Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program In A Multifactorial Approach To The Opioid Crisis: Pdmp Data, Pennsylvania, 2016–2020, Jenna R. Adalbert, Amit Syal, Karan Varshney, Brandon George, Jeffrey Hom, Asif M. Ilyas

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Background: Prescription opioids remain an important contributor to the United States opioid crisis and to the development of opioid use disorder for opioid-naïve individuals. Recent legislative actions, such as the implementation of state prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), aim to reduce opioid morbidity and mortality through enhanced tracking and reporting of prescription data. The primary objective of our study was to describe the opioid prescribing trends in the state of Pennsylvania (PA) as recorded by the PA PDMP following legislative changes in reporting guidelines, and discuss the PDMP's role in a multifactorial approach to opioid harm reduction.

Methods: State-level opioid …

Health Of Asylees Compared To Refugees In The United States Using Domestic Medical Examination Data, 2014-2016: A Cross-Sectional Analysis., Gayathri S Kumar, Clelia Pezzi, Colleen Payton, Blain Mamo, Kailey Urban, Kevin Scott, Jessica Montour, Nuny Cabanting, Jenny Aguirre, Rebecca Ford, Stephen E Hughes, Breanna Kawasaki, Lori Kennedy, Emily S Jentes

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Background: Between 2008 and 2018, persons granted asylum (asylees) increased by 168% in the United States. Asylees are eligible for many of the same domestic benefits as refugees under the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), including health-related benefits such as the domestic medical examination. However, little is known about the health of asylees to guide clinical practice.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of domestic medical examination data from 9 US sites from 2014 to 2016. We describe and compare demographics and prevalence of several infectious diseases such as latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), hepatitis B and C virus (HBV, …

Disparities In Sars-Cov-2 Positivity Rates: Associations With Race And Ethnicity, Harvey W Kaufman, Justin K Niles, David B. Nash

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Numerous reports indicate that African Americans and Latinos are being affected disproportionately by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Positivity rates have not been analyzed on scale because only 4 states report race/ethnicity as part of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing. Previous studies also have had little ability to control for many known risk factors to better identify the effects of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic communities. Using test results from a large national reference laboratory database that included patients from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, this study compared positivity rates for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification …

New Normal For Medical Practice Post Covid-19?, David B. Nash

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Changes In Health Care Following Covid-19., David B. Nash, Thomas H Lee, Leana Wen, Bruce A Meyer, Judd E Hollander, Susan Skochelak

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

This conversation was held on June 17, 2020, and the resulting transcript reflects the events that were current as of the time of the original discussion. Changes to policies, events, and data may have changed between the time of the discussion and its publication.

We Know Health Is Not Elective: Impacts Of Covid-19., David B. Nash, Mark Angelo, Esther J Nash, Jonathan L Gleason, Bruce A Meyer

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Several months into the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the authors use the framework of "radical uncertainty" and specific regional health care data to understand current and future health and economic impacts. Four key areas of discussion included are: (1) How did structural health care inequality manifest itself during the closure of all elective surgeries and visits?; (2) How can we really calculate the so-called untold burden that resulted from the closure, with a special emphasis on primary care?; (3) The Pennsylvania experience - using observations from the population of one major delivery ecosystem (Jefferson Health), a major accountable …

Use Of International Classification Of Diseases, Ninth Revision Codes For Obesity: Trends In The United States From An Electronic Health Record-Derived Database., Michelle Mocarski, Ye Tian, B. Gabriel Smolarz, John Mcana, Albert Crawford

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Obesity is a potentially modifiable risk factor for many diseases, and a better understanding of its impact on health care utilization, costs, and medical outcomes is needed. The ability to accurately evaluate obesity outcomes depends on a correct identification of the population with obesity. The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and accuracy of International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) coding for overweight and obesity within a US primary care electronic health record (EHR) database compared against actual body mass index (BMI) values from recorded clinical patient data; characteristics of patients with obesity who did …

Adverse Events In Veterans Affairs Inpatient Psychiatric Units: Staff Perspectives On Contributing And Protective Factors., Gala True, Rosemary Frasso, Sara W. Cullen, Richard C. Hermann, Steven C. Marcus

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to identify risk factors and protective factors in hospital-based mental health settings in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), with the goal of informing interventions to improve care of persons with serious mental illness.

METHODS: Twenty key informants from a stratified sample of 7 VHA inpatient psychiatric units were interviewed to gain their insights on causes of patient safety events and the factors that constrain or facilitate patient safety efforts.

RESULTS: Respondents identified threats to patient safety at the system-, provider-, and patient-levels. Protective factors that, when in place, made patient safety events less likely to occur …

Human Judgment And Health Care Policy., Benjamin Djulbegovic, Jason Beckstead, David B. Nash

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Ge Centricity Electronic Medical Record Database And National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey Findings On The Prevalence Of Major Conditions In The United States., Albert G. Crawford, Christine Cote, Joseph Couto, Mehmet Daskiran, Candace Gunnarsson, Kara Haas, Sara Haas, Somesh C Nigam, Rob Schuette, Joseph Yaskin

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

The study objective was to facilitate investigations by assessing the external validity and generalizability of the Centricity Electronic Medical Record (EMR) database and analytical results to the US population using the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) data and results as an appropriate validation resource. Demographic and diagnostic data from the NAMCS were compared to similar data from the Centricity EMR database, and the impact of the different methods of data collection was analyzed. Compared to NAMCS survey data on visits, Centricity EMR data shows higher proportions of visits by younger patients and by females. Other comparisons suggest more acute …

Prevalence Of Obesity, Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus, Hyperlipidemia, And Hypertension In The United States: Findings From The Ge Centricity Electronic Medical Record Database., Albert G Crawford, Christine Cote, Joseph Couto, Mehmet Daskiran, Candace Gunnarsson, Kara Haas, Sara Haas, Somesh C Nigam, Rob Schuette

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

This study analyzed GE Centricity Electronic Medical Record (EMR) data to examine the effects of body mass index (BMI) and obesity, key risk factor components of metabolic syndrome, on the prevalence of 3 chronic diseases: type II diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. These chronic diseases occur with high prevalence and impose high disease burdens. The rationale for using Centricity EMR data is 2-fold. First, EMRs may be a good source of BMI/obesity data, which are often underreported in surveys and administrative databases. Second, EMRs provide an ideal means to track variables over time and, thus, allow longitudinal analyses of relationships …

Hand Hygiene Compliance Rates In The United States--A One-Year Multicenter Collaboration Using Product/Volume Usage Measurement And Feedback., Maryanne Mcguckin, Richard Waterman, John Govednik

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Hand hygiene (HH) is the single most important factor in the prevention of health care-acquired infections. The 3 most frequently reported methods of measuring HH compliance are: (1) direct observation, (2) self-reporting by health care workers (HCWs), and (3) indirect calculation based on HH product usage. This article presents the results of a 12-month multicenter collaboration assessing HH compliance rates at US health care facilities by measuring product usage and providing feedback about HH compliance. Our results show that HH compliance at baseline was 26% for intensive care units (ICUs) and 36% for non-ICUs. After 12 months of measuring product …

Quality Improvement In Small Office Settings: An Examination Of Successful Practices., Daniel Wolfson, Elizabeth Bernabeo, Brian Leas, Shoshanna Sofaer, Gregory Pawlson, Donna Pillittere

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Physicians in small to moderate primary care practices in the United States (U.S.) (<25>physicians) face unique challenges in implementing quality improvement (QI) initiatives, including limited resources, small staffs, and inadequate information technology systems 23,36. This qualitative study sought to identify and understand the characteristics and organizational cultures of physicians working in smaller practices who are actively engaged in measurement and quality improvement initiatives.

METHODS: We undertook a qualitative study, based on semi-structured, open-ended interviews conducted with practices (N = 39) that used performance data to drive quality improvement activities.

RESULTS: Physicians indicated that benefits to performing measurement and …

Insights From The 2007 Disease Management Colloquium., David B Nash, Tine Hansen-Turton, Tracey Moorhead, Harry Leider, Donald F Wilson

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Quality Of Care Measures For Migraine: A Comprehensive Review, Joshua J. Gagne, Brian Leas, Jennifer H. Lofland, Neil Goldfarb, Frederick Freitag, Stephen Silberstein

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Migraine headache is a highly prevalent, chronic, episodic disorder that is associated with high direct and indirect costs. Migraine headache impacts not only patients, but also their employers due to substantial decreases in workplace productivity. Despite the prevalence and clinical and economic burdens of migraine, no national efforts to develop and implement standardized measures of quality of care have been made. The objective of this study was to collect and report on existing quality of care measures for migraine that could be suitable for quality measurement at the health-plan level. Published literature, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's National …

Chronic Care At The Crossroads: Exploring Solutions For Chronic Care Management. Report On The Us Summit., Janice L Clarke

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Report on the US Summit