Journal of general internal medicine
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Multicenter Study
Improved Utilization of Serial Testing Without Increased Admissions after Implementation of High-Sensitivity Troponin I: a Controlled Retrospective Cohort Study.
Guidelines recommend high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) for diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Use of hs-cTn is increasing across the U.S., but questions remain regarding clinical and operational impact. Prior studies have had methodologic limitations and yielded conflicting results. ⋯ Implementation of a hs-cTn intervention bundle was associated with an improvement in serial cTn testing, a neutral effect on probability of hospital admission, and a modest increase in ED LOS.
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Multicenter Study
The Early HOSPITAL Score to Predict 30-Day Readmission Soon After Hospitalization: a Prospective Multicenter Study.
The simplified HOSPITAL score is an easy-to-use prediction model to identify patients at high risk of 30-day readmission before hospital discharge. An earlier stratification of this risk would allow more preparation time for transitional care interventions. ⋯ The early HOSPITAL score performs, at least similarly, in identifying patients at high risk for 30-day unplanned readmission and allows a readmission risk stratification early during the hospital stay. Therefore, this new version offers a timely preparation of transition care interventions to the patients who may benefit the most.
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At morbidity and mortality (M&M) conferences, medical teams review cases for medical education and system improvement. Adverse outcomes are often driven by social inequity, but processes to analyze such outcomes are lacking. ⋯ Equity M&M conferences are a structured tool for deconstructing and confronting structural inequity that leads to adverse patient outcomes. Evaluations demonstrate educational impact on participants. Anecdotal examples suggest institutional impact. Other health systems could adopt this model for similar advocacy and system improvement.
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Hypertension management is complex in older adults. Recent advances in remote patient monitoring (RPM) have warranted evaluation of RPM use and patient outcomes. ⋯ RPM use was associated with substantial reductions in hazards of mortality and hospitalization outcomes with an increase in cardiovascular-related outpatient visits.
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In patients with new-onset heart failure (HF), coronary artery disease (CAD) testing remains underutilized. Whether widespread CAD testing in patients with new-onset HF leads to improved outcomes remains to be determined. ⋯ In a contemporary and diverse cohort of patients hospitalized with new-onset HFrEF, CAD testing within 90 days of hospitalization was associated with a lower risk of HF readmission or all-cause mortality. Testing within 90 days after discharge was not associated with worse outcomes.