A Secondary Analysis of the Intensity of Hospice Visits Among Medicare Decedents in the Last Seven Days of Life by Place of Residence

Background In 2016, Medicare finalized the Service Intensity Add-on (SIA) payment policy to increase the intensity of hospice registered nurse (RN) or social worker (SW) visits in the last 7 days of life. The research objective was to compare the intensity of hospice RN or SW visits in the last 7 days of life among older decedents who received a hospice visit, while residing in a traditional home, an assisted living facility, or long-term nursing home. Methods A retrospective analysis using 2016-2018 Medicare data of decedents 65 years or older (n= 2 067 863) related to the Medicare SIA payment policy. Intensity was defined as the number and duration of hospice RN or SW visits in the last 7 days of life using Medicare claims code G0299 and G0155. Results Regression results suggest that decedents who received a SIA related visit while residing in an assisted living facility, had on average a slightly longer duration of hospice RN visits in the last 7 days of life, compared to decedents residing in a traditional home, after controlling for demographics and other factors (P<.0001). The duration of hospice RN visits remained unchanged among decedents who received a SIA visit in 2017 or 2018, when compared to 2016 (P <.0001). Overall the average number of hospice SW visits did not differ by place of residence among decedents who received a SIA visit. Conclusions Among decedents who received a SIA related visit, the duration of hospice RN visits were slightly different by place of residence.

Testing Kissick’s Iron Triangle—Structural Equation Modeling Analysis of a Practical Theory

Background/Purpose: The purpose of this research is to determine if the tradeoffs that Kissick proposed among cost containment, quality, and access remain as rigidly interconnected as originally conceived in the contemporary health care context. Although many have relied on the Kissick model to advocate for health policy decisions, to our knowledge the model has never been empirically tested. Some have called for policy makers to come to terms with the premise of the Kissick model tradeoffs, while others have questioned the model, given the proliferation of quality-enhancing initiatives, automation, and information technology in the health care industry. One wonders whether these evolutionary changes alter or disrupt the originality of the Kissick paradigms themselves. Methods: Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to evaluate the Kissick hypothetical relationships among the unobserved constructs of cost, quality, and access in hospitals for the year 2018. Hospital data were obtained from Definitive Healthcare, a subscription site that contains Medicare data as well as non-Medicare data for networks, hospitals, and clinics (final n = 2766). Results: Reporting significant net effects as defined by our chosen study variables, we find that as quality increases, costs increase, as access increases, quality increases, and as access increases, costs increase. Policy and Practice Implications: Our findings lend continued relevance to a balanced approach to health care policy reform efforts. Simultaneously bending the health care cost curve, increasing access to care, and advancing quality of care is as challenging now as it was when the Kissick model was originally conceived.

Testing Kissick’s Iron Triangle - Structural Equation Modeling Analysis of a Practical Theory

The purpose of this research is to determine if the tradeoffs that Kissick proposed among cost containment, quality, and access remain as rigidly interconnected as originally conceived in the contemporary health care context. Although many have relied on the Kissick model to advocate for health policy decisions, to our knowledge, the model has never been empirically tested. Some have called for policy makers to come to terms with the premise of the Kissick model tradeoffs, others have questioned the model given the proliferation of quality enhancing initiatives, automation, and information technology in the health care industry. One wonders whether these evolutionary changes alter or disrupt the originality of the Kissick paradigms themselves. Methods: Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to evaluate the Kissick hypothetical relationships among the unobserved constructs of cost, quality, and access in hospitals for the year 2018. Hospital data were obtained from Definitive Healthcare a subscription site which contains Medicare data as well as non-Medicare data for networks, hospitals, and clinics (final n= 2,766). Results: Reporting significant net effects as defined by our chosen study variables, we find that as quality increases costs increase, as access increases quality increases, and as access increases, costs increase. Policy and Practice Implications: Our findings lend continued relevance to a balanced approach to health care policy reform efforts. Simultaneously bending the health care cost curve, increasing access to care, and advancing quality of care is as challenging now as it was when the Kissick model was originally conceived.

Excess Mortality Attributed to Hurricane Irma Among Assisted Living Residents With Chronic Conditions in Florida

Little is known about the impact of hurricanes on residents in assisted living communities (ALs), especially among individuals with chronic conditions that increase their risk of death after storms. We examined how the association between exposure to Hurricane Irma in 2017 and mortality differed by select chronic conditions. With Medicare data, we identified cohorts of AL residents in 2015 (n= 30,712) and 2017 (n= 29,842 ) and compared their rates of 30-day and 90-day and mortality. We adjusted rates for demographic characteristics and other comorbidities. AL residents with diabetes were at highest risk of death after the storm; between 2015 and 2017 they experienced a 50% increase in their 30-day mortality rates (0.6% in 2015, 0.9% in 2017) and a 43% increase in their 90-day mortality rates (2.1% in 2015, 3.0% in 2017). Policy makers should consider strategies to ensure that diabetic residents maintain continuity of medical care during disasters.

Decomposition of Disparities in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia

This study uses Medicare data to non-parametrically evaluate race- and place-of-residence-related disparities in AD/ADRD prevalence and incidence-based mortality, separate them out into the epidemiological causal components including race-related disparities in incidence and survival, and finally explain these in terms of health-care-related factors using causal methods of group variable effects (propensity scores and the rank-and-replace method) and regression-based analyses (extended Fairlie’s model and generalized Oaxaca-Blinder approach for censoring outcomes). Partitioning analysis showed that the incidence rate is the main predictor for temporal changes and racial disparities in AD/ADRD prevalence and mortality, though survival began to play a role after 2010. Arterial hypertension is the leading predictor responsible for racial disparities in AD/ADRD risks. This study demonstrated that Medicare data has sufficient statistical power and potential for studying disparities in AD/ADRD in three interacting directions: multi-ethnic structure of population, place of residence, and time period.

Trajectories of Emergency Department Use After Incident Functional Disability

Emergency department (ED) visits for older adults with functional disability may represent unmet needs and are often burdensome to patients and families. While it is known that older adults with functional disability use the ED at high rates, this does not capture the heterogeneity of experience after the onset of disability. Using NHATS, we identified a cohort of older adults with incident disability, or who reported they began to receive help with self-care and/or mobility in the prior year. Using the month that they report first receiving help, we linked to Medicare data to assess quarterly patterns of ED use. We used Group Based Trajectory Modeling to assess the trajectories of ED use after disability. We identified three distinct trajectories of ED use: persistently high, declining, and persistently low. We describe the clinical, household, and sociodemographic characteristics associated with likely membership in each trajectory group.

Geographic Disparities of Alzheimer’s Disease Mortality in Females With Breast Cancer

Our estimates showed significant gaps in mortality rates between the West and East parts of the U.S. when these rates are based on death certificate data. These geographic disparities were persistent over time and could not be fully explained by differences in demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, comorbidities, and/or differences in AD coding between these regions. However, incidence and incidence-based mortality rates based on Medicare data do not reproduce these geographic disparities. Death certificate-based patterns hold for the subset of the population with breast cancer, e.g., for subpopulation for which breast cancer was listed as a secondary cause of death. Therefore, SEER-Medicare data, which contains both death-certificate records and Medicare administrative claims for the same individuals can be used to resolve this inconsistency in findings. Analysis of breast cancer patients from two SEER registries in NJ and WA states in SEER-Medicare data (2000-2013) showed that the fraction of deceased individuals with an underlying cause AD among those who had a Medicare diagnosis of AD is 2.5-3.5 times (depending on the Medicare ascertainment algorithm) higher in WA comparing to NJ (p&lt;0.0001). The odds ratio of not-having AD as an underlying cause is 1.3 for WA vs. NJ and increases with age, for non-white races, and unmarried individuals. Our findings do not support the hypothesis of higher rates of AD in WA state but show that AD is likely underrepresented in death certificate in NJ and possibly other East coast states.

Frequency, etiologies, risk factors, and sequelae of falls among patients with brain metastases: a population- and institutional-level analysis

Background Falls in patients with cancer harbor potential for serious sequelae. Patients with brain metastases (BrM) may be especially susceptible to falls but supporting investigations are lacking. We assessed the frequency, etiologies, risk factors, and sequelae of falls in patients with BrM using two data sources. Methods We identified 42,648 and 111 patients with BrM utilizing Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data (2008-2016) and Brigham/Dana Farber (BWH/DFCI) institutional data (2015), respectively, and characterized falls in these populations. Results Among SEER-Medicare patients, 10,267 (24.1%) experienced a fall that prompted medical evaluation, with cumulative incidences at 3, 6, and 12 months of 18.0%, 24.3%, and 34.1%, respectively. On multivariable Fine/Gray’s regression, older age (&gt;81 or 76-80 vs. 66-70 years, hazard ratio [HR] 1.18 [95% CI, 1.11-1.25], p&lt;0.001 and HR 1.10 [95% CI, 1.04-1.17], p&lt;0.001, respectively), Charlson comorbidity score of &gt;2 vs. 0-2 (HR 1.08 [95% CI, 1.03-1.13], p=0.002) and urban residence (HR 1.08 [95% CI, 1.01-1.16], p=0.03) were associated with falls. Married status (HR 0.94 [95% CI, 0.90-0.98], p=0.004) and Asian vs. white race (HR 0.90 [95% CI, 0.81-0.99], p=0.03) were associated with reduced fall-risk. Identified falls were more common among BWH/DFCI patients (N=56, 50.4% of cohort), resulting in emergency department visits, hospitalizations, fractures, and intracranial hemorrhage in 33%, 23%, 11%, and 4% of patients, respectively. Conclusions Falls are common among patients with BrM, especially older/sicker patients, and can have deleterious consequences. Risk-reduction measures, such as home safety checks, physical therapy, and medication optimization, should be considered in this population.