Abstract

The frequency of use of endovenous thermal ablation (EVTA) to treat chronic venous insufficiency has increased rapidly in the US. Wide variability in EVTA use among physicians has been documented, and standard EVTA rates were defined in the 2017 Medicare database. To assess whether providing individualized physician performance reports is associated with reduced variability in EVTA use and cost savings. This prospective quality improvement study used data from all US Medicare patients aged 18 years or older who underwent at least 1 EVTA between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2017, and between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019. All US physicians who performed at least 11 EVTAs yearly for Medicare patients in 2017 and 2019 were included in the assessment. A performance report comprising individual physician EVTA use per patient with peer-benchmarking data was distributed to all physicians in November 2018. The mean number of EVTAs performed per patient was calculated for each physician. Physicians who performed 3.4 or more EVTA procedures per patient per year were considered outliers. The change in the number of procedures from 2017 to 2019 was analyzed overall and by inlier and outlier status. An economic analysis was also performed to estimate the cost savings associated with the intervention. A total of 188 976 patients (102 222 in 2017 and 86 754 in 2019) who had an EVTA performed by 1558 physicians were included in the analysis. The median patient age was 72.2 years (IQR, 67.9-77.8 years); 67.3% of patients were female, and 84.9% were White. Among all physicians, the mean (SD) number of EVTAs per patient decreased from 2017 to 2019 (1.97 [0.85] vs 1.89 [0.77]; P < .001). There was a modest decrease in the mean number of EVTAs per patient among inlier physicians (1.83 [0.57] vs 1.78 [0.55]; P < .001) and a more substantial decrease among outlier physicians (4.40 [1.01] vs 3.67 [1.41] ; P < .001). Outliers in 2017 consisted of 90 physicians, of whom 71 (78.9%) reduced their EVTA use after the intervention. The number of EVTAs per patient decreased by a mean (SD) of 0.09 (0.46) procedures overall (median, 0.10 procedures [IQR, -0.10 to 0.30 procedures]; P < .001). The estimated cost savings associated with the decrease was $6.3 million in 2019. In this quality improvement study, substantial variability in the number of EVTAs performed per patient was observed across the US. When physicians were provided with a 1-time peer-benchmarked performance report card, the timing of the intervention was associated with a significant decrease in the number of EVTAs performed per patient, particularly among outlier physicians. This quality improvement initiative was associated with reduced variability in EVTA use in the US and a substantial savings for Medicare.

Highlights

  • Chronic venous insufficiency affects 23% to 33% of individuals aged 18 to 64 years in the US, with the incidence being higher in the aging Medicare population.[1,2,3,4] The contemporary management of chronic venous insufficiency has shifted from hospital-based open surgical interventions toward minimally invasive procedures,[1,5] including endovenous thermal ablation (EVTA)

  • The estimated cost savings associated with the decrease was $6.3 million in 2019. In this quality improvement study, substantial variability in the number of EVTAs performed per patient was observed across the US

  • When physicians were provided with a 1-time peer-benchmarked performance report card, the timing of the intervention was associated with a significant decrease in the number of EVTAs performed per patient

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Summary

Introduction

Chronic venous insufficiency affects 23% to 33% of individuals aged 18 to 64 years in the US, with the incidence being higher in the aging Medicare population.[1,2,3,4] The contemporary management of chronic venous insufficiency has shifted from hospital-based open surgical interventions toward minimally invasive procedures,[1,5] including endovenous thermal ablation (EVTA). Endovenous thermal ablation has been shown to be associated with shortened recovery time, decreased postoperative pain, and improved long-term quality of life, with lower rates of varicose vein recurrence compared with conventional open surgery.[5,6] the rates of EVTA use in the US have increased consistently over the past 20 years.[7,8] Given these trends, the American Vein and Lymphatic Society, in conjunction with investigators from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, previously set out to assess EVTA use in the US8 and identified physician and patient characteristics associated with EVTA practice variation using a physician-developed performance metric and applied the metric to Medicare insurance claim data. After those data were analyzed in 2017, national and confidential individual physician data were shared with all physicians in the analysis in the form of individualized peer-benchmarked performance reports

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Conclusion

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