This is a letter clarifying some points in an article published in the February 2016 issue of AJMC by Berger et al on colorectal cancer screening guidelines.
Patient, clinical, and hospital factors were associated with receiving primary hip arthroplasty versus no surgery after hip fracture in the United States.
E-consult implementation grew from 12 to 122 VHA sites with multiple specialties. The adjusted e-consult rate of 1.93/100 consults saved significant patient travel miles and costs.
The authors analyzed the association of insurance coverage and likelihood of an ED visit being nonurgent or primary care—sensitive based on an ED classification algorithm.
Modest weight loss (>3%) among metformin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was associated with decreased costs, lower resource utilization, and lower rates of treatment discontinuation.
To address infant mortality, focusing only on babies who were born prematurely or with a low birth weight will be missing an attention-worthy segment of the population.
This study highlights the difficulty many consumers have in understanding comparative plan information. It also suggests that presentation strategies may help consumers understand choices better.
A descriptive analysis of specialty referral patterns in an academic, internal medicine patient-centered medical home (PCMH).
This research develops a multiattribute decision model to aid in the selection of preferred mood-stabilizing agents for the treatment of bipolar disorder.
The cost of care for patients receiving chemotherapy in community oncology clinics is lower than for comparable patients receiving chemotherapy in the hospital outpatient setting.
A private accountable care organization model with an embedded care coordinator and a list of recommended providers yields cost savings similar to initiatives with risk-based contracts.
Due to existing payment structures and practice patterns for colonoscopy, reducing endoscopist reimbursement may diminish access to and quality of colorectal cancer screening.
There is no significant association between unfavorable patient satisfaction and opioid reductions for chronic pain, but encounters with unestablished providers may slightly impair satisfaction when reducing opioids.
Care management was effective at reducing infant mortality among the most vulnerable infants enrolled in an Ohio Medicaid managed care organization.
In this pilot study, primary care providers refer patients to a telephone counselor who provides education about colorectal cancer screening and performs motivational interviewing as needed to promote screening.
Variation in private spending reflects the ability of the local population to pay for healthcare, whereas variation in Medicare is more driven by health status.
The authors identify a 4-step plan to accelerate the spread of evidence-based practices.
Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy was successfully delivered in our facility despite significant comorbidity and geographic limitations.
A trial of electronic note–based decision support showed small effects on management of patients with heart disease and diabetes, mostly because it was infrequently used.