Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Svetlana Beilfuss, Sebastian Linde, Brandon Norton
Summary: This study examines the impact of Medicare ACO programs on physician antibiotic prescribing. It finds that ACO affiliation is associated with a significant decrease in antibiotic prescriptions, with an average reduction of about 20.4 prescriptions per year. The study also shows that the treatment effects vary across different specialties.
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Orthopedics
Joshua M. Liao, Eric Z. Shan, Yueming Zhao, Yash Shah, Deborah S. Cousins, Amol S. Navathe
Summary: This study examines the overlap between Medicare's Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model and accountable care organizations (ACOs), identifying differences in patient and hospital characteristics. Patients in the overlap group were less likely to be older, of black race, and of low socioeconomic status compared to CJR-only patients, while high overlap hospitals were more likely to be nonprofit institutions.
JOURNAL OF ARTHROPLASTY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Helen Newton, Susan H. Busch, Mary Brunette, Donovan T. Maust, James O'Malley, Ellen R. Meara
Summary: Most ACOs do not fully implement all collaborative care components, with the majority using care managers and consulting mental health clinicians, but fewer utilizing patient registries. ACOs responsible for mental health care quality measures are more likely to implement collaborative care, indicating the potential impact of payment contracts on encouraging this cost-effective model.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Thao Wolbert, Rahman Barry, Todd Gress, Amanda Arrington, Errington Thompson
Summary: This study explores potential barriers to colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in the West Virginia Appalachian area. Through a cross-sectional survey, patient-reported barriers were identified using the health belief model to evaluate attitudes and behaviors. The discrepancies between the screened and unscreened groups mainly stem from perceptions of discomfort from screening tests, psychological and behavior deterrents in CRC screening and diagnosis, and limited resources for accessing care, especially transportation.
SOUTHERN MEDICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Avinash Sharma, Olusegun Isaac Alatise, Kelli O'Connell, Samson Gbenga Ogunleye, Adewale Abdulwasiu Aderounmu, Marquerite L. Samson, Funmilola Wuraola, Olalekan Olasehinde, T. Peter Kingham, Mengmeng Du
Summary: Cancer burden is expected to double in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030, making access to healthcare services for cancer management a priority. A study conducted in a rural community in South West Nigeria revealed low rates of cancer screening activities, lack of medical insurance, and a positive correlation between higher personal income and increased cancer screening. Despite these challenges, most individuals had contact with primary healthcare doctors and access to media, suggesting potential for expanding community-based screening interventions and awareness.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Joan M. Teno, Laura M. Keohane, Susan L. Mitchell, David J. Meyers, Jennifer N. Bunker, Emmanuelle Belanger, Pedro L. Gozalo, Amal N. Trivedi
Summary: The study compared end-of-life care for dementia patients in different healthcare plans, finding that patients in Medicare Advantage (MA) experienced less costly and burdensome care compared to those in traditional Medicare (TM) and ACOs.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Surgery
Victor H. Lopez, Kristina Vatcheva, Monica M. Betancourt-Garcia, Angel Dono, Ricardo D. Martinez, Robert Armour Forse
Summary: This study found that the implementation of accountable care organizations resulted in increased disease severity, more emergency admissions, higher utilization of computed tomography scans for diagnosis, prolonged length of stay, and increased costs for patients with acute cholecystitis.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
N. Baker, P. M. Singer
Summary: This study examines the regulatory landscape of accountable care organizations (ACOs) in the United States and its impact on organizational participation. The study analyzes existing and prior regulations governing ACOs and investigates the changes in ACO participation over time.
Article
Surgery
Alisha Lussiez, Shukri H. A. Dualeh, Charles K. Dally, Baafuor K. Opoku, Krishnan Raghavendran, Francis Aitpillah, Edward Boateng, Dominic Darkwah, Kofi Christian Gyasi-Sarpong, Joseph C. Kolars, Gifty Kwakye
Summary: A survey of 39 physicians in Kumasi, Ghana revealed low uptake and implementation of CRC screening despite national guidelines, with barriers at the physician-, patient- and system-levels including lack of resources, training, awareness, high costs, and insurance coverage.
WORLD JOURNAL OF SURGERY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Felice Simnacher, Anna Gotz, Sabine Kling, Jan Ben Schulze, Roland von Kanel, Sebastian Euler, Moritz Philipp Gunther
Summary: International guidelines recommend screening for cancer patients’ distress, but rates are insufficient. This study developed a survey to assess systemic barriers to distress screening. Through a three-step approach, an initial survey with 53 questions was reduced to a final set of 14 validated questions using qualitative content analysis and factor analysis. Major barriers identified include timing of screening, lack of capacity, patient and staff overload, and refusal of patients to be referred to support services. The validated questions enable quick identification and improvement of screening programs.
Article
Surgery
Pamela W. Lu, Solomiia Semeniv, Galyna Shabat, Vanessa Welten, Volodymyr Pylypchuk, Volodymyr Galyuk, Adam C. Fields, Nelya Melnitchouk
Summary: Clinicians in Ukraine have positive attitudes towards the utilization of evidence-based CRC treatment guidelines, but they encounter significant barriers in accessing the necessary resources to stay informed on current literature. However, there is a willingness and initiative at the clinician level to pursue continuing education. Efforts should be made at the international level to improve open-access and foreign language translation availability to support physicians in Ukraine and other low- to middle-income countries.
WORLD JOURNAL OF SURGERY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Baixiang Xiao, Gareth D. Mercer, Ling Jin, Han Lin Lee, Tingting Chen, Yanfang Wang, Yuanping Liu, Alastair K. Denniston, Catherine A. Egan, Jia Li, Qing Lu, Ping Xu, Nathan Congdon
Summary: Primary-level outreach screening improves access for poorly-educated and elderly patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and reduces gender inequity in care. It also identifies more severely-affected patients compared to case finding in hospital.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Nianyang Wang, Aitalohi Amaize, Jie Chen
Summary: This study found that rural patients with ADRD were more likely to have preventable ED visits, while hospitals affiliated with ACOs had the potential to decrease such visits for ADRD patients.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Surgery
Burkely P. Smith, Isabel Girling, Robert H. Hollis, Michael Rubyan, Connie Shao, Bayley Jones, Alizeh Abbas, Ivan Herbey, Gabriela R. Oates, Maria Pisu, Daniel I. Chu
Summary: This study aims to identify social determinants of health that impact surgical care among colorectal surgery patients at different socioecological levels. Key social determinants of health were identified at the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy levels through focus groups and interviews. These determinants may serve as intervention targets to reduce surgical disparities.
Review
Surgery
Anshul Puli, Alisha Lussiez, Mark MacEachern, Laura Hayward, Shukri Dualeh, Caroline E. Richburg, Emily Capellari, Gifty Kwakye
Summary: This scoping review examines the barriers to colorectal cancer screening faced by US immigrants and identifies five main themes, including access, knowledge, culture, trust, and health perception and beliefs. To improve screening rates among immigrants, interventions should address gaps in physician and screening education, access to care, and trust, and provide culturally sensitive supports.
JOURNAL OF SURGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Jennifer A. Andersen, Dylan Scoggins, Tzeyu Michaud, Neng Wan, Ming Wen, Dejun Su
Summary: This study revealed racial disparities in diabetes management outcomes between white and black patients with type 2 diabetes in a remote monitoring program. While the program reduced the absolute gap between black and white patients, substantial racial disparities in HbA1c still remained at the end of the program, highlighting the need for further research.
TELEMEDICINE AND E-HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Sunku Kwon, Neng Wan, Ryan D. Burns, Timothy A. Brusseau, Youngwon Kim, Santosh Kumar, Emre Ertin, David W. Wetter, Cho Y. Lam, Ming Wen, Wonwoo Byun
Summary: This study assessed the validity of MotionSense HRV for estimating sedentary behavior and physical activity, finding high correlations and low errors between MotionSense HRV and GT9X accelerometer under free-living conditions. The results suggest promising applications of MotionSense HRV for monitoring PA patterns in practical and research settings.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Armita Kar, Neng Wan, Thomas J. Cova, Hongmei Wang, Steven L. Lizotte
Summary: This study evaluates the impact of Hurricane Harvey on residents' spatial access to primary care physicians in Harris County, Texas. Despite an increase in PCPs, most areas experienced decreased access, with little variation among different socio-demographic groups. Therefore, it is recommended to consider users' needs, resource capacity, mobility options, and service quality in building a resilient and inclusive post-hurricane healthcare system.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Neng Wan, Marta McCrum, Jiuying Han, Steven Lizotte, Dejun Su, Ming Wen, Shue Zeng
Summary: Emergency general surgery (EGS) plays a critical role in emergency care in the United States, and ensuring adequate spatial access to EGS services is essential for reducing patient morbidity and mortality. A study found that a gravity-based model is more effective than traditional travel time methods in measuring spatial access to EGS services, especially in identifying geographic and socio-demographic disparities.
HEALTH SERVICES AND OUTCOMES RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Brian S. Gannon, Abbey Gregg, Hui Wang, Mallory Enzor Marshall, Lea G. Yerby, Caroline Jenkins, Jason M. Parton
Summary: Children in foster care face various challenges in healthcare expenditures, but those managed by Fresh Start clinic have lower costs, probably due to better access to coordinated care, behavioral health services, and trauma-informed care.
CHILDRENS HEALTH CARE
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Alexander Hohl, Moongi Choi, Aggie J. Yellow Horse, Richard M. Medina, Neng Wan, Ming Wen
Summary: The study illustrates a significant spatiotemporal distribution of anti-Asian hate language on Twitter during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Geographical clusters of hate varied in size, duration, strength, and location, scattered across the contiguous United States.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Xiaobing Li, Qinglin Hu, Abbey Gregg
Summary: This study explores the impact of various characteristics on the delay of emergency medical services (EMS) response for crash-based, heart-based, and stroke-based emergencies. The findings indicate that the correlations between characteristics and delays vary at different stages of EMS response. For example, work-related illness or injury is positively correlated with delay for crash- and heart-based EMS responses at stage 1, but negatively correlated with delay for stroke-based EMS responses.
JOURNAL OF TRANSPORT & HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Health Policy & Services
Sara B. Phillips, Olivia W. May, Catanya G. Stager, Abbey Gregg
Summary: One in five children under the age of five has experienced caries, which is the most prevalent chronic disease in childhood. Failure to address a child's dental health can lead to complications in both the short and long-term. Therefore, primary care pediatric providers play a crucial role in preventing caries by addressing dental health during routine visits.
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC HEALTH CARE
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Rebecca Richards Steed, Amanda Bakian, Ken Robert Smith, Neng Wan, Simon Brewer, Richard Medina, James VanDerslice
Summary: This study used space-time clustering to analyze the ancestral population of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and identified statistically significant space-time clusters during critical developmental windows that are associated with ASD risk in descendants. The study found that paternal grandparents during birth and childhood in the 1950s-1960s had the highest relative risk for ASD.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH GEOGRAPHICS
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Nasser Sharareh, Andrea S. Wallace, Ben J. Brintz, Neng Wan, Jia-Wen Guo, Bob Wong
Summary: Food insecurity is a complex issue influenced by various factors at individual and societal levels. This study aimed to identify factors associated with food insecurity by integrating patient, health system, and population-level data. The findings revealed that patient-reported housing, medical care, and utility needs, as well as participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and utilization of primary care providers, were strongly associated with unmet food needs. Therefore, addressing social needs reported by patients and assessing them in primary care settings are crucial for addressing food insecurity.
PREVENTIVE MEDICINE REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Marta L. McCrum, Chelsea M. Allen, Jiuyin Han, Stephanie E. Iantorno, Angela P. Presson, Neng Wan
Summary: This study examined the association between geographic access to care and outcomes for emergency general surgery (EGS) diseases. The results showed that increasing spatial access was associated with lower in-hospital mortality, but was not significantly associated with major morbidity.
JOURNAL OF TRAUMA AND ACUTE CARE SURGERY
(2023)
Article
Anesthesiology
John Pearson, Cameron Jacobson, Nkemdirim Ugochukwu, Elliot Asare, Kelvin Kan, Nathan Pace, Jiuying Han, Neng Wan, Robert Schonberger, Michael Andreae
INTERNATIONAL ANESTHESIOLOGY CLINICS
(2023)
Article
Geography
Jiuying Han, Neng Wan, Simon C. Brewer, Marta McCrum
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the relationships between hospital bypass behaviours of EGS patients and spatial access to EGS services, as well as other individual and ZCTA-level factors in California. The findings revealed that better spatial access to EGS hospitals was associated with a lower likelihood of EGS bypass. Factors such as rural-urban status, health insurance type, and race/ethnicity were also found to be related to EGS bypass behaviours. Additionally, spatial effects resulted in clustering of individuals with similar EGS bypass behaviours. These results have important implications for EGS resource allocation, utilization, and addressing EGS disparities.
Article
Water Resources
Olumayowa Azeez, Randi J. Henderson-Mitchell, Matthew C. LaFevor, Abbey Gregg
Summary: In Nigeria, the lack of access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is a critical public health challenge. This study found that rural residents in Nigeria were less likely to have access to improved water and sanitation facilities. Additionally, lower levels of education and wealth were associated with the non-treatment of unimproved drinking water.
JOURNAL OF WATER SANITATION AND HYGIENE FOR DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Marta L. McCrum, Neng Wan, Jiuying Han, Steven L. Lizotte, Joshua J. Horns
Summary: This cross-sectional study examines the differences in access to hospitals with emergency surgical capabilities across the US using advanced geospatial metrics. The results show that approximately 10% of US residents have low access to any hospital with emergency surgical services, and 25% have low access to hospitals with advanced clinical resources. Insurance status and minority communities in micropolitan and rural areas are associated with low access.