Shantal V. Savage

National Patterns of Risk-Standardized Mortality and Readmission for Acute Myocardial Infarction and Heart Failure: Update on Publicly Reported Outcomes Measures Based on the 2010 Release

Background—Patient outcomes provide a critical perspective on quality of care. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is publicly reporting hospital 30-day risk-standardized mortality rates (RSMRs) and risk-standardized readmission rates (RSRRs) for patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and heart failure (HF). We provide a national perspective on hospital performance for the 2010 release of these measures. Methods and Results—The hospital RSMRs and RSRRs are calculated from Medicare claims data for fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries, 65 years or older, hospitalized with AMI or HF between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2009. The rates are calculated using hierarchical logistic modeling to account for patient clustering, and are risk-adjusted for age, sex, and patient comorbidities. The median RSMR for AMI was 16.0% and for HF was 10.8%. Both measures had a wide range of hospital performance with an absolute 5.2% difference between hospitals in the 5th versus 95th percentile for AMI and 5.0% for HF. The median RSRR for AMI was 19.9% and for HF was 24.5% (3.9% range for 5th to 95th percentile for AMI, 6.7% for HF). Distinct regional patterns were evident for both measures and both conditions. Conclusions—High RSRRs persist for AMI and HF and clinically meaningful variation exists for RSMRs and RSRRs for both conditions. Our results suggest continued opportunities for improvement in patient outcomes for HF and AMI.

Predictors of Hospital Readmission After Stroke: A Systematic Review

Background and Purpose— Risk-standardized hospital readmission rates are used as publicly reported measures reflecting quality of care. Valid risk-standardized models adjust for differences in patient-level factors across hospitals. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature to identify models that compare hospital-level poststroke readmission rates, evaluate patient-level risk scores predicting readmission, or describe patient and process-of-care predictors of readmission after stroke. Methods— Relevant studies in English published from January 1989 to July 2010 were identified using MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and all Ovid Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews. Authors of eligible publications reported readmission within 1 year after stroke hospitalization and identified ≥1 predictors of readmission in risk-adjusted statistical models. Publications were excluded if they lacked primary data or quantitative outcomes, reported only composite outcomes, or had <100 patients. Results— Of 374 identified publications, 16 met the inclusion criteria for this review. No model was specifically designed to compare risk-adjusted readmission rates at the hospital level or calculate scores predicting a patients risk of readmission. The studies providing multivariable models of patient-level and/or process-of-care factors associated with readmission varied in stroke definitions, data sources, outcomes (all-cause and/or stroke-related readmission), durations of follow-up, and model covariates. Few characteristics were consistently associated with readmission. Conclusions— This review identified no risk-standardized models for comparing hospital readmission performance or predicting readmission risk after stroke. Patient-level and system-level factors associated with readmission were inconsistent across studies. The current literature provides little guidance for the development of risk-standardized models suitable for the public reporting of hospital-level stroke readmission performance.

Role of psychiatric comorbidity in chronic Lyme disease

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence and role of psychiatric comorbidity and other psychological factors in patients with chronic Lyme disease (CLD). METHODS We assessed 159 patients drawn from a cohort of 240 patients evaluated at an academic Lyme disease referral center. Patients were screened for common axis I psychiatric disorders (e.g., depressive and anxiety disorders); structured clinical interviews confirmed diagnoses. Axis II personality disorders, functional status, and traits like negative and positive affect and pain catastrophizing were also evaluated. A physician blind to psychiatric assessment results performed a medical evaluation. Two groups of CLD patients (those with post-Lyme disease syndrome and those with medically unexplained symptoms attributed to Lyme disease but without Borrelia burgdorferi infection) were compared with 2 groups of patients without CLD (patients recovered from Lyme disease and those with an identifiable medical condition explaining symptoms attributed to Lyme disease). RESULTS After adjusting for age and sex, axis I psychiatric disorders were more common in CLD patients than in comparison patients (P = 0.02, odds ratio 2.64, 95% confidence interval 1.30-5.35), but personality disorders were not. Patients with CLD had higher negative affect, lower positive affect, and a greater tendency to catastrophize pain (P < 0.001) than comparison patients. All psychological factors except personality disorders were related to level of functioning. A predictive model based on these psychological variables was confirmed. Fibromyalgia was diagnosed in 46.8% of CLD patients. CONCLUSION Psychiatric comorbidity and other psychological factors distinguished CLD patients from other patients commonly seen in Lyme disease referral centers, and were related to poor functional outcomes.

The relationship between affect balance style and clinical outcomes in fibromyalgia

OBJECTIVE Affective balance, relative levels of negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA), better describes emotional functioning than NA or PA alone. Affect balance styles and their relationship to clinical outcomes were compared between patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and controls. METHODS FM patients (n = 79) were compared with patients with other medical conditions (controls; n = 92). Patients underwent a physical examination, completed questionnaires, and were screened for clinical disorders such as depression, with diagnoses confirmed by structured interview. Affect balance style categories were calculated as follows: healthy (high PA/low NA), low (low PA/low NA), reactive (high PA/high NA), and depressive (low PA/high NA). RESULTS Compared with controls, FM patients had lower levels of PA (P = 0.0031; P values are adjusted for multiple testing), higher levels of NA (P = 0.0061), lower levels of functioning (P < 0.0001), and more clinical disorders (P = 0.0031). Groups differed regarding affect balance style (P = 0.0061), with FM patients being more likely than controls to be categorized as depressive (odds ratio 5.60) and reactive (odds ratio 3.81). FM patients and controls with reactive and depressive affect balance styles reported poorer functioning (P < 0.0001) compared with patients with healthy affect balance style. Finally, there was an association between affect balance style and psychiatric comorbidity (P < 0.0001), with patients with depressive and reactive affect balance styles having a 9.00 and 4.75 odds ratio, respectively, of having psychiatric comorbidity compared with patients with healthy affect balance style. CONCLUSION Depressive (low PA, high NA) and reactive (high PA, high NA) affect balance styles were predominant in FM patients and related to poor functioning and psychiatric comorbidity.

Breaking the silence: Determinants of voice for quality improvement in hospitals.

Background: Research suggests that staff voice—discretionary communication of ideas, suggestions, concerns, or opinions about work-related issues with the intent to improve organizational or unit functioning—is associated with quality improvement, which most agree is needed in health care. Nevertheless, health professionals often do not voice. Little research has explored their reluctance to speak up and, relatedly, the conditions under which they voice. Purpose: We examine the drivers of voice for health professionals in hospitals. Specifically, we investigate the factors that influence their voice, why these factors are influential, and the purposes for which staff use their voice. Methodology: We conducted a qualitative study using data from 99 in-depth interviews with diverse staff at 12 randomly sampled hospitals in the United States. Data were collected from December 2007 to December 2008, the first year of a 4-year study of improvement. By national standards, all of the hospitals had significant room for improvement in their care of patients experiencing heart attack, suggesting that there were potentially issues and suggestions for staff to voice. Findings: Factors related to individuals (e.g., tenure), work (e.g., work configuration), organizational context (e.g., culture), data (e.g., benchmarking), and the external environment (e.g., attention) influenced health professionals’ voice. These factors shaped their sense of safety, efficacy, opportunity, and/or legitimacy, all of which affected their belief about the risk and benefit of voice and willingness to voice. They voiced for three purposes: to learn for themselves, inform others, and protect patients. Practice Implications: These findings indicate that hospitals and their leaders must attend to multiple factors (e.g., work configuration, culture, etc.) if they wish to increase staff voice in service of quality improvement. The presence of many influential factors suggests that there are several levers that leaders can use to elicit voice, noting that voice can be used in multiple ways to facilitate improvement.

The multi-faceted assessment of independence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: preliminary validation from the ATTAIN study*

ABSTRACT Objective: To consider the feasibility of assessing multiple facets of independence in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using a measure developed from existing items and examining its face validity, construct validity and responsiveness to change. Methods: The ATTAIN (Abatacept Trial in Treatment of Anti-tumor necrosis factor [TNF] Inadequate responders) database was used. Patients with RA were randomized 2:1, abatacept (n = 258) and placebo (n = 133). A multi-faceted scale to measure physical and psychosocial independence was constructed using items from the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF‑36). Questions assessing activity limitations and need for outside caregiver help were also examined. Interviews with 20 RA patients assessed face validity. Results: Item Response Theory analysis yielded two traits – ‘Psychosocial Independence’, derived from the number of days with activity limitations plus the Role Emotional, Social Functioning and Role Physical subscale items from the SF‑36; and ‘Physical Independence’, derived from 15 HAQ items assessing need for help from another. The two traits showed no significant differential item functioning for age or gender and demonstrated good face validity. Changes over 169 days on Psychosocial Independence were greater (mean 0.46 units, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.17–0.75) for the abatacept group than for placebo ( p = 0.002). Changes in Physical Independence were greater (mean 0.59 units, 95% CI: 0.35–0.82) for the abatacept group than for placebo ( p < 0.001). Conclusions: The multi-faceted assessment of independence in RA based on items from commonly used instruments is feasible suggesting promise for evaluating independence in future clinical trials. This approach demonstrated good face and construct validity and responsiveness in RA patients who had previously failed anti-TNF therapy. However, we caution against an interpretation that these data suggest that abatacept improves independence because the component parts of this assessment came from instruments used in the ATTAIN trial where data had been previously analyzed.

Assessment of health-related family role functioning in systemic lupus erythematosus: Preliminary validation of a new measure

Individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) often experience symptoms that affect family relationships, which are important components of quality of life. To assess the impact of SLE on family role functioning, we developed a 6‐domain (Fatigue, Activity participation, Mental health, Isolation, Love and intimacy, and You/fulfilling family roles [FAMILY]) measure. The objectives of this study were to pilot test and achieve preliminary validation for the SLE‐FAMILY questionnaire.