Dataset Information

Geographic Variation in the Treatment of U.S. Adult Heart Transplant Candidates.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:The current U.S. priority ranking for heart candidates is based on treatment intensity, not objective markers of severity of illness. This system may encourage centers to overtreat candidates. OBJECTIVES:This study sought to describe national variation in the intensity of treatment of adult heart transplantation candidates and identify center-level predictors of potential overtreatment. METHODS:The registrations of all U.S. adult heart transplantation candidates from 2010 to 2015 were collected from the SRTR (Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients). "Potential overtreatment" was defined as treatment of a candidate who did not meet American Heart Association cardiogenic shock criteria with either high-dose inotropes or an intra-aortic balloon pump. Multilevel logistic regression and propensity score models were used to adjust for candidate variability at each center. Center-level variables associated with potential overtreatment were identified. RESULTS:From 2010 to 2015, 108 centers listed 12,762 adult candidates who were not in cardiogenic shock for heart transplantation. Of these, 1,471 (11.6%) were potentially overtreated with high-dose inotropes or intra-aortic balloon pumps. In the bottom quartile of centers, only 2.1% of candidates were potentially overtreated compared with 27.6% at top quartile centers, an interquartile difference of 25.5% (95% confidence interval: 21% to 30%). Adjusting for candidate differences did not significantly alter the interquartile difference. Local competition with 2 or more centers increased the odds of potential overtreatment by 50% (adjusted odds ratio: 1.50; 95% confidence interval: 1.07 to 2.11). CONCLUSIONS:There is wide variation in the treatment practices of adult heart transplantation centers. Competition for transplantable donor hearts is associated with the potential overtreatment of hemodynamically stable candidates. Overtreatment may compromise the fair and efficient allocation of scarce deceased donor hearts.

SUBMITTER: Parker WF

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6019274 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Geographic Variation in the Treatment of U.S. Adult Heart Transplant Candidates.

Parker William F WF Anderson Allen S AS Hedeker Donald D Huang Elbert S ES Garrity Edward R ER Siegler Mark M Churpek Matthew M MM

Journal of the American College of Cardiology 20180401 16

<h4>Background</h4>The current U.S. priority ranking for heart candidates is based on treatment intensity, not objective markers of severity of illness. This system may encourage centers to overtreat candidates.<h4>Objectives</h4>This study sought to describe national variation in the intensity of treatment of adult heart transplantation candidates and identify center-level predictors of potential overtreatment.<h4>Methods</h4>The registrations of all U.S. adult heart transplantation candidates ...[more]

PMID: 29666020

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Project description:BackgroundGrowing physician maldistribution and population demographic shifts have contributed to large geographic variation in healthcare access and the emergence of advanced practice providers as contributors to the healthcare workforce. Current estimates of geographic accessibility of physicians and advanced practice providers rely on outdated "provider per capita" estimates that have shortcomings.PurposeTo apply state of the art methods to estimate spatial accessibility of physician and non-physician clinician groups and to examine factors associated with higher accessibility.MethodsWe used a combination of provider location, medical claims, and U.S. Census data to perform a national study of health provider accessibility. The National Plan and Provider Enumeration System was used along with Medicare claims to identify providers actively caring for patients in 2014 including: primary care physicians (i.e., internal medicine and family medicine), specialists, nurse practitioners, and chiropractors. For each U.S. ZIP code tabulation area, we estimated provider accessibility using the Variable-distance Enhanced 2 step Floating Catchment Area method and performed a Getis-Ord Gi* analysis for each provider group. Generalized linear models were used to examine associations between population characteristics and provider accessibility.ResultsNational spatial patterns of the provider groups differed considerably. Accessibility of internal medicine most resembled specialists with high accessibility in urban locales, whereas relative higher accessibility of family medicine physicians was concentrated in the upper Midwest. In our adjusted analyses independent factors associated with higher accessibility were very similar between internal medicine physicians and specialists-presence of a medical school in the county was associated with approximately 70% higher accessibility and higher accessibility was associated with urban locales. Nurse practitioners were similar to family medicine physicians with both having higher accessibility in rural locales.ConclusionsThe Variable-distance Enhanced 2 step Floating Catchment Area method is a viable approach to measure spatial accessibility at the national scale.

Project description:ObjectivesEstimates of influenza vaccine use are not available at the county level for U.S. nursing home (NH) residents but are critically necessary to guide the implementation of quality improvement programs aimed at increasing vaccination. Furthermore, estimates that account for differences in resident characteristics between counties are unavailable. We estimated risk-standardized vaccination rates (RSVRs) among short- and long-stay NH residents by U.S. county and identified drivers of geographic variation.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study utilizing 100% of 2013-2015 fee-for-service Medicare claims, Minimum Data Set assessments, Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports, and Long-Term Care: Facts on Care in the U.S. We separately evaluated short-stay (<100 days) and long-stay (≥100 days) residents aged 65 and older across the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 influenza seasons. We estimated RSVRs via hierarchical logistic regression adjusting for 32 resident-level covariates. We then used multivariable linear regression models to assess associations between county-level NHs predictors and RSVRs.ResultsThe study cohort consisted of 2,817,217 residents in 14,658 NHs across 2798 counties. Short-stay residents had lower RSVRs than long-stay residents (2013-2014: median [interquartile range], 69.6% [62.8-74.5] vs 84.0% [80.8-86.4]), and there was wide variation within each population (range, 11.4-89.8 vs 49.1-92.6). Several modifiable facility-level characteristics were associated with increased RSVRs, including higher registered nurse to total nurse ratio and higher total staffing for licensed practical nurses, speech-language pathologists, and social workers. Characteristics associated with lower RSVRs included higher percentage of residents restrained, with a pressure ulcer, and NH-level hospitalizations per resident-year.ConclusionsSubstantial county-level variation in influenza vaccine use exists among short- and long-stay NH residents. Quality improvement interventions to improve vaccination rates can leverage these results to target NHs located in counties with lower risk-standardized vaccine use.

Project description:BackgroundMagnitudes, geographic and racial variation in trends in coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality within the US require updating for health services and health disparities research. Therefore the aim of this study is to present data on these trends through 2007.MethodsData for CHD were analyzed using the US mortality files for 1999-2007 obtained from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Age-adjusted annual death rates were computed for non-Hispanic African Americans (AA) and European Americans (EA) aged 35-84 years. The direct method was used to standardize rates by age, using the 2000 US standard population. Joinpoint regression models were used to evaluate trends, expressed as annual percent change (APC).ResultsFor both AA men and women the magnitude in CHD mortality is higher compared to EA men and women, respectively. Between 1999 and 2007 the rate declined both in AA and in EA of both sexes in every geographic division; however, relative declines varied. For example, among men, relative average annual declines ranged from 3.2% to 4.7% in AA and from 4.4% to 5.5% in EA among geographic divisions. In women, rates declined more in later years of the decade and in women over 54 years. In 2007, age-adjusted death rate per 100,000 for CHD ranged from 93 in EA women in New England to 345 in AA men in the East North Central division. In EA, areas near the Ohio and lower Mississippi Rivers had above average rates. Disparities in trends by urbanization level were also found. For AA in the East North Central division, the APC was similar in large central metro (-4.2), large fringe metro (-4.3), medium metro urbanization strata (-4.4), and small metro (-3.9). APC was somewhat higher in the micropolitan/non-metro (-5.3), and especially the non-core/non-metro (-6.5). For EA in the East South Central division, the APC was higher in large central metro (-5.3), large fringe metro (-4.3) and medium metro urbanization strata (-5.1) than in small metro (-3.8), micropolitan/non-metro (-4.0), and non-core/non-metro (-3.3) urbanization strata.ConclusionsBetween 1999 and 2007, the level and rate of decline in CHD mortality displayed persistent disparities. Declines were greater in EA than AA racial groups. Rates were greater in the Ohio and Mississippi River than other geographic regions.

Dataset Information

Geographic Variation in the Treatment of U.S. Adult Heart Transplant Candidates.

Publications

Geographic Variation in the Treatment of U.S. Adult Heart Transplant Candidates.

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