Biomedical subjects

Peter Franks

Publications and source records attributed to Peter Franks.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2005

Is expanding Medicare coverage cost-effective?

BACKGROUND: Proposals to expand Medicare coverage tend to be expensive, but the value of services purchased is not known. This study evaluates the efficiency of the average private supplemental insurance plan for Medicare recipients. METHODS: Data from the National Health Interview Survey, the National Death Index, and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were analyzed to estimate the costs, changes in life expectancy, and health-related quality of life gains associated with providing private supplemental insurance coverage for Medicare beneficiaries. Model inputs included socio-demographic, health, and health behavior characteristics. Parameter estimates from regression models were used to predict quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and costs associated with private supplemental insurance relative to Medicare only. Markov decision analysis modeling was then employed to calculate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. RESULTS: Medicare supplemental insurance is associated with increased health care utilization, but the additional costs associated with this utilization are offset by gains in quality-adjusted life expectancy. The incremental cost-effectiveness of private supplemental insurance is approximately $24,000 per QALY gained relative to Medicare alone. CONCLUSION: Supplemental insurance for Medicare beneficiaries is a good value, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio comparable to medical interventions commonly deemed worthwhile.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Relationship among sociodemographic factors, clinical conditions, and health-related quality of life: examining the EQ-5D in the U.S. general population.

INTRODUCTION: Health-related quality of life (HRQL) measures are used increasingly in evaluations of clinical and population-based outcomes and in economic analyses. We investigate the influence of demographic, socioeconomic, and chronic disease factors on the HRQL of a representative U.S. sample. METHODS: We examined data from 13,646 adults in the 2000 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative sample of the U.S. general population, who completed a self-administered questionnaire containing the EQ-5D, a preference-based measure. We assessed the relationships between EQ-5D scores and sociodemographic variables, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, income and education, and six common chronic conditions. RESULTS: In fully adjusted models, EQ-5D scores decreased with increasing category of age and were lower for persons with a lower income and educational attainment as well as each of the six conditions. Although the EQ-5D scores were lower for females and Whites compared with Blacks such differences were not of a magnitude considered to be clinically important. CONCLUSIONS: In the U.S., sociodemographic factors and clinical conditions are strongly associated with scores on the EQ-5D. Population health studies and risk-adjustment models should account and adjust for these factors when assessing the performance of health programs and clinical care.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

The cost effectiveness of health insurance.

BACKGROUND: Although studies have examined both the adverse consequences of lacking health insurance and the costs of insuring the uninsured, there are no estimates of the value of providing health insurance to those currently uninsured. OBJECTIVE: To examine the value associated with providing insurance to those currently uninsured through an incremental cost-effectiveness analysis. METHODS: People aged 25 to 64 in both the National Health Interview Survey (with 2-year mortality follow-up) and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were examined to estimate the contribution of sociodemographic, health, and health behavior characteristics on insured persons' quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and healthcare costs. Parameter estimates from these regression models were used to predict QALYs and costs associated with insuring the uninsured, given their characteristics for 1996. Markov decision-analysis modeling was then employed to calculate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. RESULTS: The incremental cost-effectiveness of insurance for the average 25-year-old adult (through age 64) is approximately $35,000 per QALY gained (range $21,000 to $48,000). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio becomes more favorable as people approach age 65. CONCLUSIONS: The additional health care purchased with health insurance provides gains in quality-adjusted life at costs that compare favorably to those of other programs and medical interventions society now chooses to fund.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Venous thromboembolism after spinal cord injury: incidence, time course, and associated risk factors in 16,240 adults and children.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis of all SCI cases (16,240) in California from 1991 through 2001. SETTING: All public hospitals in California. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects (cases) coded as having complete or incomplete SCI. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Diagnosis of VTE or death within 91 days of the day of hospital admission. RESULTS: For all cases, the 91-day cumulative incidence of VTE was 5.4%. In a multivariate model, significant predictors of VTE included male sex (odds ratio [OR]=1.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-1.7), African-American race (OR=1.6; 95% CI, 1.3-1.9), complete paraplegia versus tetraplegia (OR=1.8; 95% CI, 1.4-2.3), and presence of 3 or more comorbid conditions versus none (OR=1.6; 95% CI, 1.3-2.1). Age less than 14 years was predictive of not developing VTE (OR=0.2; 95% CI, 0.1-0.7). The incidence of VTE did not change significantly over the 11-year time period (P=.07), and VTE was not a significant predictor of death in the first 91 days after hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of VTE in SCI patients in California did not change between 1991 and 2001. We identified specific risk factors for VTE. Further studies are needed to determine if prompt initiation of medical prophylaxis in high risk subjects reduces the incidence of symptomatic VTE.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Emotion language in primary care encounters: reliability and validity of an emotion word count coding system.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a reliable and valid computer coded measure to assess emotional expression from transcripts of physician-patient interactions. METHODS: Physician encounters with two standardized patients (SPs) were audiotaped. Fifty patients from each physician (n = 100 primary care physicians) completed surveys that assessed patients' perceptions of their relationships with physicians. Audio-recordings of 193 patient-physician encounters were transcribed and computer-coded to derive a percent emotion words, and research assistants completed the Measure of Patient-Centered Communication (MPCC). RESULTS: After adjustment for potential confounders, regression analyses revealed physicians' use of emotion words and the MPCC contribute independently to patients' and SPs' perceptions of their relationship with physicians. CONCLUSIONS: The computerized coding of emotion words shows promise as a reliable, valid, and simple method to code transcript data of physician-patient interactions. This method may be expanded to examine other aspects of physician language and does not require coder training.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2005

The income-associated burden of disease in the United States.

In this study, we estimate the total burden of disease associated with income in the US. We calculate the relationships between income and life expectancy, health-adjusted life expectancy, annual years of life lost (YLLs), and health adjusted life years (HALYs). We used the 2000 US Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to derive quality of life estimates by income and age, the 1990-1992 US National Health Interview Survey linked to National Death Index data through the end of 1995 to derive mortality risks by income and by age, and 2000 US mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics to derive current mortality estimates for the US population by age-group. The bottom 80% of adult income earners' life expectancy is 4.3 years and 5.8 HALYs shorter relative to those in the top 20% of earnings. This translates into the loss of 11 million YLLs and 17.4 million HALYs each year. Compared with persons living above the poverty threshold, those living below the poverty threshold live an average of 3.2 million fewer HALYs per year-a difference of 8.5 HALYs per individual between age 18 and death. The income-associated burden of disease appears to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the US.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Factors affecting resident performance: development of a theoretical model and a focused literature review.

PURPOSE: The clinical performances of physicians have come under scrutiny as greater public attention is paid to the quality of health care. However, determinants of physician performance have not been well elucidated. The authors sought to develop a theoretical model of physician performance, and explored the literature about factors affecting resident performance. METHOD: Using expert consensus panel, in 2002-03 the authors developed a hypothesis-generating model of resident performance. The developed model had three input factors (individual resident factors, health care infrastructure, and medical education infrastructure), intermediate process measures (knowledge, skills, attitudes, habits), and final health outcomes (affecting patient, community and population). The authors used factors from the model to focus a PubMed search (1967-2002) for all original articles related to the factors of individual resident performance. RESULTS: The authors found 52 original studies that examined factors of an individual resident's performance. They describe each study's measurement instrument, study design, major findings, and limitations. Studies were categorized into five domains: learning styles/personality, social/financial factors, practice preferences, personal health, and response to job environment. Few studies examined intermediate or final performance outcomes. Most were single-institution, cross-sectional, and survey-based studies. CONCLUSIONS: Attempting to understand resident performance without understanding factors that influence performance is analogous to examining patient adherence to medication regimens without understanding the individual patient and his or her environment. Based on a systematic review of the literature, the authors found few discrete associations between the factors of individual resident and the resident's actual job performance. Additionally, they identify and discuss major gaps in the educational literature.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Racial disparity in surgical complications in New York State.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between race and surgical complications. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Blacks have been reported to experience higher rates of surgical complications than whites, but the reasons are not known. METHODS: The effect of the black race on risk of any surgical complication (from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's patient safety indicators) was examined using New York State (NYS) hospital discharge data from 1998 to 2000. Sequential, hierarchical analyses controlled for: 1) patient age and gender, 2) morbidity length of stay, 3) individual social factors, 4) hospital characteristics, and 5) ecologic factors (region of state, percent black and Medicaid annual discharges, and mean income of admitted patients). RESULTS: Following adjustment for patient age and gender, blacks had 65% higher odds for a surgical complication. Further adjustment for comorbidity and length of stay (LOS) reduced the odds substantially to 1.18. Additional adjustment for American Hospital Association hospital characteristics essentially eliminated the risk. Final adjustment for hospital ecologic variables reduced the odds to 1.0. CONCLUSIONS: Higher rates of surgical complications among blacks than whites in NYS are primarily explained by differences in comorbidity LOS and the hospital where the surgery occurred.

Black People↗

PubMed2005

Racial disparities in the content of primary care office visits.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about racial disparities in primary care at the level of the office visit. OBJECTIVE: To assess racial disparities in the receipt of commonly performed/recommended procedures during routine primary care office visits and examine trends in disparities over time. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: The sample included 88,303 visits by adults to 3,260 primary care physicians in office-based practices in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1995 to 2001. MEASUREMENTS: Adjusted odds for receipt or recommendation of commonly performed office procedures. RESULTS: During the years 1985 to 2001, African Americans, compared with whites, had lower odds of receiving a Pap test (odds ratio (OR) 0.81; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70 to 0.93), rectal exam (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.56 to 0.80), smoking cessation counseling (OR 0.80; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.96), and mental health advice (OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.38 to 0.69), but had higher odds for visual screening (OR 1.38; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.77), weight advice counseling (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.13 to 1.44) and receiving a follow-up appointment (OR 1.45; 95% CI 1.29 to 1.64). These findings were not appreciably altered by adjustment for physician practice characteristics including percent African American or Medicaid patients. Disparities disfavoring African Americans in cholesterol testing and smoking cessation observed during 1985 to 1992 were not observed in 1995 to 2001. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that race is associated with the type of primary care received by patients, at least for selected procedures, with evidence that some disparities have diminished over time.

Black or African American↗

PubMed2005

Is patient HMO insurance or physician HMO participation related to racial disparities in primary care?

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between racial disparities in common primary care procedures and patient HMO membership and physician level of HMO participation. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. METHODS: Data were obtained from a nationally representative sample of primary care office visits documented in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for 1985, 1989-1992, and 1997-2000. Patient HMO membership was assessed based on reports by primary care physicians (defined as family physicians/general practitioners, internists, or obstetrician-gynecologists). Physician HMO participation was assessed based on the proportion of the physician's patients who were in an HMO. Patient characteristics (age, sex, race, insurance, diagnoses) and office procedures or interventions were determined by examining the physician report. Patients were adults aged 19 years or older. RESULTS: In adjusted analyses, African Americans, compared with whites, had lower odds of receiving a Pap test (adjusted odds ratio [AORI = 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.65, .90), a rectal exam (AOR = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.54, 0.84), smoking cessation advice (AOR = 0.72; 95% CI = 0.58, 0.91), and mental health advice (AOR = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.29, 0.72), but had higher odds of receiving advice on diet and weight, and a follow-up appointment. Notably, there were no significant interactions between either patient HMO membership or physician level of HMO participation, patient race, and receipt of primary care services. CONCLUSION: Neither patient HMO membership nor physician level of HMO participation is substantially associated with racial disparities in primary care.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Estimating racial/ethnic disparity in mammography rates: it all depends on how you ask the question.

BACKGROUND: Estimates of racial disparity in mammography appear to differ depending on the data source. This study examined the impact of different survey methodology on estimates of racial disparity in mammography. METHODS: Responses from 3,090 women > or =40 years to two different questions from the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) were compared when a mammogram was last obtained versus what medical services, including mammography, were obtained over a 4-month interval, aggregated across 1 year. RESULTS: There was no significant racial disparity in 1-year mammography prevalence based on the first question (white-black difference, 3.3%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -2.5, 9.2). In contrast, a significant disparity in 1-year mammography prevalence was found based on the medical services question (difference, 13.1%; 95% CI 8.6, 17.6). Disparity estimates by Hispanic ethnicity were similar for the two questions: white-Hispanic difference, 1.6%; 95% CI -4.3, 7.5, and white-Hispanic difference 5% (-0.2, 10.1). Adjustment for age, income, and insurance did not alter these findings. CONCLUSIONS: Estimates of racial, but not ethnic, disparities in mammography seem to depend on how the question is asked. These results caution against exclusive reliance on annual self-reports for monitoring disparities in preventive care.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Patient trust: is it related to patient-centered behavior of primary care physicians?

BACKGROUND: Patients' trust in their health care providers may affect their satisfaction and health outcomes. Despite the potential importance of trust, there are few studies of its correlates using objective measures of physician behavior during encounters with patients. METHODS: We assessed physician behavior and length of visit using audio tapes of encounters of 2 unannounced standardized patients (SPs) with 100 community-based primary care physicians participating in a large managed care organization. Physician behavior was assessed via 3 components of the Measure of Patient-Centered Communication (MPCC) scale. The Primary Care Assessment Survey (PCAS) trust subscale was administered to 50 patients from each physician's practice and to SPs. We used multilevel modeling to examine the associations between physicians' Patient-Centered Communication during the SP visits and ratings of trust by both patients and SPs. RESULTS: Component 1 of the MPCC, which explored the patient's experience of the disease and illness, was independently associated with patient's rating of trust in their physician. A I SD increase in this score was associated with 0.08 SD increase in trust (95% confidence interval 0.02-0.14). Each additional minute spent in SP visits was also independently associated with 0.01 SD increase in patient trust. (95% confidence interval 0.0001-0.02). Component 1 and visit length were also positively associated with SP trust ratings. CONCLUSIONS: Physician verbal behavior during an SP encounter is associated with trust reported by SPs and patients. Research is needed to determine whether interventions designed to enhance physicians' exploration patients' experiences of disease and illness improves trust. Key Words: physician-patient relationship, patient-centered care, trust, physician behavior

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Preventive care.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of provider continuity on preventive care among adults who have a regular site of care. DESIGN: Logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore whether continuity, categorized as having no regular care, site continuity, or provider continuity, was associated with receipt of 3 preventive care services (influenza vaccination, receipt of a mammogram, and smoking cessation advice), independent of predisposing, need, and enabling factors. PARTICIPANTS: This study examined 42664 persons with private, Medicaid, Medicare, or no health insurance coverage who reported either having no site of care or being seen in a physician's office, HMO, hospital outpatient department, or other health center. SETTING: The 1996/1997 Community Tracking Study (CTS) household survey, a telephone-based survey providing a cross-sectional sample of 60446 U.S. adults aged 18 and older representing the U.S. housed, noninstitutionalized population. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: After adjustment for differences in predisposing, enabling, and need factors, site continuity was associated with significant increases of 10.4% in influenza vaccinations (P =.006) and 12.6% in mammography (P =.001), and a nonsignificant increase of 5.6% in smoking cessation advice (P =.13) compared to having no regular site of care. After adjustment for these factors, provider continuity was associated with an additional improvement of 6.0% in influenza vaccinations (P =.01) and 6.2% in mammography (P =.04), and a nonsignificant increase of 2.5% in smoking cessation advice (P =.30) compared to site continuity. CONCLUSIONS: Provider continuity and site continuity are independently associated with receipt of preventive services. Compared to having no regular site of care, having site continuity was associated with increased receipt of influenza vaccination and mammography and, compared to having site continuity, having provider continuity was associated with further increases in the receipt of these two preventive services.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Sociodemographics, self-rated health, and mortality in the US.

Using data from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey, a representative sample of US civilians, and their 5-year mortality, we examined the adjusted relationships among baseline self-reported health, derived from SF-20 subscales (health perceptions, physical function, role function and mental health) and sociodemographics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, income and education) and subsequent mortality. Included were 21,363 persons aged 21 and over, with complete follow-up on 19,812. Physical function showed the greatest decline with age, whereas mental health increased slightly. Women reported lower health for all scales except role function. Greater income was associated with better health, least marked for mental health. Greater education was associated with better health, most marked for health perceptions. Compared with whites, blacks reported lower health, whereas Latinos reported higher health. Lower self-reported health predicted increased adjusted mortality. After adjustment for baseline self-rated health, the relationships between income and education and mortality were greatly attenuated, whereas the relationships between age, gender, race/ethnicity and mortality were not. Self-rated health exhibited more profound relationships with mortality in younger persons, those with more education, and whites. In conclusion, lower socioeconomic status (SES), and being black are associated with lower reported health status and higher mortality; women report lower health status but exhibit lower mortality; and Latinos report higher health status and exhibit lower mortality. The effects of SES on mortality are largely explained by their associations with self-rated health, whereas, the effects of gender and race/ethnicity on mortality appear to act through independent pathways. Because of these differential sociodemographic relationships caution is urged when using self-rated health measures in research, clinical, and policy settings.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2003

Effects of patient and physician practice socioeconomic status on the health care of privately insured managed care patients.

BACKGROUND: Previous research shows that patient socioeconomic status (SES) affects health care, but little is known about the relative effects of patient and physician practice SES among privately insured patients. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of patient and physician practice SES on prevention, disease management, utilization, and cost expenditures. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analyses of claims data. SUBJECTS: Primary care physicians (568) and their adult managed care organization patients (437,743) in the Rochester, New York, area. MEASURES: Pap smears, mammograms, glycohemoglobins, and eye examinations for diabetics, physician visits, referrals, hospitalizations, costs standardized expenditures (diagnostic testing, office visits, and total), patient zip code-based SES, and physician practice SES (mean SES of patients in practice). RESULTS: After adjustment, lower SES patients had lower compliance with Pap smears, mammograms, and diabetic eye exams, and were less likely to have a referral or make any office visit, but were more likely to be hospitalized, and generated higher testing standardized expenditures. Lower physician practice SES was associated with lower adjusted Pap, mammogram, and glycohemoglobin compliance, lower office visit standardized expenditures, but higher diagnostic testing and total standardized expenditures. Patient SES effects were stronger for mammography, whereas physician practice SES effects were stronger for diagnostic testing costs. For the utilization indicators, the SES effects on utilization exhibited a linear gradient, whereas there was a threshold effect for costs. CONCLUSIONS: Patient and practice SES are independently associated with care among privately insured patients. These effects are not confined to the poorest patients but span the entire socioeconomic spectrum. Interventions to address these disparities need to be broad-based, but should also address the needs of practices with predominantly lower SES patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Mapping the SF-12 to preference-based instruments: convergent validity in a low-income, minority population.

BACKGROUND: The profile-based SF-12 has a low respondent burden and is used widely in clinical settings to monitor health and evaluate programs. Deriving preference scores for the SF-12 health profile would permit its use in cost-effectiveness analyses. Previous mapping studies of SF family instruments to preference-based instruments have not examined convergent validity or performance in low-income, minority populations. OBJECTIVES: To map the SF-12 to the EuroQol (EQ-5D Index) and the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3) in a low-income, predominantly minority sample. RESEARCH DESIGN: We used a cross-sectional survey data. SUBJECTS: We studied a convenience sample of 240 low-income, predominantly Latino and black patients attending a community health center in New York. MEASURES: We used separate regressions of the EQ-5D Index and HUI3 onto the physical (PCS-12) and mental (MCS-12) components of the SF-12 scores as measures. RESULTS: For the EQ-5D Index regression, the adjusted variance explained was 58% (bootstrap validation 95% confidence interval [CI], 46-66). For the HUI3 regression, the adjusted variance explained was 51% (bootstrap 95% CI, 39-59). The correlation coefficient between the 2 predicted measures was 0.96. The correlation of the predicted HUI3 with the EQ-5D Index (0.73) and the predicted EQ-5D Index with the HUI3 (0.70) exceeded that between the 2 original preference-based measures themselves (0.69). CONCLUSIONS: These pilot results suggest that the SF-12 could be successfully mapped to both the EQ-5D Index and HUI3, yielding preference-based scores that demonstrate convergent validity in a low-income, minority sample.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Effects of physician gender on patient satisfaction.

OBJECTIVES: To measure the impact of physician gender on patient satisfaction, controlling for confounding patient variables, and to examine the extent to which differences in satisfaction with male and female physicians can be explained by physician practice styles. METHOD: New adult patients (n=509) were randomized to see male and female primary care physicians at a university medical center outpatient facility. Patient sociodemographics and self-reported health status (using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36) were measured before the initial visit, and satisfaction with the physician was measured immediately following the visit. The entire medical encounter was videotaped and physician practice style was later analyzed using the Davis Observation Code. RESULTS: Female physicians spent a significantly greater proportion of the visit on preventive services and counseling than male physicians did, and male physicians devoted more time to technical practice behaviors and discussions of substance abuse. Visit length was not significantly different for male and female physicians. Patients of female physicians were more satisfied than were those of male physicians, even after adjusting for patient characteristics, visit length, and physician practice style behaviors. CONCLUSION: Patient satisfaction with primary care physicians appears to be influenced not only by patient characteristics and physician behaviors, but also by the gender of the provider. Possible explanations for this may be that psychosocial aspects of the physician-patient interaction are different for male and female physicians. Patients may also bring expectations about female physicians to the encounter, presuming them to be more empathetic, nurturing, and responsive.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Risk of preterm birth that is associated with vaginal douching.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between vaginal douching and preterm birth. STUDY DESIGN: We enrolled hospitalized women after delivery in a case-control study. Women who were delivered of a live preterm singleton infant were assigned as cases. Women who were delivered at term were randomly selected as control subjects. We surveyed women about their douching habits and risk factors for preterm birth and abstracted data from the records. RESULTS: After adjustment, vaginal douching within 6 months of pregnancy was not significantly associated with preterm birth (odds ratio, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.8-1.6). However, in secondary analyses, douching more than once per week (odds ratio, 4.0; 95% CI, 1.0-15.5) or longer than 10 years (odds ratio, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1-3.2) was associated with preterm birth. CONCLUSION: Vaginal douching does not appear to be a strong risk factor for preterm birth. Further study is needed to confirm the risk that is associated with frequent or long-term douching.

Adult↗