Massachusetts Department Of Public Health Research Articles

Lessons Learned: Implementation of Pilot Universal Postpartum Nurse Home Visiting Program, Massachusetts 2013-2016.

Purpose Home visiting programs for new families in the United States have traditionally served high-risk families. In contrast, universal home visiting models serve all families regardless of income, age, risk or other criteria. They offer an entry point into a system of care for children and families, with the potential to improve population health. This paper describes lessons learned from the first threeyears of implementing a universal home visiting model. Description Welcome Family is a universal home visiting program in Massachusetts that offers a one-time visit by a nurse to new mothers up to eightweeks postpartum. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) is piloting Welcome Family in four communities with the goal of expanding statewide. Assessment Welcome Family served over 3000 families in its first threeyears. Program performance measures provided a framework to examine successes and challenges related to outreach and enrollment, program operations, and linkages with community resources. Early challenges included increasing referrals to a new program and limited capacity to serve all women giving birth. Local implementing agencies tested innovative strategies and MDPH made program modifications, such as developing quarterly data reports and establishing a learning collaborative, to address identified challenges. Conclusion MDPH is committed to the success of Welcome Family and uses continuous quality improvement to maximize the impact of the program on families and the system of care in Massachusetts. Lessons learned from the Massachusetts pilot can inform other states' efforts to enhance their early childhood systems of care through expanding universal home visiting.

The need for better marijuana sales data.

As marijuana markets open, tracking key transaction information is important for public health and economic analysis. Washington State's seed-to-sale database appears to have had little oversight and non-standard reporting, leading to a database less promising than its potential should allow for measuring cannabinoid levels and relating potency to price. Documenting and studying the dynamics of legal marijuana markets in terms of product types and cannabinoid availability are important additions to this emerging policy area. Smart et al. 1 provide a valuable report on how the Washington state market has moved towards higher potency products. Putting aside whether this violates the Iron Law of Prohibition, or questions of model specification or over-powered analysis, we wish to draw attention to the need for better data. Imagine how much stronger the conclusions of Smart et al. might have been without measurement error in both potency and price, and with the ability to analyze across product types. Our experience with these same data has revealed numerous problems with the potency results, some of which are hinted at in Smart et al., as when they note that: ‘unlike with edibles, their [usable marijuana and extracts for inhalation] potency characteristics are readily retrievable from the traceability data’ (p. 2). The database has fields for Total tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), THC, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THC-A) and cannabidiol (CBD) potency results. Our experience has shown idiosyncratic use of these fields by those inputting the traceability data as mandated by the state Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB). Some appear to ignore the Total THC field, some simply repeat the THC result and some provide the sum of THC and CBD or (possibly) of all cannabinoids. Data problems include: potency profiles with minimal CBD reported in which Total THC and/or THC are less than 1 (perhaps reporting a proportion); edibles listed at 80 or more for either THC or CBD, which appears to be the total milligrams for the 10-pack; and topicals described as ‘5 ampules—300 mg’ where the total THC is 68.8 or 93.1. The inconsistencies within potency results and between potency and marketing are troubling. There appears to be no guidance from the LCB as to how to report potencies, and so we are left to guess whether small values are proportions, results are for a single serving or the whole package and results for liquids are in milligrams, percentage by weight or percentage by volume. (We should note that the LCB announced recently that the tracking database is going to be revised with a new vendor.) This is why Smart et al. smartly apply the formula Total THC = THC + .877 × THC-A to all observations before analysis, drop observations with adjusted Total THC of 0 or greater than 100%, and swiftly drop all product types but usable marijuana, apparently concluding that even the concentrates are problematic. This may be borne out in their histograms of potency, which appear to indicate very low potency concentrates. While limiting potencies to the range of 0–100 eliminates clearly impossible results, the idiosyncratic entry of the potency fields means the remaining data are measured with some unknown level of error. We have seen similar inconsistency in the pricing field, RetailPrice: some appear to report the per-package price before any discounts, while most assume this is the total amount paid for all similar packages in that transaction. Within the usable marijuana category, this amounts to measurement error in potency and perhaps price, which lowers the power of any analysis regressing one on the other. A full analysis of how recreational users might be moving to more potent forms of marijuana and the price elasticity of potency, however, would require having comparably valid data on the prices and potencies of all forms of marijuana. Our experience, and the analytical choices of Smart and colleagues, reveal that the vast Washington state seed-to-sale database does not contain the requisite data. There are fields that might collect these data, but currently those fields are mostly useless. We hope that Washington, and any other states with comparable data systems, will collect clear, accurate and useful data in the future. Contributions of J.R.W and C.B-G. funded in part by the Washington State Dedicated Marijuana Fund for research at the University of Washington, sourced from marijuana excise taxes. C.B-G. and D.A.B. funded in part by NIH/NIDA R03DA038806. D.A.B. is a paid consultant for Mathematica Policy Research on a study of marijuana use funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. None.

Early effect of validation efforts of Massachusetts syndromic surveillance data

ObjectiveTo develop a detailed data validation strategy for facilitiessending emergency department data to the Massachusetts SyndromicSurveillance program and to evaluate the validation strategy bycomparing data quality metrics before and after implementation ofthe strategy.IntroductionAs a participant in the National Syndromic Surveillance Program(NSSP), the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH)has worked closely with our statewide Health Information Exchange(HIE) and National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP)technical staff to collect and transmit emergency department (ED)data from eligible hospitals (EHs) to the NSSP. Our goal is to ensurecomplete and accurate data using a multi-step process beginning withpre-production data and continuing after EHs are sending live datato production.MethodsWe used an iterative process to establish a framework formonitoring data quality during onboarding of EHs into our syndromicsurveillance system and kept notes of the process.To evaluate the framework, we compared data received duringthe month of January 2016 to the most recent full month of data(June 2016) to describe the following primary data quality metricsand their change over time: total and daily average of message andvisit volume; percent of visits with a chief complaint or diagnosiscode received in the NSSP dataset; and percentage of visits with achief complaint/diagnosis code received within a specified time ofadmission to the ED.ResultsThe strategies for validation we found effective includedexamination of pre-production test HL7 messages and the executionof R scripts for validation of live data in the staging and productionenvironments. Both the staging and production validations areperformed at the individual message level as well as the aggregatedvisit level, and included measures of completeness for requiredfields (Chief Complaint, Diagnosis Codes, Discharge Dispositions),timeliness, examples of text fields (Chief Complaint and TriageNotes), and demographic information. We required EHs to passvalidation in the staging environment before granting access to senddata to the production environment.From January to June 2016, the number of EHs sending data tothe production environment increased from 44 to 48, and the numberof messages and visits captured in the production environmentincreased substantially (see Table 1). The percentage of visits witha chief complaint remained consistently high (>99%); howeverthe percentage of visits with a chief complaint within three hoursof admission decreased during the study period. Both the overallpercentage of visits with a diagnosis code and the percentage of visitswith a diagnosis code within 24 hours of admission increased.ConclusionsFrom January to June 2016, Massachusetts syndromic surveillancedata improved in the percentage of visits with diagnosis codes and thetime from admission to first diagnosis code. This was achieved whilethe volume of data coming into the system increased. The timelinessof chief complaints decreased slightly during the study period, whichmay be due to the inclusion of several new facilities that are unable tosend real-time data. Even with the improvements in the timeliness ofthe diagnosis code field, and the subsequent decrease in the timelinessof the chief complaint field, chief complaints remained a more timelyoption for syndromic surveillance. Pre-production and ongoing dataquality assurance activities are crucial to ensure meaningful dataare acquired for secondary analyses. We found that reviewing testHL7 messages and staging data, daily monitoring of productiondata for key factors such as message volume and percent of visitswith a diagnosis code, and monthly full validation in the productionenvironment were and will continue to be essential to ensure ongoingdata integrity.Table 1: ED Data in the Production Environment

Characteristics of Fentanyl Overdose - Massachusetts, 2014-2016.

Opioid overdose deaths in Massachusetts increased 150% from 2012 to 2015 (1). The proportion of opioid overdose deaths in the state involving fentanyl, a synthetic, short-acting opioid with 50-100 times the potency of morphine, increased from 32% during 2013-2014 to 74% in the first half of 2016 (1-3). In April 2015, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and CDC reported an increase in law enforcement fentanyl seizures in Massachusetts, much of which was believed to be illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) (4). To guide overdose prevention and response activities, in April 2016, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner collaborated with CDC to investigate the characteristics of fentanyl overdose in three Massachusetts counties with high opioid overdose death rates. In these counties, medical examiner charts of opioid overdose decedents who died during October 1, 2014-March 31, 2015 were reviewed, and during April 2016, interviews were conducted with persons who used illicit opioids and witnessed or experienced an opioid overdose. Approximately two thirds of opioid overdose decedents tested positive for fentanyl on postmortem toxicology. Evidence for rapid progression of fentanyl overdose was common among both fatal and nonfatal overdoses. A majority of interview respondents reported successfully using multiple doses of naloxone, the antidote to opioid overdose, to reverse suspected fentanyl overdoses. Expanding and enhancing existing opioid overdose education and prevention programs to include fentanyl-specific messaging and practices could help public health authorities mitigate adverse effects associated with overdoses, especially in communities affected by IMF.

Evaluation of Implementation of Massachusetts Sports Concussion Regulations: Results of Focus Groups With School Nurses and Athletic Trainers.

In 2015, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health conducted focus groups with school nurses (SNs) and athletic trainers (ATs) from Massachusetts middle and high schools to assess implementation of legislated regulations relative to the management of students' head injuries incurred during extracurricular sports. Four tape-recorded focus groups were conducted by experienced facilitators. Lists of themes were synthesized by investigators for each focus group. Participating SNs and ATs supported the sports concussion legislation, felt that implementation had gone well, indicated that the law empowered them in managing return-to-school/play for students with concussion, and experienced support from their school administrators. Some SNs reported that they had applied relevant procedures to all students with head injuries, regardless of how or where the injury occurred. Challenges identified included protocols for away games, inconsistent concussion care by physicians, and a need for teacher education. Further research is required to quantify these findings.

Emergency preparedness training preferences and perceived barriers to training among various healthcare providers and public health practitioners in Massachusetts.

Emergency preparedness training is vital to a wide range of healthcare and public health disciplines. Although agencies may try to tailor their training efforts based on perceived need, the topics and methods of instruction may be misguided, resulting in wasted effort and poor participation in training events. The objective of this study was to understand in a rigorous way, the training preferences and barriers to training among practitioners in Massachusetts. In August 2013, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health distributed an online survey to health professionals in Massachusetts regarding their emergency preparedness training topic preferences and any perceived barriers and challenges associated with obtaining this training. A total of 796 healthcare and public health professionals responded to the survey and answered some or all of the questions asked. The results of the survey identified important differences in preference for some topics based on a provider's practice location and discipline. However, Community Recovery and Community Preparedness were seen as desirable by all disciplines with more than 80 percent of respondents rating each of these issues as being highly important. Barriers to training were also assessed. Time spent away from work was the most commonly identified barrier (77.41 percent). Travel distance and financial constraints were also rated highly with scores of 65.48 and 63.71 percent, respectively. This study demonstrates important areas of agreement with respect to desired training topics and points out areas where providers in different disciplines and from different geographic areas may have differing educational preferences. Even within the limitation of this investigation, we expect that this study will be a valuable tool for those attempting to effectively target emergency preparedness training and structure course offerings in ways that minimize the impact of barriers to training.

Using HIV Surveillance Laboratory Data to Identify Out-of-Care Patients

HIV-associated laboratory tests reported to public health surveillance have been used as a proxy measure of care engagement of HIV+ individuals. As part of a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Initiative, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) worked with three pilot clinical facilities to identify HIV+ patients whose last HIV laboratory test occurred at the participating facility but who then appeared to be out of care, defined as an absence of HIV laboratory test results reported to MDPH for at least 6 months. The clinical facilities then reviewed medical records to determine whether these patients were actually not in care, or if there was another reason that they did not have a laboratory test performed, and provided feedback to MDPH on each of the presumed out-of-care patients. In the first year of the pilot project, 37% of patients who appeared to be out of care based on laboratory data were confirmed to be out of care after review of clinical health records. Of those patients who were confirmed to be out of care, 55% had a subsequent laboratory test within 3 months, and 72% had a laboratory test within 6 months, indicating that they had re-engaged with a care provider. MDPH found that it was essential to have clinical staff confirm the care status of patients who were presumed to be out of care based on surveillance data.

Impact of PCV13 on Serotype 3 Invasive Pneumococcal Disease and Nasopharyngeal Carriage in Massachusetts’ Children

BackgroundAlthough a substantial decline in overall vaccine serotype invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) incidence has been observed following immunization with PCV7 and subsequently PCV13, the reported effectiveness for individual vaccine serotypes has varied. Reported effectiveness of PCV13 for serotype 3 (ST3) disease has differed by study design and geography, with a wide range of estimates including zero. We assessed the impact of PCV13 on ST3 IPD cases and nasopharyngeal (NP) carriage in Massachusetts’ children.MethodsCases of ST3 IPD in children <18 years were identified via enhanced passive surveillance in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health from 2002 to 2016. NP Carriage of ST3 in children aged 3 months to <7 years was identified via an active surveillance network of pediatric practices in Massachusetts from 2007 to 2014. Annual incidence rates of ST3 IPD were calculated using US Census estimates as population denominators. Annual prevalence rates of carriage were calculated using the surveillance population. We compared age distribution, clinical syndromes, presence of comorbidities and vaccination status for IPD cases and age distribution of children with ST3 carriage before and after PCV13 implementation.ResultsOverall 47 cases of ST3 IPD were identified from 2002 to 2016; the incidence of ST3 IPD before and after PCV13 was 0.23 and 0.20 per 100,000 children respectively (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.13, 95% CI 0.62–2.05). There were no differences in age distribution, clinical syndrome or presence of comorbidities among ST3 IPD cases before and after PCV13. The majority (9/13) of post PCV13 ST3 IPD cases occurred among children who were fully vaccinated. No association was seen between date of last PCV13 dose and time of IPD to suggest waning immunity. Prevalence of ST3 carriage among children aged 3 months to <7 years before and after PCV13 implementation was 0.19 and 0.64 respectively (Prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.3, 95% CI 0.11–0.83).ConclusionSix years after PCV13 implementation, no significant changes in ST3 IPD incidence, age distribution, clinical syndrome or presence of comorbidity among cases in children <18 years of age were observed. An increase in NP carriage in children <7 years of age was observed.Disclosures K. M. Shea, Pfizer, Inc: Consultant and Grant Investigator, Consulting fee and Grant recipient; S. I. Pelton, Pfizer: Board Member and Grant Investigator, Consulting fee, Research grant and Speaker honorarium; Merck vaccines: Board Member, Consulting fee and Speaker honorarium; GSK: Board Member, Consulting fee and Speaker honorarium; Sequiris: Board Member, Consulting fee and Speaker honorarium

Characteristics of "American Snus" and Swedish Snus Products for Sale in Massachusetts, USA.

Snus may present lower health risks than cigarettes, but its harm reduction potential may be undermined if used dually with cigarettes. The likelihood of exclusive snus use compared with dual use may depend in part on the capacity of snus to deliver nicotine in doses that are satisfactory to smokers. We examined characteristics of "American snus" products, including nicotine levels, and compared to snus products that are more typical of Sweden. Tobacco industry reports for snus products submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for the year 2014 were used to assess moisture (%), pH, total nicotine, and unionized (free) nicotine (both mg/g and percent of total). A total of 14 ("American") snus products made by American manufacturers Philip Morris USA (n = 6), R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (n = 6), and US Smokeless Tobacco Company (n = 2), were compared with Swedish-style ("Swedish") snus products (n = 10) made by Swedish Match North America. Compared with Swedish snus, American snus brands contained significantly lower concentrations of unionized nicotine (median: 0.52 mg/g vs. 6.52 mg/g; p < .001) and proportion of unionized nicotine (median: 3.17% vs. 81.8%; p < .001). American snus brands also had significantly lower pH (median: 6.54 vs. 8.68; p < .001) and moisture (median: 30.3% vs. 53.4%; p < .001). Swedish-made snus has higher unionized nicotine, measured by concentration and proportion of total nicotine, compared with snus products made by American manufacturers. These findings suggest that American snus products have lower addiction potential than Swedish snus, and may be more likely to be used dually with cigarettes than as a sole source of nicotine. American snus products contain significantly lower unionized nicotine, lower pH, and lower moisture, compared with Swedish snus products. Snus addiction potential and patterns of usage, including co-use with cigarettes, may differ between American and Swedish snus products due to differences in snus product characteristics.

Sexually Transmitted Disease Program Evolution in Response to Changes in the Public Health Environment: A Massachusetts Example.

In 2008, the line item supporting sexually transmitted disease (STD) services in the Massachusetts state budget was cut as a result of budget shortfalls. Shortly thereafter, direct provision of STD clinical services supported by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) was suspended. Massachusetts Department of Public Health requested an initial assessment of its internal response and impact in 2010. A follow-up assessment occurred in September 2013. In 2010 and 2013, 39 and 46 staff, respectively, from MDPH and from clinical partner agencies, were interviewed about changes in the role of the MDPH, partnerships, STD services, challenges, and recommendations. Interview notes were summarized, analyzed, and synthesized by coauthors using qualitative analysis techniques and NVivo software. The withdrawal of state funding for STD services, and the subsequent reduction in clinical service hours, erected numerous barriers for Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS) seeking to ensure timely STD treatment for index cases and their partners. After initial instability, MDPH operations stabilized due partly to strong management, new staff, and intensified integration with human immunodeficiency virus services. Existing contracts with human immunodeficiency virus providers were leveraged to support alternative STD testing and care sites. Massachusetts Department of Public Health strengthened its clinical and epidemiologic expertise. The DIS expanded their scope of work and were outposted to select new sites. Challenges remained, however, such as a shortage of DIS staff to meet the needs. Although unique in many ways, MA offers experiences and lessons for how a state STD program can adapt to a changing public health context.

Hemovigilance in Massachusetts and the adoption of statewide hospital blood bank reporting using the National Healthcare Safety Network.

A collaboration that grew over time between local hemovigilance stakeholders and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) resulted in the change from a paper-based method of reporting adverse reactions and monthly transfusion activity for regulatory compliance purposes to statewide adoption of electronic reporting via the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). The NHSN is a web-based surveillance system that offers the capacity to capture transfusion-related adverse events, incidents, and monthly transfusion statistics from participating facilities. Massachusetts' hospital blood banks share the data they enter into NHSN with the MDPH to satisfy reporting requirements. Users of the NHSN Hemovigilance Module adhere to specified data entry guidelines, resulting in data that are comparable and standardized. Keys to successful statewide adoption of this reporting method include the fostering of strong partnerships with local hemovigilance champions and experts, engagement of regulatory and epidemiology divisions at the state health department, the leveraging of existing relationships with hospital NHSN administrators, and the existence of a regulatory deadline for implementation. Although limitations exist, successful implementation of statewide use of the NHSN Hemovigilance Module for hospital blood bank reporting is possible. The result is standardized, actionable data at both the hospital and state level that can facilitate interfacility comparisons, benchmarking, and opportunities for practice improvement.

Improving Prediction of Suicide and Accidental Death After Discharge From General Hospitals With Natural Language Processing.

Suicide represents the 10th leading cause of death across age groups in the United States (12.6 cases per 100 000) and remains challenging to predict. While many individuals who die by suicide are seen by physicians before their attempt, they may not seek psychiatric care. To determine the extent to which incorporating natural language processing of narrative discharge notes improves stratification of risk for death by suicide after medical or surgical hospital discharge. In this retrospective health care use study, clinical data were analyzed from individuals with discharges from 2 large academic medical centers between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2013. The primary outcome was suicide as a reported cause of death based on Massachusetts Department of Public Health records. Regression models for prediction of death by suicide or accidental death were compared relying solely on coded clinical data and those using natural language processing of hospital discharge notes. There were 845 417 hospital discharges represented in the cohort, including 458 053 unique individuals. Overall, all-cause mortality was 18% during 9 years, and the median follow-up was 5.2 years. The cohort included 235 (0.1%) who died by suicide during 2.4 million patient-years of follow-up. Positive valence reflected in narrative notes was associated with a 30% reduction in risk for suicide in models adjusted for coded sociodemographic and clinical features (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.58-0.85; P < .001) and improved model fit (χ22 = 14.843, P < .001 by log-likelihood test). The C statistic was 0.741 (95% CI, 0.738-0.744) for models of suicide with or without inclusion of accidental death. Multiple clinical features available at hospital discharge identified a cohort of individuals at substantially increased risk for suicide. Greater positive valence expressed in narrative discharge summaries was associated with substantially diminished risk. Automated tools to aid clinicians in evaluating these risks may assist in identifying high-risk individuals.

Validation of Random Sampling as an Estimation Procedure for Lyme Disease Surveillance in Massachusetts and Minnesota

Many disease surveillance programs, including the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Minnesota Department of Health, are challenged by marked increases in Lyme disease (LD) reports. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyse LD reports from 2005 through 2012 to determine whether key epidemiologic characteristics were statistically indistinguishable when an estimation procedure based on sampling was utilized. Estimates of the number of LD cases were produced by taking random 20% and 50% samples of laboratory-only reports, multiplying by 5 or 2, respectively, and adding the number of provider-reported confirmed cases. Estimated LD case counts were compared to observed, confirmed cases each year. In addition, the proportions of cases that were male, were ≤12years of age, had erythema migrans (EM), had any late manifestation of LD, had a specific late manifestation of LD (arthritis, cranial neuritis or carditis) or lived in a specific region were compared to the proportions of cases identified using standard surveillance to determine whether estimated proportions were representative of observed proportions. Results indicate that the estimated counts of confirmed LD cases were consistently similar to observed, confirmed LD cases and accurately conveyed temporal trends. Most of the key demographic and disease manifestation characteristics were not significantly different (P<0.05), although estimates for the 20% random sample demonstrated greater deviation than the 50% random sample. Applying this estimation procedure in endemic states could conserve limited resources by reducing follow-up effort while maintaining the ability to track disease trends.

Postpartum Laboratory Follow-up in Women With Hepatitis B in Massachusetts From 2007 to 2012.

To determine postpartum hepatitis B virus (HBV) laboratory testing rates and identify factors associated with a lack of follow-up testing in Massachusetts. Screening for HBV infection in pregnant women is standard of care. Guidelines recommend that patients with chronic HBV have ongoing care and laboratory testing, but little is known about postpartum maternal HBV care outcomes. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using Massachusetts Virtual Epidemiologic Network, an electronic public health surveillance system maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. We identified women who tested hepatitis B surface antigen positive during their first reported (index) pregnancy in Massachusetts from 2007 to 2012 and measured HBV-related laboratory tests reported to Massachusetts Department of Public Health during and after pregnancy. We identified 983 hepatitis B surface antigen positive pregnant women. Half (492/983) did not have evidence of additional postpartum HBV laboratory testing following their index pregnancy. Women who had postpartum laboratory tests reported were younger [mean age (SD): 29 (5.3) vs. 31 (5.5) y, P=0.0001] and more likely to have >1 pregnancy during the study period (41% vs. 1%, P<0.0001). There were no differences in race, ethnicity, and US born status. On multivariable logistic regression, older age predicted a lower likelihood of having postpartum laboratory testing (odds ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.70-0.90). Postpartum maternal HBV follow-up laboratory testing occurred in only half of Massachusetts women and did not vary by race, ethnicity, or US born status. Our results were limited to a single state surveillance database, which likely underestimates the number of tests ordered.

Adapting SBIRT for Batterer Intervention Program groups using motivational approaches

Background To present a public health initiative to adapt SBIRT for Batterer Intervention Programs (BIP) using Motivational Interviewing (MI) approaches. While studies concur that substance use is not the underlying cause of Interpersonal Violence (IPV), approximately 50% of men in BIP are reported to be using substances at unhealthy levels. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) initiated a pilot to address risky substance use in BIP participants, with the Institute for Health & Recovery (IHR), providing curriculum development, training, and technical assistance. The curriculum employs an innovative application of SBIRT designed for use in groups, allowing BIP group leaders to provide substance use health education to men in groups. Some studies indicate that MI can result in better engagement with participants than the typical directive, confrontational approaches often used with individuals involved with the criminal justice system. It uses MI strategies adapted to allow the group members to describe the benefits and costs of substance use themselves rather than a more traditional ‘health education’ lecture by a group leader. Validated single item screening tools, for alcohol and for other drugs, were completed in silence during the group, and open-ended questions were asked as the Brief Intervention; leaders were encouraged to ask permission before sharing information in order to give participants a greater sense of control and ownership of their place on the road to change.

Tobacco companies’ efforts to undermine ingredient disclosure: the Massachusetts benchmark study

ObjectivesTo assess the ‘Massachusetts Benchmark Study’ (MBS) that the tobacco companies presented to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) in 1999 in response to ingredient disclosure regulations in the...

Underascertainment of acute hepatitis C virus infections in the U.S. surveillance system: a case series and chart review.

In 2010, the incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the United States was estimated to be 17000 cases annually, based on 850 acute HCV cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by local public health authorities. Absence of symptomatic disease and lack of a specific laboratory test for acute infection complicates diagnosis and surveillance. To validate estimates of the incidence of acute HCV infection by determining the reporting rate of clinical diagnoses of acute infection to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Case series and chart review. Two hospitals and the state correctional health care system in Massachusetts. 183 patients clinically diagnosed with acute HCV infection from 2001 to 2011 and participating in a research study. Rate of electronic case reporting of acute HCV infection to the MDPH and rate of subsequent confirmation according to national case definitions. 149 of 183 (81.4%) clinical cases of acute HCV infection were reported to the MDPH for surveillance classification. The MDPH investigated 43 of these reports as potential acute cases of HCV infection based on their surveillance requirements; ultimately, only 1 met the national case definition and was counted in nationwide statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Discordance in clinical and surveillance classification was often related to missing clinical or laboratory data at the MDPH as well as restrictive definitions, including requirements for negative hepatitis A and B laboratory results. Findings may not apply to other jurisdictions because of differences in resources for surveillance. Clinical diagnoses of acute HCV infection were grossly underascertained by formal surveillance reporting. Incomplete clinician reporting, problematic case definitions, limitations of diagnostic testing, and imperfect data capture remain major limitations to accurate case ascertainment despite automated electronic laboratory reporting. These findings may have implications for national estimates of the incidence of HCV infection. National Institutes of Health.

Impact of Cardiac Cath Lab Organization on Process and Outcome Quality: A Case Study

Quality improvement must balance two conflicting objectives: process conformance and process re-engineering. Healthcare facility organization structure may favor one approach over the other. We examined whether cardiac cath labs that are open [permitting operators to work at other sites] or closed achieve faster door-to-balloon times [D2B] and lower in-hospital mortality. We used retrospective secondary data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on all 30,903 cath lab visits involving a percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI] in 4/1/03-12/31/04. Patient-level models were estimated for in-hospital mortality in all patients, and for D2B time in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI] patients, accounting for patient risk, hospital and operator PCI procedural volume.The parameters of interest were the effects of a lab’s closed status or the by the mean number of labs where an open lab’s operators worked across. In unadjusted analyses, the patients of closed labs had lower in-hospital mortality (1.0% vs. 1.7%, PPatients of closed and less open cath labs in Massachusetts were less likely to receive timely PCI, but not more or less likely to die in hospital. Hospital and operator PCI experience was inconsistently associated with D2B times. This case study’s findings support a broader search for the success factors of PCI quality beyond experience or site processes towards aspects of a lab’s organization and staffing pattern.

MDPHnet: secure, distributed sharing of electronic health record data for public health surveillance, evaluation, and planning.

Electronic health record systems contain clinically detailed data from large populations of patients that could significantly enrich public health surveillance. Clinical practices' security, privacy, and proprietary concerns, however, have limited their willingness to share these data with public health agencies. We describe a novel distributed network for public health surveillance called MDPHnet. The system allows the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) to initiate custom queries against participating practices' electronic health records while the data remain behind each practice's firewall. Practices can review proposed queries before execution and approve query results before releasing them to the health department. MDPH is using the system for routine surveillance for priority conditions and to evaluate the impact of public health interventions.

A health impact assessment of a proposed bill to decrease speed limits on local roads in Massachusetts (U.S.A.).

Decreasing traffic speeds increases the amount of time drivers have to react to road hazards, potentially averting collisions, and makes crashes that do happen less severe. Boston’s regional planning agency, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), conducted a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) that examined the potential health impacts of a proposed bill in the state legislature to lower the default speed limits on local roads from 30 miles per hour (mph) to 25 mph. The aim was to reduce vehicle speeds on local roads to a limit that is safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and children. The passage of this proposed legislation could have had far-reaching and potentially important public health impacts. Lower default speed limits may prevent around 18 fatalities and 1200 serious injuries to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians each year, as well as promote active transportation by making local roads feel more hospitable to cyclists and pedestrians. While a lower speed limit would increase congestion and slightly worsen air quality, the benefits outweigh the costs from both a health and economic perspective and would save the state approximately $62 million annually from prevented fatalities and injuries.