High-volume Providers Research Articles

Evaluation of the strategies opioid manufacturers used to recruit health professionals and encourage overprescribing: an analysis of industry documents

BackgroundMore than 263,000 individuals died due to prescription opioid misuse between 1999 and 2020. Between 2013 and 2015 alone, pharmaceutical companies spent over $39 million to market opioids to over 67,000 prescribers. However, there is still limited information about differences in provider responses to promotions for medications. In this study we investigated and evaluated strategies used by opioid manufacturers to encourage overprescribing, specifically focusing on oncology.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective review of opioid industry documents released in litigation between 1999 and 2021. We began with a preliminary search for business plans in a subset of collections that identified key terms and phrases. These search terms were then used to narrow the investigation, which ultimately focused on Insys Therapeutics, and how they targeted oncology providers as well as patients with cancer pain.ResultsWe found that, overall, Insys sought to market to institutions with fewer resources, to less experienced and high-volume providers, and directly to cancer patients, with the goal of encouraging increased opioid prescribing and use.ConclusionsOur research revealed gaps in provider training that may make some providers more susceptible to pharmaceutical marketing. Developing and promoting continuing education courses for providers that are free from conflicts of interest, particularly at smaller institutions, may be one step towards reducing opioid overprescribing and its associated harms.

The impact of surgical volume on outcomes in newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients receiving definitive surgeries

Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients who receive cancer surgeries from higher-volume providers may have better outcomes. However, the definitions of surgical volume may affect the results. We aim to analyze the effects of different definitions of surgical volume on patient outcomes. We conducted a nationwide population-based study in Taiwan that enrolled all patients who underwent definitive surgery for newly diagnosed CRC. We used three common definitions of surgical volume: total volume means the total surgical number conducted by the same provider during the study period; cumulative volume was calculated as the number of operations the surgeon performed before the index procedure; annual volume was calculated as the number of times the surgeon had been responsible for surgery during the index year. In this study, we included 100,009 newly diagnosed CRC patients, including 55.8% males, of median age 66 years at diagnosis (range 20–105 years). After adjustment for the patient and provider characteristics, we found that CRC patients receiving definitive surgery by higher-volume providers had better outcomes, especially where surgeon volume may play a more important role than hospital volume. The cumulative volume could predict the 5-year mortality of the study cohort better than the total and annual volume.

Influence of Surgeon Experience and Clinic Volume on Subjective Knee Function and Revision Rates in Primary ACL Reconstruction: A Study from the Swedish National Knee Ligament Registry.

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) performed by high-volume surgeons/clinics has been associated with increased graft individualization and decreased operating times, complication rates, and total costs. To investigate the influence of surgeon/clinic volume on subjective knee function and revision surgery rates at 2 years after primary ACLR. Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Data from the Swedish National Knee Ligament Registry were used to study patients who underwent primary ACLR between 2008 and 2019. Surgeons/clinics were categorized based on a combination of total caseload volume (cutoff: 50 ACLRs/surgeon, 500 ACLRs/clinic) and annual volume (cutoff: 29 ACLRs/year/surgeon, 56 ACLRs/year/clinic). The thresholds of minimal important change (MIC), Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS), and treatment failure (TF) relative to the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and KOOS4 (mean score of the KOOS Pain, Symptoms, Sports/Rec, and QoL subscales) were applied. Adjusted multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess variables influencing the MIC, PASS, or TF of the KOOS and KOOS4. Adjusted Cox regression analysis was conducted to determine the hazard ratio of subsequent ACLR. Of 35,371 patients, 16,317 had 2-year follow-up outcome data and were included. Patients who underwent primary ACLR by high-volume surgeons had significantly higher MIC and PASS rates and lower TF rates when compared with patients who underwent the procedure by low-volume surgeons: MICKOOS4: 70.6% vs 66.3%; PASSKOOS4: 46.0% versus 38.3%; and TFKOOS4: 8.7% versus 11.8% (all P < .02). Significantly decreased odds of achieving MICKOOS4 (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.62-0.88) and PASSKOOS4 (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.60-0.84) were found for ACLRs performed by low-volume surgeons. Clinic volume did not influence the odds of reaching MIC, PASS, or TF. Overall, 804 patients (2.3%) underwent subsequent ACLR at <2 years, with significantly higher revision rates among patients operated on at high-volume clinics (2.5% vs 1.7%; P < .001). However, in the adjusted Cox regression, surgeon/clinic volume had no influence on subsequent ACLR rates. High-volume surgeons/clinics had decreased time to surgery, operating time, perioperative complication rates, and use of thromboprophylaxis and nonroutine antibiotics (P < .001). Patients who underwent primary ACLR by high-volume surgeons experienced increased improvement and satisfaction regarding subjective knee function. Factors other than surgical volume influenced subsequent surgery rates. Patients might benefit from undergoing primary ACLR by high-volume providers.

Interventional pain blocks in Ontario: a population-based cross-sectional study on 2019 procedural volumes, clustering, and physician billings.

Multidisciplinary chronic pain management includes pharmacologic, psychological, and interventional strategies. In Canada, the use of interventional pain blocks (PBs) has increased in recent years. We sought to determine the distribution and clustering of PBs among physicians in Ontario, and to examine differences in the patient and physician characteristics by volume of PBs administered. We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of PBs administered for chronic pain to Ontario residents between 1 January and 31 December 2019. Our primary outcome was the total number of PBs administered in an outpatient setting for chronic pain by eligible physicians. We used Lorenz curves, overall and stratified by PB type and physician specialty, to examine clustering of PBs among physicians, and compared patient and physician characteristics using standardized differences. Among physicians who provided PBs, provision was highly clustered, with the top 1% of physicians providing 39% of blocks. In these high-volume PB providers, the majority of whom were general practitioners (88.4%), PBs made up the vast majority (median [interquartile range (IQR)], 87% [84-89]) of their billings, with the majority of the patients in their practices (63.0%) receiving at least one PB in 2019. Patients who received a PB from a high-volume provider had a higher annual frequency of visit for PBs (median [IQR], 10 [3-23]) and number of PBs administered per visit (median [IQR], 5 [4-6]). Pain block administration is highly clustered in Ontario, with many patients receiving PBs in ways that are not supported by best evidence. Further research is required to determine whether the Ontario fee-for-service model of billing has created a suboptimal use of these health care resources.

Effects of state opioid prescribing cap laws on providers' opioid prescribing patterns among patients with chronic non-cancer pain

Prior work suggests opioid prescribing cap laws are not associated with changes in opioid prescribing among patients with chronic pain. It is unknown how these effects differ by provider specialty, provider opioid prescribing volume, or patient insurer. This study assessed effects of state opioid prescribing cap laws on opioid prescribing among providers of patients with chronic non-cancer pain, by high volume prescribing, provider specialty, and patient insurer. We identified 224,290 providers of patients with low back pain, fibromyalgia, or headache from the IQVIA administrative database. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we examined impacts of opioid prescribing cap laws implemented between 2016 and 2018 on the annual proportion of a provider's patient panel who received any opioid prescription, as well as on dose and duration of opioid prescriptions. For providers overall, high volume prescribers, all specialties, and patient insurance categories, prescribing cap laws were associated with non-significant changes of <1.0, 1.5, and 3.5 percentage points in the proportion of chronic non-cancer patients receiving any opioid prescription, a prescription with 7 days' supply, or with >50 morphine milligram equivalents (MME)/day, per year, respectively. There were two exceptions with high dose prescribing: prescribing cap laws were associated with a 1.5 percentage point increase in the proportion of high-volume prescribers' patient panel receiving an opioid prescription with ≥50 MME/day, and a 3.0 percentage point decrease in the same measure among surgeons. Among nearly all measured subgroups of providers and patient insurers, opioid prescribing cap laws were not associated with changes in opioid prescribing.

Abstract 6287: Comparison of multiple myeloma provider for Black Americans and Caucasian Americans

Abstract Background: Although Black Americans have 2-3 times multiple myeloma (MM) incidence and mortality as compared to Whites, increasingly research is demonstrating that many may have genetic characteristics that have better survival outcomes. Yet delayed diagnoses and inappropriate first lines of therapy often wipe out whatever “advantages” they may have had, keeping mortality statistics higher than would be expected (PMID: 25469920). For underserved populations, a number of commonly accepted disparities exist in myeloma, and more broadly, cancer care. Patients who receive treatment by a high-volume provider (myeloma specialist) is a factor that can help patients with MM to have a longer life expectancy (PMID: 31487686). Therefore, we analyzed whether there is a disparity between race and receiving care from a myeloma specialist which may contribute to the differences in survival that is being seen. Methods: Validated real-world (RW) MM patient data was collected through HealthTree Cure Hub for Multiple Myeloma (healthtree.org). We examined the patient’s race which was either Caucasian American or Black American and whether or not they were being treated by a myeloma specialist. The association between race and specialist was examined by a chi-squared (X2) test. Results: In this retrospective analysis of 2,871 MM patients, we compared Caucasian Americans (n= 2716) and Black Americans (n=155). Our analysis revealed a significant association between the two races and whether or not they had a myeloma specialist, X2(1, N = 2,871) = 5.85, p = 0.015. Black Americans were less likely to be treated by a myeloma specialist. Conclusion: The findings of this RW analysis identify a glaring disparity in Black American MM patients and receiving care from a myeloma specialist. Addressing the underlying cause of the findings could extinguish other MM-related issues, such as delays in getting a correct diagnosis, lack of access to myeloma specialists, and many other non-medical issues leading to less-than-optimal outcomes from the majority of these Black American patients. Citation Format: Christian S. Cheung, Nathan W. Sweeney, Zena M. Tiu, Cynthia Chmielewski, Jennifer M. Ahlstrom. Comparison of multiple myeloma provider for Black Americans and Caucasian Americans [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 6287.

Unexpected Benefits in Single Institution Experience With Successful Implementation of a Standardized Perioperative Protocol in Pediatric Thyroidectomy.

Introduction:To illustrate how quality improvement can produce unexpected positive outcomes.Methods:We compared a retrospective review of perioperative management and outcomes of baseline 122 pediatric total thyroidectomies to 121 subsequent total thyroidectomies managed by an Electronic Medical Record protocol in a large, free-standing children’s healthcare system. Process measures included serum calcium measurement 6−12 hours postoperatively; parathyroid hormone measurement 6 hours postoperatively; preoperative iodine for Graves disease, and postoperative prophylactic calcium carbonate administration. In addition, we completed 4 Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, focusing on implementation, refinement, usage, education, and postoperative calcitriol administration. The primary outcome included transient hypocalcemia during admission.Results:All perioperative process measures improved over PDSA cycles. Measurement of postoperative serum calcium increased from 42% at baseline to 100%. Measurement of postoperative PTH increased from 11% to 97%. Preoperative iodine administration for Graves disease surgeries improved from 72% to 94%. Postoperative calcium carbonate administration increased from 36% to 100%. There was a trend toward lower rates of severe hypocalcemia during admission over the subsequent PDSA cycles starting at 11.6% and improving to 3.4%. With the regular review of outcomes, surgical volume consolidated among high-volume providers, associated with a decrease in a permanent hypoparathyroid rate of 20.5% at baseline to 10% by the end of monitoring.Conclusions:In standardizing care at 1 large pediatric institution, implementing a focused quality improvement project involving the perioperative management of transient hypocalcemia in total thyroidectomy pediatric patients resulted in additional, unanticipated improvements in patient care.

PD39-10 SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC DISPARITIES IN ACCESS TO HIGH-VOLUME PROVIDERS AND FACILITIES FOR SIMPLE PROSTATECTOMY: A NEW YORK STATEWIDE ANALYSIS

You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 May 2022PD39-10 SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC DISPARITIES IN ACCESS TO HIGH-VOLUME PROVIDERS AND FACILITIES FOR SIMPLE PROSTATECTOMY: A NEW YORK STATEWIDE ANALYSIS Krishna Ravivarapu, Olamide Omidele, Evan Garden, Chih Peng Chin, Micah Levy, Alexander Small, Joseph Sewell Araya, and Michael Palese Krishna RavivarapuKrishna Ravivarapu More articles by this author , Olamide OmideleOlamide Omidele More articles by this author , Evan GardenEvan Garden More articles by this author , Chih Peng ChinChih Peng Chin More articles by this author , Micah LevyMicah Levy More articles by this author , Alexander SmallAlexander Small More articles by this author , Joseph Sewell ArayaJoseph Sewell Araya More articles by this author , and Michael PaleseMichael Palese More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000002597.10AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Prior studies have demonstrated that patients receiving care from high-volume centers and surgeons are afforded superior postoperative outcomes. Here, we aim to assess potential sociodemographic disparities in access to high-volume surgeons and hospitals for simple prostatectomy (SP) in New York State. Furthermore, we aim to identify predictors of access to high-volume care. METHODS: Using the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative database (SPARCS), we analyzed SP cases from 2009 to 2017. Cases were sorted into low-, medium-, and high-volume facility and provider volume by percentile. Patient, provider, and facility level factors were compared across volume groups. Multivariate analysis controlling for patient-level factors was conducted to identify predictors of access to high-volume surgeons and hospitals. RESULTS: We identified 2,008 SP cases. Low-volume providers were more likely to have less than 15 years of experience compared to high-volume providers (34% vs. 11%, p <0.001). Low-volume providers were also less likely to use a robotic approach compared to high-volume providers (9% vs. 12%, p=0.038). A greater proportion of low-volume facilities were rural (6% vs 0%, p <0.001) and non-teaching (17% vs. 13%, p=0.001) compared to high-volume facilities. A greater proportion of Black patients received care with low-volume providers (18% vs. 8%, p <0.001) and facilities (20% vs. 6%, p <0.001) compared to high-volume groups. A greater proportion of Medicaid patients were associated with low-volume providers (6% vs. 2%, p <0.001) and facilities (8% vs. 1%, p <0.001) compared to high-volume groups. On multivariate analysis, negative predictors of receiving care from high-volume facilities included Black race, Asian race, Medicaid status, and uninsured status (all p <0.05). Negative predictors of access to high-volume providers included Black race, Medicaid status, and uninsured status (all p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Sociodemographic disparities exist for access to high-volume care for SP patients in New York State. Source of Funding: None © 2022 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 207Issue Supplement 5May 2022Page: e656 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2022 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Krishna Ravivarapu More articles by this author Olamide Omidele More articles by this author Evan Garden More articles by this author Chih Peng Chin More articles by this author Micah Levy More articles by this author Alexander Small More articles by this author Joseph Sewell Araya More articles by this author Michael Palese More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF DownloadLoading ...

Use of Intravascular Ultrasound During First-Time Femoropopliteal Peripheral Vascular Interventions Among Medicare Beneficiaries

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) may be a useful adjunct to lower extremity peripheral vascular interventions (PVI) in certain clinical scenarios. We aimed to identify patient- and physician-level characteristics associated with the use of IVUS during first-time femoropopliteal PVI. We included all Medicare beneficiaries undergoing elective femoropopliteal PVI for claudication or chronic limb-threatening ischemia between 01/01/2019 and 12/31/2019. We excluded patients with prior open or endovascular femoropopliteal intervention and all physicians performing ≤10 PVI during the study period. We calculated the proportion of patients who had IVUS performed as part of their index PVI for each physician. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to evaluate patient- and physician-level factors associated with use of IVUS. We identified 58,552 patients who underwent index femoropopliteal PVI, of whom 11,394 (19%) received IVUS. A total of 1,628 physicians performed >10 procedures during the study period, with IVUS utilization ranging from 0-100%. After hierarchical regression, claudication (versus chronic limb-threatening ischemia: OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.11-1.36), stenting (versus angioplasty alone: OR 1.57, 1.33-1.86) and atherectomy (versus angioplasty alone: OR 2.09, 1.83-2.39) were associated with higher odds of IVUS utilization. Higher-volume providers (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1: OR 3.78, 2.43-5.90) and those with high rates of service provided in an office-based laboratory (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1: OR 10.72, 6.78-19.93) were more likely to utilize IVUS. Radiologists (OR 11.23, 5.96-21.17) and cardiologists (OR 1.97, 1.32-2.93) used IVUS more frequently than vascular surgeons. Wide variability exists in the use of IVUS for first-time femoropopliteal PVI. The association of IVUS with claudication, atherectomy, and office-based laboratories raises concern about its potential overuse by some physicians.

590 VARIATION IN RECEIPT OF THERAPY AND SURVIVAL WITH PROVIDER-VOLUME IN NON-CURATIVE ESOPHAGO-GASTRIC CANCER: A POPULATION-BASED ANALYSIS

Abstract While surgical care by high-volume providers for esophago-gastric cancer (EGC) yields better outcomes, volume-outcome relationships are unknown for systemic therapy. We examined receipt of therapy and outcomes in the non-curative management of EGC based on medical oncology provider-volume. Methods We conducted a population based retrospective cohort study of non-curative EGC over 2005–2017 by linking administrative healthcare datasets. The volume of new EGC consultations per medical oncology provider per year was calculated and divided into quintiles. High-volume (HV) providers were defined as the 4-5th quintiles. Outcomes were receipt of chemotherapy and overall survival (OS). Multivariate logistic and Cox-proportional hazards regressions examined the association between management by HV provider, receipt of systemic therapy, and OS. Results 7,011 EGC patients with non-curative management consulted with medical oncology. One-year OS was superior for HV providers (&amp;gt;11 patients/year), with 28.4% (95%CI: 26.7–30.2%) compared to 25.1% (95%CI: 23.8–26.3%) for low-volume (p &amp;lt; 0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, comorbidity burden, rurality, income quintile, and diagnosis year, HV provider was independently associated with higher odds of receiving chemotherapy (OR 1.13, 95%CI 1.01–1.26), and independently associated with superior OS (HR 0.89, 95%CI 0.84–0.93). Conclusion Medical oncology provider-volume was associated with variation in non-curative management and outcomes of EGC. Care by a HV provider was independently associated with higher odds of receiving chemotherapy and superior OS, after adjusting for case-mix. This information is important to inform disease care pathways and care organization; increase in the number of HV providers may reduce variation and improve outcomes.

Practice patterns of vasal reconstruction in a large United States cohort.

We aimed to characterise diverse practice patterns for vasal reconstruction and to determine whether surgeon volume is associated with vasoepididymostomy performance at the time of reconstruction. We identified adult men who underwent vasal reconstruction from 2000 to 2020 in Premier Healthcare Database and determined patient, surgeon, cost and hospital characteristics for each procedure. We identified 3,494 men who underwent either vasovasostomy-alone (N=2,595, 74.3%) or any-vasoepididymostomy (N=899, 25.7%). The majority of providers (N=487, 88.1%) performed only-vasovasostomy, 10 (1.8%) providers performed only-vasoepididymostomy and 56 (10.1%) providers performed both. Median total hospital charge of vasoepididymostomy was significantly higher than vasovasostomy ($39,163, interquartile range [IQR]$11,854-53,614 and $17,201, IQR$10,904-29,986, respectively). On multivariable regression, men who underwent procedures at nonacademic centres (OR 2.71, 95% CI 2.12-3.49) with higher volume surgeons (OR 11.60, 95% CI 8.65-16.00) were more likely to undergo vasoepididymostomy. Furthermore, men who underwent vasoepididymostomy were more likely to self-pay (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.83-3.04, p<.001) and more likely had procedures in the Midwest or West region (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.66-2.96 and OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.61-2.76, respectively; p<.001). High-volume providers have increased odds of performing vasoepididymostomy at the time of reconstruction but at a significantly higher cost. These data suggest possibly centralising reconstructive procedures among high-volume providers.

Provider Attitudes on Regionalization of Maternity Care: A National Survey.

To explore provider perspectives surrounding national guidelines proposing regionalization of maternal care. An 18-item survey focused on provider attitudes and practices surrounding regionalized maternity care was administered to a national sample of practicing obstetricians. We classified respondants reporting less than 500 annual deliveries at their hospital as low-volume providers and those practicing at hospitals performing 500 or more annual deliveries as high-volume providers. We compared responses according to hospital delivery volume using univariate analysis. Of the 497 physicians surveyed, 278 people responded (56%) with 229 currently practicing obstetrics. The median annual delivery volume amongst respondents was 200 (interquartile range 100-1900) with 146 (63.7%) practicing in low-volume delivery centers. The need for medical or surgical expertise was the most commonly reported indication for maternal transfer (19.7%) and independent of practice setting. Ninety-six percent of providers agreed with the concept of regionalization, but respondents in high-volume centers reported higher familiarity with the levels of maternal care paradigm compared to their low-volume counterparts (81.9% v. 62.3%, p < 0.01). Financial factors (60.3%), geography (48.9%), and access to care (43.2%) were the most cited major barriers to regionalization. High-volume providers endorsed geography as a major barrier more often than low-volume providers (57.8% v. 43.8%, p = 0.04). Obstetricians may agree with the concept of regionalized maternity care but also identify significant barriers to its implementation. Early and frequent engagement of providers reflecting the diversity of delivery centers in a region is a simple but necessary step in any attempts to designate levels of maternal care.

Integrating Xpert MTB/RIF for TB diagnosis in the private sector: evidence from large-scale pilots in Patna and Mumbai, India

BackgroundXpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) has been recommended by WHO as the initial diagnostic test for TB and rifampicin-resistance detection. Existing evidence regarding its uptake is limited to public health systems and corresponding resource and infrastructure challenges. It cannot be readily extended to private providers, who treat more than half of India’s TB cases and demonstrate complex diagnostic behavior.MethodsWe used routine program data collected from November 2014 to April 2017 from large-scale private sector engagement pilots in Mumbai and Patna. It included diagnostic vouchers issued to approximately 150,000 patients by about 1400 providers, aggregated to 18,890 provider-month observations. We constructed three metrics to capture provider behavior with regards to adoption of Xpert and studied their longitudinal variation: (i) Uptake (ordering of test), (ii) Utilization for TB diagnosis, and (iii) Non-adherence to negative results. We estimated multivariate linear regression models to assess heterogeneity in provider behavior based on providers’ prior experience and Xpert testing volumes.ResultsUptake of Xpert increased considerably in both Mumbai (from 36 to 60.4%) and Patna (from 12.2 to 45.1%). However, utilization of Xpert for TB diagnosis and non-adherence to negative Xpert results did not show systematic trends over time. In regression models, cumulative number of Xpert tests ordered was significantly associated with Xpert uptake in Patna and utilization for diagnosis in Mumbai (p-value< 0.01). Uptake of Xpert and its utilization for diagnosis was predicted to be higher in high-volume providers compared to low-volume providers and this gap was predicted to widen over time.ConclusionsPrivate sector engagement led to substantial increase in uptake of Xpert, especially among high-volume providers, but did not show strong evidence of Xpert results being integrated with TB diagnosis. Increasing availability and affordability of a technically superior diagnostic tool may not be sufficient to fundamentally change diagnosis and treatment of TB in the private sector. Behavioral interventions, specifically aimed at, integrating Xpert results into clinical decision making of private providers may be required to impact patient-level outcomes.

Characterizing the providers of and reimbursement for chronic migraine chemodenervation among the Medicare population.

To characterize reimbursement trends and providers for chronic migraine (CM) chemodenervation treatment within the Medicare population since the introduction of the migraine-specific CPT code in 2013. We describe trends in procedure volume and total allowed charge on cross-sectional data obtained from 2013 to 2018 Medicare Part B National Summary files. We also utilized the 2017 Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data to analyze higher volume providers (>10 procedures) of this treatment modality. The total number of CM chemodenervation treatments rose from 37,863 in 2013 to 135,023 in 2018 in a near-linear pattern (r=0.999) and total allowed charges rose from ~$5,217,712 to $19,166,160 (r=0.999). The majority of high-volume providers were neurologists (78.4%; 1060 of 1352), but a substantial proportion were advanced practice providers (APPs) (10.2%; 138 of 1352). Of the physicians, neurologists performed a higher mean number of procedures per physician compared to non-neurologists (59.6 [95% CI: 56.6-62.6] vs. 45.4 [95% CI: 41.0-50.0], p<0.001). When comparing physicians and APPs, APPs were paid significantly less ($146.5 [95% CI: $145.6-$147.5] vs. $119.7 [95% CI: $117.6-$121.8], p<0.001). As a percent of the number of total beneficiaries in each state, the percent of Medicare patients receiving ≥1 CM chemodenervation treatment from a high-volume provider in 2017 ranged from 0.024% (24 patients of 98,033 beneficiaries) in Wyoming to 0.135% (997 of 736,521) in Arizona, with six states falling outside of this range. Chemodenervation is an increasingly popular treatment for CM among neurologists and other providers, but the reason for this increase is unclear. There is substantial geographic variation in its use.

High-Volume Billing and Reimbursement Trends for Endoscopic Swallowing Studies in the Medicare Population.

The aim of this study is to delineate the reimbursement trends in fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing with sensory testing (FEESST) and without sensory testing (FEES) in relation to that of speech-language pathology's (SLP) portion of modified barium swallow studies (MBS), as well as to document the types of providers billing for these procedures. We performed descriptive analyses of the volume of FEES/FEESST and MBS, and total reimbursements data obtained from 2013-2018 Medicare Part B National Summary files. We also utilized the 2017 Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data to analyze the higher volume providers (> 10 procedures annually) of either FEES and/or FEESST. From 2003 to 2018, there has been an average, annual increase of approximately 318 FEES/FEESST performed within the Medicare fee-for-service population (R = 0.9505 [95% CI 0.860-0.983]; p < 0.001) covered under Part B (which is largely outpatient coverage). Similarly, there was an increase in Medicare-specific FEES/FEESST reimbursement from $302,840 in 2003 to $1.2 million in 2018 (R = 0.9721 [95% CI 0.920-0.990; p < 0.001]). Prior to 2010, FEESST was performed more frequently than FEES (maximum annual difference of 1174), though from 2010 onward, relatively more annual FEES was performed. From 2003-2018, the reimbursement per procedure increased by $16.79 and $35.36 for FEESST and FEES, respectively, and by $32.84 for the SLP portion of the MBS. Among high-volume FEES/FEESST billers, 65.4% were otolaryngologists and 32.3% were independently billing SLPs. From 2003 to 2018, there has been a significant rise in the number of performed and reimbursed FEES/FEESST. From 2014 onward, compared to SLP-involved MBS, there has been a relative increase in performance of FEES/FEESST.

Patient Care Documentation in the Secondary School Setting: Unique Challenges and Needs.

Athletic trainers (ATs) recognize patient care documentation as an important part of clinical practice. However, ATs using 1 electronic medical record (EMR) platform reported low accountability and lack of time as barriers to documentation. Whether ATs using paper, other EMRs, or a combined paper-electronic system exhibit similar behaviors or experience similar challenges is unclear. To explore ATs' documentation behaviors and perceived challenges while using various systems to document patient care in the secondary school setting. Qualitative study. Individual telephone interviews. Twenty ATs (12 women, 8 men; age = 38 ± 14 years; clinical experience = 15 ± 13 years; from National Athletic Trainers' Association Districts 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10) were recruited via purposeful and snowball-sampling techniques. Two investigators conducted semistructured interviews, which were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Following the consensual qualitative research tradition, 3 researchers independently coded transcripts in 4 rounds using a codebook to confirm codes, themes, and data saturation. Multiple researchers, member checking, and peer reviewing were the methods used to triangulate data and enhance trustworthiness. The secondary school setting was central to 3 themes. The ATs identified challenges to documentation, including lack of time due to high patient volume and multiple providers or locations where care was provided. Oftentimes, these challenges affected their documentation behaviors, including the process of and criteria for whether to document or not, content documented, and location and timing of documentation. To enhance patient care documentation, ATs described the need for more professional development, including resources or specific guidelines and viewing how documentation has been used to improve clinical practice. Challenges particular to the secondary school setting affected ATs' documentation behaviors, regardless of the system used to document care. Targeted professional development is needed to promote best practices in patient care documentation.

Impact of provider volume on front-line chemotherapy guideline compliance and overall survival in elderly patients with advanced ovarian cancer

PurposeWe sought to evaluate whether provider volume or other factors are associated with chemotherapy guideline compliance in elderly patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). MethodsWe queried the SEER-Medicare database for patients ≥66 years, diagnosed with FIGO stage II-IV EOC from 2004 to 2013 who underwent surgery and received chemotherapy within 7 months of diagnosis. We compared NCCN guideline compliance (6 cycles of platinum-based doublet) and chemotherapy-related toxicities across provider volume tertiles. Factors associated with guideline compliance and chemotherapy-related toxicities were assessed using logistic regression. Overall survival (OS) was compared across volume tertiles and Cox proportional-hazards model was created to adjust for case-mix. Results1924 patients met inclusion criteria. The overall rate of guideline compliance was 70.3% with a significant association between provider volume and compliance (64.5% for low-volume, 72.2% for medium-volume, 71.7% for high-volume, p = .02). In the multivariate model, treatment by low-volume providers and patient age ≥ 80 years were independently associated with worse chemotherapy-guideline compliance. In the survival analysis, there was a significant difference in median OS across provider volume tertiles with median survival of 32.8 months (95%CI 29.6, 36.4) low-volume, 41.9 months (95%CI 37.5, 46.7) medium-volume, 42.1 months (95%CI 38.8, 44.2) high-volume providers, respectively (p < .01). After adjusting for case-mix, low-volume providers were independently associated with higher rates of mortality (aHR 1.25, 95%CI: 1.08, 1.43). ConclusionsIn a modern cohort of elderly Medicare patients with advanced EOC, we found higher rates of non-compliant care and worse survival associated with treatment by low-volume Medicare providers. Urgent efforts are needed to address this volume-outcomes disparity.

Do Hospital or Surgeon Volume Affect Outcomes After Surgical Management of Tibial Shaft Fractures?

To determine whether hospital and surgeon volume are associated with outcomes after operative fixation of tibial shaft fractures. Adults (≥18 year old) who underwent operative fixation of diaphyseal tibial fractures were identified in the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System data set from 2001 to 2015. Reoperation, nonunion, and other adverse event rates were compared across surgeon and hospital volume using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression, adjusting for clinical and demographic factors. Low-volume providers (lowest 20%) were compared with high-volume providers (highest 20%). Low volume constituted <5 cases/year for hospitals and 1 case/year for surgeons. High volume constituted ≥40 cases/year for hospitals and ≥8 cases/year for surgeons. Nine thousand one hundred forty-seven patients were included. Relative to high-volume surgeons, low-volume surgeons experienced slightly higher rates of pneumonia [2% vs. 1%, hazard ratio (HR) 2.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.38-4.53, P = 0.003], and respiratory failure (5% vs. 3%, HR 1.88, 95% CI 1.30-2.71, P = 0.001). Compared with high-volume hospitals, low-volume hospitals experienced slightly lower rates of compartment syndrome (1% vs. 3%, HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.24-0.85, P = 0.01) and fasciotomies (3% vs. 7%, HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.38-0.85, P = 0.005). The rates of all other reoperations and adverse events compared among hospitals and surgeons were not significantly different. We did not detect a clinically meaningful volume-outcome relationship for either surgeons or hospitals despite the use of a robust database with rigorous statistical methodology. Of note, these findings should not be applied to rare complex injuries such as those with extensive bone loss or articular extension, which are not well represented by this study population. Therefore, we conclude that typical tibial shaft fracture, including open or closed injuries, can be safely managed in the vast majority of orthopaedic settings and that this care does not necessarily require transfer to a specialty centers. Future research into orthopaedic volume-outcome relationships could be strengthened by the use of functional outcomes (which would likely require well-organized multicenter prospective registries). Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Benefits of High-Volume Medical Oncology Care for Noncurable Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: A Population-Based Analysis.

Although pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA) surgery performed by high-volume (HV) providers yields better outcomes, volume-outcome relationships are unknown for medical oncologists. This study examined variation in practice and outcomes in noncurative management of PA based on medical oncology provider volume. This population-based cohort study linked administrative healthcare datasets and included nonresected PA from 2005 through 2016. The volume of PA consultations per medical oncology provider per year was divided into quintiles, with HV providers (≥16 patients/year) constituting the fifth quintile and low-volume (LV) providers the first to fourth quintiles. Outcomes were receipt of chemotherapy and overall survival (OS). The Brown-Forsythe-Levene (BFL) test for equality of variances was performed to assess outcome variability between provider-volume quintiles. Multivariate regression models were used to examine the association between management by HV provider and outcomes. A total of 7,062 patients with noncurable PA consulted with medical oncology providers. Variability was seen in receipt of chemotherapy and median survival based on provider volume (BFL, P<.001 for both), with superior 1-year OS for HV providers (30.1%; 95% CI, 27.7%-32.4%) compared with LV providers (19.7%; 95% CI, 18.5%-20.6%) (P<.001). After adjustment for age at diagnosis, sex, comorbidity burden, rural residence, income, and diagnosis period, HV provider care was independently associated with higher odds of receiving chemotherapy (odds ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.05-1.34) and with superior OS (hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.74-0.84). Significant variation was seen in noncurative management and outcomes of PA based on provider volume, with management by an HV provider being independently associated with superior OS and higher odds of receiving chemotherapy. This information is important to inform disease care pathways and care organization. Cancer care systems could consider increasing the number of HV providers to reduce variation and improve outcomes.

Economic impacts of care by high-volume providers for noncurative esophagogastric cancer: A population-based analysis.

339 Background: Esophagogastric cancer (EGC) is one of the deadliest and costliest malignancies to treat. Care by high-volume providers can provide better outcomes for patients with EGC. Cost implications of volume-based cancer care are unclear. We examined the cost-effectiveness of care by high-volume medical oncology providers for non-curative management of EGC. Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study of non-curative EGC over 2005-2017 by linking administrative healthcare datasets. High-volume was defined as &gt;11 patients/provider/year. Healthcare costs ($USD/patient/month-survived) were computed from diagnosis to death or end of follow-up from the perspective of the healthcare system using validated costing algorithms. Multivariable quantile regression examined the association between care by high-volume providers and costs. Sensitivity analyses were conducted by varying costing horizons and high-volume definitions. Results: Among 7,011 non-curative EGC patients, median overall survival was superior with care by high-volume providers with 7.0 (IQR: 3.3-13.3) compared to 5.9 (IQR: 2.6-12.1) months (p &lt; 0.001) for low-volume providers. Median costs/patient/month-lived were lower for high-volume providers ($5,518 vs. $5,911; p &lt; 0.001), owing to lower inpatient acute care costs, despite higher medication-associated and radiotherapy costs. Care by high-volume providers was independently associated with a reduction of $599 per patient/month-lived (95% confidence interval: -966 to -331) compared to low-volume providers. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was -393. Care by high-volume providers remained the dominant strategy when varying the high-volume definition and the costing time horizon. Conclusions: Care by high-volume providers for non-curative EGC is associated with superior survival and lower healthcare costs, indicating a dominant strategy that may provide an opportunity to improve cost-effectiveness of care delivery.