Background: The rising cost of health care in relation to rehospitalizations continues to be a challenge. Medicare 30-day readmissions have an annual estimated cost of $17.4 billion. Irrespective of these costs and the continued improvement in the quality of care, skilled nursing facilities (SNF) still face high readmission rates. Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to enhance SNF care processes by improving the utilization of the electronic medical record software program “INTERACT” to increase early identification and treatments of patients to minimize 30-day hospital readmissions. Theoretical Framework: The theory of planned behavior by Icek Azjen was used. Methods: Project design: This project used a pretest and posttest design to assess for improvement in the use of the INTERACT tools and increased nursing proficiency after participating in a 45-minute INTERACT training session. A 60-day retrospective and prospective rehospitalization rates data were also compared. Results: After the training, there was a statistically significant improvement in the number of nurses using the INTERACT tool. The two-tailed paired sample t-test result showed a significant difference in the use of the INTERACT clinical decision support tools: Pretest (M = 2.08, SD = 0.88) and posttest (M = 1.33, SD = 0.63), t(23) = 3.30, p = .003. There was no statistical difference in the proficiency of nurses post the training. This result is associated to probable data loss and/or limited time for data collection. Although a 15% decrease in SNFs rehospitalizations rates was noted, there is no direct causative explanation that increased nurses use of the tool significantly contributed to the reduction in rehospitalization rates among other factors. Conclusion: The INTERACT program has contributed by improving early identification and treatment of patients and facilitated improved patient outcomes and nursing care processes. It is assumed that as nurses begin to build up their use of the INTERACT support tools, this tool will result in an increase in proficiency, which will increase responsiveness to change in condition and a corresponding decrease in avoidable rehospitalizations.

No description available.

Background: Unplanned readmission has gained increasing interest as a quality marker for inpatient care, as it is associated with patient mortality and higher economic costs. Spinal neurosurgery is characterized by a lack of epidemiologic readmission data. The aim of this study was to identify causes and predictors for unplanned readmissions related to index diagnoses and surgical procedures. Methods: In this study, from 2015 to 2017, spinal neurosurgical procedures were recorded for surgical and non-surgical treated patients. The main reasons for an unplanned readmission within 30 days following discharge were identified. Multivariate logarithmic regression revealed predictors of unplanned readmission. Results: A total of 1172 patient records were examined, of which 4.27% disclosed unplanned readmissions. Among the surgical patients, the readmission rate was 4.06%, mainly attributable to surgical site infections, while it was 5.06% for the non-surgical patients, attributable to uncontrolled pain. A night-time surgery presented as the independent predictive factor. Conclusion: In the heterogeneous group of spinal neurosurgical patients, stratification into diagnostic groups is necessary for statistical analysis. Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis and spinal abscesses are mainly affected by unplanned readmission. The surgical procedure dorsal root ganglion stimulation is an independent predictor of unplanned re-hospitalizations, as is the timing of surgery.

No description available.

No description available.

The healthcare system has been placed under an enormous burden by the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. In addition to the challenge of providing sufficient care for COVID-19 patients, there is also a need to ensure adequate care for non-COVID-19 patients. We investigated neurosurgical care in a university hospital during the pandemic. We examined the second wave of the pandemic from 1 October 2020 to 15 March 2021 in this retrospective single-center study and compared it to a pre-pandemic period from 1 October 2019 to 15 March 2020. Any neurosurgical intervention, along with patient- and treatment-dependent factors, were recorded. We also examined perioperative complications and unplanned readmissions. A statistical comparison of the study groups was performed. We treated 535 patients with a total of 602 neurosurgical surgeries during the pandemic. This compares to 602 patients with 717 surgeries during the pre-pandemic period. There were 67 fewer patients (reduction to 88.87%) admitted and 115 fewer surgeries (reduction to 83.96%) performed, which were essentially highly elective procedures, such as cervical spinal stenosis, intracranial neurinomas, and peripheral nerve lesions. Regarding complication rates and unplanned readmissions, there was no significant difference between the COVID-19 pandemic and the non-pandemic patient group. Operative capacities were slightly reduced to 88% due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, comprehensive emergency and elective care was guaranteed in our university hospital. This speaks for the sufficient resources and high-quality processes that existed even before the pandemic.

En recherchant la maîtrise des flux migratoires, la France entretient des rapports avec l'Union européenne, les pays européens, les pays d'émigration et les organisations non gouvernementales. Deux points essentiels apparaissent dans cette analyse des rapports internationaux de la France. Le premier concerne l'élaboration d'une politique migratoire de l'Union européenne révélant un cadre de négociations difficiles. La mise en œuvre de cette politique dépend des intérêts particuliers de chaque Etat membre. Le deuxième porte sur les coopérations bilatérales d'une efficacité incertaine donnant priorité aux contrôles des flux migratoires sans prendre en compte les attentes des différentes parties contractantes. Parallèlement à la mise en place de ces rapports, les instruments juridiques internationaux dégagent un ensemble de droits protégeant les étrangers. Progressivement, la France est ainsi obligée de s'aligner sur la jurisprudence européenne qui est plus protectrice à l'égard des ressortissants étrangers. / In looking for the control of migratory flows, France maintains relationships with the European Union, the European countries, the countries of emigration and the non-governmental organizations. Two mains points appear in this analysis of the French international relationships. The first one concerns the elaboration of a migratory policy of the European Union which shows a framework of difficult negotiations. The implementation of this policy depends on the particular interests of every member state. The second point is about the bilateral cooperations of an uncertain efficiency giving priority to the controls of migratory flows without taking into account the expectations of the various contracting parties. At the same time as the setting up of these relationships, the international legal instruments highlight a set of rights that protect the foreigners. Gradually, France is then compelled to align itself with the European jurisprudence which is more protective towards the foreign nationals.

O objetivo deste estudo foi a analise das readmissões no Sistema de Serviços Hospitalares no Brasil no ano de 2006, a partir do indivíduo internado. A base de dados foi organizada para analisar as internações em 2006 e as readmissões em até um ano após uma internação em 2006. Os dados iniciais ultrapassaram os 27 milhões de registros, oriundos dos sistemas de internações SUS (SIH), de internações não SUS (CIH) e do cadastro de serviços de saúde (CNES). A localização do indivíduo foi feita pelo método probabilístico de associações de registros (linkage) e, para a composição dos dados da internação, aplicaram-se algoritmos específicos aos dados de cobranças da internação. Foram analisadas 12.391.990 internações com ao menos um dia, no ano de 2006, e selecionados para o estudo 10.332.337 indivíduos, correspondente a 5,5% da população, com uma internação completa em 2006 e suas readmissões no período de 365 dias a contar da data de saída da admissão índice, totalizando 12.878.422 internações. O estudo possibilitou inferências sobre a qualidade dos sistemas de informação da assistência hospitalar no país. Nas internações de 2006, a taxa de internação, financiamento SUS e não SUS foi de 5,6 por 100 habitantes. As internações de financiamento SUS nas categorias analisadas apresentam o perfil semelhante ao do total de internações. Nas internações não SUS notam-se diferenças que delineiam as regiões em dois conjuntos. O primeiro formado pelo Norte, Nordeste e Centro-Oeste com baixa ocorrência de internações não SUS, mais jovens e idosos, e de indivíduos do sexo masculino em maiores proporções que no SUS. No segundo conjunto formado, Sudeste e Sul, verifica-se significativa participação do financiamento não SUS, mais de adultos e idosos. Ainda que com evidência limitada, este achado confirma a distribuição da população com planos de saúde. As internações não SUS com UTI estão ainda mais concentradas na região Sudeste, do que as internações não SUS em geral (80,1% x 67,9%). As internações e indivíduos, na análise das readmissões, de maneira geral apresentaram semelhante perfil com as internações de 2006. A proporção de readmitidos foi de 15,9% e de readmissões foi de 19,8%. O SUS foi responsável por 88,7% das internações selecionadas e foram identificados 3,3% de indivíduos que utilizaram os dois segmentos de financiamento. A natureza do método probabilístico, que encerra certo grau de imprecisão, a adoção de parâmetros conservadores a fim de se evitar a inclusão de falsos positivos, tanto quanto a subnotificação da CIH representam as possíveis limitações do estudo. O Sistema de Serviços Hospitalares no Brasil apresentou relevante taxa de readmissão, independente da fonte de financiamento e local de ocorrência, que aponta para a necessidade de estudos adicionais para se conhecerem os fatores contribuintes. Os dados de internações de financiamento não SUS coletados pelo CIH agregam informações relevantes para análise da assistência hospitalar no país. Os dados administrativos do SIH são válidos para análises de internações e os algoritmos de composição dos dados de internação, a partir da cobrança, aprimoram a análise do Sistema de Serviços Hospitalares no Brasil. / The objective of this study was to analyze readmissions on the System of Hospital Services in Brazil in the year of 2006, starting from the admitted subjects. The data base was organized to analyze the admissions in 2006 and the readmissions up to one year after the admission in 2006. The initial data were over 27 million registrations, from the systems of admissions SUS (SIH), non-SUS (CIH) and from the register of health services (CNES). The choice of the subject individual was by probabilistic method of associations of registrations (linkage) and, for the composition of the admission data, specific algorithms were applied to the data of the admission charging. A total of 12,391,990 admissions were analyzed with at least one day in the year of 2006 and 10,332,337 subjects were selected for the study, corresponding to 5.5% of the population, with a complete admission in 2006 and readmissions in a period of 365 days from the date of discharge of the admission index, a total of 12,878,422 admissions. The study made possible inferences about the quality of the systems of information on the hospital attendance in the country. On the admissions in 2006, the admission rate, SUS and non SUS financing was 5.6 for each 100 inhabitants. The admissions financed by SUS, in the analyzed categories, present a profile similar to the total of admissions. On the non-SUS admissions, we noticed differences that delineate the areas in two groups. The first composed by the North, Northeast and Center-West areas of Brazil, with low occurrence of SUS admissions, more young and elders, and male subjects in proportions higher than in SUS. In the second group, Southeast and South, we verified significant participation of the non- SUS financing, more adults and elders. Although with limited evidence, this discovery confirms the distribution of the population with healthcare plans. The non- SUS admissions with ICU are still more concentrated in the Southeast area than the non-SUS admissions in general (80.1% x 67.9%). The admissions and subjects, under the analysis of the readmissions, in a general way presented a profile similar to the admissions in 2006. The proportion of readmitted subjects was 15.9% and of readmissions was 19.8%. SUS was responsible for 88.7% of the selected admissions and we identified 3.3% of subjects that used both financing segments. The nature of the probabilistic method that contains certain imprecision degree, the adoption of conservative parameters in order to avoid the inclusion of false positive, and the subnotification of CIH represent possible limitations of this study. System of Hospital Services in Brazil presented important readmission rate, independently on the financing source and occurrence place, what points out to the need of additional studies to know the contributory factors. The data of non-SUS financing admissions collected by CIH join important information to the analysis of the hospital attendance in the country. The administrative data of SIH are valid for analyses of admissions and the algorithms of the admission data composition, starting from the charging, perfect the analysis of System of Hospital Services in Brazil.

Background: The 30-day readmission rate is considered a quality of care measure for providers and has become important because providers might face reduced reimbursement from any increase in unplanned readmissions Objective: The aim of the first chapter is to investigate the waiting-length of stay (WLOS) and post-length of stay (PLOS) on the 30-day readmission. In the second chapter, we examined the hospital procedural volume and hospital quality on the 30-day readmission. Our objective in the third chapter is to examine the zip code-level SES factors on the 30-day readmission rates. Participants: patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in Virginia Methods: A retrospective study design has been conducted using a multi-level logistic model of increasing complexity for all three chapters. The sample used was from the Virginia Cardiac Surgery Quality Initiative (VCSQI) of the periods 2008-2014, the dataset included patient characteristics. Afterward, we merged the sample with both the Virginia Health Information (VHI) to obtain hospital characteristics (ownership, teaching status, and location), and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRF) to obtain county-socio-economic status (SES) characteristics (education, employment, and median household income), the previous SES was used for chapter’s one and two. In chapter three, instead of AHRF, we merged the sample with the American Community Survey (ACS) to obtain zip code-SES characteristics (employment, median household income, education, median house price). The main outcome was the 30-day readmission rate. The analytical sample of chapter one n = 22,097, in chapter two the sample n = 25,531, while in chapter three the sample n= 25,829. We conducted a sensitivity analysis in all three chapters. In chapter one we analyzed the data at the patient level, in chapter two we analyzed the data at the hospital level, while in chapter three we conducted the analysis at the area zip code level. Results: In chapter one, we found that readmitted patients after a prolonged PLOS had increased odds of readmission, by 68.7%, compared to readmitted patients with a shorter PLOS in the fully adjusted model; while, WLOS was not significant at the P < 0.05. In chapter two, the fully adjusted model displayed significant results with a reduced odds in readmissions by 22.8% in the middle-volume hospitals compared to the low-volume hospitals, while the middle-quality hospitals had increased odds of readmission by 23.5% compared to the low-quality hospitals. In chapter three, statistically, we did not find that area zip code-SES had an effect on the 30-day readmission rate. While, geographically, we found that addresses of individuals were clustered in certain areas of Virginia. Conclusion: In chapter one, patients undergoing CABG and experience a prolonged PLOS of > 6 days are at risk to be readmitted within 30-days of the procedure. In chapter two, the higher volume hospitals (middle-volume) compared to low-volume hospitals showed a significant reduction in odds in the 30-day readmissions, especially after adjusting the model with hospital quality. In chapter three, even though, there was no association of area-SES with 30-day readmission, in the maps, we found a cluster of patient addresses in the southern parts of Virginia with an increased readmission, which is considered underprivileged area; and the fact might be due to the proximity of these areas to cardiovascular hospitals. Policy Implication: In chapter one, the study provided a model for clinicians to stratify patients at risk of readmission, especially patients with risks of staying longer in the hospital after CABG. In chapter two, policymakers and the CMS should find new ways to help hospitals with low-volumes to reduce their isolated-CABG readmission rates and be able to compete with high-volume hospitals. In chapter three, no significant correlation between area-SES and readmission for patients who underwent CABG was found; these backs prior notion that SES should not be adjusted for the reimbursement penalties of the Hospital Readmission Reductions Program (HRRP) on hospitals

<p>The settings investigated were departments of internal medicine (IM), orthopaedics and surgery in acute care hospitals in Sweden. The objective was to identify exogenous and endogenous determinants of accessibility of health care. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis of utilisation was performed on national and regional level of data aggregation. The study proposes that accessibility to acute health services is influenced by exogenous factors, partly outside the control of health care professionals, such as season, physical proximity and overall supply. Organisational properties such as availability of inpatient beds, hospital and physician specialisation and the degree of system integration between provides of emergency care have effects on the quality of care. The novel finding is the strong association between acute readmissions and remaining inpatient utilisation indicating effects of bed supply on global use within IM. These conclusions follow: </p><p>§</p><p>§</p><p>§</p><p>§</p><p>§</p><p>§</p><p>§</p><p>There are conflicts between accessibility, efficiency and appropriateness of settings calling for attention to capacity to benefit in addition to needs as priority criteria.</p> / <p>De studerade enheterna var kliniker för internmedicin, ortopedi och kirurgi vid akutsjukhus i Sverige. Studiernas syfte var att identifiera exogena och endogena determinanter av tillgänglighet till sjukvården. Kvalitativa och kvantitativa analyser av vårdutnyttjande utfördes på nationell och regional nivå av dataaggregering. Studierna utmynnar i slutsatsen att tillgängligheten till akutsjukvården påverkas av exogena faktorer, delvis utanför kontrollen för de professionella inom sjukvården, såsom säsong, fysiskt avstånd och totalt utbud. Organisatoriska egenskaper som tillgången till vårdplatser, sjukhusens och läkarnas specialisering och graden av systemintegration mellan producenter av akutvård har effekter på vårdens kvalitet. Det nya fyndet utgörs av upptäckten av en stark association mellan akuta återinskrivningar och övriga inskrivningar. Sambandet indikerar effekterna av vårdplatsutbudet på totalt slutenvårdsutnyttjande inom internmedicinen. Slutsatserna är som följer:</p><p>§</p><p>§</p><p>§</p><p>§</p><p>§</p><p>§</p><p>§</p><p>Det finns uppenbara konflikter mellan tillgänglighet, produktivitet och vårdgivarens ändamålsenlighet. Det fordras större uppmärksamhet på kapaciteten att tillgodogöra sig behandling utöver behov som ett kriterium för prioritering mellan patientgrupper.</p>