Background: Increasing numbers of women veterans (WV) present an organizational challenge to a healthcare system that primarily serves men. WV use reproductive services traditionally not provided by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Objective: Examine the association of organizational factors and adoption of comprehensive women’s health (WH) care in the VHA. Study Design: Cross-sectional secondary analysis of the 2007 VHA Survey of Women’s Veterans Health Programs and Practices. Methods: Dependent measures were (a) model of women’s health care: separate women’s health clinic (WHC), designated women’s health provider within primary care (DWHP), both (WHC/DWHP), or neither and (b) availability of five basic WH services: cervical cancer screening and evaluation and management of: vaginitis, menstrual disorders, contraception and menopause. Exposure variables were organizational factors drawn from an adaptation of the Greenhalgh model of diffusion of innovations including structural factors, measures of absorptive capacity and system readiness for innovation. Results: Compared to sites with DWHP or neither, WHC and WHC/DWHP were more likely at facilities with: a gynecology clinic, an academic affiliation, a WH representative on high impact committee, and a greater number of WV. Academic affiliation and high impact committee remained significant in multivariable analysis. All five basic WH services were more likely to be offered at sites with WHC or WHC/DWHP, remaining significant after adjusting for organizational factors. Conclusion: Facilities that adopt WHC are associated with greater absorptive capacity (academic affiliation and WH representation on high-impact committees) and are more likely to deliver basic WH services. Separate WHCs may promote more comprehensive care for WV.

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Background: Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for severe obesity, resulting in much larger and longer-lasting weight loss compared with those seen with other treatment options. It also results in significant improvements in several weight-related comorbidities. Despite these favorable outcomes, bariatric surgery remains underused in the United States. Objective: The goal of this dissertation was to investigate the impact of insurance-related factors on the access and utilization of bariatric procedures. The goal was achieved via three studies. The first study examined temporal changes in patient characteristics and insurer type mix among adult bariatric surgery patients in Southeastern Pennsylvania, as well as the associations between payer type, insurance plan type, cost-sharing arrangements (among traditional Medicare beneficiaries), and bariatric surgery utilization. The second study investigated whether there is an association between precertification criteria, such as 3-6 months preoperative supervised medical weight management (MWM), and documented 2-year weight history and the likelihood of undergoing bariatric surgery. The third study examined whether there is an association between insurance-mandated MWM requirement, as well as cardiology and pulmonology evaluations and short-term inpatient healthcare utilization. Data Source: Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council’s (PHC4) databases in Southeastern Pennsylvania during 2014-2018. Study Population: In Study 1, all adult patients in the PHC4 dataset who underwent the most common types of bariatric surgery during 2014-2018 (N = 14,348) and a 1:1 matched sample of surgery patients and those who were eligible for surgery but did not undergo surgery were identified. In Study 2, privately insured patients within the PHC4 dataset who underwent bariatric surgery in 2016 and individuals who met the eligibility criteria but did not undergo surgery were identified and 1:1 matched (N = 1,054). The population of Study 3 consisted of all adult patients within the PHC4 dataset with a diagnosis of severe obesity who underwent the most common bariatric surgical procedures in 2016 and for whom the insurance-mandated precertification requirements were known (N = 2,717). Results: Over the five years, there was an increase in the proportion of Black individuals (37.1% in 2014 vs 43.0% in 2018), Hispanics (5.4% vs 8.0%), and Medicaid beneficiaries (18.5% in 2014 vs 26.9% in 2018) who underwent surgery. The odds of undergoing bariatric surgery based on payer type were statistically different (22% smaller odds) only between Medicare beneficiaries compared to privately insured individuals. There were significantly different odds of undergoing surgery based on insurance plan type within Medicare and private insurance payer categories. Individuals with traditional Medicare plans with no supplementary insurance and those with dual eligibility had smaller odds of undergoing surgery (42% and 32%, respectively) compared to those with private secondary insurance. The insurance requirement for 3-6 months MWM was associated with smaller odds of undergoing surgery (odds ratio [OR] = 0.459, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.253 to 0.832, P = 0.010), after controlling for insurance plan type and the requirement for documented weight history. The documented weight history requirement was not a significant predictor of the odds of undergoing surgery (P = 0.132). The requirement for MWM, as well as pulmonology and cardiology examinations, were not associated with the patient length of stay, the number of all-cause rehospitalizations, and the number of all-cause rehospitalization days, after adjusting for patient age, sex, race, ethnicity, the Elixhauser Comorbidity Score, type of the surgery, facility where the surgery was performed, primary payer type, and the estimated median household income. The absence of the precertification requirement for pulmonology and cardiology evaluations was associated with smaller odds of rehospitalizations with common cardiac and pulmonary conditions during the study period, (OR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.80, P = 0.008), after controlling for patient age, sex, race, ethnicity, estimated median household income, and the Elixhauser Comorbidity Score. Conclusions and Significance: Medicaid expansion in Pennsylvania appears to have improved access to bariatric surgery among Black and Hispanic individuals. Nevertheless, insurance plan type, cost-sharing arrangements, and precertification requirements, such as insurance-mandated 3-6 months of MWM requirement, remain key determinants for the access and utilization of bariatric surgery. Additionally, the MWM requirement, as well as the preoperative cardiology and pulmonology evaluations, were not associated with a reduction in inpatient healthcare utilization during the first postoperative year. Careful examination of the bariatric surgery benefit design and application of value-based insurance design to bariatric surgery may improve the access to this potentially life-saving surgery for many Americans. / Public Health

Health challenges changed over the course of the twentieth century to produce a population with growing care needs. As healthcare systems attempt to minimize the cost of this care, they have incentivized families to become informal caregivers for their loved ones. However this change has led to strain on caregivers. Caregiver burden has far ranging consequences on the health and wellness of the caregiver. In this paper I explore how the application of traditional medical ethics is insufficient to address these challenging dynamics, and that a relational ethics lens may elucidate more sustainable care practices. / Urban Bioethics

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