George L. Jackson

Medical Clinics Versus Usual Care for Patients With Both Diabetes and Hypertension: A Randomized Trial

BACKGROUND Group medical clinics (GMCs) are widely used in the management of diabetes and hypertension, but data on their effectiveness are limited. OBJECTIVE To test the effectiveness of GMCs in the management of comorbid diabetes and hypertension. DESIGN Randomized, controlled trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00286741) SETTING 2 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in North Carolina and Virginia. PATIENTS 239 patients with poorly controlled diabetes (hemoglobin A(1c) [HbA(1c)] level > or =7.5%) and hypertension (systolic blood pressure >140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure >90 mm Hg). INTERVENTION Patients were randomly assigned within each center to either attend a GMC or receive usual care. Clinics comprised 7 to 8 patients and a care team that consisted of a primary care general internist, a pharmacist, and a nurse or other certified diabetes educator. Each session included structured group interactions moderated by the educator. The pharmacist and physician adjusted medication to manage each patients HbA(1c) level and blood pressure. MEASUREMENTS Hemoglobin A(1c) level and systolic blood pressure, measured by blinded research personnel at baseline, study midpoint (median, 6.8 months), and study completion (median follow-up, 12.8 months). Linear mixed models, adjusted for clustering within GMCs, were used to compare HbA(1c) levels and systolic blood pressure between the intervention and control groups. RESULTS Mean baseline systolic blood pressure and HbA(1c) level were 152.9 mm Hg (SD, 14.2) and 9.2% (SD, 1.4), respectively. At the end of the study, mean systolic blood pressure improved by 13.7 mm Hg in the GMC group and 6.4 mm Hg in the usual care group (P = 0.011 by linear mixed model), whereas mean HbA(1c) level improved by 0.8% in the GMC group and 0.5% in the usual care group (P = 0.159). LIMITATION Measurements of effectiveness may have been limited by concomitant improvements in the usual care group that were due to co-intervention. CONCLUSION Group medical clinics are a potent strategy for improving blood pressure but not HbA(1c) level in diabetic patients. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Service.

Implementation of Lung Cancer Screening in the Veterans Health Administration

Importance The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual lung cancer screening (LCS) with low-dose computed tomography for current and former heavy smokers aged 55 to 80 years. There is little published experience regarding implementing this recommendation in clinical practice. Objectives To describe organizational- and patient-level experiences with implementing an LCS program in selected Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals and to estimate the number of VHA patients who may be candidates for LCS. Design, Setting, and Participants This clinical demonstration project was conducted at 8 academic VHA hospitals among 93 033 primary care patients who were assessed on screening criteria; 2106 patients underwent LCS between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2015. Interventions Implementation Guide and support, full-time LCS coordinators, electronic tools, tracking database, patient education materials, and radiologic and nodule follow-up guidelines. Main Outcomes and Measures Description of implementation processes; percentages of patients who agreed to undergo LCS, had positive findings on results of low-dose computed tomographic scans (nodules to be tracked or suspicious findings), were found to have lung cancer, or had incidental findings; and estimated number of VHA patients who met the criteria for LCS. Results Of the 4246 patients who met the criteria for LCS, 2452 (57.7%) agreed to undergo screening and 2106 (2028 men and 78 women; mean [SD] age, 64.9 [5.1] years) underwent LCS. Wide variation in processes and patient experiences occurred among the 8 sites. Of the 2106 patients screened, 1257 (59.7%) had nodules; 1184 of these patients (56.2%) required tracking, 42 (2.0%) required further evaluation but the findings were not cancer, and 31 (1.5%) had lung cancer. A variety of incidental findings, such as emphysema, other pulmonary abnormalities, and coronary artery calcification, were noted on the scans of 857 patients (40.7%). Conclusions and Relevance It is estimated that nearly 900 000 of a population of 6.7 million VHA patients met the criteria for LCS. Implementation of LCS in the VHA will likely lead to large numbers of patients eligible for LCS and will require substantial clinical effort for both patients and staff.

Stigma, perceived blame, self‐blame, and depressive symptoms in men with colorectal cancer

We measured the prevalence of stigma, self‐blame, and perceived blame from others for their illness among men with colorectal cancer (CRC) and examined whether these factors were associated with depressive symptoms, independent of clinical and sociodemographic factors.

Chaplaincy and Mental Health in the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense

Chaplains play important roles in caring for Veterans and Service members with mental health problems. As part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) Integrated Mental Health Strategy, we used a sequential approach to examining intersections between chaplaincy and mental health by gathering and building upon: 1) input from key subject matter experts; 2) quantitative data from the VA / DoD Chaplain Survey (N = 2,163; response rate of 75% in VA and 60% in DoD); and 3) qualitative data from site visits to 33 VA and DoD facilities. Findings indicate that chaplains are extensively involved in caring for individuals with mental health problems, yet integration between mental health and chaplaincy is frequently limited due to difficulties between the disciplines in establishing familiarity and trust. We present recommendations for improving integration of services, and we suggest key domains for future research.

Developing and Sustaining Quality Improvement Partnerships in the VA: The Colorectal Cancer Care Collaborative

ObjectiveThe Veterans Affairs (VA) Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) seeks to develop partnerships between VA health services researchers and clinical managers, with the goal of designing and evaluating interventions to improve the quality of VA health care.MethodsIn the present report we describe one such initiative aimed at enhancing the continuum of colorectal cancer (CRC) care, including diagnosis, treatment and surveillance–the Colorectal Cancer Care Collaborative (C4).ResultsWe describe the process and thinking that led to two parallel quality improvement “collaboratives” that addressed (1) CRC screening and diagnostic follow-up and (2) the guideline concordance and timeliness of CRC treatment. Additionally, we discuss ongoing effort to spread lessons learned during the first stages of the project, which initially occurred at only a subset of VA facilities, throughout the VA health care system. The description of this initiative is organized around key questions that must be answered when developing, sustaining and spreading multi-component quality improvement interventions.ConclusionWe conclude with a discussion of lessons learned that we believe would apply to similar initiatives elsewhere, even if they address different clinical issues in health care settings with different organizational structures.

Quality of Nonmetastatic Colorectal Cancer Care in the Department of Veterans Affairs

PURPOSE The Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system treats approximately 3% of patients with cancer in the United States each year. We measured the quality of nonmetastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) care in VA as indicated by concordance with National Comprehensive Cancer Network practice guidelines (six indicators) and timeliness of care (three indicators). PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective medical record abstraction was done for 2,492 patients with incident stages I to III CRC diagnosed between October 1, 2003, and March 31, 2006, who underwent definitive CRC surgery. Patients were treated at one or more of 128 VA medical centers. The proportion of patients receiving guideline-concordant care and time intervals between care processes were calculated. RESULTS More than 80% of patients had preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen determination (ie, stages II to III disease) and documented clear surgical margins (ie, stages II to III disease). Between 72% and 80% of patients had appropriate referral to a medical oncologist (ie, stages II to III disease), preoperative computed tomography scan of the abdomen and pelvis (ie, stages II to III disease), and adjuvant fluorouracil-based chemotherapy (ie, stage III disease). Less than half of patients with stages I to III CRC (43.5%) had a follow-up colonoscopy 7 to 18 months after surgery. The mean number of days between major treatment events included the following: 26.6 days (standard deviation [SD], 38.2; median, 20 days) between diagnosis and initiation of treatment (in stages II to III disease); 64.8 [corrected] days (SD, 54.9; median, 50 days) between definitive surgery and start of adjuvant chemotherapy (in stages II to III disease); and 444.2 [corrected] days (SD, 182.1; median, 393 days) between definitive surgery and follow-up colonoscopies (in stages I to III disease). CONCLUSION Although there is opportunity for improvement in the area of cancer surveillance, the VA performs well in meeting established guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of CRC.

Simultaneous control of intermediate diabetes outcomes among veterans affairs primary care patients

AbstractBACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend tight control of hemoglobin Alc (HbAlc), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and blood pressure (BP) for patients with diabetes. The degree to which these intermediate outcomes are simultaneously controlled has not been extensively described. OBJECTIVE: Describe the degree of simultaneous control of HbAlc, LDL-C, and BP among Veterans Affairs (VA) diabetes patients defined by both VA and American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines. DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort. PATIENTS: Eighty-thousand two hundred and seven VA diabetes patients receiving care between October 1999 and September 2000. MEASURMENTS: We defined simultaneous control of outcomes using 1997 VA Guidelines (in place in 2000) (HbAlc<9.0%; LDL-C<130 mg/dL; systolic BP<140mmHg; and diastolic BP<90mmHg) and 2004 ADA guidelines (HbAlc<7.0%; LDL-C<100 mg/dL; systolic BP<130 mmHg; and diastolic BP<80 mmHg). A patient is considered to have simultaneous control of the intermediate outcomes for a given definition if the average of measurements for each outcome was below the defined threshold during the study period. RESULTS: Using VA guidelines, 31% of patients had simultaneous control. Control levels of individual outcomes were: HbAlc (82%), LDL-C (77%), and BP (48%). Using ADA guidelines, 4% had simultaneous control. Control levels of individual outcomes were: HbAlc (36%), LDL-C (41%), and BP (23%). Associations between individual risk factors were weak. There was a modest association between LDL-C control and control of HbAlc (odds ratio [OR] 1.51; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44, 1.58). The association between LDL-C and BP control was clinically small (1.26: 1.21, 1.31), and there was an extremely small association between BP and HbAlc control (0.95; 0.92, 0.99). Logistic regression modeling indicates greater body mass index, African American or Hispanic race-ethnicity, and female gender were negatively associated with simultaneous control. CONCLUSION: While the proportion of patients who achieved minimal levels of control of HbAlc and LDL-C was high, these data indicate a low level of simultaneous control of HbAlc, LDL-C, and BP among patients with diabetes.

Improving Colorectal Cancer Screening and Care in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has recently launched several nationwide initiatives to improve the quality of its colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and care. The timeliness of follow-up diagnostic tests in patients who have positive noncolonoscopic CRC screening tests is one of the target areas of these initiatives. Multiple aspects of colon cancer care are being monitored, and the degree of adherence to accepted quality measures is being assessed. The purpose of this review is to describe the background leading to these initiatives and their expected impact on CRC screening and management in the VHA.

Colonoscopy withdrawal time and risk of neoplasia at 5 years: results from VA Cooperative Studies Program 380.

OBJECTIVES:Withdrawal time (WT) has been proposed as a quality indicator for colonoscopy based on evidence that it is directly related to the rate of adenoma detection. Our objective was to test the hypothesis that baseline WT is inversely associated with the risk of finding neoplasia at interval colonoscopy.METHODS:In all, 3,121 subjects, aged 50–75 years, had screening colonoscopy between 1994 and 1997 at 13 Veteran Affairs Medical Centers. In all, 1,193 subjects returned by protocol for surveillance within 5.5 years. In the 304 patients without polyps at baseline, we evaluated the contribution of baseline WT to their risk of interval neoplasia using bivariate and logistic regression analysis. We also examined the correlation between mean WT, baseline adenoma detection rate, and interval neoplasia rate at the medical-center level.RESULTS:The average WT at the baseline exam in subjects with neoplasia on follow-up was 15.3 min as compared with 13.2 min in subjects without neoplasia (P=0.18). In a logistic regression model, WT was not associated with the risk of interval neoplasia (P=0.07). At the medical-center level, mean WT was not correlated with the probability of finding interval neoplasia (P=0.61) but was positively correlated with adenoma detection rate at baseline (P=0.03).CONCLUSIONS:In this study with a mean baseline WT &12 min, there was no detectable association between WT and risk of future neoplasia. The medical center–level WT was positively correlated with adenoma detection. Therefore, above a certain threshold, WT may no longer be an adequate quality measure for screening colonoscopy.

Racial/ethnic and educational-level differences in diabetes care experiences in primary care ☆

AIMS To assess potential racial/ethnic and educational-level differences in the degree to which patients with diabetes who receive primary care from a Veterans Affairs Medical Center report that experiences with the diabetes care system are consistent with the Chronic Care Model (CCM). METHODS A cross-sectional mailed survey of 296 patients included the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC), which measures components of the care system suggested by the CCM. RESULTS Among 189 patients with complete information, non-white veterans had more than twice the odds of indicating that their diabetes care experience is in line with the CCM [measured by overall PACIC score > or =3.5] (OR 2.3; 95% CI 1.3-4.1). Non-white veterans were more likely to report high levels of assistance with problem solving and follow-up. Patients not completing high school had three times the odds of reporting care in line with the CCM (OR 3.0; 95% CI 1.2-7.6). Associations were also seen with implementation of the CCM in the areas of patient activation, perceived care teams, collaborative goal setting, and collaborative problem solving. CONCLUSIONS Non-white patients and those with less than a high school education had more than twice the odds of reporting that the diabetes care system is in line with the CCM.