JAMA network open
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In 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services introduced mandatory bundled payments for knee and hip replacement surgical procedures among traditional Medicare (TM) patients in randomly selected areas. The association of bundled payments with outcomes among patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) is not known. ⋯ In this study, the first 18 months of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services bundled payment program for joint replacement surgery were associated with reductions in the use of institutional PAC among MA patients. Past evaluations of bundled payments that focused on TM patients may not have measured the full consequences of this alternative payment model.
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Since the introduction of the rehospitalization rate as a quality measure, multiple changes have taken place in the US health care delivery system. Interpreting rehospitalization rates without taking a global view of these changes and new data elements from comprehensive electronic medical records yields a limited assessment of the quality of care. ⋯ This study found that in this integrated system, the hospitalization rate decreased and risk-adjusted hospital outcomes improved steadily over the 7.5-year study period despite worsening case mix. The comprehensive results suggest that future assessments of care quality should consider the implications of numerator and denominator definitions, display multiple metrics concurrently, and include all hospitalization types and detailed data.
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Observational Study
Association of Dietary Patterns in Midlife and Cognitive Function in Later Life in US Adults Without Dementia.
The association of dietary patterns, or the combinations of different foods that people eat, with cognitive change and dementia is unclear. ⋯ This study found that the dietary pattern of US adults at midlife was not associated with processing speed, word fluency, memory, or incident dementia in later life.
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In patients with probable dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), overlapping Alzheimer disease pathology is frequent and is associated with faster decline and shorter survival. More than half of patients with DLB have elevated β-amyloid levels on carbon-11 labeled Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) positron emission tomography, but the trajectory of longitudinal β-amyloid accumulation and its associations with clinical and cognitive decline in DLB are not known. ⋯ In this study, the rate of change in PiB SUVR among participants with probable DLB increased, peaked, and then decreased, which was similar to the trajectory in cognitively unimpaired participants and the Alzheimer disease dementia continuum. Higher baseline PiB SUVR and change in PiB SUVR were associated with more rapid clinical and cognitive decline over time. Measuring the change in PiB SUVR has implications for designing anti-β-amyloid randomized clinical trials for individuals with probable DLB.
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Little is known about the timing of urologic interventions in patients with renal colic discharged from the emergency department. Understanding patients' likelihood of a subsequent urologic intervention could inform decision-making in this population. ⋯ In this cohort study, most adult patients younger than 65 years who were discharged from the emergency department with a diagnosis of renal colic did not undergo a procedure or see a urologist within 60 days. This finding has implications for both the emergency department and outpatient treatment of these patients.