scholarly journals Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Services at US Cancer Centers

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 829-838
Author(s):  
Shehzad K. Niazi ◽  
Aaron Spaulding ◽  
Emily Brennan ◽  
Sarah K. Meier ◽  
Julia E. Crook ◽  
...  

Background: It is standard of care and an accreditation requirement to screen for and address distress and psychosocial needs in patients with cancer. This study assessed the availability of mental health (MH) and chemical dependency (CD) services at US cancer centers. Methods: The 2017–2018 American Hospital Association (AHA) survey, Area Health Resource File, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare databases were used to assess availability of services and associations with hospital-level and health services area (HSA)–level characteristics. Results: Of 1,144 cancer centers surveyed, 85.4% offered MH services and 45.5% offered CD services; only 44.1% provided both. Factors associated with increased adjusted odds of offering MH services were teaching status (odds ratio [OR], 1.76; 95% CI, 1.18–2.62), being a member of a hospital system (OR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.31–3.07), and having more beds (OR, 1.04 per 10-bed increase; 95% CI, 1.02–1.05). Higher population estimate (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97–0.99), higher percentage uninsured (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.86–0.95), and higher Mental Health Professional Shortage Area level in the HSA (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98–1.00) were associated with decreased odds of offering MH services. Government-run (OR, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.30–6.22) and nonprofit centers (OR, 3.48; 95% CI, 1.78–6.79) showed increased odds of offering CD services compared with for-profit centers. Those that were members of hospital systems (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.14–2.29) and had more beds (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01–1.03) also showed increased odds of offering these services. A higher percentage of uninsured patients in the HSA (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88–0.97) was associated with decreased odds of offering CD services. Conclusions: Patients’ ability to pay, membership in a hospital system, and organization size may be drivers of decisions to co-locate services within cancer centers. Larger organizations may be better able to financially support offering these services despite poor reimbursement rates. Innovations in specialty payment models highlight opportunities to drive transformation in delivering MH and CD services for high-need patients with cancer.

2011 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa M. Garrido ◽  
Kirk C. Allison ◽  
Mark J. Bergeron ◽  
Bryan Dowd

The effect of hospital organizational affiliation on perinatal outcomes is unknown. Using the 2004 American Hospital Association Annual Survey and Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases, the authors examined relationships among organizational affiliation, equipment and service availability and provision, and in-hospital mortality for 5,133 infants across five states born with very low and extremely low birth weight and congenital anomalies. In adjusted bivariate probit selection models, the authors found that government hospitals had significantly higher mortality rates than not-for-profit nonreligious hospitals. Mortality differences among other types of affiliation (Catholic, not-for-profit religious, not-for-profit nonreligious, and for-profit) were not statistically significant. This is encouraging as health care reform efforts call for providers at facilities with different institutional values to coordinate care across facilities. Although there are anecdotes of facility religious affiliation being related to health care decisions, the authors did not find evidence of these relationships in their data.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-121
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Harrison ◽  
Aaron Spaulding ◽  
Debra A. Harrison

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the community dynamics and organizational characteristics of US hospitals that participate in accountable care organizations (ACO). Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained from the 2015 American Hospital Association annual survey and the 2015 medicare final rule standardizing file. The study evaluated 785 hospitals which operate ACO in contrast to 1,446 hospitals without an ACO. Findings In total, 89 percent of hospitals using ACO’s are located in urban communities and 87 percent are not-for-profit. Hospitals with a higher case mix index are more likely to have an ACO. Practical implications ACOs allow healthcare organizations to expand their geographic markets, achieve greater efficiencies, and enhance the development of new clinical services. They also shift the focus of care from acute care hospitalization to the full continuum of care. Originality/value This research found ACOs with hospital and physician networks are an effective mechanism to control healthcare costs and reduce medical errors.


Stroke ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine McDonald ◽  
Steven Cen ◽  
Lucas Ramirez ◽  
William J Mack ◽  
Nerses Sanossian

Background: Nationwide less than a third of eligible hospitals have achieved advanced certification in stroke, and there may be disparities affecting less affluent areas serving a higher proportion of minorities. We aimed to characterize demographic and regional factors associated with achievement of stroke center certification while controlling for hospital characteristics. Methods: We linked the 2011 American Hospital Association survey of hospital characteristics to the 2010 national census for population and household data by region. Emergency medical services stroke routing data was obtained from communication with state and county contact. Only hospitals with ≥ 25 beds and 24-hour emergency departments were evaluated. The Joint Commission, Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program and DNV Healthcare websites were used to determine certification status of each hospital. We controlled for hospital bed size, teaching affiliation (AMA, ACGME), emergency department volume, rural designation, hospital type (governmental/for-profit/nonprofit), and trauma center designation in analysis. Results: Of the 3696 hospitals to complete the survey, the 3069 fulfilling study criteria included 908 PSC (31%) and 2161 non-PSC. In univariate analysis PSC hospitals were located in areas with greater population in immediate vicinity (29, 316 vs. 20,901, p<0.0001), greater proportion of minorities (73% white, 16% black, 15% Hispanic vs. 80%/12%/11%, p<0.0001), greater number of households per zip code (11,540 vs. 8050, p<0.0001) and a higher regional mean income ($52,112 vs. $46,262, p<0.0001) and higher home value ($234,000 vs. $170,000, p<0.0001). More PSC hospitals were located in regions with preferential EMS routing of stroke (52% vs. 40%). While controlling for hospital-based factors, the demographic and regional factors independently associated with hospital PSC designation were number of households per zip code (per 1000 households OR 1.1, 95%CI 1.0-1.2), increasing Hispanic population (every 10% increase OR 1.1, 1.0-1.2), and income per household (per $10,000 OR 1.2, 1.1-1.3). Conclusions: Hospitals achieving PSC designation are located in more affluent and densely populated areas with higher population of Hispanic residents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (9) ◽  
pp. 1315-1317
Author(s):  
Katy B. Kozhimannil ◽  
Julia D. Interrante ◽  
Mariana S. Tuttle ◽  
Carrie Henning-Smith ◽  
Lindsay Admon

Objectives. To describe characteristics of rural hospitals in the United States by whether they provide labor and delivery (obstetric) care for pregnant patients. Methods. We used the 2017 American Hospital Association Annual Survey to identify rural hospitals and describe their characteristics based on the lack or provision of obstetric services. Results. Among the 2019 rural hospitals in the United States, 51% (n = 1032) of rural hospitals did not provide obstetric care. These hospitals were more often located in rural noncore counties (counties with no town of more than 10 000 residents). Rural hospitals without obstetrics also had lower average daily censuses, were more likely to be government owned or for profit compared with nonprofit ownership, and were more likely to not have an emergency department compared with hospitals providing obstetric care (P for all comparisons < .001). Conclusions. Rural US hospitals that do not provide obstetric care are located in more sparsely populated rural locations and are smaller than hospitals providing obstetric care. Public Health Implications. Understanding the characteristics of rural hospitals by lack or provision of obstetric services is important to clinical and policy efforts to ensure safe maternity care for rural residents.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1088-1094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M Walker ◽  
Cynthia J Sieck ◽  
Terri Menser ◽  
Timothy R Huerta ◽  
Ann Scheck McAlearney

Abstract Objective Given the strong push to empower patients and make them partners in their health care, we evaluated the current capability of hospitals to offer health information technology that facilitates patient engagement (PE). Materials and Methods Using an ontology mapping approach, items from the American Hospital Association Information Technology Supplement were mapped to defined levels and categories within the PE Framework. Points were assigned for each health information technology function based upon the level of engagement it encompassed to create a PE-information technology (PE-IT) score. Scores were divided into tertiles, and hospital characteristics were compared across tertiles. An ordered logit model was used to estimate the effect of characteristics on the adjusted odds of being in the highest tertile of PE-IT scores. Results Thirty-six functions were mapped to specific levels and categories of the PE Framework, and adoption of each item ranged from 23.5 to 96.7%. Hospital characteristics associated with being in the highest tertile of PE-IT scores included medium and large bed size (relative to small), nonprofit (relative to government nonfederal), teaching hospital, system member, Midwest and South regions, and urban location. Discussion Hospital adoption of PE-oriented technology remains varied, suggesting that hospitals are considering how technology can create partnerships with patients. However, PE functionalities that facilitate higher levels of engagement are lacking, suggesting room for improvement. Conclusion While hospitals have reached modest levels of adoption of PE technologies, consistent monitoring of this capacity can identify opportunities to use technology to facilitate engagement.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Berkeley Franz ◽  
Cory E. Cronin ◽  
Vanessa Rodriguez ◽  
Kelly Choyke ◽  
Janet E. Simon ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Anchor institutions, by definition, have a long-term presence within their local communities, but it is uncertain as to whether for-profit hospitals meet this definition; most research on anchor institutions to date has been limited to nonprofit organizations such as hospitals and universities. Accordingly, this study aims to determine whether for-profit hospitals are stable enough to fulfill the role of anchor institutions through a long-term presence in communities which may help to stabilize local economies. Methods This longitudinal study analyzes national, secondary data between 2008 and 2017 compiled from the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, the American Hospital Association Annual Survey, and County Health Rankings. We use descriptive statistics to calculate the number of closures and mergers of hospitals of different ownership type, as well as staffing levels. Using logistic regression, we also assessed whether for-profit hospitals had higher odds of closing and merging, controlling for both organization and community factors. Results We found for-profit hospitals to be less stable than their public and nonprofit hospital counterparts, experiencing disproportionately more closures and mergers over time, with a multivariable analysis indicating a statistically significant difference. Furthermore, for-profit hospitals have fewer full-time employees relative to their size than hospitals of other ownership types, as well as lower total payroll expenditures. Conclusions Study findings suggest that for-profit hospitals operate more efficiently in terms of expenses, but this also may translate into a lower level of economic contributions to the surrounding community through employment and purchasing initiatives. For-profit hospitals may also not have the stability required to serve as long-standing anchor institutions. Future studies should consider whether for-profit hospitals make other types of community investments to offset these deficits and whether policy changes can be employed to encourage anchor activities from local businesses such as hospitals.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel W. Terman ◽  
Elan L. Guterman ◽  
Chloe E. Hill ◽  
John P. Betjemann ◽  
James F. Burke

BackgroundWe sought to determine the cumulative incidence of readmissions after a seizure-related hospitalization and identify risk factors and readmission diagnoses.MethodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study of adult patients hospitalized with a primary discharge diagnosis of seizure (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification codes 345.xx and 780.3x) using the State Inpatient Databases across 11 states from 2009 to 2012. Hospital and community characteristics were obtained from the American Hospital Association and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. We performed logistic regressions to explore effects of patient, hospital, and community factors on readmissions within 30 days of discharge.ResultsOf 98,712 patients, 13,929 (14%) were readmitted within 30 days. Reasons for readmission included epilepsy/convulsions (30% of readmitted patients), mood disorders (5%), schizophrenia (4%), and septicemia (4%). The strongest predictors of readmission were diagnoses of CNS tumor (odds ratio [OR] 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9–2.4) or psychosis (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.7–1.8), urgent index admission (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.8–2.2), transfer to nonacute facilities (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.6–1.8), long length of stay (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.6–1.8), and for-profit hospitals (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.6–1.8). Our main model's c-statistic was 0.66. Predictors of readmission for status epilepticus included index admission for status epilepticus (OR 3.5, 95% CI 2.6–4.7), low hospital epilepsy volume (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.3–0.7), and rural hospitals (OR 4.8, 95% CI 2.1–10.9).ConclusionReadmission is common after hospitalization for seizures. Prevention strategies should focus on recurrent seizures, the most common readmission diagnosis. Many factors were associated with readmission, although readmissions remain challenging to predict.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junjia Zhu ◽  
Muhammad Hussain ◽  
Aditya Joshi ◽  
Cristina I Truica ◽  
Darya Nesterova ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo determine the feasibility of conducting creative writing workshops (CWW) for patients with cancer to promote improvement in mood.MethodWe piloted a prospective study to determine the feasibility of conducting CWW over a 4-week period. Patients were randomised 2:1 to either an intervention arm (IA) or to standard of care (SOC). Patients in the IA attended four 2-hour long weekly CWW × 4 weeks, whereas those receiving SOC did not participate in the CWW. We used a validated emotion thermometer scale (ETS) to assess changes in patient’s mental health before and after intervention. Patients with metastatic or unresectable cancer were included.Primary endpoint(1) Feasibility and (2) mood scores before and after CWW using ETS.ResultsA total of 16 patients were enrolled: 11 in the IA vs 5 in SOC. Seven out of 11 (63%) patients enrolled in the IA attended at least 75% of classes. Patients in the IA showed a trend towards mood improvement relative to the SOC when comparing initial and final ETS scores. Within the IA group significantly lower postclass total ETS scores were observed relative to preclass ETS scores. Also, a significant decreasing trend over time was observed in the preclass total ETS scores for participants in the IA group.ConclusionsIt is feasible for patients with cancer to attend CWW. Our results also show a positive effect on mood in the CWW arm. Further prospective clinical studies are needed to evaluate the effect of this intervention in patients with cancer.


2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie A. Yeager ◽  
Alva O. Ferdinand ◽  
Nir Menachemi

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently introduced tax code revisions requiring stricter oversight of community benefit activities (CBAs) conducted by tax-exempt, not-for-profit hospitals. We examine the impact of this tax requirement on CBAs among these hospitals relative to for-profit and government hospitals that were not subject to the new policy. We employed a quasi-experimental, difference-in-difference study design using a longitudinal observational approach and used secondary data collected by the American Hospital Association (years 2006-2010 including 20,538 hospital year observations). Findings show a significant increase in the reporting of 7 of the 13 CBAs among tax-exempt, not-for-profit hospitals compared with other hospitals after the policy change. Examples include partnering to conduct community health assessments ( b = 0.035, p = .002) and using capacity assessments to identify unmet community health needs ( b = 0.041, p = .001). Recent tax revisions are associated with increases in reported CBAs among tax-exempt, not-for-profit hospitals. As the debate continues regarding tax exemption status for not-for-profit hospitals, policy makers should expand efforts for enhanced accountability.


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