US Health System Research Articles

Organization of Cancer Specialists in US Physician Practices and Health Systems.

To describe the supply of cancer specialists, the organization of cancer care within versus outside of health systems, and the distance to multispecialty cancer centers. Using the 2018 Health Systems and Provider Database from the National Bureau of Economic Research and 2018 Medicare data, we identified 46,341 unique physicians providing cancer care. We stratified physicians by discipline (adult/pediatric medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgical/gynecologic oncologists, other surgeons performing cancer surgeries, or palliative care physicians), system type (National Cancer Institute [NCI] Cancer Center system, non-NCI academic system, nonacademic system, or nonsystem/independent practice), practice size, and composition (single disciplinary oncology, multidisciplinary oncology, or multispecialty). We computed the density of cancer specialists by county and calculated distances to the nearest NCI Cancer Center. More than half of all cancer specialists (57.8%) practiced in health systems, but 55.0% of cancer-related visits occurred in independent practices. Most system-based physicians were in large practices with more than 100 physicians, while those in independent practices were in smaller practices. Practices in NCI Cancer Center systems (95.2%), non-NCI academic systems (95.0%), and nonacademic systems (94.3%) were primarily multispecialty, while fewer independent practices (44.8%) were. Cancer specialist density was sparse in many rural areas, where the median travel distance to an NCI Cancer Center was 98.7 miles. Distances to NCI Cancer Centers were shorter for individuals living in high-income areas than in low-income areas, even for individuals in suburban and urban areas. Although many cancer specialists practiced in multispecialty health systems, many also worked in smaller-sized independent practices where most patients were treated. Access to cancer specialists and cancer centers was limited in many areas, particularly in rural and low-income areas.

Understanding the Spectrum of Esophageal Cancer Disparities

Esophageal cancer carries an immense burden of disease. Despite advances in cancer care, the survival rate of esophageal cancer has not significantly improved over the last 30 years. The burden of disease is greater on minorities, immigrants, and lower socioeconomic groups in the United States. Research has consistently shown that these communities suffer from persistently worse outcomes. Minorities are noted to have increased risk of developing esophageal cancer, have worse stage at presentation, and limited access to the newest advancements and best treatment options. The reason for these disparities is multifactorial and the US health system must address and correct the underlying reasons to ensure just health care for all.

The most common medications dispensed to lactating persons: An electronic health record-based approach.

Using a novel, electronic health record (EHR)-based approach, to estimate the prevalence of prescription medication use at 2, 4, and 6 months postpartum among lactating individuals. We utilized automated EHR data from a US health system that records infant feeding information at well-child visits. We linked mothers who received prenatal care to their infants born May 2018-June 2019, and we required infants to have ≥1 well-child visit between 31 and 90 days of life (i.e., 2-month well-child visit with a ±1 month window). Mothers were classified as lactating at the 2-month well-child visit if their infant received breast milk at the 2-month well-child visit. For subsequent well-child visits at 4 and 6 months, mothers were considered lactating if their infant was still receiving breast milk. We identified 6013 mothers meeting inclusion criteria, and 4158 (69.2%) were classified as lactating at the 2-month well-child visit. Among those classified as lactating, the most common medication classes dispensed around the 2-month well-child visit were oral progestin contraceptives (19.1%), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (8.8%), first generation cephalosporins (4.3%), thyroid hormones (3.5%), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (3.4%), penicillinase-resistant penicillins (3.1%), topical corticosteroids (2.9%), and oral imidazole-related antifungals (2.0%). The most common medication classes were similar around the 4 and 6-month well-child visits although prevalence estimates were often lower. Progestin-only contraceptives, antidepressants, and antibiotics were the most dispensed medications among lactating mothers. With routine collection of breastfeeding information, mother-infant linked EHR data may overcome limitations in previous studies of medication utilization during lactation. These data should be considered for studies of medication safety during lactation given the need for human safety data.

New Drugs for Obesity, Is the Excitement Affordable?

New Drugs for Obesity, Is the Excitement Affordable?

EE114 Cost-Effectiveness of Multiparametric MRI Compared to Liver Biopsy for the Detection of Nash Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Treated with Semaglutide

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an advanced stage of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and a common comorbidity in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (like semaglutide) are recommended for treating patients with T2D and NASH by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology. Liver biopsy is recommended for diagnosis of NASH but is invasive. Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) is a noninvasive alternative. We aimed to model and evaluate the life-time - liver mpMRI vs biopsy in the diagnosis of NASH among patients with T2D from the perspective of the US health system.

Effect of pandemic-related reductions in cancer care delivery on different US health systems.

e18811 Background: The Covid-19 pandemic caused unprecedented challenges in the diagnosis and evaluation of cancer. At the same time, cancer treatment was potentially impacted by significant constraints on patients and hospitals; however, the extent and differential influence on different hospital types is unknown. Our objective was to assess the patterns of treatment utilization to better characterize the impact of the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic on the US healthcare system. Methods: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried for patients treated for any type of malignancy diagnosed from 2018-2020. Autoregressive models were used to forecast expected findings for 2020 based on observations from the prior two years. Descriptive univariate statistics using chi-squared tests were performed to compare observed-to-expected findings for treatment utilization and losses in provided care in 2020. Results: Overall, 1,229,654 patients underwent treatment for any newly diagnosed cancer in the NCDB in 2020, representing a 16.8% reduction compared to what was expected. Stratified by treatment modality, 146,805 fewer patients than expected underwent surgery, 80,480 fewer received radiation and 68,014 fewer received chemotherapy. Reductions in treatment were examined by hospital type. Academic hospitals experienced the greatest reduction in provided care (-105,093 patients, -19%) compared to community programs (-72,432 patients, -14%) and integrated networks (-40,827 patients, -13%). However, there were fewer hospitals in the academic cohort which exaggerated the impact on each hospital. Thus, academic hospitals lost approximately 484 patients per hospital while community hospitals lost 99 patients and integrated networks lost 110 patients per hospital. The losses in provided care were most dramatic in terms of surgical care, as academic hospitals operated on 314 fewer patients per hospital (-20%) than expected while community hospitals on average operated on 69 fewer patients (-16%) and integrated networks 71 fewer patients (-14%). Conclusions: The impact of the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic on cancer treatment was heterogenous, resulting in nearly twice the number of missed surgical patients, compared to other treatment modalities. While all hospital types were affected by the pandemic, cancer care at academic hospitals experienced disproportionate reductions, with each hospital losing more than 4 times the number of treated patients than other hospital types. Continued efforts to recover from the strain of the pandemic on the US healthcare system will need to consider the complex influence of treatment declines across hospital types and different cancer service lines.

Can Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Be Surgically Cured?: Liver Histologic Comparison After Metabolic Surgery Versus Usual Care.

To compare histologic outcomes in patients with fibrotic nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and obesity after metabolic surgery versus nonsurgical care. There are no published data comparing the effects of metabolic surgery versus nonsurgical care on histologic progression of NASH. Repeat liver biopsies were performed in patients with body mass index >30kg/m 2 at a US health system whose baseline liver biopsy between 2004 and 2016 confirmed a histologic diagnosis of NASH including the presence of liver fibrosis, but without cirrhosis. Baseline characteristics of liver histology for patients who underwent simultaneous liver biopsy at the time of metabolic surgery were balanced with a nonsurgical control group using overlap weighting methods. The primary composite endpoint required both resolution of NASH and improvement of at least 1 fibrosis stage in the repeat liver biopsy. A total of 133 patients (42 metabolic surgery and 91 nonsurgical controls) had a repeat liver biopsy with a median interval of 2 years. Overlap weighting provided balance for baseline histologic disease activity, fibrosis stage, and time interval between liver biopsies. In overlap-weighted patients, 50.1% in the surgical and 12.1% in the nonsurgical group met the primary endpoint (odds ratio=7.3; 95% CI, 2.8-19.2, P <0.001). NASH resolution and fibrosis improvement occurred in 68.5% and 64.1% of surgical patients, respectively. Surgical and nonsurgical patients who met the primary endpoint lost more weight than their counterparts who did not meet the primary endpoint [mean weight loss difference in the surgical group: 12.2% (95% CI, 7.3%-17.2%) and in the nonsurgical group: 11.6% (95% CI, 6.2%-16.9%)]. Among patients with fibrotic noncirrhotic NASH, metabolic surgery resulted in simultaneous NASH resolution and fibrosis improvement in half of patients.

Latent Tuberculosis Infection Treatment Practices in Two Large Integrated Health Systems in California, 2009-2018.

Treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is highly effective at preventing active tuberculosis (TB) disease. Understanding LTBI treatment practices in US health system settings is critical to identify opportunities to improve treatment prescription, initiation, and completion, and thus to prevent TB disease. We assessed LTBI treatment practices among a cohort of adults after their first positive LTBI test (tuberculin skin test [TST] or interferon gamma release assay [IGRA]) between 2009 and 2018 at 2 large integrated health systems in California. We described the prescription, initiation, and completion of LTBI treatment (isoniazid [INH], rifampin, and rifamycin-INH short-course combinations) by demographic and clinical characteristics. We used multivariable robust Poisson regression to examine factors that were independently associated with treatment prescription and completion. Among 79 302 individuals with a positive LTBI test, 33.0% were prescribed LTBI treatment, 28.3% initiated treatment, and 18.5% completed treatment. Most individuals were prescribed INH (82.0%), but treatment completion was higher among those prescribed rifamycin-INH short-course combinations (69.6% for INH + rifapentine and 70.3% for INH + rifampin) compared with those prescribed INH (56.3%) or rifampin (56.6%). In adjusted analyses, treatment prescription and completion were associated with older age, female sex, more comorbidities, immunosuppression, not being born in a high-TB incidence country, and testing positive with IGRA vs TST. LTBI treatment is underutilized, requiring tailored interventions to support treatment prescription and completion for patients with LTBI.

Access to Healthcare Among US Adult Refugees: A Systematic Qualitative Review.

Refugees encounter numerous healthcare access barriers in host countries, leading to lower utilization rates and poorer health outcomes. In the US, social inequities and fragmented health systems may exacerbate these disparities. Understanding these factors is necessary to ensure equitable care of refugee populations. A systematic literature review of qualitative studies on US adult refugee healthcare access from January 2000 to June 2021 was performed in accordance with PRISMA. Studies were analyzed deductively and then inductively to incorporate previous findings in other resettlement countries and emergence of US-specific themes. 64 articles representing 16+ countries of origin emerged from the final analysis, yielding nine interrelated themes related to health literacy, cost of services, cultural beliefs, and social supports, among others. The main challenges to refugees' healthcare access emerge from the interactions of care fragmentation with adverse social determinants. Given diverse barriers, integrated care models are recommended in treating refugee populations.

Hospital Capacity Command Centers: A Benchmarking Survey on an Emerging Mechanism to Manage Patient Flow.

Delayed hospital and emergency department (ED) patient throughput, which occurs when demand for inpatient care exceeds hospital capacity, is a critical threat to safety, quality, and hospital financial performance. In response, many hospitals are deploying capacity command centers (CCCs), which co-locate key work groups and aggregate real-time data to proactively manage patient flow. Only a narrow body of peer-reviewed articles have characterized CCCs to date. To equip health system leaders with initial insights into this emerging intervention, the authors sought to survey US health systems to benchmark CCC motivations, design, and key performance indicators. An online survey on CCC design and performance was administered to members of a hospital capacity management consortium, which included a convenience sample of capacity leaders at US health systems (N = 38). Responses were solicited through a targeted e-mail campaign. Results were summarized using descriptive statistics. The response rate was 81.6% (31/38). Twenty-five respondents were operating CCCs, varying in scope (hospital, region of a health system, or entire health system) and number of beds managed. The most frequent motivation for CCC implementation was reducing ED boarding (n = 24). The most common functions embedded in CCCs were bed management (n = 25) and interhospital transfers (n = 25). Eighteen CCCs (72.0%) tracked financial return on investment (ROI); all reported positive ROI. This survey addresses a gap in the literature by providing initial aggregate data for health system leaders to consider, plan, and benchmark CCCs. The researchers identify motivations for, functions in, and key performance indicators used to assess CCCs. Future research priorities are also proposed.

Implementing Mailed Colorectal Cancer Fecal Screening Tests in Real-World Primary Care Settings: Promising Implementation Practices and Opportunities for Improvement

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening reduces morbidity and mortality, but screening rates in the USA remain suboptimal. The Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) was established in 2009 to increase screening among groups disproportionately affected. The CRCCP utilizes implementation science to support health system change as a strategy to reduce disparities in CRC screening by directing resources to primary care clinics to implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs) proven to increase CRC screening. As COVID-19 continues to impede in-person healthcare visits and compel the unpredictable redirection of clinic priorities, understanding clinics’ adoption and implementation of EBIs into routine care is crucial. Mailed fecal testing is an evidence-based screening approach that offers an alternative to in-person screening tests and represents a promising approach to reduce CRC screening disparities. However, little is known about how mailed fecal testing is implemented in real-world settings. In this retrospective, cross-sectional analysis, we assessed practices around mailed fecal testing implementation in 185 clinics across 62 US health systems. We sought to (1) determine whether clinics that do and do not implement mailed fecal testing differ with respect to characteristics (e.g., type, location, and proportion of uninsured patients) and (2) identify implementation practices among clinics that offer mailed fecal testing. Our findings revealed that over half (58%) of clinics implemented mailed fecal testing. These clinics were more likely to have a CRC screening policy than clinics that did not implement mailed fecal testing (p = 0.007) and to serve a larger patient population (p = 0.004), but less likely to have a large proportion of uninsured patients (p = 0.01). Clinics that implemented mailed fecal testing offered it in combination with EBIs, including patient reminders (92%), provider reminders (94%), and other activities to reduce structural barriers (95%). However, fewer clinics reported having the leadership support (58%) or funding stability (29%) to sustain mailed fecal testing. Mailed fecal testing was widely implemented alongside other EBIs in primary care clinics participating in the CRCCP, but multiple opportunities for enhancing its implementation exist. These include increasing the proportion of community health centers/federally qualified health centers offering mailed screening; increasing the proportion that provide pre-paid return mail supplies with the screening kit; increasing the proportion of clinics monitoring both screening kit distribution and return; ensuring patients with abnormal tests can obtain colonoscopy; and increasing sustainability planning and support.

Uptake of non-statin lipid-lowering therapies for secondary prevention in community practice

Nearly two-thirds of individuals with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) do not reach target low-density lipoprotein cholesterol despite statin therapy. Three novel lipid-lowering therapies have proven to further reduce ASCVD beyond statins, including: ezetimibe, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9i), and icosapent ethyl. This study evaluated the use of these three agents in 728,423 individuals with ASCVD from 89 US health systems from 01/2018 through 03/2021 using the electronic health record. As of 2021, only 6.0% of ASCVD patients were on ezetimibe, 1.6% were on a PCSK9i, and 1.3% on icosapent ethyl, with utilization only marginally increasing over the study period. Addressing the underutilization of non-statin lipid-lowering therapy for secondary prevention is a critical step in improving the treatment gap of patients with residual risk of ASCVD.

Makeshift medicine is a response to US health system failures.

Makeshift medicine is a response to US health system failures.

"Are we there yet?" Ten persistent hazards and inefficiencies with the use of medication administration technology from the perspective of practicing nurses.

(1) Characterize persistent hazards and inefficiencies in inpatient medication administration; (2) Explore cognitive attributes of medication administration tasks; and (3) Discuss strategies to reduce medication administration technology-related hazards. Interviews were conducted with 32 nurses practicing at 2 urban, eastern and western US health systems. Qualitative analysis using inductive and deductive coding included consensus discussion, iterative review, and coding structure revision. We abstracted hazards and inefficiencies through the lens of risks to patient safety and the cognitive perception-action cycle (PAC). Persistent safety hazards and inefficiencies related to MAT organized around the PAC cycle included: (1) Compatibility constraints create information silos; (2) Missing action cues; (3) Intermittent communication flow between safety monitoring systems and nurses; (4) Occlusion of important alerts by other, less helpful alerts; (5) Dispersed information: Information required for tasks is not collocated; (6) Inconsistent data organization: Mismatch of the display and the user's mental model; (7) Hidden medication administration technologies (MAT) limitations: Inaccurate beliefs about MAT functionality contribute to overreliance on the technology; (8) Software rigidity causes workarounds; (9) Cumbersome dependencies between technology and the physical environment; and (10) Technology breakdowns require adaptive actions. Errors might persist in medication administration despite successful Bar Code Medication Administration and Electronic Medication Administration Record deployment for reducing errors. Opportunities to improve MAT require a deeper understanding of high-level reasoning in medication administration, including control over the information space, collaboration tools, and decision support. Future medication administration technology should consider a deeper understanding of nursing knowledge work for medication administration.

Seasonal variation in blood pressure control across US health systems.

We aimed to characterize seasonal variation in US population-based blood pressure (BP) control and BP-related metrics and evaluate the association between outdoor temperature and BP control variation. We queried electronic health records (EHRs) from 26 health systems, representing 21 states, to summarize BP metrics by quarters of 12-month periods from January 2017 to March 2020. Patients with at least one ambulatory visit during the measurement period and a hypertension diagnosis during the first 6 months or prior to the measurement period were included. Changes in BP control, BP improvement, medication intensification, average SBP reduction after medication intensification across quarters and association with outdoor temperature were analyzed using weighted generalized linear models with repeated measures. Among 1 818 041 people with hypertension, the majority were more than 65 years of age (52.2%), female (52.1%), white non-Hispanic (69.8%) and had stage 1/2 hypertension (64.8%). Overall, BP control and process metrics were highest in quarters 2 and 3, and lowest in quarters 1 and 4. Quarter 2 had the highest percentage of improved BP (31.95 ± 0.90%) and average SBP reduction after medication intensification (16 ± 0.23 mmHg). Quarter 3 had the highest percentage of BP controlled (62.25 ± 2.55%) and lowest with medication intensification (9.73 ± 0.60%). Results were largely consistent in adjusted models. Average temperature was associated with BP control metrics in unadjusted models, but associations were attenuated following adjustment. In this large, national, EHR-based study, BP control and BP-related process metrics improved during spring/summer months, but outdoor temperature was not associated with performance following adjustment for potential confounders.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Outcomes in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients on Hemodialysis Requiring Midodrine

BackgroundPatients with dialysis-dependent end-stage renal disease (ESRD) taking midodrine may be at high risk for poor outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). We evaluated dialysis-dependent ESRD patients taking midodrine. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of non-clinical trial TAVR patients from February 2012 to December 2020 from 11 facilities in a Western US health system. Patient groups included ESRD patients on midodrine before TAVR (ESRD [+M]), ESRD patients without midodrine (ESRD [−M]), and non-ESRD patients. The endpoints of 30-day and 1-year mortality were represented by Kaplan–Meier survival estimator and compared by log-rank test. ResultsForty-five ESRD (+M), 216 ESRD (−M), and 6898 non-ESRD patients were included. ESRD patients had more comorbid conditions, despite no significant difference in predicted Society of Thoracic Surgeons mortality risk between ESRD (+M) and ESRD (−M) (8.7% vs. 9.2%, p = 0.491). Thirty-day mortality was significantly higher for ESRD (+M) patients vs. ESRD (−M) patients (20.1% vs. 5.6%, p = 0.001) and for ESRD (+M) vs. non-ESRD patients (2.5%, p < 0.001). One-year mortality trended higher for ESRD (+M) vs. ESRD (−M) patients (41.9% vs. 29.8%, p = 0.07), and was significantly higher for ESRD (+M) vs. non-ESRD patients (10.7%, p < 0.001). Compared to ESRD (−M), ESRD (+M) patients had a higher incidence of 30-day stroke (6.7% vs. 1.4%, p = 0.033), 30-day vascular complications (6.7% vs. 0.9%, p = 0.011), and a lower rate of discharge to home (62.2% vs. 84.7%, p < 0.001). In contrast, ESRD (−M) patients had no significant differences from non-ESRD patients for these outcomes. ConclusionsOur experience suggests ESRD patients on midodrine are a higher acuity population with worse survival after TAVR, compared to ESRD patients not on midodrine. These findings may help with risk stratification for ESRD patients undergoing TAVR.

Evaluation of behavioral economic strategies to raise influenza vaccination rates across a health system: Results from a randomized clinical trial

Influenza vaccination rates are low. Working with a large US health system, we evaluated three health system-wide interventions using the electronic health record's patient portal to improve influenza vaccination rates. We performed a two-arm RCT with a nested factorial design within the treatment arm, randomizing patients to usual-care control (no portal interventions) or to one or more portal interventions. We included all patients within this health system during the 2020–2021 influenza vaccination season, which overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the patient portal, we simultaneously tested: pre-commitment messages (sent September 2020, asking patients to commit to a vaccination); monthly portal reminders (October – December 2020), direct appointment scheduling (patients could self-schedule influenza vaccination at multiple sites); and pre-appointment reminder messages (sent before scheduled primary care appointments, reminding patients about influenza vaccination). The main outcome measure was receipt of influenza vaccine (10/01/2020–03/31/2021). We randomized 213,773 patients (196,070 adults ≥18 years, 17,703 children). Influenza vaccination rates overall were low (39.0%). Vaccination rates for study arms did not differ: Control (38.9%), pre-commitment vs no pre-commitment (39.2%/38.9%), direct appointment scheduling yes/no (39.1%/39.1%), pre-appointment reminders yes/no (39.1%/39.1%); p > 0.017 for all comparisons (p value cut-off adjusted for multiple comparisons). After adjusting for age, gender, insurance, race, ethnicity, and prior influenza vaccination, none of the interventions increased vaccination rates. We conclude that patient portal interventions to remind patients to receive influenza vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic did not raise influenza immunization rates. More intensive or tailored interventions are needed beyond portal innovations to increase influenza vaccination.

Recall patterns and risk of primary liver cancer for subcentimeter ultrasound liver observations: a multicenter study

Patients with cirrhosis and subcentimeter lesions on liver ultrasound are recommended to undergo short-interval follow-up ultrasound because of the presumed low risk of primary liver cancer (PLC). The aim of this study is to characterize recall patterns and risk of PLC in patients with subcentimeter liver lesions on ultrasound. We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study among patients with cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis B infection who had subcentimeter ultrasound lesions between January 2017 and December 2019. We excluded patients with a history of PLC or concomitant lesions ≥1cm in diameter. We used Kaplan Meier and multivariable Cox regression analyses to characterize time-to-PLC and factors associated with PLC, respectively. Of 746 eligible patients, most (66.0%) had a single observation, and the median diameter was 0.7cm (interquartile range: 0.5-0.8cm). Recall strategies varied, with only 27.8% of patients undergoing guideline-concordant ultrasound within 3-6 months. Over a median follow-up of 26 months, 42 patients developed PLC (39 HCC and 3 cholangiocarcinoma), yielding an incidence of 25.7 cases (95% CI, 6.2-47.0) per 1000 person-years, with 3.9% and 6.7% developing PLC at 2 and 3 years, respectively. Factors associated with time-to-PLC were baseline alpha-fetoprotein >10ng/mL (HR: 4.01, 95% CI, 1.85-8.71), platelet count ≤150 (HR: 4.90, 95% CI, 1.95-12.28), and Child-Pugh B cirrhosis (vs. Child-Pugh A: HR: 2.54, 95% CI, 1.27-5.08). Recall patterns for patients with subcentimeter liver lesions on ultrasound varied widely. The low risk of PLC in these patients supports short-interval ultrasound in 3-6 months, although diagnostic CT/MRI may be warranted for high-risk subgroups such as those with elevated alpha-fetoprotein levels.

Change in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Testing in the Intensive Care Unit as an Antimicrobial Stewardship Initiative.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-associated infections are a cause of morbidity and mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU). Vancomycin is a treatment option but is not without risks. Methods: A MRSA testing change-the switch from culture to polymerase chain reaction-was implemented at 2 adult (tertiary and community) ICUs located in a Midwestern US health system. Data from 2016 to 2020 were included in the study, and the median change in time to test results was examined. Results: During the study period, 71% of 19,975 patients seen at the 2 ICUs received MRSA testing. In the preintervention period, 91% and 99% of patients at the tertiary and community hospitals received testing via culture, respectively. Culture testing was used 1% and ∼0% of the time at the tertiary and community hospitals, respectively, in the postintervention period. A counterfactual estimate showed 36 (95% credible interval [CrI], 35, 37) and 32 (95% CrI, 31, 33) fewer hours until results were available at the tertiary and community hospitals, respectively. Conclusion: After the testing change, MRSA results were available in less time. Obtaining results sooner can assist with antimicrobial stewardship through the potential delay in initiating therapies such as vancomycin and/or quicker de-escalation of such therapies.

Opportunistic screening for low bone density using abdominopelvic computed tomography scans.

While low bone density is a major burden on US health system, current osteoporosis screening guidelines by the US Preventive Services Task Force are limited to women aged ≥65 and all postmenopausal women with certain risk factors. Even within recommended screening groups, actual screening rates are low (<26%) and vary across socioeconomic groups. The proposed model can opportunistically screen patients using abdominal CT studies for low bone density who may otherwise go undiagnosed. To develop an artificial intelligence (AI) model for opportunistic screening of low bone density using both contrast and non-contrast abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) exams, for the purpose of referral to traditional bone health management, which typically begins with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). We collected 6083 contrast-enhanced CT imaging exams paired with DXA exams within ±6 months documented between May 2015 and August 2021 in a single institution with four major healthcare practice regions. Our fusion AI pipeline receives the coronal and axial plane images of a contrast enhanced abdominopelvic CT exam and basic patient demographics (age, gender, body cross section lengths) to predict risk of low bone mass. The models were trained on lumbar spine T-scores from DXA exams and tested on multi-site imaging exams. The model was again tested in a prospective group (N=344) contrast-enhanced and non-contrast-enhanced studies. The models were evaluated on the same test set (1208 exams)-(1) Baseline model using demographic factors from electronic medical records (EMR) - 0.7 area under the curve of receiver operator characteristic (AUROC); Imaging based models: (2) axial view - 0.83 AUROC; (3) coronal view- 0.83 AUROC; (4) Fusion model-Imaging + demographic factors - 0.86 AUROC. The prospective test yielded one missed positive DXA case with a hip prosthesis among 23 positive contrast-enhanced CT exams and 0% false positive rate for non-contrast studies. Both positive cases among non-contrast enhanced CT exams were successfully detected. While only about 8% patients from prospective study received a DXA exam within 2 years, about 30% were detected with low bone mass by the fusion model, highlighting the need for opportunistic screening. The fusion model, which combines two planes of CT images and EMRs data, outperformed individual models and provided a high, robust diagnostic performance for opportunistic screening of low bone density using contrast and non-contrast CT exams. This model could potentially improve bone health risk assessment with no additional cost. The model's handling of metal implants is an ongoing effort.