Dataset Information

Integrated postdischarge transitional care in a hospitalist system to improve discharge outcome: an experimental study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The postdischarge period is a vulnerable time for patients, with high rates of adverse events that may cause unnecessary readmissions, especially in the elderly. Because postdischarge care continuity is often interrupted after hospitalist care, close follow-up may decrease patient readmission. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of a quality improvement program, integrated postdischarge transitional care (PDTC), in Taiwan's hospitalist system.

Methods

From December 2009 to May 2010, patients admitted to the hospitalist ward of a medical center in Taiwan and later discharged alive to home care were included. Efforts to improve the quality of interventions in the PDTC program, including a disease-specific care plan, telephone monitoring, hotline counseling and referral to a hospitalist-run clinic, were implemented in the latter four months in the intervention group, while the control group was recruited during the first two months of the study period. The primary end point was unplanned readmission or death within 30 days after discharge.

Results

There were 94 and 219 patients in the control and intervention groups, respectively. Both groups had similar characteristics at the time of admission and at discharge. In the intervention group, 18 patients with worsening disease-specific indicators recorded during telephone monitoring and 21 patients with new or worsening symptoms recorded during hotline counseling had higher rates of unplanned readmission than those without worsening disease-specific indicators (P = 0.031) and worsening symptoms (P = 0.019), respectively. Patients who received PDTC had lower rates of readmission and death than the control group within 30 days after discharge (15% vs. 25%; P = 0.021). Nonuse of a hospitalist-run clinic and presence of underlying malignancy were other independent risk factors for readmission and death within 30 days after discharge.

Conclusion

Integrated PDTC using disease-specific care, telephone monitoring, hotline counseling and a hospitalist-run clinic can reduce rates of postdischarge readmission and death.

SUBMITTER: Shu CC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3170615 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Integrated postdischarge transitional care in a hospitalist system to improve discharge outcome: an experimental study.

Shu Chin-Chung CC Hsu Nin-Chieh NC Lin Yu-Feng YF Wang Jann-Yuan JY Lin Jou-Wei JW Ko Wen-Je WJ

BMC medicine 20110817

<h4>Background</h4>The postdischarge period is a vulnerable time for patients, with high rates of adverse events that may cause unnecessary readmissions, especially in the elderly. Because postdischarge care continuity is often interrupted after hospitalist care, close follow-up may decrease patient readmission. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of a quality improvement program, integrated postdischarge transitional care (PDTC), in Taiwan's hospitalist system.<h4>Methods</h4>From ...[more]

PMID: 21849018

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Project description:BackgroundDespite more than a decade of research on hospitalists and their performance, disagreement still exists regarding whether and how hospital-based physicians improve the quality of inpatient care delivery. This systematic review summarizes the findings from 65 comparative evaluations to determine whether hospitalists provide a higher quality of inpatient care relative to traditional inpatient physicians who maintain hospital privileges with concurrent outpatient practices.MethodsArticles on hospitalist performance published between January 1996 and December 2010 were identified through MEDLINE, Embase, Science Citation Index, CINAHL, NHS Economic Evaluation Database and a hand-search of reference lists, key journals and editorials. Comparative evaluations presenting original, quantitative data on processes, efficiency or clinical outcome measures of care between hospitalists, community-based physicians and traditional academic attending physicians were included (n = 65). After proposing a conceptual framework for evaluating inpatient physician performance, major findings on quality are summarized according to their percentage change, direction and statistical significance.ResultsThe majority of reviewed articles demonstrated that hospitalists are efficient providers of inpatient care on the basis of reductions in their patients' average length of stay (69%) and total hospital costs (70%); however, the clinical quality of hospitalist care appears to be comparable to that provided by their colleagues. The methodological quality of hospitalist evaluations remains a concern and has not improved over time. Persistent issues include insufficient reporting of source or sample populations (n = 30), patients lost to follow-up (n = 42) and estimates of effect or random variability (n = 35); inappropriate use of statistical tests (n = 55); and failure to adjust for established confounders (n = 37).ConclusionsFuture research should include an expanded focus on the specific structures of care that differentiate hospitalists from other inpatient physician groups as well as the development of better conceptual and statistical models that identify and measure underlying mechanisms driving provider-outcome associations in quality.

Project description:BackgroundThe Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System Community Hospital Transitions Program (CHTP) was implemented as a nurse-led intervention to reduce barriers that patients experience when transitioning from community hospitals to VA primary care settings. A previous analysis indicated that veterans who enrolled in CHTP received timely follow-up care and communications that improved care coordination, but did not examine cost implications for the VA.MethodsA budget impact analysis used the VA (payer) perspective. CHTP implementation team members and study records identified key resources required to initially implement and run the CHTP. Statistical analysis of program participants and matched controls at two study sites was used to estimate incremental VA primary care costs per veteran. Using combined program implementation, operations, and healthcare cost estimates to guide key model assumptions, overall CHTP costs were estimated for a 5-year time horizon, including a discount rate of 3%, annual inflation of 2.5%, and a sensitivity analysis that considered two options for staffing the program at VA Medical Center (VAMC) sites.ResultsImplementation at two VAMCs required 3 months, including central program support and site-level onboarding, with costs of $34,094 (range: $25,355-$51,602), which included direct and indirect resource costs of personnel time, materials, space, and equipment. Subsequent annual costs to run the program at each site depended heavily on the staffing mix and caseload of veterans, with a baseline estimate of $193,802 to $264,868. Patients enrolled in CHTP had post-hospitalization VA primary care costs that were higher than matched controls. Over 5 years, CHTP sites staffed to serve 25-30 veterans per full-time equivalent transition team member per month had an estimated budget impact of $625 per veteran served if the transitional team included a medical social worker to support veterans with more social behavioral needs and less complex medical cases or $815 per veteran if nurses served all cases.ConclusionsEvidence-based care coordination programs that support patients' return to VA primary care after a community hospital stay are feasible to implement and run. Further, flexibility in staffing this type of program is increasingly relevant as the VA and other healthcare systems consider methods to reduce provider burnout, optimize staffing, reduce costs, and address other staffing challenges while improving patient care.

Project description:ImportancePrompted by null findings from several care transition trials and practice changes for heart failure in recent years, leaders from a large integrated health care system aimed to reassess the outcomes of its 10-year multicomponent transitional care program for heart failure (HF-TCP).ObjectiveTo examine the association of the individual HF-TCP components and their bundle with the primary outcome of all-cause 30-day inpatient or observation stay readmissions.Design, setting, and participantsThis retrospective cohort study included patients enrolled in the HF-TCP during an inpatient encounter for heart failure at 13 Kaiser Permanente Southern California hospitals from January 1, 2013, to October 31, 2018, who were followed up from discharge until 30 days, readmission, or death. Data were analyzed from May 7, 2019, to May 1, 2020, with additional review from September 2 to October 1, 2020.ExposuresPatients received 1 home health visit or telecare (telephone) visit from a registered nurse within 2 days of hospital discharge, a heart failure care manager call within 7 days, and a clinic visit with a physician or a nurse practitioner within 7 days.Main outcomes and measuresMultivariable proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the probability of 30-day readmission for those who received the individual or bundled HF-TCP components compared with those who did not.ResultsA total of 26 128 patients were included; 57.0% were male, and the mean (SD) age was 73 (13) years. The 30-day readmission rate was 18.1%. Both exposure to a home health visit within 2 days of discharge (hazard ratio [HR], 1.03; 95% CI, 0.96-1.10) and a 7-day heart failure case manager call (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.99-1.18) compared with no visit or call were not associated with a lower rate of readmission. Completion of a 7-day clinic visit was associated with a lower readmission rate (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.81-0.94) compared with no clinic visit. There were no synergistic effects of all 3 components compared with clinic visit alone (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.87-1.28).Conclusions and relevanceThis study found that HF-TCP as a whole was not associated with a reduction in 30-day readmission rates, although a follow-up clinic visit within 7 days of discharge may be helpful. These findings highlight the importance of continuous quality improvement and refinement of existing clinical programs.

Project description:BackgroundMultidisciplinary transitional care services reduce readmissions for high-risk patients, but it is unclear if health system costs to offer these intensive services are offset by avoidance of higher downstream expenditures.ObjectiveTo evaluate net costs for a health system offering transitional care services DESIGN: One-year pragmatic, randomized trial PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged ≥ 18 without a usual source of follow-up care at the time of hospital discharge were enrolled through a high-volume, urban academic medical center in Chicago, IL, USA, from September 2015 through February 2016.InterventionsEligible patients were silently randomized before discharge by an automated electronic health record algorithm allocating them in a 1:3 ratio to receive routine coordination of post-discharge care (RC) versus being offered intensive, multidisciplinary transitional care (TC) services.Main measurementsHealth system costs were collected from facility administrative systems and transformed to standardized costs using Medicare reference files. Multivariable generalized linear models estimated proportional differences in net costs over one year.Key resultsStudy patients (489 TC; 164 RC) had a mean age of 44 years; 34% were uninsured, 55% had public insurance, and 49% self-identified as Black or Latinx. Over 90 days, cost differences between groups were not statistically significant. Over 180 days, the TC group had 41% lower ED/observation costs (adjusted cost ratio [aCR], 0.59; 95% CI, 0.36-0.97), 50% lower inpatient costs (aCR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.27-0.95), and 41% lower total healthcare costs (aCR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.36-0.99) than the RC group. Over 365 days, total cost differences remained of similar magnitude but no longer were statistically significant.ConclusionsOffering TC services for vulnerable adults at discharge reduced net health system expenditures over 180 days. The promising economic case for multidisciplinary transitional care interventions warrants further research.Trial registrationNational Clinical Trials Registry (NCT03066492).

Project description:BackgroundMany hospitalized older adults cannot be discharged because they lack the health and social support to meet their post-acute care needs. Transitional care programs (TCPs) are designed to provide short-term and low-intensity restorative care to these older adults experiencing or at risk for delayed discharge. However, little is known about the contextual factors (i.e., patient, staff and environmental characteristics) that may influence the implementation and outcomes of TCPs. This scoping review aims to answer: 1) What are socio-demographic and/or clinical characteristics of older patients served by TCPs?; 2) What are the core components provided by TCPs?; and 3) What patient, caregiver, and health system outcomes have been investigated and what changes in these outcomes have been reported for TCPs?MethodsThe six-step scoping review framework and PRISMA-ScR checklist were followed. Studies were included if they presented models of TCPs and evaluated them in community-dwelling older adults (65+) experiencing or at-risk for delayed discharge. The data synthesis was informed by a framework, consistent with Donabedian's structure-process-outcome model.ResultsTCP patients were typically older women with multiple chronic conditions and some cognitive impairment, functionally dependent and living alone. The review identified five core components of TCPs: assessment; care planning and monitoring; treatment; discharge planning; and patient, family and staff education. The main outcomes examined were functional status and discharge destination. The results were discussed with a view to inform policy makers, clinicians and administrators designing and evaluating TCPs as a strategy for addressing delayed hospital discharges.ConclusionTCPs can influence outcomes for older adults, including returning home. TCPs should be designed to incorporate interdisciplinary care teams, proactively admit those at risk of delayed discharge, accommodate persons with cognitive impairment and involve care partners. Additional studies are required to investigate the contributions of TCPs within integrated health care systems.

Project description:IntroductionMany hospitalised older adults experience delayed discharges due to increased postacute health and social support needs. Transitional care programmes (TCPs) provide short-term care to these patients to prepare them for transfer to nursing homes or back to the community with supports. There are knowledge gaps related to the development, implementation and evaluation of TCPs. The aims of this scoping review (ScR) are to identify the characteristics of older patients served by TCPs; criteria for transfer, components and services provided by TCPs; and outcomes used to evaluate TCPs.Methods and analysisThe study involves six-step ScR and is informed by a collaborative/participatory approach whereby stakeholders engage in the development of the research questions, identification of literature, data abstraction and synthesis; and participation in consultation workshop. The search for scientific literature will be done in the Medline, PsychINFO, Emcare and CINAHL databases; as well, policies and reports that examined models of transitional care and the outcomes used to evaluate them will be reviewed. Records will be selected if they involve community dwelling older adults aged 65 years or older, or indigenous persons 45 years or older; and presented in English, French, Dutch and German languages. Records will be screened, reviewed and abstracted by two independent reviewers. Extracted data will be analysed using descriptive statistics and a narrative analysis, and organised according to Donabedian's model of structure (characteristics of older adults experiencing delayed discharge and served by TCPs), process (TCP components and services) and outcome.Ethics and disseminationThis ScR does not require ethics approval. Dissemination activities include integrated knowledge translation (KT) (consultation with stakeholders throughout the study) and end-of-grant KT strategies (presentations at national and international conferences; and publication in peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal).

Project description:Introduction:Although a large body of research has identified effective models of transitional care, questions remain about the optimal translation of this knowledge into practice. In Australia, the introduction of a model of consumer-directed care uniquely challenges the practice of integrated care transitions for older adults. This study aimed to identify strengths and weaknesses in transitional care for older adults in an Australian setting by describing healthcare practitioners' experiences of care provision. Methods:The study used a qualitative design in two phases: 1) semi-structured interviews, 2) one focus group. The setting comprised one public health network and five community services in urban Australia. In Phase 1, health practitioners across settings were interviewed about their experience of transitional care. Phase 2 sought feedback about the Phase 1 findings from different practitioners. All data were thematically analysed. Findings:In Phase 1), 48 healthcare practitioners were interviewed across multiple settings. Few participants were aware of the introduction of consumer-directed care in community aged care. Four main themes were identified: 'Rapid and safe care transition', 'Discussing as a team', 'Questioning the discharge', and 'Engaging patients and carers'. In Phase 2), seven participants from different settings reviewed and endorsed the findings from Phase 1. Discussion and conclusions:Findings indicate that healthcare practitioners use a range of communication and coordination processes in optimising integrated transitional care. Although participants involved their patients in transitional care planning, most participants were unaware of the recent implementation of consumer-directed care. In contexts of community-based care shaped by multidisciplinary, sub-acute and CDC models, care integration must focus on improved communication with patients and carers to ascertain their needs and to support their increased responsibility in their care transitions.

Project description:ImportanceMedicare adopted transitional care management (TCM) payment codes in 2013 to encourage clinicians to furnish TCM services after beneficiaries were discharged to the community from medical facilities. To bill for the 30-day service, a care team member must communicate with the beneficiary or the caregiver within 2 business days after the discharge and the clinician must provide an office visit within 14 days.ObjectiveTo investigate whether the receipt of TCM services was associated with the subsequent health care costs and mortality of the beneficiaries in the month after the service was provided.Design, setting, and participantsRetrospective cohort analysis of all Medicare fee-for-service claims for the period of January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2015, for 18 756 707 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with discharges eligible for subsequent TCM services. Discharges from a hospital, an inpatient psychiatric facility, a long-term care hospital, a skilled nursing facility, an inpatient rehabilitation facility, or an outpatient facility for an observational stay were included. Data analysis was performed from July 2016 to March 2018.ExposureFurnishing of TCM services for the 30 days following an eligible discharge for Medicare beneficiaries as reflected in Medicare fee-for-service claims.Main outcomes and measuresTotal Medicare (Parts A, B, and D) health care costs and mortality in the 31 to 60 days after discharge, which is 30 days beyond the potential period for which the beneficiary could receive TCM services. Health care costs and mortality were adjusted for beneficiary age, sex, risk score, dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid, type of eligible discharge, year of discharge, and whether the eligible discharge to the community included home health care.ResultsOf 18 756 707 eligible Medicare beneficiaries during the study period, 43.9% were male and had a mean (SD) age of 72.5 (13.8) years. Transitional care management services were billed following eligible discharges in 3.1% of cases in 2013, 5.5% in 2014, and 7.0% in 2015. The adjusted total Medicare costs ($3358; 95% CI, $3324-$3392 vs $3033; 95% CI, $3001-$3065; P < .001) and mortality (1.6%; 95% CI, 1.6%-1.6% vs 1.0%; 95% CI, 1.0%-1.1%; P < .001) were higher among those beneficiaries who did not receive TCM services compared with those who did receive TCM services in the 31 to 60 days following an eligible discharge.Conclusions and relevanceDespite the apparent benefits of TCM services for Medicare beneficiaries, the use of this service remains low. An assessment should be made of interventions that can increase the appropriate use of this service.

Dataset Information

Integrated postdischarge transitional care in a hospitalist system to improve discharge outcome: an experimental study.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Integrated postdischarge transitional care in a hospitalist system to improve discharge outcome: an experimental study.

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