of mortality and readmission compared with those in more advantaged communities. These findings suggest a need for targeted interventions to influence where cardiac services exist and who has access to them.

BACKGROUND: Emergency department (ED) utilization is a significant concern in many countries, but few population-based studies have compared ED use. Our objective was to compare ED utilization in New York (United States), Ontario (Canada), and New Zealand (NZ). METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of all ED visits between January 1, 2016, and September 30, 2017, for adults ≥18 years using data from the State Emergency Department and Inpatient Databases (New York), the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System and Discharge Abstract Data (Ontario), and the National Non-Admitted Patient Collection and the National Minimum Data Set (New Zealand). Outcomes included age- and sex-standardized per-capita ED utilization (overall and stratified by neighborhood income), ED disposition, and ED revisit and hospitalization within 30 days of ED discharge. RESULTS: There were 10,998,371 ED visits in New York, 8,754,751 in Ontario, and 1,547,801 in New Zealand. Patients were older in Ontario (mean age 51.1 years) compared to New Zealand (50.3) and New York (48.7). Annual sex- and age-standardized per-capita ED utilization was higher in Ontario than New York or New Zealand (443.2 vs. 404.0 or 248.4 visits per 1000 population/year, respectively). In all countries, ED utilization was highest for residents of the lowest income quintile neighborhoods. The proportion of ED visits resulting in hospitalization was higher in New Zealand (34.5%) compared to New York (20.8%) and Ontario (12.8%). Thirty-day ED revisits were higher in Ontario (27.0%) than New Zealand (18.6%) or New York (21.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Patterns of ED utilization differed widely across three high-income countries. These differences highlight the varying approaches that our countries take with respect to urgent visits, suggest opportunities for shared learning through international comparisons, and raise important questions about optimal approaches for all countries.

ImportanceThe health care system has undergone major changes in the past decade, and emergency department (ED) crowding has worsened over time; however, the most recent patterns in ED capacity and use in California have yet to be studied.ObjectiveTo analyze patterns in ED capacity and utilization in California hospitals from 2011 to 2021.Design, setting, and participantsThis retrospective cohort study used data from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information and the US Census Bureau to analyze ED facility characteristics from more than 400 general acute care hospitals with more than 320 EDs in California as well as patients who presented to those EDs between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2021.Main outcomes and measuresLinear patterns (measured by percentage change) in total annual ED capacity (volume of hospital beds, EDs, ED treatment stations, and trauma centers) and ED use (ED visits by disposition and acuity) were assessed as primary outcomes. Patterns in ambulance diversion hours and the number of patients who left the ED without being seen were also examined as secondary outcomes. Visit acuity was categorized into 5 levels by increasing severity (minor, low to moderate, moderate, severe without threat, and severe with threat) based on California Department of Health Care Access and Information descriptions corresponding to Current Procedural Terminology codes.ResultsIn the prepandemic period (2011-2019), the total population of California increased from 37 638 369 to 39 512 223 (5.0%; 95% CI, 4.1%-5.8%), then decreased to 39 237 836 in 2021 (0.7%; 95% CI, -3.9% to 2.5%). Over the entire study period (2011-2021), the total California population increased by 4.2% (95% CI, 3.3%-5.2%). From 2011 to 2019, the annual number of ED visits increased from 12 054 885 to 14 876 653 (23.4%; 95% CI, 20.0%-26.8%) before decreasing to 12 944 692 in 2021 (-13.0%; 95% CI, -33.1% to 7.1%); from 2011 to 2021, total ED visits increased by 7.4% (95% CI, 5.6%-9.1%). From 2011 to 2021, the total number of EDs decreased from 339 to 326 (-3.8%; 95% CI, -4.4% to -3.2%) and the total number of hospital beds decreased from 75 940 to 74 052 (-2.5%; 95% CI, -3.3% to -1.6%), while the number of ED treatment stations in these fewer EDs increased from 7159 to 8667 (21.1%; 95% CI, 19.7%-22.4%). The number of visits rated as severe with threat also increased, from 2 011 637 in 2011 to 3 375 539 in 2021 (67.8%; 95% CI, 59.7%-75.9%), while visits rated as minor decreased from 913 712 to 336 071 (-63.2%; 95% CI, -75.2% to -51.2%) over the same period.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study, multiple measures of ED capacity did not proportionally increase with the increasing demand for services; however, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have substantially affected some of these patterns. These findings may be helpful to policy makers and health care stakeholders when planning resource allocation of limited health care resources.

BACKGROUND: Disparities in access to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for patients with acute myocardial infarction may result from openings and closures of PCI-providing hospitals, potentially leading to low hospital PCI volume, which is associated with poor outcomes. OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to determine whether openings and closures of PCI hospitals have differentially impacted patient health outcomes in high- vs average-capacity PCI markets. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, the authors identified PCI hospital availability within a 15-minute driving time of zip code communities. The authors categorized communities by baseline PCI capacity and identified changes in outcomes associated with PCI-providing hospital openings and closures using community fixed-effects regression models. RESULTS: From 2006 to 2017, 20% and 16% of patients in average- and high-capacity markets, respectively, experienced a PCI hospital opening within a 15-minute drive. In average-capacity markets, openings were associated with a 2.6 percentage point decrease in admission to a high-volume PCI facility; high-capacity markets saw an 11.6 percentage point decrease. After an opening, patients in average-capacity markets experienced a 5.5% and 7.6% relative increase in likelihood of same-day and in-hospital revascularization, respectively, as well as a 2.5% decrease in mortality. PCI hospital closures were associated with a 10.4% relative increase in admission to high-volume PCI hospitals and a 1.4 percentage point decrease in receipt of same-day PCI. There was no change observed in high-capacity PCI markets. CONCLUSIONS: After openings, patients in average-capacity markets derived significant benefits, whereas those in high-capacity markets did not. This suggests that past a certain threshold, facility opening does not improve access and health outcomes.

Using 11 years of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey data set for 2011 to 2021, we track the evolution of depression risk for U.S. states and territories before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We use these data in conjunction with unemployment and COVID case data by state and by year to describe changes in the prevalence of self-reported diagnosis with a depressive disorder over time and especially after the onset of COVID in 2020 and 2021. We further investigate heterogeneous associations of depression risk by demographic characteristics. Regression analyses of these associations adjust for state-specific and period-specific factors using state and year-fixed effects. First, we find that depression risk had been increasing in the US in years preceding the pandemic. Second, we find no significant average changes in depression risk at the onset of COVID in 2020 relative to previous trends, but estimate a 3% increase in average depression risk in 2021. Importantly, we find meaningful variation in terms of changes in depression risk during the pandemic across demographic subgroups.

IntroductionOver the past two decades, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) capacity has increased while coronary artery disease has decreased, potentially lowering per-hospital PCI volumes, which is associated with less favorable patient outcomes. Trends in the likelihood of receiving PCI in a low-volume center have not been well-documented, and it is unknown whether certain socioeconomic factors are associated with a greater risk of PCI in a low-volume facility. Our study aims to determine the likelihood of being treated in a low-volume PCI center over time and if this likelihood differs by sociodemographic factors.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of 374,066 hospitalized patients in California receiving PCI from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2018. Our primary outcome was the likelihood of PCI discharges at a low-volume hospital (

Introduction: Falls are the leading cause of traumatic injury among elderly adults in the United States, which represents a significant source of morbidity and leads to exorbitant healthcare costs. The purpose of this study was to characterize elderly fall patients and identify risk factors associated with seven-day emergency department (ED) revisits. Methods: This was a multicenter, retrospective, longitudinal cohort study using non-public data from 321 licensed, nonfederal, general, and acute care hospitals in California obtained from the Department of Healthcare Access and Information from January 1–December 31, 2017. Included were patients 65 and older who had a fall-related ED visit identified by International Classification of Diseases codes W00x to W19x. Primary outcome was a return visit to the ED within a seven-day window following the index encounter. Demographics collected included age, gender, ethnicity/race, patient payer status, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), psychiatric diagnoses, and alcohol/substance use disorder diagnoses. We performed multivariate logistic regression to identify characteristics associated with seven-day ED revisit. Results: We identified a total of 2,758,295 ED visits during the study period with 347,233 (12.6%) visits corresponding to fall-related injuries. After applying exclusion criteria, 242,572 index ED visits were identified, representing 206,612 patients. Of these, 24,114 (11.7%) patients returned to an ED within seven days (revisit). Within this revisit population, 6,161 (22.6%) presented to a facility that was distinct from their index visit, and 4,970 (18.2%) were ultimately discharged with the same primary diagnosis as their index visit. Characteristics with the largest independent associations with a seven-day ED revisit were presence of a psychiatric diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] 1.75; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.69 to 1.80), presence of an alcohol or substance use disorder (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.64 to 1.78), and CCI ≥ 3 (OR 2.79; 95% CI 2.68 to 2.90). Conclusion: In this study we identified 24,114 elderly fall patients who experienced a seven-day ED revisit. Patients with multiple comorbidities, a substance use disorder, or a psychiatric diagnosis exhibited increased odds of experiencing a return visit to the ED within seven days of a fall-related index visit. These findings will help target at-risk elderly fall patients who may benefit from preventative multidisciplinary intervention during index ED visits to reduce ED revisits.

California emergency departments (EDs) treated about 143,000 people experiencing homelessness in 2019, according to hospital discharge records. Almost half of homeless patients visited the ED four or more times in the year.Medi-Cal covered 70 percent of ED visits by homeless patients, underscoring the importance of the CalAIM program, which provides added Medi-Cal benefits, such as housing supports and case management.Linking discharge data with homeless assistance program data can offer insights into how people engage with EDs and homeless services across the state, and throughout the year, as well as help evaluate programs and public investments.This work has been supported, in part, by the University of California Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives grants MRP-19-600774 and M21PR3278

Introduction: The first proposed emergency care alternative payment model seeks to reduce avoidable admissions from the emergency department (ED), but this initiative may increase risk of adverse events after discharge. Our study objective was to describe variation in ED discharge rates and determine whether higher discharge rates were associated with more ED revisits.Methods:  Using all-payer inpatient and ED administrative data from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) 2017 database, we performed a retrospective cohort study of hospital-level ED discharge rates and ED revisits using conditions that have been previously described as having variability in discharge rates: abdominal pain; altered mental status; chest pain; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation; skin and soft tissue infection; syncope; and urinary tract infection. We categorized hospitals into quartiles for each condition based on a covariate-adjusted discharge rate and compared the rate of ED revisits between hospitals in the highest and lowest quartiles.Results: We found a greater than 10% difference in the between-quartile median adjusted discharge rate for each condition except for abdominal pain. There was no significant association between adjusted discharge rates and ED revisits. Altered mental status had the highest revisit rate, at 34% for hospitals in the quartile with the lowest and 30% in hospitals with the highest adjusted discharge rate, although this was not statistically significant. Syncope had the lowest rate of revisits at 16% for hospitals in both the lowest and highest adjusted discharge rate quartiles.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that there may be opportunity to increase ED discharges for certain conditions without resulting in higher rates of ED revisits, which may be a surrogate for adverse events after discharge.

The regionalization of care for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) may unintentionally concentrate patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) into percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) capable hospitals. This could lead to benefits such as increased access to PCI-capable hospitals, but could cause harms such as crowding in some hospitals with decreased patient volume and revenue in others. We set out to assess whether STEMI regionalization programs concentrated patients with NSTEMI at STEMI-receiving hospitals.

BackgroundPatients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) require timely reperfusion, and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) decreases morbidity and mortality. Regionalization of STEMI care has increased timeliness and use of PCI, but it is unknown whether benefits to regionalization depend on a community's distance from its nearest PCI center. We sought to determine whether STEMI regionalization benefits, measured by access to PCI centers, timeliness of treatment (same-day or in-hospital PCI), and mortality, differ by baseline distance to nearest PCI center.MethodsUsing a difference-in-difference-in-differences model, we examined access to PCI-capable hospitals, receipt of PCI either on the day of admission or during the care episode, and health outcomes for patients hospitalized from January 1, 2006, to September 30, 2015.ResultsOf 139,408 patients (2006 to 2015), 51% could reach the nearest PCI center in

PurposeSepsis remains amongst the most common causes of death worldwide. It has been described as a disease of the elderly, but contemporary data on risk factors and mortality is lacking.Materials and methodsMulti-center longitudinal cohort study using non-public, state of California data from January 1, 2008 to September 31, 2015. Patients with sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock were identified using ICD-9-CM diagnosis and procedure codes with age subgroups of 18-44, 45-64, 65-74, 75-84, and >85 years old. Descriptive statistics and a single direct logistic regression model were used to present data on incidence and mortality and to identify independent factors associated with mortality.ResultsOf 30,282,159 total inpatient encounters, 20,358,569 met inclusion criteria and 1,566,306 met sepsis criteria. Conditions associated with mortality included metastatic cancer, age, liver disease, residing in a care facility, and a gastrointestinal source of infection as well as fungal infection. Mortality in the >85-year-old subgroup with septic shock was 45.7%, lower than previously reported.ConclusionAge remains an important sepsis risk factor, but other conditions correlated more closely with sepsis-associated death. Patients over 85 years of age suffering from septic shock may have a better chance of survival than previously thought.

BackgroundDo-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders are commonly used after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and have been shown to be a predictor of mortality independent of disease severity. We determined the frequency of early DNR orders in ICH patients and whether a previously reported association with increased mortality still exists.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of patients discharged from non-federal California hospitals with a primary diagnosis of ICH from January 2013 through December 2014. Characteristics included hospital ICH volume and type and whether DNR order was placed within 24 h of admission (early DNR order). The risk of in-hospital mortality was evaluated both on the individual and hospital level using multivariable analyses. A case mix-adjusted hospital DNR index was calculated for each hospital by comparing the actual number of DNR cases with the expected number of DNR cases from a multivariate model.ResultsA total of 9,958 patients were treated in 180 hospitals. Early DNR orders were placed in 20.1% of patients and 54.2% of these patients died during their hospitalization compared to 16.0% of patients without an early DNR order. For every 10% increase in a hospital's utilization of early DNR orders, there was a corresponding 26% increase in the likelihood of in-hospital mortality. Patients treated in hospitals within the highest quartile of adjusted DNR use had a higher relative risk of death compared to the lowest quartile (RR 3.9 vs 5.2) though the trend across quartiles was not statistically significant.ConclusionsThe use of early DNR orders for ICH continues to be a strong predictor of in-hospital mortality. However, patients treated at hospitals with an overall high or low use of early DNR had similar relative risks of death whether or not there was an early DNR order, suggesting that such orders may not be a proxy for less aggressive care as seen previously.

BackgroundRegionalization of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) systems of care has been championed over the past decade. Although timely access to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been shown to improve outcomes, no studies have determined how regionalization has affected the care and outcomes of patients. We sought to determine if STEMI regionalization is associated with changes in access, treatment, and outcomes.MethodsUsing a difference-in-differences approach, we analyzed a statewide, administrative database of 139 494 patients with STEMI in California from 2006 to 2015 using regionalization data based on a survey of all local Emergency Medical Services agencies in the state.ResultsFor patients with STEMI, the base rate of admission to a hospital with PCI capability was 72.7%, and regionalization was associated with an increase of 5.34 percentage points (95% CI, 1.58-9.10), representing a 7.1% increase. Regionalization was also associated with a statistically significant increase of 3.54 (95% CI, 0.61-6.48) percentage points in the probability of same-day PCI, representing an increase of 7.1% from the 49.7% base rate and a 4.6% relative increase (2.97 percentage points [95% CI, 0.1-5.85]) in the probability of receiving PCI at any time during the hospitalization. There was a 1.84 percentage point decrease (95% CI, -3.31 to -0.37) in the probability of receiving fibrinolytics. For 7-day mortality, regionalization was associated with a 0.53 (95% CI, -1 to -0.06) percentage point greater reduction (representing 5.8% off the base rate of 9.1%) and a 1.75 percentage point decrease in the likelihood of all-cause 30-day readmission (95% CI, -3.39 to -0.11; representing 6.4% off the base rate of 27.4%). No differences were found in longer-term mortality.ConclusionsAmong patients with STEMI in California from 2006 to 2015, STEMI regionalization was associated with increased access to a PCI-capable hospital, greater use of PCI, lower 7-day mortality, and lower 30-day readmissions.

Background Many communities have implemented systems of regionalized care to improve access to timely care for patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction. However, patients who are ultimately diagnosed with non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarctions (NSTEMIs) may also be affected, and the impact of regionalization programs on NSTEMI treatment and outcomes is unknown. We set out to determine the effects of ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction regionalization schemes on treatment and outcomes of patients diagnosed with NSTEMIs. Methods and Results The cohort included all patients receiving care in emergency departments diagnosed with an NSTEMI at all nonfederal hospitals in California from January 1, 2005 to September 30, 2015. Data were analyzed using a difference-in-differences approach. The main outcomes were 1-year mortality and angiography within 3 days of the index admission. A total of 293 589 patients with NSTEMIs received care in regionalized and nonregionalized communities. Over the study period, rates of early angiography increased by 0.5 and mortality decreased by 0.9 percentage points per year among the overall population (95% CI, 0.4-0.6 and -1.0 to -0.8, respectively). Regionalization was not associated with early angiography (-0.5%; 95% CI, -1.1 to 0.1) or death (0.2%; 95% CI, -0.3 to 0.8). Conclusions ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction regionalization programs were not statistically associated with changes in guideline-recommended early angiography or changes in risk of death for patients with NSTEMI. Increases in the proportion of patients with NSTEMI who underwent guideline-directed angiography and decreases in risk of mortality were accounted for by secular trends unrelated to regionalization policies.

Introduction: There is increasing appreciation of the challenges of providing safe and appropriate care to cancer patients in the emergency department (ED). Our goal here was to assess which patient characteristics are associated with more frequent ED revisits. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of all ED visits in California during the 2016 calendar year using data from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. We defined revisits as a return visit to an ED within seven days of the index visit. For both index and return visits, we assessed various patient characteristics, including age, cancer type, medical comorbidities, and ED disposition. Results: Among 12.9 million ED visits, we identified 73,465 adult cancer patients comprising 103,523 visits that met our inclusion criteria. Cancer patients had a 7-day revisit rate of 17.9% vs 13.2% for non-cancer patients. Cancer patients had a higher rate of admission upon 7-day revisit (36.7% vs 15.6%). Patients with cancers of the small intestine, stomach, and pancreas had the highest rate of 7-day revisits (22-24%). Cancer patients younger than 65 had a higher 7-day revisit rate than the elderly (20.0% vs 16.2%). Conclusion: In a review of all cancer-related ED visits in the state of California, we found a variety of characteristics associated with a higher rate of 7-day ED revisits. Our goal in this study was to inform future research to identify interventions on the index visit that may improve patient outcomes.

Long-term outcomes related to emergency department revisit, hospital readmission, and all-cause mortality, have not been well characterized across the spectrum of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). We evaluated emergency department visit outcomes up to 1 year after pediatric TBI, in comparison to a referent group of trauma patients without TBI. We performed a longitudinal, retrospective study of all pediatric trauma patients who presented to emergency departments and hospitals in California from 2005 to 2014. We compared emergency department visits, dispositions, revisits, readmissions, and mortality in pediatric trauma patients with a TBI diagnosis to those without TBI (Other Trauma patients). We identified 208,222 pediatric patients with an index diagnosis of TBI and 1,314,064 patients with an index diagnosis of Other Trauma. Population growth adjusted TBI visits increased by 5.6% while those for Other Trauma decreased by 40.7%. The majority of patients were discharged from the emergency department on their first visit (93.2% for traumatic brain injury vs. 96.5% for Other Trauma). A greater proportion of TBI patients revisited the emergency department (33.4% vs. 3.0%) or were readmitted to the hospital (0.9% vs. 0.04%) at least once within a year of discharge. The health burden within a year after a pediatric TBI visit is considerable and is greater than that of non-TBI trauma. These data suggest that outpatient strategies to monitor for short-term and longer-term sequelae after pediatric TBI are needed to improve patient outcomes, lessen the burden on families, and more appropriately allocate resources in the healthcare system.

IntroductionAfter having an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), racial and ethnic minorities have less access to care, decreased rates of invasive treatments such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and worse outcomes compared with white patients. The objective of this study was to determine whether the Affordable Care Act's expansion of Medicaid eligibility was associated with changes in racial disparities in access, treatments, and outcomes after AMI.MethodsQuasi-experimental, difference-in-differences-in-differences analysis of non-Hispanic white and minority patients with acute myocardial infarction in California and Florida from 2010-2015, using linear regression models to estimate the difference-in-differences. This population-based sample included all Medicaid and uninsured patients ages 18-64 hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction in California, which expanded Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act beginning as early as July 2011 in certain counties, and Florida, which did not expand Medicaid. The main outcomes included rates of admission to hospitals capable of performing PCI, rates of transfer for patients who first presented to hospitals that did not perform PCI, rates of PCI during hospitalization and rates of early (within 48 hours of admission) PCI, rates of readmission to the hospital within 30 days, and rates of in-hospital mortality.ResultsA total of 55,991 hospital admissions met inclusion criteria, 32,540 of which were in California and 23,451 were in Florida. Among patients with AMI who initially presented to a non-PCI hospital, the likelihood of being transferred increased by 12 percentage points (95% CI 2 to 21) for minority patients relative to white patients after the Medicaid expansion. The likelihood of undergoing PCI increased by 3 percentage points (95% CI 0 to 5) for minority patients relative to white patients after the Medicaid expansion. We did not find an association between the Medicaid expansion and racial disparities in overall likelihood of admission to a PCI hospital, hospital readmissions, or in-hospital mortality.ConclusionsThe Medicaid expansion was associated with a decrease in racial disparities in transfers and rates of PCI after AMI. We did not find an association between the Medicaid expansion and admission to a PCI hospital, readmissions, and in-hospital mortality. Additional factors outside of insurance coverage likely continue to contribute to disparities in outcomes after AMI. These findings are crucial for policy makers seeking to reduce racial disparities in access, treatment and outcomes in AMI.

High-occupancy hospitals may be sensitive to neighboring emergency department (ED) closures and openings, as they already operate at or near capacity. We conducted a retrospective analysis using data for the period 2001-13 to examine outcomes of and treatment received by patients with acute myocardial infarction at so-called bystander EDs that had been exposed to nearby ED closures or openings. We used changes in driving time between an ED and the next-closest one as a proxy for a closure or opening: If driving time increased, for instance, it meant that a nearby ED had closed. When a high-occupancy ED was exposed to a closure that resulted in increased driving time of thirty minutes or more to the next-closest ED, one-year mortality and thirty-day readmission rates increased by 2.39 and 2.00 percentage points, respectively, while the likelihood of receiving percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) declined by 2.06 percentage points. Exposure to ED openings that resulted in decreased driving times of thirty minutes or more was associated with reductions in thirty-day mortality at bystander hospitals and an increased likelihood of receiving PCI. Our findings suggest that limited resources at high-occupancy bystander hospitals make them sensitive to changes in the availability of emergency care in neighboring communities.

ObjectiveEmergency department (ED) utilization has increased for the last several decades. Despite a focus on adult frequent ED users, little research has examined pediatric frequent ED users. The purpose of this study was to assess pediatric ED utilization in California and to describe those identified as frequent ED users.MethodsThis was a retrospective multi-facility study of ED visits by children 1-17 years of age using statewide data from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. Patients were classified into utilization groups by the number of ED visits in a one-year period prior to their last visit in 2016: occasional (1-5 visits) vs. frequent (>5 visits). Differences in patient characteristics were compared between occasional and frequent users.ResultsThere were 690,130 patients between 1 and 17 years of age with 1,238,262 visits during the study period. Children with ≥6 visits (2.3%) accounted for 9.3% of all visits. 67% of frequent users had no visits to a pediatric ED. Over 40% (41.4%) of frequent users visited 2 or more hospitals, compared to 7.7% of occasional users. In multivariate analysis, the characteristics with the largest associations with frequent ED use were age, payer, and being admitted/transferred.ConclusionsThe majority of pediatric frequent users do not seek care in pediatric EDs. Age, prior admission, and Medicare/Medicaid appear to have the largest associations with pediatric patient frequent ED utilization.

ObjectiveTo examine whether hospitals are more likely to temporarily close their emergency departments (EDs) to ambulances (through ambulance diversions) if neighboring diverting hospitals are public vs private.Data sources/study settingAmbulance diversion logs for California hospitals, discharge data, and hospital characteristics data from California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and the American Hospital Association (2007).Study designWe match public and private (nonprofit or for-profit) hospitals by distance and size. We use random-effects models examining diversion probability and timing of private hospitals following diversions by neighboring public vs matched private hospitals.Data collection/extraction methodsN/A.Principal findingsHospitals are 3.6 percent more likely to declare diversions if neighboring diverting hospitals are public vs private (P

BackgroundWhile improved access to safety net primary care providers, like federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), is often cited as a route to alleviate potentially preventable emergency department (ED) visits, no studies have longitudinally established the impact of improving access to FQHCs on ED use among Medicaid-insured and uninsured adults. We aimed to determine whether improved access to FQHCs was associated with lower ED use by uninsured and Medicaid-insured adults.MethodsUsing data from the Uniform Data System, U.S. Census Bureau, and California Office of Statewide Health Planning & Development, we conducted a longitudinal analysis of 58 California counties from 2005 to 2013. For each county-year observation, we employed three measures of FQHC access: geographic density of FQHCs (delivery sites per 100 square miles), FQHCs per county resident (delivery sites per 100,000 county residents), and the proportion of Medicaid-insured or uninsured residents ages 19 to 64 years that utilized FQHCs. We then used a fixed-effects model to examine the impact of changes in the measures of FQHC access on ED visit rates by Medicaid-insured or uninsured adults in each county.ResultsIncreasing geographic density of FQHCs was associated with a 26% to 35% decrease in ED use by uninsured but not Medicaid-insured patients. Increasing numbers of clinics per county resident and higher percentages of Medicaid-insured and uninsured adults seen at FQHCs were not associated with reduced rates of ED use among either uninsured or Medicaid-insured adults.ConclusionsWe were unable to detect a consistent association between our measures of FQHC access and ED use by Medicaid-insured and uninsured nonelderly California adults, underscoring the importance of investigating additional drivers to reduce ED use among these vulnerable patient populations.

For a variety of reasons including cheap computing, widespread adoption of electronic medical records, digitalization of imaging and biosignals, and rapid development of novel technologies, the amount of health care data being collected, recorded, and stored is increasing at an exponential rate. Yet despite these advances, methods for the valid, efficient, and ethical utilization of these data remain underdeveloped. Emergency care research, in particular, poses several unique challenges in this rapidly evolving field. A group of content experts was recently convened to identify research priorities related to barriers to the application of data science to emergency care research. These recommendations included: 1) developing methods for cross-platform identification and linkage of patients; 2) creating central, deidentified, open-access databases; 3) improving methodologies for visualization and analysis of intensively sampled data; 4) developing methods to identify and standardize electronic medical record data quality; 5) improving and utilizing natural language processing; 6) developing and utilizing syndrome or complaint-based based taxonomies of disease; 7) developing practical and ethical framework to leverage electronic systems for controlled trials; 8) exploring technologies to help enable clinical trials in the emergency setting; and 9) training emergency care clinicians in data science and data scientists in emergency care medicine. The background, rationale, and conclusions of these recommendations are included in the present article.

OBJECTIVE:To describe visits and visit rates of adults presenting to emergency departments (EDs) with a diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI is a major cause of death and disability in the USA; yet, current literature is limited because few studies examine longer-term ED revisits and hospital readmission patterns of TBI patients across a broad spectrum of injury severity, which can help inform potential unmet healthcare needs. DESIGN:We performed a retrospective cohort study. SETTING:We analysed non-public patient-level data from California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development for years 2005 to 2014. PARTICIPANTS:We identified 1.2 million adult patients aged ≥18 years presenting to California EDs and hospitals with an index diagnosis of TBI. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES:Our main outcomes included revisits, readmissions and mortality over time. We also examined demographics, mechanism and severity of injury and disposition at discharge. RESULTS:We found a 57.7% increase in the number of TBI ED visits, representing a 40.5% increase in TBI visit rates over the 10-year period (346-487 per 100 000 residents). During this time, there was also a 33.8% decrease in the proportion of patients admitted to the hospital. Older, publicly insured and black populations had the highest visit rates, and falls were the most common mechanism of injury (45.5% of visits). Of all patients with an index TBI visit, 40.5% of them had a revisit during the first year, with 46.7% of them seeking care at a different hospital from their initial hospital or ED visit. Additionally, of revisits within the first year, 13.4% of them resulted in hospital readmission. CONCLUSIONS:The large proportion of patients with TBI who are discharged directly from the ED, along with the high rates of revisits and readmissions, suggest a role for an established system for follow-up, treatment and care of TBI.

ObjectiveTo examine current trends in the characteristics of patients visiting California emergency departments (EDs) in order to better direct the allocation of acute care resources.DesignA retrospective study.SettingWe analysed ED utilisation trends between 2005 and 2015 in California using non-public patient data from California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.ParticipantsWe included all ED visits in California from 2005 to 2015.Primary and secondary outcome measuresWe analysed ED visits and visit rates by age, sex, race/ethnicity, payer and urban/rural trends. We further examined age, sex, race/ethnicity and urban/rural trends within each payer group for a more granular picture of the patient population. Additionally, we looked at the proportion of patients admitted from the ED and distribution of diagnoses.ResultsBetween 2005 and 2015, the annual number of ED visits increased from 10.2 to 14.2 million in California. ED visit rates increased by 27.8% (p

Inpatient volume has long been believed to be a contributing factor to ambulance diversion, which can lead to delayed treatment and poorer outcomes. We examined the extent to which both daily inpatient and emergency department (ED) volumes at specified hospitals, and diversion levels (that is, the number of hours ambulances were diverted on a given day) at their nearest neighboring hospitals, were associated with diversion levels in the period 2005-12. We found that a 10 percent increase in patient volume was associated with a sevenfold greater increase in diversion hours when the volume increase occurred among inpatients (5 percent) versus ED visitors (0.7 percent). When the next-closest ED experienced mild, moderate, or severe diversion, the study hospital's diversion hours increased by 8 percent, 23 percent, and 44 percent, respectively. These findings suggest that efforts focused on managing inpatient volume and flow might reduce diversion more effectively than interventions focused only on ED dynamics.

OBJECTIVE:There has been concern that an increase in billing for high-intensity emergency care is due to changes in coding practices facilitated by electronic health records. We sought to characterise the trends in billing for high-intensity emergency care among Medicare beneficiaries and to examine the degree to which trends in high-intensity billing are explained by changes in patient characteristics and services provided in the emergency department (ED). DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS:Observational study using traditional Medicare claims to identify ED visits at non-federal acute care hospitals for elderly beneficiaries in 2006, 2009 and 2012. OUTCOMES MEASURES:Billing intensity was defined by emergency physician evaluation and management (E&M) codes. We tested for overall trends in high-intensity billing (E&M codes 99285, 99291 and 99292) and in services provided over time using linear regression models, adjusting for patient characteristics. Additionally, we tested for time trends in rates of admission to the hospital and to the intensive care unit (ICU). Next, we classified outpatient visits into 39 diagnosis categories and analysed the change in proportion of high-intensity visits versus the change in number of services. Finally, we quantified the extent to which trends in high-intensity billing are explained by changes in patient demographics and services provided in the ED using multivariable modelling. RESULTS:High-intensity visits grew from 45.8% of 671 103 visits in 2006 to 57.8% of 629 010 visits in 2012 (2.0% absolute increase per year; 95% CI 1.97% to 2.03%) as did the mean number of services provided for admitted (1.28 to 1.41; +0.02 increase in procedures per year; 95% CI 0.018 to 0.021) and discharged ED patients (7.1 to 8.6; +0.25 increase in services per year; 95% CI 0.245 to 0.255). There was a reduction in hospital admission rate from 40.1% to 35.9% (-0.68% per year; 95% CI -0.71% to -0.65%; P

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires Medicare-participating hospitals to provide emergency care to patients regardless of their ability to pay, plays an important role in protecting the uninsured. Yet many hospitals do not comply. This study examines the reasons for noncompliance and proposes solutions. We conducted 11 semistructured key informant interviews with hospitals, hospital associations, and patient safety organizations in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services region with the highest number of EMTALA complaints filed. Respondents identified 5 main causes of noncompliance: financial incentives to avoid unprofitable patients, ignorance of EMTALA's requirements, high referral burden at hospitals receiving EMTALA transfer patients, reluctance to jeopardize relationships with transfer partners by reporting borderline EMTALA violations, and opposing priorities of hospitals and physicians. Respondents suggested 5 methods to improve compliance, including educating subspecialists about EMTALA, informally educating hospitals about borderline violations, and incorporating EMTALA-compliant processes into hospital operations such as by routing transfer requests through the emergency department. To improve compliance we suggest (1) more closely aligning Medicaid/Medicare payment policies with EMTALA, (2) amending the Act to permit informal mediation between hospitals about borderline violations, (3) increasing the hospital's role in ensuring EMTALA compliance, and (4) expanding the role of hospital associations.

BackgroundIncarcerated populations worldwide are aging dramatically; in the United States, prisoner mortality rates have reached an all-time high. Little is known about the incarcerated patients who die in community hospitals.AimCompare incarcerated and non-incarcerated hospital decedents in California.DesignCross-sectional study.Setting/participantsAll state hospital decedents ( N = 370,831) from 2009 to 2013, decedent age over time examined with additional data (2001-2013).ResultsOverall, 745 incarcerated and 370,086 non-incarcerated individuals died in California hospitals. Incarcerated decedents were more often male (93% vs 51%), Black (19% vs 8%) Latino (27% vs 19%), younger (55 vs 73 years), had shorter hospitalizations (13 vs 16 days), and fewer had an advance care plan (23% vs 36%, p < 0.05). Incarcerated decedents had higher rates of cancer, liver disease, HIV/AIDs, and mental health disorders. Cause of death was disproportionately missing for incarcerated decedents. The average age of incarcerated decedents rose between 2001 and 2013, while it remained stable for others.ConclusionPalliative care services in correctional facilities should accommodate the needs of relatively young patients and those with mental illness. Given the simultaneous growth in the older prisoner population with the rising age of incarcerated hospital decedents, community hospital clinicians should be prepared to care for seriously ill, incarcerated patients. Significant epidemiologic differences between incarcerated and non-incarcerated decedents in this study suggest the importance of examining the differential palliative care needs of incarcerated patients in all communities.