PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Elliott S Fisher

Publications and source records attributed to Elliott S Fisher.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Use of hospitals, physician visits, and hospice care during last six months of life among cohorts loyal to highly respected hospitals in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of healthcare resources during the last six months of life among patients of US hospitals with strong reputations for high quality care in managing chronic illness. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study based on claims data from the US Medicare programme. PARTICIPANTS: Cohorts receiving most of their hospital care from 77 hospitals that appeared on the 2001 US News and World Report "best hospitals" list for heart and pulmonary disease, cancer, and geriatric services. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Use of healthcare resources in the last six months of life: number of days spent in hospital and in intensive care units; number of physician visits; percentage of patients seeing 10 or more physicians; percentage enrolled in hospice. Terminal care: percentage of deaths occurring in hospital; percentage of deaths occurring in association with a stay in an intensive care unit. RESULTS: Extensive variation in each measure existed among the 77 hospital cohorts. Days in hospital per decedent ranged from 9.4 to 27.1 (interquartile range 11.6-16.1); days in intensive care units ranged from 1.6 to 9.5 (2.6-4.5); number of physician visits ranged from 17.6 to 76.2 (25.5-39.5); percentage of patients seeing 10 or more physicians ranged from 16.9% to 58.5% (29.4-43.4%); and hospice enrollment ranged from 10.8% to 43.8% (22.0-32.0%). The percentage of deaths occurring in hospital ranged from 15.9% to 55.6% (35.4-43.1%), and the percentage of deaths associated with a stay in intensive care ranged from 8.4% to 36.8% (20.2-27.1%). CONCLUSION: Striking variation exists in the utilisation of end of life care among US medical centres with strong national reputations for clinical care.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Should aspirin be continued in patients started on warfarin?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Clinicians frequently face the decision of whether to continue aspirin when starting patients on warfarin. We performed a meta-analysis to characterize the tradeoffs involved in this common clinical dilemma. DATA SOURCES: Multiple computerized databases (1966 to 2003), reference lists of relevant articles, conference proceedings, and queries of primary authors. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized trials comparing warfarin plus aspirin versus warfarin alone. Studies with target international normalized ratios (INRs) <2 were excluded. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers independently extracted baseline data and major outcomes: rates of thromboembolism, hemorrhage, and all-cause mortality. DATA SYNTHESIS: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Of the five that enrolled patients with mechanical heart valves, four used the same target INR in both groups, while one used a reduced target INR for the warfarin plus aspirin group. Pooling the results of the first four studies demonstrated that combination of warfarin plus aspirin significantly decreased thromboembolic events (relative risk [RR], 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.19 to 0.58), increased major bleeding (RR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.44), and decreased all-cause mortality (RR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.23 to 0.81) compared to warfarin alone. The one valve trial using a reduced INR in the warfarin plus aspirin group reported no difference in thromboembolic outcomes but found decreased major bleeding and a significant mortality benefit with combination therapy. Of the remaining trials, three evaluated a warfarin indication not routinely used in the United States (post-myocardial infarction), and the only trial that considered atrial fibrillation was terminated early due to inadequate enrollment. CONCLUSIONS: For mechanical heart valve patients, the benefits of continuing aspirin when starting warfarin therapy are clear. For other routine warfarin indications, there are not adequate data to guide this common clinical decision.

Anticoagulants↗
PubMed2004

Variations in the longitudinal efficiency of academic medical centers.

Recent studies have revealed dramatic differences among academic medical centers (AMCs) in the quantity of care provided to their patients. The implications, however, depend upon whether the additional resources provided by some centers lead to better results. This study describes the content, quality, and outcomes of care across AMCs that differ by up to 60 percent in the overall intensity of medical services delivered to patients with serious chronic illnesses. Efforts to reduce costs will require attention to supply-sensitive services (the frequency of hospital stays, physician visits, specialist consultations, diagnostic tests, and minor procedures) and should include a focus on the longitudinal efficiency of hospitals and medical staffs.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2004

Use of Medicare claims data to monitor provider-specific performance among patients with severe chronic illness.

This study illustrates that Medicare claims can be used to measure population-based, provider-specific rates of resource inputs, utilization, and Medicare spending. The target populations are seventy-seven cohorts of chronically ill Medicare enrollees who received most of their care from seventy-seven well-known U.S. hospitals. Striking variations are documented in resource inputs and use of services during the last six months of life. The patterns of care seen in the progression of chronic illness correlate highly with care received during previous periods. We believe that hospital-specific measures can be helpful in identifying providers with acceptable quality indices who are also relatively efficient in managing chronic illness.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed2003

The implications of regional variations in Medicare spending. Part 1: the content, quality, and accessibility of care.

BACKGROUND: The health implications of regional differences in Medicare spending are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether regions with higher Medicare spending provide better care. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: National study of Medicare beneficiaries. PATIENTS: Patients hospitalized between 1993 and 1995 for hip fracture (n = 614,503), colorectal cancer (n = 195,429), or acute myocardial infarction (n = 159,393) and a representative sample (n = 18,190) drawn from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (1992-1995). EXPOSURE MEASUREMENT: End-of-life spending reflects the component of regional variation in Medicare spending that is unrelated to regional differences in illness. Each cohort member's exposure to different levels of spending was therefore defined by the level of end-of-life spending in his or her hospital referral region of residence (n = 306). OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Content of care (for example, frequency and type of services received), quality of care (for example, use of aspirin after acute myocardial infarction, influenza immunization), and access to care (for example, having a usual source of care). RESULTS: Average baseline health status of cohort members was similar across regions of differing spending levels, but patients in higher-spending regions received approximately 60% more care. The increased utilization was explained by more frequent physician visits, especially in the inpatient setting (rate ratios in the highest vs. the lowest quintile of hospital referral regions were 2.13 [95% CI, 2.12 to 2.14] for inpatient visits and 2.36 [CI, 2.33 to 2.39] for new inpatient consultations), more frequent tests and minor (but not major) procedures, and increased use of specialists and hospitals (rate ratio in the highest vs. the lowest quintile was 1.52 [CI, 1.50 to 1.54] for inpatient days and 1.55 [CI, 1.50 to 1.60] for intensive care unit days). Quality of care in higher-spending regions was no better on most measures and was worse for several preventive care measures. Access to care in higher-spending regions was also no better or worse. CONCLUSIONS: Regional differences in Medicare spending are largely explained by the more inpatient-based and specialist-oriented pattern of practice observed in high-spending regions. Neither quality of care nor access to care appear to be better for Medicare enrollees in higher-spending regions.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

The implications of regional variations in Medicare spending. Part 2: health outcomes and satisfaction with care.

BACKGROUND: The health implications of regional differences in Medicare spending are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether regions with higher Medicare spending achieve better survival, functional status, or satisfaction with care. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: National study of Medicare beneficiaries. PATIENTS: Patients hospitalized between 1993 and 1995 for hip fracture (n = 614,503), colorectal cancer (n = 195,429), or acute myocardial infarction (n = 159,393) and a representative sample (n = 18,190) drawn from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) (1992-1995). EXPOSURE MEASUREMENT: End-of-life spending reflects the component of regional variation in Medicare spending that is unrelated to regional differences in illness. Each cohort member's exposure to different levels of spending was therefore defined by the level of end-of-life spending in his or her hospital referral region of residence (n = 306). OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: 5-year mortality rate (all four cohorts), change in functional status (MCBS cohort), and satisfaction (MCBS cohort). RESULTS: Cohort members were similar in baseline health status, but those in regions with higher end-of-life spending received 60% more care. Each 10% increase in regional end-of-life spending was associated with the following relative risks for death: hip fracture cohort, 1.003 (95% CI, 0.999 to 1.006); colorectal cancer cohort, 1.012 (CI, 1.004 to 1.019); acute myocardial infarction cohort, 1.007 (CI, 1.001 to 1.014); and MCBS cohort, 1.01 (CI, 0.99 to 1.03). There were no differences in the rate of decline in functional status across spending levels and no consistent differences in satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Medicare enrollees in higher-spending regions receive more care than those in lower-spending regions but do not have better health outcomes or satisfaction with care. Efforts to reduce spending should proceed with caution, but policies to better manage further spending growth are warranted.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2003

Inpatient transfers to the intensive care unit: delays are associated with increased mortality and morbidity.

OBJECTIVE: To examine if delayed transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) after physiologic deterioration is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. DESIGN: Inception cohort. SETTING: Community hospital in Ogden, Utah. PATIENTS: Ninety-one consecutive inpatients with noncardiac diagnoses at the time of emergent transfer to the ICU. We determined the time when each patient first met any of 11 pre-specified physiologic criteria. We classified patients as "slow transfer" when patients met a physiologic criterion 4 or more hours before transfer to the ICU. Patients were followed until discharge. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS: In-hospital mortality, functional status at hospital discharge, hospital resources. MAIN RESULTS: At the time when the first physiologic criterion was met on the ward, slow- and rapid-transfer patients were similar in terms of age, gender, diagnosis, number of days in hospital prior to ICU transfer, prehospital functional status, and APACHE II scores. By the time slow-transfer patients were admitted to the ICU, they had significantly higher APACHE II scores (21.7 vs 16.2; P =.002) and were more likely to die in-hospital (41% vs 11%; relative risk [RR], 3.5; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.4 to 9.5). Slow-transfer patients were less likely to have had their physician notified of deterioration within 2 hours of meeting physiologic criteria (59% vs 31%; P =.001) and less likely to have had a bedside physician evaluation within the first 3 hours after meeting criteria (23% vs 83%; P =.001). CONCLUSIONS: Slow transfer to the ICU of physiologically defined high-risk hospitalized patients was associated with increased risk of death. Slow response to physiologic deterioration may explain these findings.

APACHE↗
PubMed2002

The relation between the availability of neonatal intensive care and neonatal mortality.

BACKGROUND: There is marked regional variation in the availability of neonatal intensive care in the United States. We conducted a study to determine whether a greater supply of neonatologists or neonatal intensive care beds is associated with lower neonatal mortality. METHODS: We used the 1996 master files of the American Medical Association and the American Osteopathic Association and 1998 and 1999 surveys of neonatal intensive care units to calculate the supply of neonatologists and neonatal intensive care beds in 246 neonatal intensive care regions. We used linked birth and death records from the 1995 U.S. birth cohort to assess associations between the supply of both neonatologists and neonatal intensive care beds per capita (in quintiles) and the risk of death within the first 27 days of life. RESULTS: Among 3,892,208 newborns with a birth weight of 500 g or greater, the mortality rate was 3.4 per 1000 births. After adjustment for neonatal and maternal characteristics associated with an increased risk of neonatal death, the rate was lower in the regions with 4.3 neonatologists per 10,000 births than in those with 2.7 neonatologists per 10,000 births (odds ratio for death, 0.93; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.88 to 0.99). Further increases in the number of neonatologists were not associated with greater reductions in the risk of death. There was no consistent relation between the number of neonatal intensive care beds and neonatal mortality. CONCLUSIONS: A minority of regions in the United States may have inadequate neonatal intensive care resources, whereas many others may have more resources than are needed to prevent the death of high-risk newborns. The effect of the availability of neonatologists on other health outcomes is not known.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed2002

Medical care inconsistent with patients' treatment goals: association with 1-year Medicare resource use and survival.

OBJECTIVES: To describe how frequently seriously ill persons perceive that the care they receive is inconsistent with treatment preferences and the effect on 1-year resource utilization. SETTING: Five U.S. teaching hospitals. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of interview data. PARTICIPANTS: Seriously ill Medicare beneficiaries. MEASUREMENTS: Interviews about patients' preferred approaches to care and whether they perceived care was consistent with these preferences. Part A and B costs for up to 1 year, adjusted for cost differences across hospitals and over time and for 1-year survival. RESULTS: Forty percent of the 1,185 study patients expressed a preference for treatment to focus on extending life, whereas 60% expressed a preference for comfort care. Eighty-six percent of the patients who wanted aggressive treatment reported that care was consistent with their preferences, but only 41% of those who preferred comfort care reported that care was consistent with their preferences. More than one-third of those with a preference for comfort care (35%) reported that the medical care that they received was inconsistent with their goals; 24% were unsure of treatment goals. Those who preferred comfort care but believed that their care was inconsistent with their wishes had higher estimated mean 1-year costs than those who believed that their care was consistent with their wishes (92,442 US dollars vs 52,098 US dollars, P < .001). Even after adjusting for differences in disease severity, age, gender, race, functional status, income, and years of education, adjusted costs were 1.4 times (95% confidence interval = 1.2-1.6) higher. However, 1-year survival was lower in these patients who stated that care was consistent with their preference to focus on comfort care than for those who wished to receive comfort care and stated that care was not consistent with their preference (38% vs 55% 1-year survival, P < .001). CONCLUSION: More than one in three seriously ill persons who prefer comfort care believe that their medical care is at odds with their preference that treatment focus on palliation. Such discord was associated with higher 1-year healthcare costs and increased survival.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Geography and the debate over Medicare reform.

Medicare spending varies more than twofold among regions, and the variations persist even after differences in health are corrected for. Higher levels of Medicare spending are due largely to increased use of "supply-sensitive" services--physician visits, specialist consultations, and hospitalizations, particularly for those with chronic illnesses or in their last six months of life. Also, higher spending does not result in more effective care, elevated rates of elective surgery, or better health outcomes. To improve the quality and efficiency of care, we propose a new approach to Medicare reform based on the principles of shared decision making and the promotion of centers of medical excellence. We suggest that our proposal be tested in a major demonstration project

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Using the Veterans Health Administration inpatient care database: trends in the use of antireflux surgery.

Context. In the private sector, the use of surgery to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease has increased substantially since the development of minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques. However, trends in the use of antireflux surgery in the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system have not been explored. Objective. To compare secular trends in the use of antireflux surgery in VA hospitals and the private sector. Data Sources. VA data are from the 1991-1999 medical SAS datasets for inpatient care (commonly known as patient treatment files); private sector data are from the 1991-1997 Nationwide Inpatient Sample and the U.S. census. Calculations. We compared secular trends in the use of antireflux surgery in the VA and private sector with each group's baseline rate in 1991. For the VA, we calculated annual rates of antireflux surgery among active users of the VA health care system by dividing the number of procedures (based on the appropriate procedure codes from the International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision, clinical modification) by the number of veterans who had at least two hospital or clinic visits in a given year. For the private sector, we calculated true population rates by dividing procedure counts by the total U.S. population. Results. From 1991 to 1995, the annual rate of antireflux surgery among active users of VA hospitals increased by 64%, then decreased over the next 4 years to almost baseline rates. In contrast, rates of antireflux surgery in the private sector increased 185% from 1991 to 1995, then appeared to reach a plateau thereafter. Among patients undergoing antireflux surgery, those in the VA were less likely than those in the private sector to undergo laparoscopic surgery (29% vs. 65%, respectively, in 1997). Conclusions. With the development of laparoscopic surgery, rates of antireflux surgery in VA hospitals increased only modestly compared with the private sector and have decreased in recent years. Both patient and provider factors may explain the substantially higher use of this procedure in the private sector.

Age Factors↗