scholarly journals Cost Savings Analysis of Individualized Exercise Oncology Programs

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 153473541983946 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Y. Wonders ◽  
Rob Wise ◽  
Danielle Ondreka ◽  
Josh Gratsch
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Care ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Length Of Hospital Stay ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
National Standard ◽  
Cost Burden ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Exercise Oncology

Background: The physical and economic toll of cancer make it a high health priority. The rising cost of cancer care is now a primary focus for patients, payers, and providers. Escalating costs of clinical trials and national drug regulations have led the median monthly costs of cancer drugs to rise from less than $100 in 1965 to 1969, to more than $5000 in 2005 to 2009, stressing the importance of finding innovative ways to reduce cost burden. In the present study, we report the economic evaluation of an individualized exercise oncology program beginning early after diagnosis. Methods: An independent research group, ASCEND Innovations, retrospectively analyzed patient records to statistically demonstrate the impact of exercise oncology during cancer treatment. All patients completed 12 weeks of prescribed, individualized exercise that included cardiovascular, strength training, and flexibility components. The 3 primary hospital measures leveraged for statistical comparison before and after supportive care enrollment were number of encounters, number of readmissions, and average total charges, as well as emergency room visits and length of hospital stay ( P < .05). Results: The resulting dataset consisted of 1493 total hospital encounters for 147 unique patients. The results statistically demonstrate a positive effect of exercise oncology during cancer care, in terms of reductions in overall cost per patient pre- to post-intervention. Conclusions: Individualized exercise oncology programs should be employed as part of the national standard of care for individuals battling cancer, in order to improve patient outcome and reduce cost burden.

scholarly journals 600. Decreased Hospital Readmission After Programmatic Strengthening of an Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) Program

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S362-S363
Author(s):  
Gaurav Agnihotri ◽  
Alan E Gross ◽  
Minji Seok ◽  
Cheng Yu Yen ◽  
Farah Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Readmission ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Although it is recommended that an OPAT program should be managed by a formal OPAT team that supports the treating physician, many OPAT programs face challenges in obtaining necessary program staff (i.e nurses or pharmacists) due to limited data examining the impact of a dedicated OPAT team on patient outcomes. Our objective was to compare OPAT-related readmission rates among patients receiving OPAT before and after the implementation of a strengthened OPAT program. Methods This retrospective quasi-experiment compared adult patients discharged on intravenous (IV) antibiotics from the University of Illinois Hospital before and after implementation of programmatic changes to strengthen the OPAT program. Data from our previous study were used as the pre-intervention group (1/1/2012 to 8/1/2013), where only individual infectious disease (ID) physicians coordinated OPAT. Post-intervention (10/1/2017 to 1/1/2019), a dedicated OPAT nurse provided full time support to the treating ID physicians through care coordination, utilization of protocols for lab monitoring and management, and enhanced documentation. Factors associated with readmission for OPAT-related problems at a significance level of p&lt; 0.1 in univariate analysis were eligible for testing in a forward stepwise multinomial logistic regression to identify independent predictors of readmission. Results Demographics, antimicrobial indications, and OPAT administration location of the 428 patients pre- and post-intervention are listed in Table 1. After implementation of the strengthened OPAT program, the readmission rate due to OPAT-related complications decreased from 17.8% (13/73) to 6.5% (23/355) (p=0.001). OPAT-related readmission reasons included: infection recurrence/progression (56%), adverse drug reaction (28%), or line-associated issues (17%). Independent predictors of hospital readmission due to OPAT-related problems are listed in Table 2. Table 1. OPAT Patient Demographics and Factors Pre- and Post-intervention Table 2. Factors independently associated with hospital readmission in OPAT patients Conclusion An OPAT program with dedicated staff at a large academic tertiary care hospital was independently associated with decreased risk for readmission, which provides critical evidence to substantiate additional resources being dedicated to OPAT by health systems in the future. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

scholarly journals Implementation of a Rapid Phenotypic Susceptibility Platform for Gram-Negative Bloodstream Infections With Paired Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention: Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan D Robinson ◽  
Allison M Stilwell ◽  
April E Attai ◽  
Lindsay E Donohue ◽  
Megan D Shah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Median Time ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Bloodstream Infections ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Stewardship Program ◽  
Days Of Therapy ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Implementation of the Accelerate PhenoTM Gram-negative platform (RDT) paired with antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) intervention projects to improve time to institutional-preferred antimicrobial therapy (IPT) for Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) bloodstream infections (BSIs). However, few data describe the impact of discrepant RDT results from standard of care (SOC) methods on antimicrobial prescribing. Methods A single-center, pre-/post-intervention study of consecutive, nonduplicate blood cultures for adult inpatients with GNB BSI following combined RDT + ASP intervention was performed. The primary outcome was time to IPT. An a priori definition of IPT was utilized to limit bias and to allow for an assessment of the impact of discrepant RDT results with the SOC reference standard. Results Five hundred fourteen patients (PRE 264; POST 250) were included. Median time to antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results decreased 29.4 hours (P &lt; .001) post-intervention, and median time to IPT was reduced by 21.2 hours (P &lt; .001). Utilization (days of therapy [DOTs]/1000 days present) of broad-spectrum agents decreased (PRE 655.2 vs POST 585.8; P = .043) and narrow-spectrum beta-lactams increased (69.1 vs 141.7; P &lt; .001). Discrepant results occurred in 69/250 (28%) post-intervention episodes, resulting in incorrect ASP recommendations in 10/69 (14%). No differences in clinical outcomes were observed. Conclusions While implementation of a phenotypic RDT + ASP can improve time to IPT, close coordination with Clinical Microbiology and continued ASP follow up are needed to optimize therapy. Although uncommon, the potential for erroneous ASP recommendations to de-escalate to inactive therapy following RDT results warrants further investigation.

scholarly journals COVD-25. THE PARADOXICAL EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON CANCER CARE IN THE NEURO-ONCOLOGY SETTING

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii26-ii26
Author(s):  
Nicole Cort ◽  
Alex Broom ◽  
Katherine Kenny ◽  
Alexander Page ◽  
Jennifer Durling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Care ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Adult Brain ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Traditional Practice ◽  
Delivery Of Care ◽  
Paradoxical Effects ◽  
Oncology Care ◽  
The Impact

Abstract COVID-19 has caused ongoing interruptions to healthcare systems worldwide, shifting care to virtual platforms, and placing significant economic and logistical burdens on clinical practice. The pandemic has created uncertainty in delivering the standard of care, both in areas of cancer diagnosis and treatment, especially within neuro-oncology. Due to the pandemic, care and operational planning goals have shifted to infection prevention, modifying recommendations to decrease viral transmission and increasing telemedicine use, potentially creating a burden on implementing evidence-based medicine. These dynamics have since begun to redefine traditional practice and research regimens, impacting the comprehensive care that cancer patients can and should receive; and the enduring consequences for the delivery of healthcare. The impact of COVID-19 on oncology practice and trials might endure well beyond the short- to mid-term of the active pandemic. Therefore, these shifts must be accompanied by improved training and awareness, enhanced infrastructure, and evidence-based support to harness the positives and offset the potential negative consequences of the impacts of COVID-19 on cancer care. To address these paradoxical effects, we will conduct iterative, qualitative (face-to-face/video conference) interviews with neuro-oncology clinical and research professionals and adult brain tumor patients receiving care during the pandemic. We will capture unique aspects of oncology care: the lived, subjective, situated, and contingent accounts of patients and medical professionals, especially during a pandemic. We will also specifically compare the impact of telehealth during the pandemic on delivery of care to complex neuro-oncology patients. A summary of this in-depth, qualitative approach will result in a sophisticated understanding of neuro-oncology care on the frontline at a time of crisis, as experienced during a pandemic, to articulate best practices for future implementation.

scholarly journals The impact of a teacher-based positive education intervention on student wellbeing literacy

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-43
Author(s):  
Lea Waters ◽  
Matthew Charles Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Education Intervention ◽  
Positive Education ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Emotional Management ◽  
Strength Based ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Education Interventions ◽  
Written Descriptions ◽  
The Impact

Over the past decade, research has consistently found that positive education interventions have a beneficial effect on mental health outcomes for students, such as improvements in life satisfaction and reduction of anxiety. While it is encouraging to see these changes in student mental health, the research has not yet adequately explored whether positive education interventions change a student’s understanding of wellbeing itself. Wellbeing literacy is a new construct within the field of positive education and is defined as the ability to understand the concept and language of wellbeing. This study examines whether student language and understanding of wellbeing changes following an intervention that trains teachers in the core principles of positive education. Students across grades five, six and seven (ages 11–13; n = 231) from three Australian schools provided brief written descriptions of their understanding of wellbeing before and after their teachers undertook an eight-month positive education intervention. Thematic analysis was used as the methodological tool to analyze student language and understanding of wellbeing. Inferential frequency-based statistical analyses were used to compare the pre-intervention and post-intervention responses. The results revealed that student understanding of wellbeing evolved in four key ways to become more: (1) detailed; (2) strength based; (3) expanded/multidimensional; and (4) relational. Post-intervention understanding of wellbeing was significantly more likely to include aspects of emotional management, strengths, coping, mindfulness and self-kindness. Implications, limitations and future directions are discussed.

scholarly journals Improving indicators of tuberculosis program cascades by leveraging HIV program strategies

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 191-195
Author(s):  
S. C. Meribe ◽  
E. Harausz ◽  
I. Lawal ◽  
A. Ogundeji ◽  
C. Mbanefo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Military Hospitals ◽  
Us Army ◽  
Signed Rank ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Army Medical Research ◽  
Signed Rank Test ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Number Of Individuals

Background: To improve rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) case detection and treatment, the Nigerian Ministry of Defense Health Implementation Program and the US Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa/Nigeria introduced a HIV standard of care (SOC) package. Given the integration of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV programs and evolving policies, we evaluated the impact of this strategy on TB program indicators.Methods: Routine, de-identified program data from 27 Nigerian military hospitals were analyzed. Using Wilcoxon signed-rank test, bivariate analyses were performed to compare data from 12 months before and after implementation of the SOC package.Results: Our data showed improvements post-implementation as follows: the number of individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) screened for TB increased from 14 530 to 29 467 (P < 0.001); the number of individuals with presumptive TB identified increased from 803 to 1800 (P < 0.001); the number of ART clients bacteriologically tested for TB increased from 746 to 1717 (P < 0.001); and the number of ART clients treated for TB increased from 152 to 282 (P < 0.001). Newly registered or relapsed TB cases increased from 436 to 906 (P < 0.001), the number of TB cases with known HIV status increased from 437 to 837 (P < 0.001), the number of TB-HIV co-infected cases increased from 182 to 301 (P = 0.006), and the number of TB-HIV co-infected clients who started ART increased from 101 to 176 (P = 0.003).Conclusion: The implementation of the updated HIV SOC package led to the improvement in key TB diagnosis and treatment indicators. When emulated, this could help improve the performance of other TB programs in countries other than Nigeria.

scholarly journals Assessment of Reflex Urine Culture Criteria Changes and its Impact on Treatment of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S346-S346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirre Wold ◽  
Jeff Brock ◽  
Kelly Percival ◽  
Lindsey Rearigh ◽  
Lucas Vocelka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Asymptomatic Bacteriuria ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Hospital Data ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Positive Urine ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Implementation Period ◽  
Inappropriate Antibiotics ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is a common clinical condition identified by the presence of bacteria in the urine of a patient without signs and symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI). Treatment of ASB leads to unnecessary antimicrobial use and can cause more harm than benefit in many patients. This study is to determine the impact of more stringent criteria for urinalysis with culture if indicated (UAC), implemented in September 2016, on the treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria. Methods A pre-post descriptive study of patients was conducted with an order placed for UAC in the Emergency Department (ED) or hospital. Data was collected retrospectively via chart reviews. The data on ASB patients from November 2015 to April 2016 was compared with the post-implementation period October 2016 to January 2017. The number of UAC orders and cultures were averaged for 6 months pre and post implementation of the criteria change. Results A total of 580 patient charts were assessed post-implementation of the UAC criteria change. A majority of the orders originated from the ED, (N = 430, 72.8%). ASB was treated inappropriately at a rate of 60.4% (N = 64/106) pre-implementation and a rate of 65% (N = 41/63) post implementation, P = 0.542. The total number of UAC ordered before and after implementation did not change, (N = 2852 pre-intervention vs N = 2825 post-intervention, P = 0.744), as seen in Figure 1. However, the number of reflexed urine cultures did significantly decrease post criteria change,&#x2028; (N = 1056 pre-intervention vs. N = 603 post-intervention, P &lt; 0.0001). In addition, the number of positive urine cultures also significantly decreased, (N = 378 pre-intervention vs. N = 289 post-intervention, P = 0.0447). The impact the criteria change had on patient care is the number of potential antibiotic courses saved by reflexing fewer urine cultures off the UAC. Based on the decrease in positive urine cultures, it is estimated 702 courses of inappropriate antibiotics for ASB could be saved per year (59/month). Conclusion More stringent criteria for reflex urine cultures significantly decreases the number of urine cultures performed, therefore decreasing the number of patients treated with ASB. Additional stewardship measures are necessary to reduce the treatment of ASB for patients who have cultures performed. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

scholarly journals Nasal Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) PCR Testing Reduces the Duration of MRSA-Targeted Therapy in Patients with Suspected MRSA Pneumonia

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nidhu Baby ◽  
Andrew C. Faust ◽  
Terri Smith ◽  
Lyndsay A. Sheperd ◽  
Laura Knoll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Targeted Therapy ◽  
Length Of Hospital Stay ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Methicillin Resistant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Health Care Associated Pneumonia ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Suspected Pneumonia

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of pharmacist-ordered methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) PCR testing on the duration of empirical MRSA-targeted antibiotic therapy in patients with suspected pneumonia. This is a retrospective analysis of patients who received vancomycin or linezolid for suspected pneumonia before and after the implementation of a pharmacist-driven protocol for nasal MRSA PCR testing. Patients were included if they were adults of >18 years of age and initiated on vancomycin or linezolid for suspected MRSA pneumonia. The primary endpoint was the duration of vancomycin or linezolid therapy. After screening 368 patients, 57 patients met inclusion criteria (27 pre-PCR and 30 post-PCR). Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups, with the majority of patients classified as having health care-associated pneumonia (68.4%). The use of the nasal MRSA PCR test reduced the mean duration of MRSA-targeted therapy by 46.6 h (74.0 ± 48.9 h versus 27.4 ± 18.7 h; 95% confidence interval [CI], 27.3 to 65.8 h; P < 0.0001). Fewer patients in the post-PCR group required vancomycin serum levels and dose adjustment (48.1% versus 16.7%; P = 0.02). There were no significant differences between the pre- and post-PCR groups regarding days to clinical improvement (1.78 ± 2.52 versus 2.27 ± 3.34; P = 0.54), length of hospital stay (11.04 ± 9.5 versus 8.2 ± 7.8; P = 0.22), or hospital mortality (14.8% versus 6.7%; P = 0.41). The use of nasal MRSA PCR testing in patients with suspected MRSA pneumonia reduced the duration of empirical MRSA-targeted therapy by approximately 2 days without increasing adverse clinical outcomes.

scholarly journals Biomarkers-based Personalized Follow-up in Chronic Heart Failure Improves Patient’s Outcomes and Reduces Care Associate Cost

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Leon Justel ◽  
Jose Ignacio Morgado Garcia-Polavieja ◽  
Ana Isabel Alvarez Rios ◽  
Francisco Jose Caro Fernandez ◽  
Pedro Agustin Pajaro Merino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Economic Problem ◽  
Functional Class ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
The Impact

Abstract BACKGROUNDHeart failure (HF) is a major and growing medical and economic problem, with high prevalence and incidence rates worldwide. Cardiac Biomarker is emerging as a novel tool for improving management of patients with HF.METHODSThis is a real-world, before-and after-intervention trial, that assesses the impact of a personalized follow-up procedure for HF on patient’s outcomes and care associated cost, based on a clinical model of risk stratification and personalized management according to that risk. A total of 192 patients were enrolled and studied before and after an intervention. The primary objective was the rate of readmissions, due to a HF event, post-intervention compared to pre-intervention. Secondary outcomes compared the rate of ED visits and the number of patients who had reduced NYHA score pre and post-intervention. A cost- analysis was also performed on these data.RESULTSAdmission rates significantly decreased by 41% after the intervention (total length of stay was reduced by 55%). The rate of ED visits was reduced by 55%. Thirty-one percent of patients had an improved functional class score after the intervention, whereas only 7.8% got worse. The overall cost saving associated with the intervention was €139,717.65 for the whole group over 1 year.CONCLUSIONSA personalized follow-up of HF patients led to important outcome benefits and resulted in cost savings, mainly due to the reduction of patient hospitalization readmissions and a significant reduction of care- associated costs, suggesting that greater attention should be given to this high-risk cohort to minimize the risk of hospitalization readmissions.

scholarly journals Impact of a mobile decision support tool on antimicrobial stewardship indicators in St. John’s, Canada

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0252407
Author(s):  
Daniel Doyle ◽  
Gerald McDonald ◽  
Claire Pratt ◽  
Zahra Rehan ◽  
Tammy Benteau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Defined Daily Dose ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Objectives Inappropriate antibiotic use contributes to antimicrobial resistance. The SpectrumTM app provides antibiotic decision support, based on local antimicrobial resistance rates. We determined the impact of regional implementation of the app on inpatient antimicrobial appropriateness, inpatient antimicrobial usage (AMU), population-based Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) rates and cost, using a retrospective, before and after quasi-experimental design, including a one-year study period. Methods The SpectrumTM app was released to prescribers in February, 2019. We performed two one-day inpatient point prevalence surveys using the National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey tool, six months before (June 25, 2018) and six months after (June 25, 2019) app dissemination. Inpatient AMU in Defined Daily Dose/1000 patient days and CDI incidence were compared, before and after app dissemination. Results The pre-survey included 184 prescriptions, and the post-survey included 197 prescriptions. Appropriateness was 97/176 (55.1%) pre, and 126/192 (65.6%) post (+10.5%, p = 0.051). Inpatient AMU declined by 6.6 DDD/1000 patient days per month, and CDI declined by 0.3 cases per month. Cost savings associated with reduced AMU were $403.98/bed/year and associated with reduced CDI were $82,078/year. Conclusion We observed improvement in antimicrobial stewardship indicators following SpectrumTM implementation. We cannot determine the cause of these improvements.

scholarly journals 116. Leveraging the Use of the PCR-based Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Nasal Swab in the Emergency Department to Optimize Vancomycin Use in the Inpatient Setting

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S72-S72
Author(s):  
Dayna McManus ◽  
Jeffrey E Topal ◽  
Hagar Kassab
Keyword(s):  
Primary Endpoint ◽  
Nasal Swab ◽  
Secondary Endpoint ◽  
Inpatient Setting ◽  
New Haven ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Days Of Therapy ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The MRSA nasal swab has been shown to have a negative predictive value of 97–100% for an MRSA infection. Therefore, a negative MRSA swab can be an important antimicrobial stewardship tool to stop unnecessary empiric anti-MRSA therapy. Prolonged anti-MRSA therapy may increase hospital length stay, adverse effects, antimicrobial resistance, and increase the risk of acute kidney injury. Timely obtainment of the MRSA nasal swab is paramount to prevent these complications. To improve the timely collection at our institution, we linked the MRSA nasal swab order with the initial order for vancomycin in the ED using the electronic medical record. Methods This was a single-center, retrospective review of adult ED patients (≥ 18 years) who recieved vancomycin at Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, USA and had an MRSA nasal swab collected. The pre-intervention cohort were patients who met inclusion criteria between September 2018 and October 2018. The post-intervention cohort, following the linking of the MRSA nasal swab with the vancomycin order included patients between June 2019 and July 2019. The primary endpoint was the time from the ED visit to vancomycin discontinuation in patients with a negative MRSA nasal swab. The secondary endpoint was a comparison of inpatient vancomycin usage before and after implimentation of the intervention. Results In the pre-intervention cohort 665 patients were reviewed with 100 meeting inclusion criteria and in the post-intervention cohort 242 patients were reviewed with 100 meeting inclusion criteria. Baseline demographic characteristics were similar between the two cohorts. For the primary endpoint, the time from ED visit until vancomycin discontinuation was 61 hours in the pre-intervention cohort versus 34 hours in the post-intervention cohort (p&lt; 0.001). The secondary endpoint of the impact of the intervention on vancomycin usage is depicted figure attached. Vancomycin IV Days of Therapy/1000 Patient Days Before and After Intervention Conclusion Linking the MRSA nasal swab order with the order for vancomycin in the ED led to a significantly shorter time of empiric vancomycin which in turn resulted in an overall reduction in the use of vancomycin. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

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