Rate of Emergency Lower Extremity Amputations in the United States Among Medicare Beneficiaries

OBJECTIVE

To determine the rate of emergency versus elective lower extremity amputations in the United States.

BACKGROUND

Lower extremity amputation is a common endpoint for patients with poorly controlled diabetes and multilevel peripheral vascular disease. Although the procedure is ideally performed electively, patients with limited access may present later and require an emergency operation. To what extent rates of emergency amputation for lower extremities vary across the United States is unknown.

METHODS

Evaluation of Medicare beneficiaries who underwent lower extremity amputation between 2015 and 2020. The rate was determined for each zip code and placed into rank order from lowest to highest rate. We merged each beneficiary's place of residence and location of care with the American Hospital Association Annual Survey using Google Maps Application Programming Interface to determine the travel distance for patients to undergo their procedure.

RESULTS

Of 233,084 patients, 66.3% (154,597) were men, 69.8% (162,786) were White. The average age (SD) was 74 years (8). There was wide variation in rates of emergency lower extremity amputation. The lowest quintile of zip codes demonstrated an emergency amputation rate of 3.7%, whereas the highest quintile demonstrated 90%. The median travel distance in the lowest emergency surgery rate quintile was 34.6 miles compared with 10.5 miles in the highest quintile of emergency surgery ( P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

There is wide variation in the rate of emergency lower extremity amputations among Medicare beneficiaries, suggesting variable access to essential vascular care. Travel distance and rate of amputation have an inverse relationship, suggesting that barriers other than travel distance are playing a role.

Health Insurance Status and Unplanned Surgery for Access-Sensitive Surgical Conditions

Importance

Access-sensitive surgical conditions, such as abdominal aortic aneurysm, ventral hernia, and colon cancer, are ideally treated with elective surgery, but when left untreated have a natural history requiring an unplanned operation. Patients' health insurance status may be a barrier to receiving timely elective care, which may be associated with higher rates of unplanned surgery and worse outcomes.

Objective

To evaluate the association between patients' insurance status and rates of unplanned surgery for these 3 access-sensitive surgical conditions and postoperative outcomes.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional cohort study examined a geographically broad patient sample from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases, including data from 8 states (Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin). Participants were younger than 65 years who underwent abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, ventral hernia repair, or colectomy for colon cancer between 2016 and 2020. Patients were stratified into groups by insurance status. Data were analyzed from June 1 to July 1, 2023.

Exposure

Health insurance status (private insurance, Medicaid, or no insurance).

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was the rate of unplanned surgery for these 3 access-sensitive conditions. Secondary outcomes were rates of postoperative outcomes including inpatient mortality, any hospital complications, serious complications (a complication with a hospital length of stay longer than the 75th percentile for that procedure), and hospital length of stay.

Results

The study included 146 609 patients (mean [SD] age, 50.9 [10.3] years; 73 871 females [50.4%]). A total of 89 018 patients (60.7%) underwent elective surgery while 57 591 (39.3%) underwent unplanned surgery. Unplanned surgery rates varied significantly across insurance types (33.14% for patients with private insurance, 51.46% for those with Medicaid, and 72.60% for those without insurance; P < .001). Compared with patients with private insurance, patients without insurance had higher rates of inpatient mortality (1.29% [95% CI, 1.04%-1.54%] vs 0.61% [0.57%-0.66%]; P < .001), higher rates of any complications (19.19% [95% CI, 18.33%-20.05%] vs 12.27% [95% CI, 12.07%-12.47%]; P < .001), and longer hospital stays (7.27 [95% CI, 7.09-7.44] days vs 5.56 [95% CI, 5.53-5.60] days, P < .001).

Conclusions and Relevance

Findings of this cohort study suggest that uninsured patients more often undergo unplanned surgery for conditions that can be treated electively, with worse outcomes and longer hospital stays compared with their counterparts with private health insurance. As efforts are made to improve insurance coverage, tracking elective vs unplanned surgery rates for access-sensitive surgical conditions may be a useful measure to assess progress.

REPORTED PRICES FOR HIGH VOLUME HAND SURGERY IN THE ERA OF PRICE TRANSPARENCY: IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE POLICY ITERATIONS

BACKGROUND

In 2021, the United States enacted a law requiring hospitals to report prices for healthcare services. Across several healthcare services, poor compliance and wide variation in pricing was found. This study aims to investigate variation in reporting and listed prices by hospital features for high-volume hand surgeries including Carpal Tunnel release, Trigger Finger Release, De Quervain Tenosynovitis Release, and Carpometacarpal Arthroplasty.

METHODS

The Turquoise Health price transparency database was used to obtain listed prices and linked to hospital characteristics from the 2021 Annual American Hospital Association Survey. This study used descriptive statistics and generalized linear regression.

RESULTS

The analytic cohort included 2,652 hospitals from across the US. The highest rate of price reporting was in the Midwest (52%, n=836) and lowest in the South (39%, n=925). Compared to commercial insurers, ($3,609, 95% CI: $3,414 to $3,805) public insurance rates were significantly lower (Medicare: $1,588, 95% CI: $1,484 to $1,693, adjusted difference = -$2,021, p<0.001, Medicaid: $1,403, (95% CI: $1,194 to $1,612, adjusted difference = -$2,206, p<0.001). Listed rates for self-pay patients were not statistically different from commercial rates.

CONCLUSIONS

Although pricing for high volume elective hand surgeries is frequently reported, a high proportion of hospitals do not report prices. These data highlight the need for future transparency policy to include pricing for high-volume hand surgery to give patients the ability to make financially informed choices. These results are a valuable aid for surgeons and patients to promote financially conscious decisions.

Higher Rates Of Emergency Surgery, Serious Complications, And Readmissions In Primary Care Shortage Areas, 2015-19

Primary care physicians are often the first to screen and identify patients with access-sensitive surgical conditions that should be treated electively. These conditions require surgery that is preferably planned (elective), but, when access is limited, treatment may be delayed and worsening symptoms lead to emergency surgery (for example, colectomy for cancer, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, and incisional hernia repair). We evaluated the rates of elective versus emergency surgery for patients with three access-sensitive surgical conditions living in primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas during 2015-19. Medicare beneficiaries in more severe primary care shortage areas had higher rates of emergency surgery compared with rates in the least severe shortage areas (37.8 percent versus 29.9 percent). They were also more likely to have serious complications (14.9 percent versus 11.7 percent) and readmissions (15.7 percent versus 13.5 percent). When we accounted for areas with a shortage of surgeons, the findings were similar. Taken together, these findings suggest that residents of areas with greater primary care workforce shortages may also face challenges in accessing elective surgical care. As policy makers consider investing in Health Professional Shortage Areas, our findings underscore the importance of primary care access to a broader range of services.

Understanding the impacts of rural hospital closures: A scoping review

PURPOSE

Rural hospitals are closing at unprecedented rates, with hundreds more at risk of closure in the coming 2 years. Multiple federal policies are being developed and implemented without a salient understanding of the emerging literature evaluating rural hospital closures and its impacts. We conducted a scoping review to understand the impacts of rural hospital closure to inform ongoing policy debates and research.

METHODS

A comprehensive search strategy was devised by library faculty to collate publications using the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. Two coauthors then independently performed title and abstract screening, full text review, and study extraction.

FINDINGS

We identified 5054 unique citations and assessed 236 full texts for possible inclusion in our narrative synthesis of the literature on the impacts of rural hospital closure. Twenty total original studies were included in our narrative synthesis. Key domains of adverse impacts related to rural hospital closure included emergency medical service transport, local economies, availability and utilization of emergency care and hospital services, availability of outpatient services, changes in quality of care, and workforce and community members. However, significant heterogeneity existed within these findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the significant heterogeneity within our findings across multiple domains of impact, we advocate for a tailored approach to mitigating the impacts of rural hospital closures for policymakers. We also discuss crucial knowledge gaps in the evidence base-especially with respect to quality measures beyond mortality. The synthesis of these findings will permit policymakers and researchers to understand, and mitigate, the harms of rural hospital closure.

Association of bundled payments with spending, utilization, and quality for surgical conditions: A scoping review

OBJECTIVES

To assess the body of literature examining episode-based bundled payment models effect on health care spending, utilization, and quality of care for surgical conditions.

BACKGROUND SUMMARY

Episode-based bundled payments were developed as a strategy to lower healthcare spending and improve coordination across phases of healthcare. Surgical conditions may be well-suited targets for bundled payments because they often have defined periods of care and widely variable healthcare spending. In bundled payment models, hospitals receive financial incentives to reduce spending on care provided to patients during a predefined clinical episode. Despite the recent proliferation of bundles for surgical conditions, a collective understanding of their effect is not yet clear.

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted, and four databases were queried from inception through September 27, 2021, with search strings for bundled payments and surgery. All studies were screened independently by two authors for inclusion.

RESULTS

Our search strategy yielded a total of 879 unique articles of which 222 underwent a full-text review and 28 met final inclusion criteria. Of these studies, most (23 of 28) evaluated the impact of voluntary bundled payments in orthopedic surgery and found that bundled payments are associated with reduced spending on total care episodes, attributed primarily to decreases in post-acute care spending. Despite reduced spending, clinical outcomes (e.g., readmissions, complications, and mortality) were not worsened by participation. Evidence supporting the effects of bundled payments on cost and clinical outcomes in other non-orthopedic surgical conditions remains limited.

CONCLUSIONS

Present evaluations of bundled payments primarily focus on orthopedic conditions and demonstrate cost savings without compromising clinical outcomes. Evidence for the effect of bundles on other surgical conditions and implications for quality and access to care remain limited.

Low-Volume Elective Surgery and Outcomes in Medicare Beneficiaries Treated at Hospital Networks

Importance

Minimum volume standards have been advocated as a strategy to improve outcomes for certain surgical procedures. Hospital networks could avoid low-volume surgery by consolidating cases within network hospitals that meet volume standards, thus optimizing outcomes while retaining cases and revenue. The rates of compliance with volume standards among hospital networks and the association of volume standards with outcomes at these hospitals remain unknown.

Objective

To quantify low-volume surgery and associated outcomes within hospital networks.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study used Medicare Provider Analysis and Review data to examine fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 66 to 99 years who underwent 1 of 10 elective surgical procedures (abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, carotid endarterectomy, mitral valve repair, hip or knee replacement, bariatric surgery, or resection for lung, esophageal, pancreatic, or rectal cancers) in a network hospital from 2016 to 2018. Hospital volume for each procedure (calculated with the use of the National Inpatient Sample) was compared with yearly hospital volume standards for that procedure recommended by The Leapfrog Group. Networks were then categorized into 4 groups according to whether or not that hospital or another hospital in the network met low-volume standards for that procedure. Data were analyzed from February to June 2023.

Exposure

Receipt of surgery in a low-volume hospital within a network.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Primary outcomes were postoperative complications, 30-day readmission, and 30-day mortality, stratified by the volume status of the hospital and network type. The secondary outcome was the availability of a different high-volume hospital within the same network or outside the network and its proximity to the patient (based on hospital referral region and zip code).

Results

In all, data were analyzed for 950 079 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries (mean [SD] age, 74.4 [6.5] years; 621 138 females [59.2%] and 427 931 males [40.8%]) who underwent 1 049 069 procedures at 2469 hospitals within 382 networks. Of these networks, 380 (99.5%) had at least 1 low-volume hospital performing the elective procedure of interest. In 35 137 of 44 011 procedures (79.8%) that were performed at low-volume hospitals, there was a hospital that met volume standards within the same network and hospital referral region located a median (IQR) distance of 29 (12-60) miles from the patient's home. Across hospital networks, there was 43-fold variation in rates of low-volume surgery among the procedures studied (from 1.5% of carotid endarterectomies to 65.0% of esophagectomies). In adjusted analyses, postoperative outcomes were inferior at low-volume hospitals compared with hospitals meeting volume standards, with a 30-day mortality of 8.1% at low-volume hospitals vs 5.5% at hospitals that met volume standards (adjusted odds ratio, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.61-0.73]; P < .001).

Conclusions and Relevance

Findings of this study suggest that most US hospital networks had hospitals performing low-volume surgery that is associated with inferior surgical outcomes despite availability of a different in-network hospital that met volume standards within a median of 29 miles for the vast majority of patients. Strategies are needed to help patients access high-quality care within their networks, including avoidance of elective surgery at low-volume hospitals. Avoidance of low-volume surgery could be considered a process measure that reflects attention to quality within hospital networks.

Beyond research dissemination: The unrealized power of visual abstracts to improve health care delivery

Since the introduction of the visual abstract in 2016, more than 100 journals have adopted its use to disseminate scientific research. To date, 7 randomized cross-over trials have consistently reproduced its ability to disseminate research effectively. During the adoption of the visual abstract, there has also been a learning curve that has moved journals to dedicate more resources to it and create more formal guidelines. In parallel, the visual abstract has also had secondary gains of promoting clear communication and diversifying our editorial boards. Moving forward, the visual abstract is now ready to go beyond research dissemination to more directly influence patient care by adapting the tool for patient education, procedural teaching, research trial enrollment, or practice guideline nudges. Taken together, the visual abstract has come of age, and it is time to move beyond simply disseminating research.

Surgeon Supply by County-Level Rurality and Social Vulnerability From 2010 to 2020

This cross-sectional study examines the surgical workforce in all counties across the US from 2010 to 2020.

Insights into the use of two novel supramolecular compounds as corrosion inhibitors for stainless steel in a chloride environment: experimental as well as theoretical investigation

Novel supramolecular (SCPs) compounds such as: {[Ni (EIN)4(NCS)2]}, SCP1 and {[Co (EIN)4 (NCS)2]}, SCP2 have been studied using weight loss (WL) and electrochemical tests on the corrosion performance of stainless steel 304 (SS304) in 1.0 M hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution. The experimental results revealed that inhibition efficacy (η%) rises with increasing concentrations of SCPs and reached 92.3% and 89.6% at 16 × 10-6 M, 25 °C, from the WL method for SCP1 and SCP2, respectively. However, by raising the temperature, η% was reduced. Polarization measurements (PDP) showed that the SCPs molecules represent a mixed-type. The SCPs were adsorbed on a SS304 surface physically, and the Langmuir adsorption isotherm was found to govern the adsorption process. The determination of thermodynamic parameters was carried out at various temperatures. Quantum chemical calculations were calculated to prove the adsorption process of SCP components, using the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and electron density map. The inhibition performance of SCPs for SS304 dissolution in an acidic medium was proved to be excellent through FT-IR and AFM analysis. The results obtained from all measurements exhibit a high level of agreement with each other.

High Deductibles are Associated With Severe Disease, Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Payments for Emergency Surgical Conditions

BACKGROUND

Out-of-pocket spending has risen for individuals with private health insurance, yet little is known about the unintended consequences that high levels of cost-sharing may have on delayed clinical presentation and financial outcomes for common emergency surgical conditions.

METHODS

In this retrospective analysis of claims data from a large commercial insurer (2016-2019), we identified adult inpatient admissions following emergency department presentation for common emergency surgical conditions (eg, appendicitis, cholecystitis, diverticulitis, and intestinal obstruction). Primary exposure of interest was enrollment in a high-deductible health insurance plan (HDHP). Our primary outcome was disease severity at presentation-determined using ICD-10-CM diagnoses codes and based on validated measures of anatomic severity (eg, perforation, abscess, diffuse peritonitis). Our secondary outcome was catastrophic out-of-pocket spending, defined by the World Health Organization as out-of-pocket spending >10% of annual income.

RESULTS

Among 43,516 patients [mean age 48.4 (SD: 11.9) years; 51% female], 41% were enrolled HDHPs. Despite being younger, healthier, wealthier, and more educated, HDHP enrollees were more likely to present with more severe disease (28.5% vs 21.3%, P <0.001; odds ratio (OR): 1.34, 95% CI: 1.28-1.42]); even after adjusting for relevant demographics (adjusted OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.18-1.31). HDHP enrollees were also more likely to incur 30-day out-of-pocket spending that exceeded 10% of annual income (20.8% vs 6.4%, adjusted OR: 3.93, 95% CI: 3.65-4.24). Lower-income patients, Black patients, and Hispanic patients were at highest risk of financial strain.

CONCLUSIONS

For privately insured patients presenting with common surgical emergencies, high-deductible health plans are associated with increased disease severity at admission and a greater financial burden after discharge-especially for vulnerable populations. Strategies are needed to improve financial risk protection for common surgical emergencies.

Association of Health Professional Shortage Area Hospital Designation With Surgical Outcomes and Expenditures Among Medicare Beneficiaries

OBJECTIVE

To compare surgical outcomes and expenditures at hospitals located in Health Professional Shortage Areas to nonshortage area designated hospitals among Medicare beneficiaries.

BACKGROUND

More than a quarter of Americans live in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas. Although there is growing concern that medical outcomes may be worse, far less is known about hospitals providing surgical care in these areas.

METHODS

Cross-sectional retrospective study from 2014 to 2018 of 842,787 Medicare beneficiary patient admissions to hospitals with and without Health Professional Shortage Area designations for common operations including appendectomy, cholecystectomy, colectomy, and hernia repair. We assessed risk-adjusted outcomes using multivariable logistic regression accounting for patient factors, admission type, and year were compared for each of the 4 operations. Hospital expenditures were price-standardized, risk-adjusted 30-day surgical episode payments. Primary outcome measures included 30-day mortality, hospital readmissions, and 30-day surgical episode payments.

RESULTS

Patients (mean age=75.6 years, males=44.4%) undergoing common surgical procedures in shortage area hospitals were less likely to be White (84.6% vs 88.4%, P <0.001) and less likely to have≥2 Elixhauser comorbidities (75.5% vs 78.2%, P <0.001). Patients undergoing surgery at Health Professional Shortage Area hospitals had lower risk-adjusted rates of 30-day mortality (6.05% vs 6.69%, odds ratio=0.90, CI, 0.90-0.91, P <0.001) and readmission (14.99% vs 15.74%, odds ratio=0.94, CI, 0.94-0.95, P <0.001). Medicare expenditures at Health Professional Shortage Area hospitals were also lower than nonshortage designated hospitals ($28,517 vs $29,685, difference= -$1168, P <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients presenting to Health Professional Shortage Area hospitals obtain safe care for common surgical procedures without evidence of higher expenditures among Medicare beneficiaries. These findings should be taken into account as current legislative proposals to increase funding for care in these underserved communities are considered.

Outcomes for High-Risk Surgical Procedures Across High- and Low-Competition Hospital Markets

Importance

Maintaining competition among hospitals is increasingly seen as important to achieving high-quality outcomes. Whether or not there is an association between hospital market competition and outcomes after high-risk surgery is unknown.

Objective

To evaluate whether there is an association between hospital market competition and outcomes after high-risk surgery.

Design, Setting, and Participants

We performed a retrospective study of Medicare beneficiaries who received care in US hospitals. Participants were 65 years and older who electively underwent 1 of 10 high-risk surgical procedures from 2015 to 2018: carotid endarterectomy, mitral valve repair, open aortic aneurysm repair, lung resection, esophagectomy, pancreatectomy, rectal resection, hip replacement, knee replacement, and bariatric surgery. Hospitals were categorized into high-competition and low-competition markets based on the hospital market Herfindahl-Hirschman index. Comparisons of 30-day mortality and 30-day readmissions were risk-adjusted using a multivariate logistic regression model adjusting for patient factors (age, sex, comorbidities, and dual eligibility), year of procedure, and hospital characteristics (nurse ratio and teaching status). Data were analyzed from May 2022 to March 2023.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Thirty-day postoperative mortality and readmissions.

Results

A total of 2 242 438 Medicare beneficiaries were included in the study. The mean (SD) age of the cohort was 74.1 (6.4) years, 1 328 946 were women (59.3%), and 913 492 were men (40.7%). When examined by procedure, compared with low-competition hospitals, high-competition market hospitals demonstrated higher 30-day mortality for 2 of 10 procedures (mitral valve repair: odds ratio [OR], 1.11; 95% CI, 1.07-1.14; and carotid endarterectomy: OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.03-1.09) and no difference for 5 of 10 procedures (open aortic aneurysm repair, bariatric surgery, esophagectomy, knee replacement, and hip replacement; ranging from OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.94-1.00, for hip replacement to OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.94-1.26, for bariatric surgery). High-competition hospitals also demonstrated 30-day readmissions that were higher for 5 of 10 procedures (open aortic aneurysm repair, knee replacement, mitral valve repair, rectal resection, and carotid endarterectomy; ranging from OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.02, for knee replacement to OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.08, for rectal resection) and no difference for 3 procedures (bariatric surgery: OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.99-1.07; esophagectomy: OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.99-1.06; and pancreatectomy: OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.99-1.01). Hospitals in high-competition compared with low-competition markets cared for patients who were older (mean [SD] age of 74.4 [6.6] years vs 74.0 [6.2] years, respectively; P < .001), were more likely to be racial and ethnic minority individuals (77 322/450 404 [17.3%] vs 23 328/444 900 [5.6%], respectively; P < .001), and had more comorbidities (≥2 Elixhauser comorbidities, 302 415/450 404 [67.1%] vs 284 355/444 900 [63.9%], respectively; P < .001).

Conclusions and Relevance

This study found that hospital market competition was not consistently associated with improved outcomes after high-risk surgery. Efforts to maintain hospital market competition may not achieve better postoperative outcomes.

Surgical Procedures at Critical Access Hospitals Within Hospital Networks

OBJECTIVE

To compare surgical outcomes and expenditures at critical access hospitals that do versus do not participate in a hospital network among Medicare beneficiaries.

BACKGROUND

Critical access hospitals provide essential care to more than 80 million Americans. These hospitals, often rural, are located more than 35 miles away from another hospital and are required to maintain patient transfer agreements with other facilities capable of providing higher levels of care. Some critical access hospitals have gone further to formally participate in a hospital network.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional retrospective study from 2014 to 2018 comparing 16,128 Medicare beneficiary admissions for appendectomy, cholecystectomy, colectomy, or hernia repair at critical access hospitals that do versus do not participate in a hospital network. Thirty-day mortality and readmissions were risk adjusted using multivariable logistic regression accounting for patient and hospital factors. Price-standardized, risk-adjusted Medicare expenditures were compared for the 30-day total episode payments consisting of index hospitalization, physician services, readmissions, and postacute care payments.

RESULTS

Beneficiaries (average age = 75.7 years, SD = 7.4) who obtained care at critical access hospitals in a hospital network were more likely to carry ≥2 Elixhauser comorbidities (68.7% vs. 62.8%, P < 0.001). Rates of 30-day mortality were higher at critical access hospitals in a hospital network (4.30% vs. 3.81%, OR = 1.11, P < 0.001). Similarly, readmission rates were higher at critical access hospitals that were in a hospital network (15.13% vs. 14.34%, OR = 1.06, P < 0.001). Additionally, total episode payments were found to be $960 higher per patient at critical access hospitals that were in a hospital network ($23,878 vs. $22,918, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Critical access hospitals within hospital networks provided care to more medically complex patients and were associated with worse clinical outcomes and higher costs among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing common general surgery operations.

High-risk surgery among Medicare beneficiaries living in health professional shortage areas

PURPOSE

Americans who reside in health professional shortage areas currently have less than half of the needed physician workforce. While the shortage designation has been associated with poor outcomes for chronic medical conditions, far less is known about outcomes after high-risk surgical procedures.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of Medicare beneficiaries living in health professional shortage areas and nonshortage areas who underwent abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, coronary artery bypass graft, esophagectomy, liver resection, pancreatectomy, or rectal resection between 2014 and 2018. Risk-adjusted multivariable logistic regression was used to determine whether rates of postoperative complications and 30-day mortality differed between patient cohorts. Beneficiary and hospital ZIP codes were used to quantify travel time to obtain care.

FINDINGS

Compared with patients living in nonshortage areas, patients living in health professional shortage areas traveled longer (median 60.0 vs 28.0 minutes, P<.001). There were no differences in risk-adjusted rates of complications (28.5% vs 28.6%, OR = 1.00, 95% CI 1.00-1.00, P = .59) and small differences in rates of 30-day mortality (4.2% vs 4.4%, OR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.95-0.95, P<.001) between beneficiaries living in shortage areas versus those not in shortage areas, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients living in health professional shortage area undergoing high-risk surgery traveled more than 2 times longer for their care to obtain similar outcomes. While reassuring for clinical outcomes, additional efforts may be needed to mitigate the travel burden experienced by shortage area patients.

The Variable Impact of Clinical Risk-Adjustment Models to Evaluate Hospital Design

OBJECTIVES

To identify the impact of clinical risk adjustment models for evaluating pain medication consumption differences between private rooms and a multibed ward.

BACKGROUND

Views of nature are reported to reduce anxiety and pain for patients. This often leads to prioritizing large windows with views for patient rooms; however, it is not clear how other factors influencing pain (e.g., patient demographics) may confound evaluations of room design.

METHODS

We identified 1,284 patients at the University of Michigan undergoing thyroidectomy where patients recovered in one of the two locations: a private room with a view to nature or a multibed ward with no windows. We used pain medication data from the electronic medical record and risk adjustment models to evaluate pain medication consumption between the room types.

RESULTS

Private room patients did not use more pain medications when measured using unadjusted morphine milligram equivalents (18.3 vs. 15.3 mg, p = .06). Risk adjusting for age, gender, comorbidities, opioid history, and procedure subtype resulted in private room patients demonstrating higher consumption of morphine milliequivalents (17.5 vs. 15.5 mg, p < .01). In contrast, risk adjusting for age, gender, opioid history, and selected comorbidities estimated higher pain medication consumption for multibed ward patients relative to private rooms (16.27 vs. 15.51 mg, p < .05).

CONCLUSION

Estimated differences of pain medication consumption for patients in differently designed rooms varied depending on the risk adjustment model. These findings underscore the importance of understanding appropriate clinical measurement and risk adjustment strategies to accurately estimate the impact of design, before applying research into practice.

Association of Neighborhood Deprivation, Race, and Postoperative Outcomes: Improvement in Neighborhood Deprivation is Associated With Worsening Surgical Disparities

INTRODUCTION

While there is a broad understanding that patient factors, hospital characteristics, and an individual's neighborhoods all contribute to the observed disparities, the relationship between these factors remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of neighborhood deprivation improve postoperative outcomes for White and Black Medicare beneficiaries equally.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional Retrospective cohort study from 2014 to 2018 of 1372,487 White and Black Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older who underwent an inpatient colon resection, coronary artery bypass, cholecystectomy, appendectomy, or incisional hernia repair. We compared postoperative complications, readmission, and mortality by race across neighborhood deprivation. Outcomes were risk-adjusted using a multivariable logistical regression model accounting for patient factors (age, sex, Elixhauser comorbidities), admission type (elective, urgent, emergency), type of operation, and each neighborhoods Area Deprivation Index; a modern-day measure of neighborhood disadvantage that includes education, employment, housing quality, and poverty measures.

RESULTS

Overall, 1372,487 Medicare beneficiaries with mean age 72.1 years, 50.3% female, 91.2% White, residing in 1107,051 unique neighborhoods underwent 1 of 5 operations. The proportion of Black beneficiaries was 6.5% within the lowest deprivation neighborhoods and increased to 16.9% within the highest deprivation neighborhoods ( P <0.001). The interaction between beneficiary neighborhood and race demonstrated that the association of neighborhood on outcomes varied by race. Specifically, White beneficiaries had 1.5% absolute mortality decrease from the highest to lowest deprivation neighborhoods [odds ratio (OR):1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.27-1.38; P <0.001], whereas Black beneficiaries had a 0.72% absolute mortality decrease from the highest to lowest deprivation neighborhoods (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02-1.24; P =0.018). Similarly, White beneficiaries had 3.6% absolute decrease in complication rate from the highest to lowest deprivation neighborhoods (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.21-1.28; P <0.001) while Black beneficiaries had a 1.2%% absolute decrease in complication rate from the highest to lowest deprivation neighborhoods (OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01-1.13; P =0.017). For 30-day readmission rates, White beneficiaries realized a 2.3% absolute decrease from the highest to lowest deprivation neighborhoods (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.02-1.24; P <0.001), whereas Black beneficiaries saw no change (OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.97-1.10; P =0.269).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Lower neighborhood deprivation is associated with improved outcomes across both White and Black Medicare beneficiaries; however, improvement in neighborhood deprivation disproportionately favored White beneficiaries. These findings provide a cautionary example of the misperception of the protective effect of higher social class for Black patients and provide a cautionary example that improvements in neighborhoods may have disparate health impact on its members.

Understanding Community Health Access and Rural Transformation Reform-Implications for Rural Surgical Care

The Viewpoint describes the Community Transformation Track of the Community Health Access and Rural Transformation Model for improving financial stability at rural hospitals and its implications for rural surgical care.

Hospital-Level Segregation Among Medicare Beneficiaries Undergoing Lung Cancer Resection

BACKGROUND

Recent research has raised concern that health care segregation, the high concentration of racial groups within a subset of hospitals, is a key contributor to persistent disparities in surgical care. However, to date the extent and effect of hospital level segregation among patients undergoing resection for lung cancer remains unclear.

METHODS

We used 100% Medicare fee-for-service claims to evaluate the degree of hospital-level racial segregation for patients undergoing resection for lung cancer between 2014 and 2018. Hospitals serving a high volume of minority patients were defined as the top decile of hospitals by volume of racial and ethnic minority beneficiaries served. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to compare surgical outcomes between hospitals serving high vs low volumes of minority patients.

RESULTS

A total of 122,943 patients were included, with racial/ethnic composition of 360 American Indian or Native American (0.3%), 2077 Asian or Pacific Islander (1.7%), 1146 Hispanic or Latino (0.9%), 8707 non-Hispanic Black (7.1%), and 108,665 non-Hispanic White patients. Overall, 31.6%, 15.9%, 15.0%, and 7.8% of all hospitals performed 90% of lung cancer resection for Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American patients, respectively. Hospitals performing higher volumes of operations for racial and ethnic minorities had higher mortality (3.9% vs 3.1%; odds ratio [OR], 1.19; 95% CI, 1.15-1.23; P < .001), complications (18.1% vs 15.9%; OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.14-1.19; P < .001), and readmissions (11.7% vs 11.2%; OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.05; P < .001) for resections for lung cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that a small proportion of hospitals provide a disproportionate amount of surgical care for racial and ethnic minorities with lung cancer with inferior surgical outcomes.

Disparities in unplanned surgery amongst medicare beneficiaries

BACKGROUND

While significant efforts have been made to understand surgical disparities for procedures that are performed in either the elective or unplanned settings, far less is known about procedures performed in both settings.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study of 1,135,743 Medicare beneficiaries undergoing incisional hernia repair, colectomy, or abdominal aortic aneurysm repair between 2014 and 2018. Risk-adjusted outcomes were assessed using multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

Compared to White beneficiaries, unplanned surgery rates were higher for Black (44.0%vs38.8%, OR = 1.29,p < 0.001) and Asian beneficiaries(40.4%vs38.8%,OR = 1.09,p < 0.001). While there were minimal differences in 30-day mortality for elective procedures, unplanned procedures demonstrated wider disparities (Black vs White 12.4%vs11.3%,OR = 1.11,p < 0.001; Asian vs White 13.2%vs11.3%,OR = 1.18,p < 0.001). Similar patterns were observed for readmissions.

CONCLUSIONS

Unplanned procedures are more common and demonstrate wider disparities in outcomes among minority Medicare beneficiaries. Reducing unplanned surgery rates among these groups may be an effective strategy to limit overall disparities in postoperative outcomes.

The Emergence of Rural Emergency Hospitals: Safely Implementing New Models of Care

This Viewpoint discusses the potential benefits of the rural emergency hospital model, which exclusively provides outpatient and emergency services, in rural communities faced with possible hospital closures, as well as safeguards to monitor and minimize unintended consequences.

Evaluation of Prices for Surgical Procedures Within and Outside Hospital Networks in the US

This economic evaluation examines variations in prices for surgical procedures under the Hospital Price Transparency Rule at hospitals within and outside hospital networks in the US.

Association of Skilled Nursing Facility Ownership by Health Care Networks With Utilization and Spending

IMPORTANCE

Health care mergers and acquisitions have increased vertical integration of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in health care networks. While vertical integration may result in improved care coordination and quality, it may also lead to excess utilization, as SNFs are paid a per diem rate.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the association of vertical integration of SNFs within hospital networks with SNF utilization, readmissions, and spending for Medicare beneficiaries undergoing elective hip replacement.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cross-sectional study evaluated 100% Medicare administrative claims for nonfederal acute care hospitals performing at least 10 elective hip replacements during the study period. Fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries aged 66 to 99 years who underwent elective hip replacement between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017, with continuous Medicare coverage for 3 months before and 6 months after surgery were included. Data were analyzed from February 2 to August 8, 2022.

EXPOSURES

Treatment at a hospital within a network that also owns at least 1 SNF based on the 2017 American Hospital Association survey.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Rates of SNF utilization, 30-day readmissions, and price-standardized 30-day episode payments. Hierarchical multivariable logistic and linear regression clustered at hospitals was performed with adjusting for patient, hospital, and network characteristics.

RESULTS

A total of 150 788 patients (61.4% women; mean [SD] age, 74.3 [6.4] years) underwent hip replacement. After risk adjustment, vertical SNF integration was associated with a higher rate of SNF utilization (21.7% [95% CI, 20.4%-23.0%] vs 19.7% [95% CI, 18.7%-20.7%]; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.15 [95% CI, 1.03-1.29]; P = .01) and lower 30-day readmission rate (5.6% [95% CI, 5.4%-5.8%] vs 5.9% [95% CI, 5.7%-6.1%]; aOR, 0.94 [95% CI, 0.89-0.99]; P = .03). Despite higher SNF utilization, the total adjusted 30-day episode payments were slightly lower ($20 230 [95% CI, $20 035-$20 425] vs $20 487 [95% CI, $20 314-$20 660]; difference, -$275 [95% CI, -$15 to -$498]; P = .04) driven by lower postacute payments and shorter SNF length of stays. Adjusted readmission rates were particularly low for patients not sent to an SNF (3.6% [95% CI, 3.4%-3.7%]; P < .001) but were significantly higher for patients with an SNF length of stay less than 5 days (41.3% [95% CI, 39.2%-43.3%]; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this cross-sectional study of Medicare beneficiaries undergoing elective hip replacements, vertical integration of SNFs in a hospital network was associated with higher rates of SNF utilization and lower rates of readmissions without evidence of higher overall episode payments. These findings support the purported value of integrating SNFs into hospital networks but also suggest that there is room for improving the postoperative care of patients in SNFs early in their stay.

Association of Hospital Quality and Neighborhood Deprivation With Mortality After Inpatient Surgery Among Medicare Beneficiaries

Importance

Although the hospital at which a patient is treated is a known source of variation in mortality after inpatient surgery, far less is known about how the neighborhoods from which patients come may also contribute.

Objective

To compare postoperative mortality among Medicare beneficiaries based on the level of neighborhood deprivation where they live and hospital quality where they received care.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study examined outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing 1 of 5 common surgical procedures (colon resection, coronary artery bypass, cholecystectomy, appendectomy, or incisional hernia repair) between 2014 and 2018. Hospital quality was assigned using the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Star Rating. Each beneficiary's neighborhood was identified at the census tract level and sorted in quintiles based on its Area Deprivation Index score, a composite measure of neighborhood quality, including education, employment, and housing quality. A risk matrix across hospital quality and neighborhood deprivation was created to determine the relative contribution of each to mortality after surgery. Data were analyzed from June 1 to December 31, 2021.

Exposures

Hospital quality and neighborhood deprivation.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The main outcome was risk-adjusted 30-day mortality after surgery using a multivariable logistic regression model taking into account patient factors and procedure type.

Results

A total of 1 898 829 Medicare beneficiaries (mean [SD] age, 74.8 [7.0] years; 961 216 [50.6%] male beneficiaries; 28 432 [1.5%] Asian, 145 160 [77%] Black, and 1 622 304 [86.5%] White beneficiaries) were included in analyses. Patients from all neighborhood deprivation group quintiles sought care at hospitals across hospital quality levels. For example, 9.1% of patients from the highest deprivation neighborhoods went to a hospital in the highest star rating of quality and 4.2% of patients from the lowest deprivation neighborhoods went to a hospital in the lowest star rating of quality. Thirty-day risk-adjusted mortality varied across high- and low-quality hospitals (4.3% vs 7.2%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.78; 95% CI, 1.66-1.92) and across the least and most deprived neighborhoods (4.5% vs 6.8%; aOR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.53-1.64). When combined, comparing patients from the least deprived neighborhoods going to high-quality hospitals vs patients from the most deprived neighborhoods going to low-quality hospitals, the variation increased further (3.8% vs 8.1%; aOR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.96-2.46).

Conclusions and Relevance

These findings suggest that characteristics of a patient's neighborhood and the hospital where they received treatment were both associated with risk of death after commonly performed inpatient surgical procedures. The associations of these factors on mortality may be additive. Efforts and investments to address variation in postoperative mortality should include both hospital quality improvement as well as addressing drivers of neighborhood deprivation.

Social Vulnerability and Emergency General Surgery among Medicare Beneficiaries

BACKGROUND

Although the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) was created to identify vulnerable populations after unexpected natural disasters, its ability to identify similar groups of patients undergoing unexpected emergency surgical procedures is unknown. We sought to examine the association between SVI and outcomes after emergency general surgery.

STUDY DESIGN

This study is a cross-sectional review of 887,193 Medicare beneficiaries who underwent 1 of 4 common emergency general surgery procedures (appendectomy, cholecystectomy, colectomy, and ventral hernia repair) performed in the urgent or emergent setting between 2014 and 2018. These data were merged with the SVI at the census-track level of residence. Risk-adjusted outcomes (30-day mortality, serious complications, readmission) were evaluated using a logistic regression model accounting for age, sex, comorbidity, year, procedure type, and hospital characteristics between high and low social vulnerability quintiles and within the 4 SVI subthemes (socioeconomic status; household composition and disability; minority status and language; and housing type and transportation).

RESULTS

Compared with beneficiaries with low social vulnerability, Medicare beneficiaries living in areas of high social vulnerability experienced higher rates of 30-day mortality (8.56% vs 8.08%; adjusted odds ratio 1.07; p < 0.001), serious complications (20.71% vs 18.40%; adjusted odds ratio 1.17; p < 0.001), and readmissions (16.09% vs 15.03%; adjusted odds ratio 1.08; p < 0.001). This pattern of differential outcomes was present in subgroup analysis of all 4 SVI subthemes but was greatest in the socioeconomic status and household composition and disability subthemes.

CONCLUSIONS

National efforts to support patients with high social vulnerability from natural disasters may be well aligned with efforts to identify communities that are particularly vulnerable to worse postoperative outcomes after emergency general surgery. Policies targeting structural barriers related to household composition and socioeconomic status may help alleviate these disparities.

Neighborhood Deprivation, Hospital Quality, and Mortality After Cancer Surgery

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate if receipt of complex cancer surgery at high-quality hospitals is associated with a reduction in disparities between individuals living in the most and least deprived neighborhoods.

BACKGROUND

The association between social risk factors and worse surgical outcomes for patients undergoing high-risk cancer operations is well documented. To what extent neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation as an isolated social risk factor known to be associated with worse outcomes can be mitigated by hospital quality is less known.

METHODS

Using 100% Medicare fee-for-service claims, we analyzed data on 212,962 Medicare beneficiaries more than age 65 undergoing liver resection, rectal resection, lung resection, esophagectomy, and pancreaticoduodenectomy for cancer between 2014 and 2018. Clinical risk-adjusted 30-day postoperative mortality rates were used to stratify hospitals into quintiles of quality. Beneficiaries were stratified into quintiles based on census tract Area Deprivation Index. The association of hospital quality and neighborhood deprivation with 30-day mortality was assessed using logistic regression.

RESULTS

There were 212,962 patients in the cohort including 109,419 (51.4%) men with a mean (SD) age of 73.8 (5.9) years old. At low-quality hospitals, patients living in the most deprived areas had significantly higher risk-adjusted mortality than those from the least deprived areas for all procedures; esophagectomy: 22.3% versus 20.7%; P <0.003, liver resection 19.3% versus 16.4%; P <0.001, pancreatic resection 15.9% versus 12.9%; P <0.001, lung resection 8.3% versus 7.8%; P <0.001, rectal resection 8.8% versus 8.1%; P <0.001. Surgery at a high-quality hospitals was associated with no significant differences in mortality between individuals living in the most compared with least deprived neighborhoods for esophagectomy, rectal resection, liver resection, and pancreatectomy. For example, the adjusted odds of mortality between individuals living in the most deprived compared with least deprived neighborhoods following esophagectomy at low-quality hospitals (odds ratio=1.22, 95% CI: 1.14-1.31, P <0.001) was higher than at high-quality hospitals (odds ratio=0.98, 95% CI: 0.94-1.02, P =0.03).

CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE

Receipt of complex cancer surgery at a high-quality hospital was associated with no significant differences in mortality between individuals living in the most deprived neighborhoods compared with least deprived. Initiatives to increase access referrals to high-quality hospitals for patients from high deprivation levels may improve outcomes and contribute to mitigating disparities.

A Proposed Framework for Measuring Access to Surgical Care in the United States

In this Viewpoint, the authors evaluate access to surgical care using the domains of timeliness, workforce density, infrastructure, safety, and affordability and discuss how such a framework could be applied in the United States.

Association of Coded Housing Instability and Hospitalization in the US

IMPORTANCE

Housing instability and other social determinants of health are increasingly being documented by clinicians. The most common reasons for hospitalization among patients with coded housing instability, however, are not well understood.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the most common reasons for hospitalization among patients with and without coded housing instability.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cross-sectional, retrospective study identified hospitalizations of patients between age 18 and 99 years using the 2017 to 2019 National Inpatient Sample. Data were analyzed from May to September 2022.

EXPOSURES

Housing instability was operationalized using 5 International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Social Determinants of Health Z-Codes addressing problems related to housing: homelessness; inadequate housing; discord with neighbors, lodgers, and landlords; residential institution problems; and other related problems.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome of interest was reason for inpatient admission. Bivariate comparisons of patient characteristics, primary diagnoses, length of stay, and hospitalization costs among patients with and without coded housing instability were performed.

RESULTS

Among the 87 348 604 hospitalizations analyzed, the mean (SD) age was 58 (20) years and patients were more likely to be women (50 174 117 [57.4%]) and White (58 763 014 [67.3%]). Housing instability was coded for 945 090 hospitalizations. Hospitalized patients with housing instability, compared with those without instability, were more likely to be men (668 255 patients with coded instability [70.7%] vs 36 506 229 patients without [42.3%]; P < .001), younger (mean [SD] age 45.5 [14.0] vs 58.4 [20.2] years), Black (235 355 patients [24.9%] vs 12 929 158 patients [15.0%]), Medicaid beneficiaries (521 555 patients [55.2%] vs 15 541 175 patients [18.0%]), uninsured (117 375 patients [12.4%] vs 3 476 841 patients [4.0%]), and discharged against medical advice (28 890 patients [8.4%] vs 451 855 patients [1.6%]). The most common reason for hospitalization among patients with coded housing instability was mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders (475 575 patients [50.3%]), which cost a total of $3.5 billion. Other common reasons included injury (69 270 patients [7.3%]) and circulatory system diseases (64 700 patients [6.8%]). Coded housing instability was also significantly associated with longer mean (SD) hospital stays (6.7 [.06] vs 4.8 [.01] days) and a cost of $9.3 billion. Hospitalized patients with housing instability had 18.6 times greater odds of having a primary diagnosis of mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders (475 575 patients [50.3%] vs 4 470 675 patients [5.2%]; odds ratio, 18.56; 95% CI, 17.86 to 19.29).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this cross-sectional study, hospitalizations among patients with coded housing instability had higher admission rates for mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders, longer stays, and increased costs. Findings suggest that efforts to improve housing instability, mental and behavioral health, and inpatient hospital utilization across multiple sectors may find areas for synergistic collaboration.

Structural, molecular and functional characterization of the aorta in HCM

Introduction

Changes in the Extracellular Matrix (ECM) in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) is thought to involve the myocardium as well as extracardiac tissues. The extent and significance of extra-myocardial changes has not been adequately studied.

Purpose

To describe the structural, molecular, and functional changes in the aorta of HOCM patients.

Methods

The structural and molecular changes in the aortic wall were studied in a cohort of 102 consecutive patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy undergoing myectomy. The biopsies were examined histologically, immunohistochemically and by Electron microscopy. The findings were compared to 10 normal controls obtained from the homograft bank of the Harefield hospital, following IRB guidelines. Changes in expression were quantified using morphometry and western blotting. For aortic stiffness, pulse wave velocity [PWV] was measured using Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR), in the 102 HCM patients as well as age-matched 166 normal controls.

Results

Specimens from HCM aortas showed a misalignment in collagen and elastin fibres. There was a significant reduction in smooth muscle cells [SMCs] markers; integrin beta1 and smooth muscle actin, and an increase in an apoptosis marker, Caspase3. In addition, there was a significant decrease in the number of lamellae and an increase in the interlamellar distance in HCM aortas. FBLNs 1, 2 and 5 showed a reduction in expression in tunica intima and tunica media of HCM biopsies. PWV was significantly higher in HCM patients compared to healthy controls with the highest levels in patients with LV fibrosis.

Conclusion

This study illustrates the link between functional abnormalities in the aorta of HCM patients with structural and molecular changes. These findings can have a potential value in risk stratification and identify new therapeutic targets in HCM.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): STDF-EgyptMagdi Yacoub Foundation

Evaluating healthcare system–level racial disparities in mortality following lung cancer resection among Medicare beneficiaries

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Background: Racial inequities in lung cancer surgical quality are well documented yet understanding the variation in racial inequities across healthcare systems remain limited. Therefore, in this study the variation in racial disparities mortality across healthcare systems was evaluated. Methods: Using 100% Medicare fee-for-service claims, we analyzed data on Medicare beneficiaries between the ages of 65- and 99-years old undergoing resection for lung cancer. All patients undergoing resection for lung cancer between 2014 and 2018 were included. Clinical risk-adjusted 30-day post-operative mortality rates for an overall health care systems as well as rates for non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic white patients within each of system were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression. The variation across all healthcare systems performing at least 5 operations for each racial group was performed. A total of 216 healthcare systems were included. Results: Overall, 82,978 patients were included with mean (SD) age of 73.7(5.5) years and racial composition of 7,124 Black patients (8.6%) and 75,854 White patients (91.7%). Of these 216 systems, 90 (41.7%) had significant disparities with the worst mortality in Black beneficiaries. Of these systems with significant worst mortality for Black patients undergoing resection for lung cancer, the odds of mortality of Black compared to White patients ranged from OR 1.04 (95% CI 1.01-1.08; P < 0.001) to OR 2.9 (95% CI 2.6-3.2; P < 0.001). There was weak but statistically significant association between system overall mortality and the Black-White difference in mortality (R = 0.14; P < 0.04). Conclusions: Our findings provide justification for system- level interventions to address disparities in surgical care for Black patients undergoing resection for lung cancer. Moreover, our findings suggest that quality improvement efforts to improve overall quality of surgical care that do not focus on the care of Black patients may be insufficient for reduction of disparities.[Table: see text]

Emergency Surgery Rates Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Access Sensitive Surgical Conditions

INTRODUCTION

Access sensitive surgical conditions should be treated electively with optimal access but result in emergency operations when access is limited. However, the rates of emergency procedures for these conditions are unknown.

METHODS

Cross-sectional retrospective review of Medicare beneficiaries who underwent access sensitive surgical procedures (abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, colectomy for colorectal cancer, or incisional hernia repair) between 2014 and 2018. Risk-adjusted outcomes using a multivariable logistical regression that adjusted for patient factors (age, sex, race, and Elixhauser comorbidities), hospital characteristics (ownership, size, geographic region, surgical volume) and type of operation were compared between planned and emergency (urgent and emergent) surgical procedures. Outcome measures were rates of emergency procedures as well as associated postoperative outcomes.

RESULTS

Of the 744,818 Medicare beneficiaries undergoing access sensitive surgical procedures, 259,541 (34.9%) were done in the emergency setting. Risk-adjusted rates of emergency surgery varied widely across hospital service areas from 23.28% (lowest decile) to 54.88% (highest decile) (Odds Ratio 4.74; P < 0.001). Emergency procedures were associated with significantly higher rates of 30-d mortality (8.15% versus 3.65%, P < 0.001) and readmissions (16.28% versus 12.88%, P < 0.001) compared to elective procedures. Sensitivity analysis with younger and healthier beneficiaries demonstrated persistently high rates (23.3%) of emergency surgery with wide regional variation and worse patient outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Emergency surgery for access sensitive surgical conditions is extremely common and varied almost fivefold across United States hospital service areas. This suggests there are opportunities to improve access for these common surgical conditions.

Educator's blueprint: A how-to guide for creating a high-quality infographic

Infographics are a valuable tool for increasing knowledge translation and dissemination. They can be used to simplify complex topics and supplement the written text of a study. This Educator's Blueprint paper will provide 10 strategies for creating high-quality infographics. These strategies include selecting appropriate content, defining the target audience, considering the format, selecting the software, using consistent font and color schemes, increasing image utilization, ensuring a consistent flow of ideas, avoiding copyright and HIPAA violations, getting feedback from others, and utilizing effective dissemination strategies. These strategies will help guide educators to increase their ability to create more effective infographics.

Neighborhood deprivation and Medicare expenditures for common surgical procedures

INTRODUCTION

The Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services valued based payments for inpatient surgical hospitalizations are adjusted for clinical but not social risk factors. While research has shown that social risk is associated with worse surgical patient outcomes, it is unknown if inpatient surgical episode Medicare payments are affected by social risk factors.

METHODS

Retrospective review of Medicare beneficiaries, age 65-99, undergoing appendectomy, colectomy, hernia repair, or cholecystectomy between 2014 and 2018. Neighborhood deprivation measured by Area Deprivation Index for beneficiary census tract. We evaluated Medicare payments for a total episode of surgical care comprised of index hospitalization, physician fees, post-acute care, and readmission by beneficiary neighborhood deprivation.

RESULTS

A total of 809,059 patients (Women, 56.0%) and mean (SD) age of 75.7 (7.4 years were included. A total of 145,351 beneficiaries lived in the least deprived neighborhoods and 134,188 who lived in the most deprived neighborhoods. Total surgical episode spending was $2654 higher among beneficiaries from the most deprived neighborhoods compared to those from the least after risk adjustment for clinical and hospital factors. These differences were driven in part by higher rates of readmissions (12.9% vs 10.8%, P < 0.001) and post-acute care (67.8% vs. 61.2%, P < 0.001) among beneficiaries living in the most deprived neighborhoods.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that value-based payment models with inclusion of social risk adjustment may be needed for surgical cohorts. Moreover, efforts focused on investing in deprived communities may be aligned with surgical quality improvement.

Social Vulnerability And Outcomes For Access-Sensitive Surgical Conditions Among Medicare Beneficiaries

Concerns have been raised over wide variation in rates of unplanned (emergency or urgent) surgery for access-sensitive surgical conditions-diagnoses requiring surgery that preferably is planned (elective) but, when access is limited, may be delayed until worsening symptoms require riskier and costlier unplanned surgery. Yet little is known about geographic and community-level factors that may increase the likelihood of unplanned surgery with adverse outcomes. We examined the relationship between community-level social vulnerability and rates of unplanned surgery for three access-sensitive conditions in 2014-18 among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries ages 65-99. Compared with patients from communities with the lowest social vulnerability, those from communities with the highest vulnerability were more likely, overall, to undergo unplanned surgery (36.2 percent versus 33.5 percent). They were also more likely to experience worse outcomes largely attributable to differential rates of unplanned surgery, including higher rates of mortality (5.4 percent versus 5.0 percent) and additional surgery within thirty days (19.6 percent versus 18.1 percent). Our findings suggest that policy addressing community-level social vulnerability may mitigate the observed differences in surgical procedures and outcomes for access-sensitive conditions.

Evaluation of US Hospital Episode Spending for Acute Inpatient Conditions After the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

IMPORTANCE

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), US hospitals were exposed to a number of reforms intended to reduce spending, many of which, beginning in 2012, targeted acute care hospitals and often focused on specific diagnoses (eg, acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia) for Medicare patients. Other provisions enacted in the ACA and under budget sequestration (beginning in 2013) mandated Medicare fee cuts.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between the enactment of ACA reforms and 30-day price-standardized hospital episode spending.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This policy evaluation included index discharges between January 1, 2008, and August 31, 2015, from a national random 20% sample of Medicare beneficiaries. Data analysis was performed from February 1, 2019 to July 8, 2020.

EXPOSURE

Payment reforms after passage of the ACA.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

30-day price-standardized episode payments. Three alternative estimation approaches were used to evaluate the association between reforms following the ACA and episode spending: (1) a difference-in-difference (DID) analysis among acute care hospitals, comparing spending for diagnoses commonly targeted by ACA programs with nontargeted diagnoses; (2) a DID analysis comparing acute care hospitals and critical access hospitals (not exposed to reforms); and (3) a generalized synthetic control analysis, comparing acute care and critical access hospitals. Supplemental analysis examined the degree to which Medicare fee cuts contributed to spending reductions.

RESULTS

A total of 7 634 242 index discharges (4 525 630 [59.2%] female patients; mean [SD] age, 79.31 [8.02] years) were included. All 3 approaches found that reforms following the ACA were associated with a significant reduction in episode spending. The DID estimate comparing targeted and untargeted diagnoses suggested that reforms following the ACA were associated with a -$431 (95% CI, -$492 to -$369; -2.87%) change in total spending, while the generalized synthetic control analysis suggested that reforms were associated with a -$1232 (95% CI, -$1488 to -$965; -10.12%) change in total episode spending, amounting in a total annual savings of $5.68 billion. Cuts to Medicare fees accounted for most of these savings.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this policy evaluation, the ACA was associated with large reductions in US hospital episode spending.

Impact Of Medicare Readmissions Penalties On Targeted Surgical Conditions

The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, announced in 2010 to penalize excess readmissions for patients with selected medical diagnoses, was expanded in 2013 to include targeted surgical diagnoses, beginning with hip and knee replacements. Whether these surgical penalties reduced procedure-specific readmissions is not well understood. Using Medicare claims, we evaluated the penalty announcements' effects on risk-adjusted readmission rates, episode payments, lengths-of-stay, and observation status use. Risk-adjusted readmission rates declined for both procedures from 7.6 percent in 2008 to 5.5 percent in 2016. These rates were decreasing before the program was announced, but the rate of reductions doubled after the announcement of medical penalties in March 2010 (from -0.05 percentage points to -0.10 percentage points per quarter). After targeted surgical penalties were announced in August 2013, readmission reductions returned to near the baseline trend. During the same time period, mean episode payments and lengths-of-stay decreased substantially, and trends in observation status were unchanged. This suggests that medical readmission penalties led to readmission reductions for surgical patients as well, that targeted surgical penalties did not have an additional effect, and that readmission reductions are approaching a "floor" below which further reductions may be unlikely.

Variation in Surgical Outcomes Across Networks of the Highest-Rated US Hospitals

Importance

Hospitals are rapidly consolidating into regional delivery networks. To our knowledge, whether these multihospital networks leverage their combined assets to improve quality and provide a uniform standard of care has not been explored.

Objective

To evaluate the extent to which surgical outcomes varied across hospitals within the networks of the highest-rated US hospitals.

Design, Settings, and Participants

This longitudinal analysis of 87 hospitals that participated in 1 of 16 networks that are affiliated with US News & World Report Honor Roll hospitals used data from Medicare beneficiaries who were undergoing colectomy, coronary artery bypass graft, or hip replacement between 2005 and 2014 to evaluate the variation in risk-adjusted surgical outcomes at Honor Roll and affiliated hospitals within and across networks. The data were analyzed between April 20, 2018, and June 25, 2018.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Thirty-day postoperative complications, mortality, failure to rescue, and readmissions.

Results

Of 143 174 patients, 68 718 (48.0%) were men, 124 427 (86.9%) were white, and the mean (SD) age was 71.8 (9.9) years and 73.5 (9.1) years in Honor Roll and affiliated hospitals, respectively. Outcomes were not consistently better at Honor Roll hospitals compared with network affiliates. For example, Honor Roll hospitals had lower failure to rescue rates (13.3% vs 15.1%; odds ratio, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.86-0.98) but higher complication rates (22.1% vs 18.0%; odds ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.03-1.19). Within networks, risk-adjusted outcomes varied widely across affiliated hospitals. The differences in failure to rescue varied by as little as 1.1-fold (range, 12.7%-14.3%) in some networks to as much as 4.9-fold (range, 7.6%-37.3%) in others. Similarly, complication rates varied by 1.1-fold (range, 21%-23%) to 4.3-fold (range, 6%-26%) across all networks.

Conclusions and Relevance

Surgical outcomes vary widely across hospitals affiliated with the US News & World Report Honor Roll hospitals. Public reporting mechanisms should provide patients with information on the quality of all network-affiliated hospitals. Networks should monitor variations in outcomes to characterize and improve the extent to which a uniform standard of care is being delivered.

What Metrics Accurately Reflect Surgical Quality?

Surgeons are increasingly under pressure to measure and improve their quality. While there is broad consensus that we ought to track surgical quality, there is far less agreement about which metrics matter most. This article reviews the important statistical concepts of case mix and chance as they apply to understanding the observed wide variation in surgical quality. We then discuss the benefits and drawbacks of current measurement strategies through the framework of structure, process, and outcomes approaches. Finally, we describe emerging new metrics, such as video evaluation and network optimization, that are likely to take on an increasingly important role in the future of measuring surgical quality.

Measuring and Improving the Design Quality of Operating Rooms

BACKGROUND

Existing research regarding design improvements to the operating room (OR) is scarce and emphasizes the compelling need to measure and test new design strategies and interventions.

METHODS

We propose a conceptual framework for measuring and improving OR physical space design by outlining how two existing measurement schemes can be adapted for ORs. The structure, process, outcomes model described by Donabedian in 1966 is used to show how each of these three measurement approaches can be used to evaluate OR design. In addition, we describe a common design framework that focuses on the end-user experience to highlight the impact different OR stakeholders can have on the prioritization of improvements.

RESULTS

The structure, process, outcomes model has both benefits and drawbacks for measuring OR design quality. For example, these components are easy to measure, highly actionable when deficient, and have high validity as the bottom line. However, they may not necessarily reflect better quality or correlate to better care, and some need risk adjustment to make comparisons fair. The end-user experience model should account for the needs of patients, OR nurses, anesthesiologists, surgeons, facilities managers, hospital administrators, infection control officers, and regulators, among others.

CONCLUSION

The design quality of ORs influences outcomes and determines the quality of experience for multiple stakeholders. Patients, providers, and hospital staff would benefit directly from efforts to improve OR physical space design. By adapting previously established frameworks, it is possible to measure, evaluate, and improve OR design.