The American journal of managed care
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To investigate the effects of discharge opioid supply after surgery for musculoskeletal injury on subsequent opioid use. ⋯ After surgery for musculoskeletal injury, patients discharged by residents who prescribe greater supplies of opioid pain medications received higher supplies of opioids 7 to 8 months after surgery than patients discharged by residents who tend to prescribe less. Thus, limiting postoperative supplies of opioid pain medication may help reduce chronic opioid use.
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Observational Study
Predicting hospitalizations for patients with chronic kidney disease.
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at higher risk of being admitted to the hospital than the general population. Hospitalizations in patients with CKD are associated with higher medical costs and increased morbidity and mortality. Identification of patients with CKD who are at greatest risk of hospitalization may hold promise to improve clinical outcomes and enable judicious allocation of health care resources. ⋯ We developed an algorithm that uses medical claims to identify Medicare patients with CKD stages 3 to 5 who are at highest risk of being hospitalized in the near term. This algorithm could be used as a decision support tool for clinical programs focusing on management of patient populations with CKD.
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This commentary explores what matters to patients and their experience through an equity lens, with action points and recommendations given the current health care environment.