Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches and Opioid Prescriptions Among Older Veterans With Chronic Pain

Abstract Complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches are recommended in national guidelines as viable options for managing chronic pain and de-prescribing opioids. We followed 1,993,455 Veterans with musculoskeletal disorders for two years who were not using opioids at study entry. CIH exposure was ascertained from primary care visits for acupuncture, massage and chiropractic care via natural language processing and structured data. Opioid prescriptions during the 2-year follow-up were abstracted from Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic pharmacy records. Propensity score (PS) was used to match CIH recipients with non-recipients with most comparable baseline characteristics. Overall, 140,902 (7.1%) Veterans received CIH, with a prevalence of 2.7% for Veterans aged ≥ 65y, comparing to 6.3% and 10.5% for those aged 50-64y and ≤ 49y, respectively. Among the 1:1 PS-matched sub-cohort (136,148 pairs), Cox proportional hazard model revealed that time to fill first opioid prescriptions was significantly longer for CIH recipients (mean: 587 days) than non-recipients (mean: 491 days), with adjusted Hazard Ratio of 0.48 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.45-0.51) for Veterans ≥ 65y, 0.44 (95% CI: (95% CI: 0.43-0.45) for 50-64y and 0.47 (95% CI: 0.46-0.48) for age ≤ 49y group (p value for interaction, 0.003). Sensitivity analyses among full cohort or modeling total supply of first opioid prescriptions derived consistent results. These findings suggest potential benefit of CIH use in delaying and reducing opioids prescriptions for patients with chronic pain and may have implication for older Veterans ≥ 65y who have been found less likely to seek CIH therapies than their younger counterparts.

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Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches Are Underused Among Older Veterans With Musculoskeletal Pain

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.657 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 203-203

Author(s):

Ling Han ◽

Robert Kerns ◽

Melissa Skanderson ◽

Stephen Luther ◽

Samah Fodeh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Language Processing ◽

National Policy ◽

Female Gender ◽

Estimating Equation ◽

Chiropractic Care ◽

Veterans Health ◽

Health Administration ◽

Integrative Health ◽

Spatial Confounding

Abstract Complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches are recommended in national policy guidelines as viable options for managing chronic pain, yet their use among Veterans has been suboptimal, especially for older Veterans. We identified 64,444 Veterans with a diagnosis of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) who reported a moderate to severe pain intensity during primary care visits in 2013 from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic records. Using natural language processing (NLP), CIH use (acupuncture, chiropractic care and massage) was documented for 8169 (6.5%) of 125408 primary care visits in providers’ progress notes. Compared to their younger counterparts, older Veterans aged ≥ 65 years had 21% lower likelihood of using CIH during the year [Odds Ratio (OR): 0.79; 95% Confidence Intervals (CI): 0.73, 0.86] after accounting for demographic, clinical, temporal and spatial confounding using a generalized estimating equation logistic model. Non-white race/ethnicity, tobacco use, medical comorbidities and diagnosis of alcohol or substance use disorders were independently associated with less CIH use (ORs ranging 0.97-0.80, p<0.03-0.0001); whereas female gender, being married and number of MSD diagnoses were associated with greater CIH use (ORs ranging 1.13-1.30, p<0.0001). Redefining CIH use as chiropractic care alone [4.8% person-visits; OR: 0.78 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.86)] or incorporating structured data [9.0% person-visits; OR: 0.76 (95% CI: 0.70-0.82)] in the adjusted GEE model derived consistent results. Research to identify and address barriers to CIH use among older Veterans is encouraged.

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Women Veterans’ Experiences with Integrated, Biopsychosocial Pain Care: A Qualitative Study

Pain Medicine ◽

10.1093/pm/pnaa481 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Francesca M Nicosia ◽

Carolyn J Gibson ◽

Natalie Purcell ◽

Kara Zamora ◽

Jennifer Tighe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

San Francisco ◽

Women Veterans ◽

Self Management ◽

Veterans Health ◽

Health Administration ◽

Care Models ◽

Va Health Care System ◽

Pain Care ◽

Gender Specific

Abstract Objectives Biopsychosocial, integrated pain care models are increasingly implemented in the Veterans Health Administration to improve chronic pain care and reduce opioid-related risks, but little is known about how well these models address women veterans’ needs. Design Qualitative, interview-based study. Setting San Francisco VA Health Care System Integrated Pain Team (IPT), an interdisciplinary team that provides short-term, personalized chronic pain care emphasizing functional goals and active self-management. Subjects Women with chronic pain who completed ≥3 IPT sessions. Methods Semistructured phone interviews focused on overall experience with IPT, perceived effectiveness of IPT care, pain care preferences, and suggested changes for improving gender-sensitive pain care. We used a rapid approach to qualitative thematic analysis to analyze interviews. Results Fourteen women veterans (mean age 51 years; range 33–67 years) completed interviews. Interviews revealed several factors impacting women veterans’ experiences: 1) an overall preference for receiving both primary and IPT care in gender-specific settings, 2) varying levels of confidence that IPT could adequately address gender-specific pain issues, 3) barriers to participating in pain groups, and 4) barriers to IPT self-management recommendations due to caregiving responsibilities. Conclusions Women veterans reported varied experiences with IPT. Recommendations to improve gender-sensitive pain care include increased provider training; increased knowledge of and sensitivity to women’s health concerns; and improved accommodations for prior trauma, family and work obligations, and geographic barriers. To better meet the needs of women veterans with chronic pain, integrated pain care models must be informed by an understanding of gender-specific needs, challenges, and preferences.

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Predictors of Veterans Health Administration utilization and pain persistence among soldiers treated for postdeployment chronic pain in the Military Health System

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-021-06536-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rachel Sayko Adams ◽

Esther L. Meerwijk ◽

Mary Jo Larson ◽

Alex H. S. Harris

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Chronic Pain ◽

Veterans Health Administration ◽

First Year ◽

Veterans Health ◽

Health Administration ◽

Military Health System ◽

Military Health ◽

The Military

Abstract Background Chronic pain presents a significant burden for both federal health care systems designed to serve combat Veterans in the United States (i.e., the Military Health System [MHS] and Veterans Health Administration [VHA]), yet there have been few studies of Veterans with chronic pain that have integrated data from both systems of care. This study examined 1) health care utilization in VHA as an enrollee (i.e., linkage to VHA) after military separation among soldiers with postdeployment chronic pain identified in the MHS, and predictors of linkage, and 2) persistence of chronic pain among those utilizing the VHA. Methods Observational, longitudinal study of soldiers returning from a deployment in support of the Afghanistan/Iraq conflicts in fiscal years 2008–2014. The analytic sample included 138,206 active duty soldiers for whom linkage to VHA was determined through FY2019. A Cox proportional hazards model was estimated to examine the effects of demographic characteristics, military history, and MHS clinical characteristics on time to linkage to VHA after separation from the military. Among the subpopulation of soldiers who linked to VHA, we described whether they met criteria for chronic pain in the VHA and pain management treatments received during the first year in VHA. Results The majority (79%) of soldiers within the chronic pain cohort linked to VHA after military separation. Significant predictors of VHA linkage included: VHA utilization as a non-enrollee prior to military separation, separating for disability, mental health comorbidities, and being non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic. Soldiers that separated because of misconduct were less likely to link than other soldiers. Soldiers who received nonpharmacological treatments, opioids/tramadol, or mental health treatment in the MHS linked earlier to VHA than soldiers who did not receive these treatments. Among those who enrolled in VHA, during the first year after linking to the VHA, 49.7% of soldiers met criteria for persistent chronic pain in VHA. Conclusions The vast majority of soldiers identified with chronic pain in the MHS utilized care within VHA after military separation. Careful coordination of pain management approaches across the MHS and VHA is required to optimize care for soldiers with chronic pain.

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Bone modifying agents in veterans with castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2021.39.15_suppl.6582 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. 6582-6582

Author(s):

Jordan Bauman ◽

Kyle Kumbier ◽

Jennifer A. Burns ◽

Jordan Sparks ◽

Phoebe A. Tsao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

Zoledronic Acid ◽

Bone Metastases ◽

Specific Antigen ◽

Veterans Health ◽

Health Administration ◽

Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer ◽

National Guidelines ◽

Castration Resistant ◽

Unit Increase

6582 Background: Skeletal related events (SREs) are a known complication for the 80% of men with metastatic prostate cancer who have bone metastases. Previous studies have demonstrated that bone modifying agents (BMAs) such as zoledronic acid and denosumab reduce SREs in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have bone metastases and are now recommended by national guidelines. We sought to investigate factors associated with use of BMAs in Veterans with CRPC across the Veterans Health Administration (VA). Methods: Using the VA Corporate Data Warehouse, consisting of aggregated medical record data from 130 facilities, we used an algorithm previously published to identify men with a diagnosis of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) based on rising prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels while on androgen deprivation therapy and who received systemic treatment for CRPC with one of the commonly used therapies: abiraterone, enzalutamide, docetaxel, ketoconazole between 2010 and 2017. To account for clustering among facilities, we used a multilevel multivariable logistic regression to determine the association of patient and disease-specific variables on the odds of a patient receiving a BMA after they started treatment for CRPC. Results: Of 4,998 patients with CRPC in our cohort, 2223 (44%) received either zoledronic acid or denosumab at some point after they were initiated on treatment for CRPC. After adjusting for other variables and accounting for a facility, the odds of receiving a BMA decreased by 3% for every additional year of age (odds ratio [OR] 0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.96-0.98), and decreased significantly with increasing comorbid conditions (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.72-0.98 for Charlson Comorbidity Index [CCI] of 1; OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.59-0.81 for CCI 2+). Patients who were Black had 25% lower odds of receiving a BMA than patients who were White (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.65-0.87). PSA at time of CRPC treatment start had a small but not significant effect on receipt of a BMA (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00-1.08) for every unit increase of PSA on the log scale. PSA doubling time was not associated with receipt of a BMA. The presence of a diagnosis code for bone metastases was far lower than expected in this cohort of patients with CRPC (40.7%), and thus was not included in the model. We did not expect the presence of bone metastases to vary significantly among the other independent variables. Conclusions: Despite most patients with CRPC historically having bone metastases, less than half of patients with CRPC received a BMA. Patients who are older, had more comorbidities, or were Black were less likely to receive a BMA after starting treatment for CRPC. Understanding factors that lead to different patterns of treatment can guide initiatives toward more guideline-concordant care.

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Perceived Behavioral Control as a Key to Integrative Medicine

Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine ◽

10.1177/2515690x18801581 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 ◽

pp. 2515690X1880158 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stephen R. Shamblen ◽

Katharine Atwood ◽

William Scarbrough ◽

David A. Collins ◽

Adam Rindfleisch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

Theory Of Planned Behavior ◽

Planned Behavior ◽

Integrative Medicine ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Behavioral Control ◽

Perceived Behavioral Control ◽

Veterans Health ◽

Health Administration ◽

Integrative Health

The purpose of the present study was to identify the factors that are the strongest predictors of intentions and use of integrative medicine approaches in clinical practice. Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior was used to guide our examination of these questions. Health care professionals exposed to a Veterans Health Administration program (N = 288) who completed survey instruments prior to and immediately after the program and 3 months later were the participants for this study. Findings suggest that the theory of planned behavior performs reasonably well in explaining our data showing the integration of integrative medicine approaches into clinical practice. We found that self-efficacy to use integrative health approaches and perceived preparedness to discuss nonpharmaceutical approaches with patients were the strongest predictors of intentions to use integrative health approaches and self-reported change in clinical practice. The implications of these findings are discussed.

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Abstract 13412: Electronic Consultation for the Management of Atrial Fibrillation is Associated With Higher Healthcare Costs

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.142.suppl_3.13412 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽

Author(s):

Evan S Manning ◽

Melanie D Whittington ◽

Susan R Kirsh ◽

Rachael Kenney ◽

Jeffrey ToddStenberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Language Processing ◽

Healthcare Costs ◽

National Sample ◽

Veterans Health ◽

Health Administration ◽

Electronic Consultation ◽

Consult Group ◽

Facility Level ◽

And Gender

Introduction: A study of 42,000 cardiology consults within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in 2016 found that patients who received electronic consultation (e-consults) had similar healthcare costs at 6 months compared to those who received face-to-face (F2F) consults. However, results may have been confounded if patients with less costly conditions received e-consults. Our aim was to compare costs between those receiving F2F vs. e-consults for a similar indication. Hypothesis: Electronic rather than F2F consultation for atrial fibrillation (AF) management will be associated with lower total healthcare costs. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of a national sample of VHA patients who received cardiology consultation in 2016. We used a natural language processing script to identify consults for AF management. Primary outcomes were total healthcare costs at 3 and 6 months. Secondary outcomes included inpatient and outpatient costs. We compared costs between groups using a generalized linear model with a gamma distribution and log link. We adjusted for community wage and Charlson comorbidity indices, distance to nearest facility, age, and gender. Standard errors were clustered at the facility level. Results: We sampled 176 F2F and 136 e-consults from 43 facilities. Mean total 6-month costs were $12,928 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1,377; 40,644) and $8,286 (95% CI: 959; 31,320) among e-consult and F2F groups, respectively. The e-consult group had 12.3% higher 3-month (p<0.001) and 41.5% higher 6-month total healthcare costs (p<0.001) in comparison to the F2F group. At 3 months, the e-consult group had 25.1% lower inpatient costs (p<0.001) and 32.5% higher outpatient costs (p<0.001). At 6 months, the e-consult group had 6.3% higher inpatient costs (p<0.001) and 48.4% higher outpatient costs (p<0.001). Conclusions: Use of e-consults for AF management is associated with reduced inpatient costs at 3 months, but higher total costs, which were largely driven by outpatient costs. Improving our understanding of healthcare utilization after initial consultation, or in differences in reasons for consultation within AF management may help explain these differences.

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Nonpharmacological Treatment of Army Service Members with Chronic Pain Is Associated with Fewer Adverse Outcomes After Transition to the Veterans Health Administration

Journal of General Internal Medicine ◽

10.1007/s11606-019-05450-4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 775-783 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Esther L. Meerwijk ◽

Mary Jo Larson ◽

Eric M. Schmidt ◽

Rachel Sayko Adams ◽

Mark R. Bauer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Veterans Health Administration ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Service Members ◽

Veterans Health ◽

Health Administration ◽

Nonpharmacological Treatment ◽

Army Service

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Survival of Older Patients With Cancer in the Veterans Health Administration Versus Fee-for-Service Medicare

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2011.35.6758 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 30 (10) ◽

pp. 1072-1079 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Mary Beth Landrum ◽

Nancy L. Keating ◽

Elizabeth B. Lamont ◽

Samuel R. Bozeman ◽

Steven H. Krasnow ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Outcomes ◽

Quality Care ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Sensitivity Analyses ◽

Fee For Service ◽

Veterans Health ◽

Health Administration ◽

Small Cell Lung ◽

High Quality ◽

Patients With Cancer

Purpose The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) provides high-quality preventive chronic care and cancer care, but few studies have documented improved patient outcomes that result from this high-quality care. We compared the survival rates of older patients with cancer in the VHA and fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare and examined whether differences in the stage at diagnosis, receipt of guideline-recommended therapies, and unmeasured characteristics explain survival differences. Patients and Methods We used propensity-score methods to compare all-cause and cancer-specific survival rates for men older than age 65 years who were diagnosed or received their first course of treatment for colorectal, lung, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma in VHA hospitals from 2001 to 2004 to similar FFS-Medicare enrollees diagnosed in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) areas in the same time frame. We examined the role of unmeasured factors by using sensitivity analyses. Results VHA patients versus similar FFS SEER-Medicare patients had higher survival rates of colon cancer (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.87; 95% CI, 0.82 to 0.93) and non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC; HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.88 to 0.95) and similar survival rates of rectal cancer (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.95 to 1.16), small-cell lung cancer (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.93 to 1.05), diffuse large–B-cell lymphoma (HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.89 to 1.18), and multiple myeloma (HR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.03). The diagnosis of VHA patients at earlier stages explained much of the survival advantages for colon cancer and NSCLC. Sensitivity analyses suggested that additional adjustment for the severity of comorbid disease or performance status could have substantial effects on estimated differences. Conclusion The survival rate for older men with cancer in the VHA was better than or equivalent to the survival rate for similar FFS-Medicare beneficiaries. The VHA provision of high-quality care, particularly preventive care, can result in improved patient outcomes.

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